This Day in History: August 25, 2026

1875

Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel. It took him 21 hours and 45 minutes.

1718

New Orleans was founded by French settlers and named after the Duke of Orleans.
1825

Uruguay declared its independence from Brazil.
1916

The Department of the Interior created the National Park Service to manage and preserve national parks and monuments for future generations.
1944

Paris was liberated from Nazi occupation by Allied forces.
1984

Author Truman Capote was found dead in Los Angeles.
2001

Singer and actress Aaliyah died in a plane crash in the Bahamas.
2003

NASA launched the infrared Spitzer Space Telescope.
2009

Edward "Ted" Kennedy, who served as a Democratic senator from Massachusetts since 1962, dies. He was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2008.
2012

The first human to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong, died after suffering complications from a heart bypass.

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