Today In History
Today is Monday, August 25, the 237th day of 2014. There are 128 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
1944: During World War II, Paris was liberated by Allied forces after four years of Nazi occupation. Romania declared war on former ally Germany. ON THIS DATE 1718: Hundreds of French colonists arrived in Louisiana, with some settling in present-day New Orleans.
1916: The National Park Service was established within the Department of the Interior.
1921: The United States signed a peace treaty with Germany.
1958: President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a measure providing pensions for former U.S. presidents and their widows.
1960: Opening ceremonies were held for the Summer Olympics in Rome.
1980: The Broadway musical “42nd Street” opened. (Producer David Merrick stunned the cast and audience during the curtain call by announcing that the show’s director, Gower Champion, had died earlier that day.)
1981: The U.S. spacecraft Voyager 2 came within 63,000 miles of Saturn’s cloud cover, sending back pictures of and data about the ringed planet.
1989: Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Neptune, its final planetary target.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Game show host Monty Hall is 93. Actor Sean Connery is 84. Actor Page Johnson is 84. TV personality Regis Philbin is 83. Actor Tom Skerritt is 81. Filmmaker Marshall Brickman is 75. Rhythm-and-blues singer Walter Williams (The O’Jays) is 72. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is 72. Actor Anthony Heald is 70. Rock musician Danny Smythe is 66. Actress Ashley Crow is 54. Actress Ally Walker is 53. Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus is 53. Actress Joanne Whalley is 53. Rock musician Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard) is 52. Actor Blair Underwood is 50. Actor Robert Maschio is 48. Rap DJ Terminator X (Public Enemy) is 48. Alternative country singer Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) is 47. Actor David Alan Basche is 46. Television chef Rachael Ray is 46. Actor Cameron Mathison is 45. Country singer Jo Dee Messina is 44. Actor Jonathan Togo is 37. Actor Kel Mitchell is 36. Actress Rachel Bilson is 33. Actress Blake Lively is 27. Actor Josh Flitter is 20.