Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, Aug. 25, the 237th day of 2017. There are 128 days left in the year.

Today's Highlights in History:

On August 25, 1967, the Beatles boarded a train in London bound for Bangor, Wales, to attend a conference on transcendental meditation led by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi; the visit was cut short two days later when the group got word of the death of their manager, Brian Epstein. George Lincoln Rockwell, founder of the American Nazi Party, was shot to death at a shopping center in Arlington, Virginia; former party member John Patler was convicted of the killing. Actor Paul Muni, 71, died in Montecito, California.

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

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 1997, former East German leader Egon Krenz was convicted of manslaughter in the deaths of citizens trying to flee to the West during Cold War; he was sentenced to 6 1/2 years' imprisonment. (Krenz was released in 2003 after serving less than four years.)

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

Ten years ago: The government of Greece declared a nationwide state of emergency as the death toll from wildfires rose to at least 49. Bombs blamed on Islamic extremists killed at least 43 people at a park and a street-side food stall in Hyderabad, India.

Five years ago: Neil Armstrong, 82, who commanded the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing and was the first man to set foot on the moon in July 1969, died in Cincinnati, Ohio. A huge explosion rocked Venezuela's biggest oil refinery and unleashed a ferocious fire, killing at least 42 people. Alpha and long-shot Golden Ticket finished in a historic dead heat in the $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

One year ago: Hillary Clinton said that Donald Trump had unleashed the "radical fringe" within the Republican Party, dubbing the billionaire businessman's campaign as one that will "make America hate again"; Trump rejected Clinton's allegations, defending his hard-line approach to immigration while trying to make the case to minority voters that Democrats had abandoned them. The bodies of two nuns, Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill, both 68, were found in their home in Durant, Mississippi; a suspect has been charged with capital murder. Actor Marvin Kaplan, 89, died in Burbank, California.

Today's Birthdays: Game show host Monty Hall is 96. Actor Sean Connery is 87. Actor Page Johnson is 87. TV personality Regis Philbin is 86. Actor Tom Skerritt is 84. Jazz musician Wayne Shorter is 84. Movie director Hugh Hudson is 81. Author Frederick Forsyth is 79. Movie director John Badham is 78. Filmmaker Marshall Brickman is 78. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is 75. Rhythm-and-blues singer Walter Williams (The O'Jays) is 74. Actor Anthony Heald is 73. Rock singer-actor Gene Simmons is 68. Actor John Savage is 68. Author Martin Amis is 68. Country singer-musician Henry Paul (Outlaws; Blackhawk) is 68. Rock singer Rob Halford is 66. Rock musician Geoff Downes (Asia) is 65. Rock singer Elvis Costello is 63. Movie director Tim Burton is 59. Actor Christian LeBlanc is 59. Actress Ashley Crow is 57. Actress Ally Walker is 56. Country singer Cyrus (AKA Billy Ray Cyrus) is 56. Actress Joanne Whalley is 56. Rock musician Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard) is 55. Actor Blair Underwood is 53. Actor Robert Maschio is 51. Rap DJ Terminator X (Public Enemy) is 51. Alternative country singer Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) is 50. Actor David Alan Basche is 49. Television chef Rachael Ray is 49. Actor Cameron Mathison is 48. Country singer Jo Dee Messina is 47. Model Claudia Schiffer is 47. Country singer Brice Long is 46. Actor-writer-director Ben Falcone is 44. Actor Eric Millegan is 43. Actor Alexander Skarsgard is 41. Actor Jonathan Togo is 40. Actor Kel Mitchell is 39. Actress Rachel Bilson is 36. Actress Blake Lively is 30. Actor Josh Flitter is 23.

Thought for Today: "No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helps you." -- Althea Gibson, American tennis champion (born this date in 1927, died 2003).