History of Today 25 August: Important Events, Births and Deaths

Welcome to History of Today 25 August. On this page, you can read important historical events, famous births, notable deaths and general knowledge facts related to 25 August. This information is useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, State PSC and other competitive exams.

Last updated on 25 August 2026, 01:00 AM

Important Events on 25 August in History

• 25 Aug 2017: Hurricane Harvey makes landfall in Texas as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the United States since 2004. Read more
• 25 Aug 2017: Conflict in Rakhine State (2016–present): One hundred seventy people are killed in at least 26 separate attacks carried out by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, leading to the governments of Myanmar and Malaysia designating the group as a terrorist organisation. Read more
• 25 Aug 2012: Voyager 1 spacecraft enters interstellar space, becoming the first man-made object to do so. Read more
• 25 Aug 2011: Fifty-two people are killed during an arson attack caused by members of the drug cartel Los Zetas. Read more
• 25 Aug 2010: A Filair Let L-410 Turbolet crashes on approach to Bandundu Airport, killing 20. Read more
• 25 Aug 2006: Former Prime Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Lazarenko is sentenced to nine years imprisonment for money laundering, wire fraud, and extortion. Read more
• 25 Aug 2005: Hurricane Katrina makes landfall in Florida. Read more
• 25 Aug 2003: NASA successfully launches the Spitzer Space Telescope into space. Read more
• 25 Aug 2001: American singer Aaliyah and several members of her entourage are killed as their overloaded aircraft crashes shortly after takeoff from Marsh Harbour Airport, Bahamas. Read more
• 25 Aug 1997: Egon Krenz, the former East German leader, is convicted of a shoot-to-kill policy at the Berlin Wall. Read more
• 25 Aug 1991: Belarus gains its independence from the Soviet Union. Read more
• 25 Aug 1991: The Battle of Vukovar begins. An 87-day siege of Vukovar by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), supported by various Serb paramilitary forces, between August and November 1991 (during the Croatian War of Independence). Read more
• 25 Aug 1991: Linus Torvalds announces the first version of what will become Linux. Read more
• 25 Aug 1989: Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Neptune, the last planet in the Solar System at the time, due to Pluto being within Neptune's orbit from 1979 to 1999. Read more
• 25 Aug 1989: Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404, carrying 54 people, disappears over the Himalayas after takeoff from Gilgit Airport in Pakistan. The aircraft was never found. Read more
• 25 Aug 1985: Bar Harbor Airlines Flight 1808 crashes near Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport in Auburn, Maine, killing all eight people on board including peace activist and child actress Samantha Smith. Read more
• 25 Aug 1981: Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Saturn. Read more
• 25 Aug 1980: Zimbabwe joins the United Nations. Read more
• 25 Aug 1980: The last performance of the Jahrhundertring at the Bayreuth Festival receives ovations of 45 minutes. Read more
• 25 Aug 1967: George Lincoln Rockwell, founder of the American Nazi Party, is assassinated by a former member of his group. Read more
• 25 Aug 1961: President Jânio Quadros of Brazil resigns after just seven months in power, initiating a political crisis that culminates in a military coup in 1964. Read more
• 25 Aug 1960: The Games of the XVII Olympiad commence in Rome, Italy. Read more
• 25 Aug 1958: The world's first publicly marketed instant noodles, Chikin Ramen, are introduced by Taiwanese-Japanese businessman Momofuku Ando. Read more
• 25 Aug 1950: To avert a threatened strike during the Korean War, President Truman orders Secretary of the Army Frank Pace to seize control of the nation's railroads. Read more
• 25 Aug 1948: The House Un-American Activities Committee holds first-ever televised congressional hearing: "Confrontation Day" between Whittaker Chambers and Alger Hiss. Read more
• 25 Aug 1945: Ten days after World War II ends with Japan announcing its surrender, armed supporters of the Chinese Communist Party kill U.S. intelligence officer John Birch, regarded by some of the American right as the first victim of the Cold War. Read more
• 25 Aug 1945: The August Revolution ends as Emperor Bảo Đại abdicates, ending the Nguyễn dynasty. Read more
• 25 Aug 1944: World War II: Paris is liberated by the Allies. Read more
• 25 Aug 1942: World War II: Second day of the Battle of the Eastern Solomons; a Japanese naval transport convoy headed towards Guadalcanal is turned back by an Allied air attack. Read more
• 25 Aug 1942: World War II: Battle of Milne Bay: Japanese marines assault Allied airfields at Milne Bay, New Guinea, initiating the Battle of Milne Bay. Read more
• 25 Aug 1941: World War II: Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran: The United Kingdom and the Soviet Union jointly stage an invasion of the Imperial State of Iran. Read more
• 25 Aug 1940: World War II: The first Bombing of Berlin by the British Royal Air Force. Read more
