Today in History

Today in History

Today is Thursday, Aug. 25, the 238th day of 2016. There are 128 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed an act establishing the National Park Service within the Department of the Interior.

On this date:

In 1718, hundreds of French colonists arrived in Louisiana, with some settling in present-day New Orleans.

In 1825, Uruguay declared independence from Brazil.

In 1921, the United States signed a peace treaty with Germany.

In 1944, during World War II, Paris was liberated by Allied forces after four years of Nazi occupation. Romania declared war on former ally Germany.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a measure providing pensions for former U.S. presidents and their widows.

In 1960, opening ceremonies were held for the Summer Olympics in Rome.

In 1975, the Bruce Springsteen album "Born to Run" was released by Columbia Records.

In 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.

In 1989, Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Neptune, its final planetary target.

In 1998, retired Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell died in Richmond, Virginia, at age 90.

In 2001, Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby, a single mother and former waitress, married Norway's Crown Prince Haakon in Oslo. Rhythm-and-blues singer Aaliyah was killed with eight others in a plane crash in the Bahamas; she was 22.

In 2009, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy died at age 77 in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, after a battle with a brain tumor.

Ten years ago: A college student's checked luggage on a Continental Airlines flight that had arrived in Houston from Buenos Aires, Argentina, was found to contain a stick of dynamite, one of six security incidents that day that caused U.S. flights to be diverted, evacuated or searched. Joseph Stefano, who wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," died in Thousand Oaks, California, at age 84.

Five years ago: Fifty-two people were killed in a fire at a casino in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey that was allegedly targeted by a drug cartel. The New York Yankees became the first team in major league history to hit three grand slams in a game, with Robinson Cano, Russell Martin and Curtis Granderson connecting in a 22-9 romp over the Oakland Athletics.

One year ago: French authorities formally opened a terrorism investigation into a foiled attack four days earlier; a prosecutor said minutes before he slung an assault rifle across his chest and walked through a high-speed train, suspect Ayoub El-Khazzani of Morocco watched a jihadi video on his cellphone.

Today's Birthdays: Game show host Monty Hall is 95. Actor Sean Connery is 86. Actor Page Johnson is 86. TV personality Regis Philbin is 85. Actor Tom Skerritt is 83. Jazz musician Wayne Shorter is 83. Movie director Hugh Hudson is 80. Author Frederick Forsyth is 78. Movie director John Badham is 77. Filmmaker Marshall Brickman is 77. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is 74. Rhythm-and-blues singer Walter Williams (The O'Jays) is 73. Actor Anthony Heald is 72. Rock singer-actor Gene Simmons is 67. Actor John Savage is 67. Country singer-musician Henry Paul (Outlaws; Blackhawk) is 67. Rock singer Rob Halford is 65. Rock musician Geoff Downes (Asia) is 64. Rock singer Elvis Costello is 62. Movie director Tim Burton is 58. Actor Christian LeBlanc is 58. Actress Ashley Crow is 56. Actress Ally Walker is 55. Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus is 55. Actress Joanne Whalley is 55. Rock musician Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard) is 54. Actor Blair Underwood is 52. Actor Robert Maschio is 50. Rap DJ Terminator X (Public Enemy) is 50. Alternative country singer Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) is 49. Actor David Alan Basche is 48. Television chef Rachael Ray is 48. Actor Cameron Mathison is 47. Country singer Jo Dee Messina is 46. Model Claudia Schiffer is 46. Country singer Brice Long is 45. Actor Eric Millegan is 42. Actor Alexander Skarsgard is 40. Actor Jonathan Togo is 39. Actor Kel Mitchell is 38. Actress Rachel Bilson is 35. Actress Blake Lively is 29. Actor Josh Flitter is 22.

Thought for Today: "History is the sum total of the things that could have been avoided." -- Konrad Adenauer, German statesman (1876-1967).