• 25 Aug 1939: The Irish Republican Army carries out the 1939 Coventry bombing in which five civilians were killed. Read more
• 25 Aug 1939: The United Kingdom and Poland form a military alliance in which the UK promises to defend Poland in case of invasion by a foreign power. Read more
• 25 Aug 1933: The Diexi earthquake strikes Mao County, Sichuan, China and kills 9,000 people. Read more
• 25 Aug 1933: Nazi Germany and the Zionist Federation of Germany signed the Haavara Agreement. The agreement was a major factor in breaking the anti-Nazi boycott of 1933 and facilitated Jewish emigration from Germany and into British Mandate of Palestine. Read more
• 25 Aug 1920: Polish–Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw, which began on August 13, ends with the Red Army's defeat. Read more
• 25 Aug 1916: The United States National Park Service is created. Read more
• 25 Aug 1914: World War I: Japan declares war on Austria-Hungary. Read more
• 25 Aug 1914: World War I: The library of the Catholic University of Leuven is deliberately destroyed by the German Army. Hundreds of thousands of irreplaceable volumes and Gothic and Renaissance manuscripts are lost. Read more
• 25 Aug 1912: The Kuomintang is founded for the first time in Peking. Read more
• 25 Aug 1904: Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Liaoyang begins. Read more
• 25 Aug 1894: Kitasato Shibasaburō discovers the infectious agent of the bubonic plague and publishes his findings in The Lancet. Read more
• 25 Aug 1883: France and Viet Nam sign the Treaty of Huế, recognizing a French protectorate over Annam and Tonkin. Read more
• 25 Aug 1875: Captain Matthew Webb becomes the first person to swim across the English Channel, traveling from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in 21 hours and 45 minutes. Read more
• 25 Aug 1835: The first Great Moon Hoax article is published in The New York Sun, announcing the discovery of life and civilization on the Moon. Read more
• 25 Aug 1830: The Belgian Revolution begins. Read more
• 25 Aug 1825: The Thirty-Three Orientals declare the independence of Uruguay from Brazil. Read more
• 25 Aug 1823: American fur trapper Hugh Glass is mauled by a grizzly bear while on an expedition in South Dakota. Read more
• 25 Aug 1814: War of 1812: On the second day of the Burning of Washington, British troops torch the Library of Congress, United States Treasury, Department of War, and other public buildings. Read more

Famous Births on 25 August

• 25 Aug 2006: Kimi Antonelli, Italian racing driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli is an Italian racing driver who competes in Formula One for Mercedes. Antonelli has won six Formula One Grands Prix since his debut in 2025. Read more
• 25 Aug 2004: Evann Girault, French-Nigerien sabre fencer Evann Jean Abba Girault is a French-Nigerien sabre fencer. He qualified to represent Niger at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Read more
• 25 Aug 2003: Rebeka Jančová, Slovak alpine ski racer Rebeka Jančová is a Slovak alpine ski racer. She competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Read more
• 25 Aug 2000: Nicki Nicole, Argentine rapper and singer-songwriter Nicole Denise Cucco, known professionally as Nicki Nicole, is an Argentine rapper and singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Rosario, Santa Fe, she gained popularity with her singles "Wapo Traketero", "Colocao", "Mamichula", "Mala Vida", and "Marisola" (remix). At the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, she received her first Grammy nomination for Best Música Urbana Album for her 2024 album Naiki. Read more
• 25 Aug 1998: China Anne McClain, American actress and singer China Anne McClain is an American actress and singer. McClain's career began when she was seven years old, portraying Alexis in the film The Gospel (2005), and then China James in Daddy's Little Girls (2007). She then received recognition for starring as Jazmine Payne in the television sitcom Tyler Perry's House of Payne and as Charlotte McKenzie in the comedy film Grown Ups (2010) and its sequel Grown Ups 2 (2013); and became globally known for starring as Chyna Parks in the Disney Channel television series A.N.T. Farm (2011–2014), and as Uma in the Disney Channel films Descendants 2 (2017), Descendants 3 (2019), and Descendants: The Rise of Red (2024). She also voiced Freddie in Descendants: Wicked World. In 2018, McClain began starring in The CW superhero series Black Lightning (2018–2021) as Jennifer Pierce / Lightning. She also reprised her character Jazmine Payne on OWN's revival of The Paynes (2018). Read more
• 25 Aug 1995: Ong Seong-wu, South Korean singer and actor Ong Seong-wu is a South Korean singer and actor. He is known for his participation in the survival reality show Produce 101 Season 2, where he finished in fifth place, and is a former member of the show's derivative boy group Wanna One. Following Wanna One's disbandment, Ong made his acting debut with the drama At Eighteen (2019) directed by Shim Na-yeon. He also established his career as a solo artist with the release of his first extended play, Layers, on March 25, 2020. Read more
• 25 Aug 1995: Dowoon, South Korean musician Yoon Do-woon, known mononymously as Dowoon, is a South Korean musician, best known as the drummer and vocalist of the pop rock band Day6. Read more
• 25 Aug 1994: Edmunds Augstkalns, Latvian ice hockey player Edmunds Augstkalns is a Latvian ice hockey player currently playing for the HK Rīga of the MHL. Read more
• 25 Aug 1994: Caris LeVert, American basketball player Caris Coleman LeVert is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines. LeVert was originally drafted by the Indiana Pacers but was traded to the Brooklyn Nets on draft night. He later played for the Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons. Read more
• 25 Aug 1992: Miyabi Natsuyaki, Japanese singer and actress Miyabi Natsuyaki is a Japanese singer. Natsuyaki began her singing career in 2002 when she joined Hello! Project Kids, a child pop group, under the idol musical collective Hello! Project. After releasing music in the sub-group Aa!, Natsuyaki became a member of the girl group Berryz Kobo, of which she was also the group's sub-leader, from 2004 to 2014. In addition, she was also a member of the sub-group Buono! from 2009 to 2017. After Berryz Kobo went on indefinite hiatus, Natsuyaki formed the girl group Pink Cres. in 2016, which remained active until 2021. Read more
• 25 Aug 1992: Ricardo Rodriguez, Swiss footballer Ricardo Ivan Rodriguez Araya is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a left-back for the Switzerland national team. Read more
• 25 Aug 1990: Max Muncy, American baseball player Maxwell Steven Muncy is an American professional baseball infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Baylor Bears. He was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the fifth round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. He played in MLB for the Athletics in 2015 and 2016 and later joined the Dodgers in 2018, winning the World Series with the team in 2020, 2024, and 2025. Muncy is a three-time All-Star. Read more
• 25 Aug 1989: Hiram Mier, Mexican footballer Hiram Ricardo Mier Alanís is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is an Olympic gold medalist. Read more
• 25 Aug 1989: Jaakko Ohtonen, Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen is a Finnish actor and voiceover artist. He has been cast in the role of Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson's The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One (2027) and Part Two (2028). Read more
• 25 Aug 1988: Angela Park, Brazilian-American golfer Angela Park is a Brazilian-American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. She holds dual citizenship in Brazil and the United States. Read more
• 25 Aug 1988: Giga Chikadze, Georgian mixed martial artist and kickboxer Giga Chikadze is a Georgian professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Chikadze formerly competed in the Featherweight division for GLORY. Read more
• 25 Aug 1987: Stacey Farber, Canadian actress Stacey Farber is a Canadian actress. After making an uncredited appearance in season 1, Farber played Ellie Nash in seasons 2 through 8 of the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation. From 2010 to 2011, Farber starred in the CBC series 18 to Life. From 2014 to 2017, Farber played Sydney Katz on the Canadian medical drama Saving Hope. Since 2023, Farber has had a lead role on The Spencer Sisters. Farber has also appeared multiple times on the Netflix drama series Virgin River, as well as The CW superhero series Superman & Lois. Read more
• 25 Aug 1987: Velimir Jovanović, Serbian footballer Velimir Jovanović is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Read more
• 25 Aug 1987: Blake Lively, American model and actress Blake Ellender Brown, known professionally as Blake Lively, is an American actress and entrepreneur. Read more
• 25 Aug 1987: Amy Macdonald, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist Amy Elizabeth Macdonald is a Scottish singer-songwriter. In 2007, she released her debut studio album, This Is the Life, which produced the singles "Mr. Rock & Roll" and "This Is the Life"; the latter charting at number one in six countries, while reaching the top 10 in another 11 countries. The album reached number one in four European countries – the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland – and sold three million copies worldwide. Moderate success in the American music market followed in 2008. Macdonald has sold over 12 million records worldwide. Read more
• 25 Aug 1987: Justin Upton, American baseball player Justin Irvin Upton is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Nicknamed "J-Up", he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, and Seattle Mariners. He was a teammate of his brother B. J. Upton with both the Braves and the Padres. While primarily a right fielder throughout his career, Upton later transitioned to left field with the Braves, Padres and Tigers. Read more
• 25 Aug 1987: Adam Warren, American baseball player Adam Parrish Warren is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres. Before beginning his professional career, Warren pitched in college baseball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Read more
• 25 Aug 1987: James Wesolowski, Australian footballer James Peter Wesolowski is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. Read more
• 25 Aug 1986: Rodney Ferguson, American footballer Rodney Laurence Ferguson II is an American former football running back. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at New Mexico. Read more
• 25 Aug 1984: Florian Mohr, German footballer Florian Mohr is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender. Read more
• 25 Aug 1984: Anya Monzikova, Russian-American model and actress Anya Monzikova is a Russian-American model and actress, best known for being a suitcase model on the American game show, Deal or No Deal (2006–2009). Read more
• 25 Aug 1983: James Rossiter, English race car driver James Stuart Rossiter is a British former professional racing driver who currently is part of the Formula E ITV Sport commentary team, alongside Nicki Shields and fellow racing drivers Karun Chandhok and Sam Bird. He is former team principal of the late Maserati MSG Racing in Formula E. Read more
• 25 Aug 1982: Jung Jung-suk, South Korean footballer (died 2011) Jung Jung-suk was a South Korean women's football player who played for WK League side Daekyo Kangaroos and the South Korean national team. Read more
• 25 Aug 1982: Nick Schultz, Canadian ice hockey player Nicholas Andrew Schultz is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Philadelphia Flyers. The Minnesota Wild drafted him in the second round of the 2000 NHL entry draft. He played junior ice hockey for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Schultz represented Canada in international competition at the junior and senior level. Read more
• 25 Aug 1981: Rachel Bilson, American actress Rachel Sarah Bilson is an American actress. Born to a California show-business family, Bilson made her television debut in 2003, and then landed the role of Summer Roberts on the prime-time drama series The O.C. Bilson then made her film debut in The Last Kiss (2006) and later starred in the science-fiction-action film Jumper (2008). From 2011 to 2015, she starred as Dr. Zoe Hart on The CW series Hart of Dixie. After stepping back from acting in 2019, she and Melinda Clarke co-hosted the podcast Welcome to the OC, Bitches! from April 2021 to August 2023, and since 2022 she has co-hosted the weekly podcast Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson and Olivia Allen. Read more
• 25 Aug 1981: Jan-Berrie Burger, Namibian cricketer Andries Johannes Burger, known as Jan-Berry Burger, is a Namibian former cricketer, who played for Namibia's national cricket team. He made his international debut in February 2003. He was part of Namibia's first ever ODI team and Namibia's first ever World Cup team. Read more
• 25 Aug 1981: Camille Pin, French tennis player Camille Pin is a French former professional tennis player. Read more
• 25 Aug 1979: Marlon Harewood, English footballer Marlon Anderson Harewood is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. Read more
• 25 Aug 1979: Philipp Mißfelder, German historian and politician (died 2015) Philipp Mißfelder was a German politician and a member of the German Bundestag. From January through March 2014, he served in the German government as the Coordinator for Transatlantic Cooperation in the Field of Intersocietal Relations, Cultural and Information Policy. Read more
• 25 Aug 1979: Deanna Nolan, American basketball player Deanna Nicole "Tweety" Nolan is a retired American-Russian professional basketball player for UMMC Ekaterinburg of the Russian Premier League as well as the Russia women's national basketball team. Her primary position is shooting guard, but occasionally plays the point guard position. Her original name was Deana, but was legally changed to Deanna in 2000. She went to Flint Northern High School where she graduated and took that school to the state championship, which they won. Nolan was inducted in October 2024 into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in Detroit. Read more
• 25 Aug 1978: Kel Mitchell, American actor, producer, and screenwriter Kel Johari Rice Mitchell is an American actor, comedian, rapper, singer, and TV host. He was an original cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That for its first five seasons (1994–1999), where he was often paired with Kenan Thompson. He co-starred with Thompson on the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel from 1996 to 2000. From 2015 to 2019, he starred as Double G on the Nickelodeon sitcom Game Shakers. Read more
• 25 Aug 1978: Robert Mohr, German rugby player Robert Mohr is a retired German international rugby union player, having played professionally in France for Bourgoin, La Rochelle, Niort and for the German national rugby union team. He is one of the few players in the history of the German team who was a professional. Read more
• 25 Aug 1977: Masumi Asano, Japanese voice actress and producer Masumi Asano is a Japanese voice actress, singer, narrator and writer who worked for Aoni Production, but now as of January, 2021, a Freelancer. Read more
• 25 Aug 1977: Andy McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player Andy McDonald is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played for the Anaheim Ducks and the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL), winning the Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007. Read more
• 25 Aug 1977: Jonathan Togo, American actor Jonathan Frederick Togo is an American actor, best known for his role in CSI: Miami as Ryan Wolfe. Read more
• 25 Aug 1976: Damon Jones, American basketball player and coach Damon Darron Jones is an American former professional basketball player best known for playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2005 to 2008. Read more
• 25 Aug 1976: Javed Qadeer, Pakistani cricketer and coach Javed Qadeer is a former Pakistani cricketer who played one One Day International in 1995 as a wicket-keeper. He was born at Karachi. Read more
• 25 Aug 1976: Alexander Skarsgård, Swedish actor Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård is a Swedish actor. A son of actor Stellan Skarsgård, he began acting at the age of seven but quit at thirteen. After serving in the Swedish Navy, Skarsgård returned to acting and gained his first role in the American comedy film Zoolander (2001). He played Brad Colbert in the miniseries Generation Kill (2008) and had his international breakthrough portraying vampire Eric Northman in the television series True Blood (2008–2014). Read more
• 25 Aug 1975: Brad Drew, Australian rugby league player Brad Drew is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A City New South Wales representative hooker, he played in Australia for Penrith, Parramatta and Canberra and in England for Huddersfield and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. Read more
• 25 Aug 1975: Petria Thomas, Australian swimmer and coach Petria Ann Thomas, is an Australian swimmer and Olympic gold medallist and a winner of 15 national titles. She was born in Lismore, New South Wales, and grew up in the nearby town of Mullumbimby, where she has a community pool named in her honour. Read more
• 25 Aug 1974: Eric Millegan, American actor Eric Millegan is an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Zack Addy on the Fox series Bones. Read more
• 25 Aug 1974: Pablo Ozuna, Dominican baseball player Pablo José Ozuna is a Dominican former professional baseball utility player. During his major league career, he played for the Florida Marlins, the Colorado Rockies (2003), the Chicago White Sox (2005–2008), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2008). He is the cousin of current Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. Read more
• 25 Aug 1973: Fatih Akın, German director, producer, and screenwriter Fatih Akin is a German and Turkish film director, screenwriter and producer. His films have won numerous awards and accolades, including the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for his film Head-On (2004), Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival for his film The Edge of Heaven (2007), and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film for his film In the Fade (2017). Read more
• 25 Aug 1972: Marvin Harrison, American football player Marvin Darnell Harrison Sr. is an American former professional football wide receiver who played his entire 13-year career for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Syracuse Orange and was selected by the Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft. Read more
• 25 Aug 1971: Jason Death, Australian rugby league player Jason Death is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. Primarily a hooker, he played for the Canberra Raiders, North Queensland Cowboys, New Zealand Warriors and South Sydney Rabbitohs throughout his 14-season career. Read more
• 25 Aug 1971: Nathan Page, Australian actor Nathan Page is an Australian actor. He is best known for his commercial voice-over work and his role as Detective Inspector Jack Robinson in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Read more
• 25 Aug 1970: Doug Glanville, American baseball player and sportscaster Douglas Metunwa Glanville is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers. He is also a broadcast color analyst for baseball, currently working with Marquee Sports Network and ESPN, and a contributor to The Athletic. Read more
• 25 Aug 1970: Debbie Graham, American tennis player Debbie Graham or Debbie Graham Shaffer is a retired tennis player from the United States. Read more
• 25 Aug 1970: Robert Horry, American basketball player and sportscaster Robert Keith Horry is an American sports commentator and former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and San Antonio Spurs. Nicknamed "Big Shot Rob", Horry was a member of seven NBA championship winning teams over his 16-year career and is regarded as one of the most clutch shooters in NBA history. Read more
• 25 Aug 1970: Adrian Lam, Papua New Guinean-Australian rugby league player and coach Adrian Lam is a Papua New Guinean professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of the Leigh Leopards in the Super League and a former professional rugby league footballer. Read more
• 25 Aug 1970: Sille Lundquist, Danish model and fashion model (died 2018) Sille Kornum Lundquist was a Danish model and author. From the late 1980s until the late 1990s, she made appearances throughout the fashion world in both North America and Europe, and made appearances in both music videos, TV, and film. Read more
• 25 Aug 1970: Jo Dee Messina, American singer-songwriter Jo Dee Marie Messina is an American country music artist. She has charted six number-one singles on the Billboard country music charts. She has been honored by the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She was the first female country artist to score three multiple-week number-one songs from the same album. To date, she has two platinum and three gold-certified albums by the RIAA. Read more
• 25 Aug 1970: Claudia Schiffer, German model and fashion designer Claudia Maria Schiffer, Lady Drummond, is a German model and actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a supermodel. Read more
• 25 Aug 1969: Olga Konkova, Norwegian-Russian pianist and composer Olga Konkova is a Norwegian–Russian jazz pianist known from several recordings and collaboration with jazz musicians such as Adam Nussbaum, Gary Husband and Karin Krog. Read more
• 25 Aug 1969: Cameron Mathison, Canadian actor and television personality Cameron Arthur Mathison is a Canadian-American actor and television host. From 1997 to 2011, he played Ryan Lavery in All My Children. Since 2021, he has portrayed the role of Drew Cain on General Hospital. He has also had numerous roles in various Hallmark movies. Read more
• 25 Aug 1969: Catriona Matthew, Scottish golfer Catriona Isobel Matthew is a Scottish professional golfer who plays mainly on the US-based LPGA Tour and is also a member of the Ladies European Tour. Read more
• 25 Aug 1969: Vivek Razdan, Indian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster Vivek Razdan is a former Indian cricketer who played in two Test matches and three One Day Internationals in 1989 and 1990. After his retirement, he became a Delhi-based cricket coach and commentator. Read more
• 25 Aug 1968: David Alan Basche, American actor David Alan Basche is an American actor. He is best known for playing Todd Beamer in the film United 93. He has been a series regular on many TV comedies and dramas, and has also appeared in films directed by Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Paul Greengrass, Shawn Levy, Robert Zemeckis, and Michael Patrick King. Read more
• 25 Aug 1968: Stuart Murdoch, Scottish singer-songwriter Stuart Lee Murdoch is a Scottish musician, writer and filmmaker, and the lead singer and songwriter for the indie pop band Belle and Sebastian. Read more
• 25 Aug 1968: Spider One, American singer-songwriter and producer Michael David Cummings, better known as Spider One, is an American singer. He is the founder and only consistent member of the rock band Powerman 5000. Read more
• 25 Aug 1968: Rachael Ray, American chef, author, and television host Rachael Domenica Ray is an American cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She hosted the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program Rachael Ray. Other programs to her credit include 30 Minute Meals, Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels, $40 a Day, Rachael Ray's Week in a Day, and the reality format shows Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off and Rachael Ray's Kids Cook-Off. Ray has written several cookbooks based on the 30 Minute Meals concept, and launched a magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, in 2006. Ray's television shows have won three Daytime Emmy Awards. Read more
• 25 Aug 1968: Takeshi Ueda, Japanese singer-songwriter and bass player Takeshi Ueda is the bassist, programmer, additional vocalist and songwriter for The Mad Capsule Markets. He is often known for his unique way of bass guitar playing, and ever changing haircuts. Read more
• 25 Aug 1967: Tom Hollander, English actor Thomas Anthony Hollander is an English actor. He trained with National Youth Theatre and won the Ian Charleson Award in 1992 for his performance as Witwoud in The Way of the World. He made his Broadway debut in the David Hare play The Judas Kiss in 1998. His performance as Henry Carr in a revival of the Tom Stoppard play Travesties earned nominations for both the Olivier Award and Tony Award. Read more
• 25 Aug 1967: Jeff Tweedy, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer Jeffrey Scot Tweedy is an American musician, author, and record producer, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Wilco. Tweedy, originally from Belleville, Illinois, began his music career in high school with his band The Plebes along with Jay Farrar, also in the band. The Plebes later became the alternative country band Uncle Tupelo. Read more
• 25 Aug 1966: Albert Belle, American baseball player Albert Jojuan Belle, until 1990 known as Joey Belle, is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1989 to 2000, most notably for the Cleveland Indians. Known for his taciturn personality and intimidating stature, Belle was one of the leading sluggers of his time, and in 1995 became the only player to ever hit 50 doubles and 50 home runs in a season, despite the season being only 144 games. He was also the first player to break the $10 million per year compensation contract in Major League Baseball (MLB). Read more
• 25 Aug 1966: Robert Maschio, American actor Robert Maschio is an American actor and real estate agent. He is known for playing Dr. Todd 'The Todd' Quinlan in the American comedy drama Scrubs. Read more
• 25 Aug 1966: Derek Sherinian, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer Derek Sherinian is an American keyboardist who has toured and recorded for Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, and Joe Bonamassa, among others. He was also a member of Dream Theater from 1994 to 1999, is the founder of Planet X and also one of the founding members of Black Country Communion, Sons of Apollo, and Whom Gods Destroy. He has released nine solo albums that have featured a variety of prominent guest musicians, including guitarists Slash, Yngwie Malmsteen, Allan Holdsworth, Steve Lukather, Joe Bonamassa, Michael Schenker, Steve Vai and Al Di Meola, and drummer Simon Phillips. Read more
• 25 Aug 1966: Terminator X, American hip-hop DJ Norman Rogers, known professionally as Terminator X, is an American DJ best known for his work with hip hop group Public Enemy, which he left in 1998. He also produced two solo albums, Terminator X & The Valley of the Jeep Beets (1991) and Super Bad (1994), featuring Chuck D, Sister Souljah, DJ Kool Herc, the Cold Crush Brothers, and a bass music track by the Punk Barbarians. Read more
• 25 Aug 1965: Cornelius Bennett, American football player Cornelius O'Landa Bennett is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Buffalo Bills from 1987 to 1995, Atlanta Falcons from 1996 to 1998, and the Indianapolis Colts from 1999 to 2000. Bennett was a five-time Pro Bowler, being elected in 1988, and 1990–1993, and won the AFC Defensive Player of the Year award twice. Read more
• 25 Aug 1965: Tim Cain, American video game designer Timothy Cain is an American video game developer best known as the creator, producer, lead programmer and one of the main designers of the 1997 video game Fallout. In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of all time. Read more
• 25 Aug 1965: Sanjeev Sharma, Indian cricketer and coach Sanjeev Sharma is a former Indian cricketer, entrepreneur and cricket coach who played in two Test matches and 23 One Day Internationals from 1988 to 1997. As right arm medium pace bowler, he was one of several bowlers tried out as Kapil Dev's opening partners in the 80's. He made an impressive start by polishing off the tail on his Test debut against New Zealand in 1988–89 to finish with three for 37. He toured West Indies in 1989. After a career that spanned nearly 20 years, he announced his retirement from competitive cricket in November 2004. He was a part of the Indian squad which won the 1988 Asia Cup. Read more
• 25 Aug 1965: Mia Zapata, American singer (died 1993) Mia Katherine Zapata was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and lyricist of the punk rock band the Gits. As part of the burgeoning Seattle music scene, she was noted for her powerful vocals and fiery stage presence. Read more
• 25 Aug 1964: Azmin Ali, Malaysian mathematician and politician Mohamed Azmin bin Ali is a Malaysian politician who has served as the State Leader of the Opposition of Selangor and Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Hulu Kelang since August 2023. Formerly a member of the Malaysian Parliament for Gombak from 2008 to 2022, Azmin served in the cabinets of Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri Yaakob as Senior Minister of the Economic Cluster and Minister of International Trade and Industry from 2020 to 2022. A member of Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), which is a component party of Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition. He also served as MLA for Bukit Antarabangsa from 2008 to 2023 and for Hulu Kelang from 1999 to 2004. He has also served as the 4th Secretary-General of BERSATU since November 2024. He served as the 2nd Secretary-General of PN from December 2024 to his resignation in January 2026, Information Chief of PN and Member of the Supreme Council of BERSATU. He is also widely regarded as a key figure in the 2020–2022 Malaysian political crisis, playing an important role in the fall of the PH federal government in February 2020. Read more
• 25 Aug 1964: Maxim Kontsevich, Russian-American mathematician and academic Maxim Lvovich Kontsevich is a Russian and French mathematician and mathematical physicist. He is a professor at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques and a distinguished professor at the University of Miami. He received the Henri Poincaré Prize in 1997, the Fields Medal in 1998, the Crafoord Prize in 2008, the Shaw Prize and Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2012, and the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics in 2015. Read more
• 25 Aug 1964: Blair Underwood, American actor Blair Erwin Underwood is an American actor. He made his debut in the 1985 musical film Krush Groove and from 1987 to 1994 starred as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama series L.A. Law. Read more
• 25 Aug 1963: Miro Cerar, Slovenian lawyer and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Slovenia Miroslav Cerar Jr. is a Slovenian law professor and politician. He was Prime Minister of Slovenia, leading the 12th Government. He served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 13th Government. He is a full professor at the Chair of Theory and Sociology of Law at the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Law. Read more
• 25 Aug 1963: Shock G, American rapper and producer (died 2021) Gregory Edward Jacobs, known professionally as Shock G and by his alter ego Humpty Hump, was an American rapper and musician who was best known as the lead vocalist of the hip-hop group Digital Underground. He was responsible for Digital Underground's "The Humpty Dance", 2Pac's breakthrough single "I Get Around", and he was a co-producer of 2Pac's debut solo album 2Pacalypse Now (1991). Read more
• 25 Aug 1963: Tiina Intelmann, Estonian lawyer and diplomat Tiina Intelmann is an Estonian diplomat; she was the Permanent Representative of Estonia to the United Nations in New York from 2005 to 2011 and was the President of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court from December 2011 until December 2014. She then served as the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Liberia. Read more
• 25 Aug 1962: Taslima Nasrin, Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin is a Bangladeshi-Swedish writer, physician, feminist, secular humanist, and activist. She is known for her writings on feminism and her criticism of Islam; some of her books are banned in Bangladesh. Read more
• 25 Aug 1962: Theresa Andrews, American swimmer Theresa Andrews is an American former competitive swimmer and Olympic champion. Raised in Maryland, Andrews gained prominence as a national collegiate champion when competing for the University of Florida. In international competition, she was a backstroke specialist who won two gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Read more
• 25 Aug 1962: Vivian Campbell, Northern Irish rock guitarist and songwriter Vivian Patrick Campbell is a Northern Irish musician. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as the guitarist of Dio. He has also been the guitarist of Def Leppard since 1992. Campbell has also worked with Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Sweet Savage, Trinity, Riverdogs, Lou Gramm and Shadow King. Read more
• 25 Aug 1962: Michael Zorc, German footballer Michael Zorc is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Read more
• 25 Aug 1961: Billy Ray Cyrus, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor William Ray Cyrus is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Having released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, he is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and became the first single ever to achieve triple platinum status in Australia. It was also the best-selling single in the same country in 1992. Due to the song's music video, the line dance rose in popularity. Read more
• 25 Aug 1961: Dave Tippett, Canadian ice hockey player and coach David G. Tippett is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach and player. As of 2026, he was serving as an advisor to the Seattle Kraken and Kraken coach Lane Lambert. Read more
• 25 Aug 1961: Ally Walker, American actress Ally Walker is an American actress. She made her television debut in the NBC daytime soap opera Santa Barbara (1988) before landing the leading roles on the short-lived dramas True Blue (1989–1990), and Moon Over Miami (1993). Read more
• 25 Aug 1961: Joanne Whalley, English actress Joanne Whalley is an English film and television actress. She was credited as Joanne Whalley-Kilmer from 1988 to 1996 during her marriage to Val Kilmer. Read more
• 25 Aug 1960: Ashley Crow, American actress Ashley Crow is an American actress. She is best known for her role of Sandra Bennet on the television show Heroes. Read more
• 25 Aug 1960: David Mabuza, South African politician, 8th Deputy President of South Africa (died 2025) David Dabede Mabuza, also known as DD Mabuza, was a South African politician who served as deputy president of South Africa from February 2018 to February 2023. He was the deputy president of the African National Congress (ANC) from December 2017 to December 2022 and was previously the premier of Mpumalanga from 2009 to 2018, throughout the presidency of his onetime political ally Jacob Zuma. Mabuza served as a Member of Parliament from 2018 until his resignation in 2023. Read more
• 25 Aug 1960: Georg Zellhofer, Austrian footballer and manager Georg Zellhofer is a football manager and a former player from Austria. Read more
• 25 Aug 1959: Ian Falconer, American author and illustrator (died 2023) Ian Woodward Falconer was an American author, illustrator, set designer, and costume designer. Falconer was a muse to pop artist David Hockney, with whom he collaborated on designing costumes for theatrical productions. Falconer created several magazine covers for The New Yorker and other publications. In 2001, he received a Caldecott Honor for writing and illustrating the Olivia children's book series. Read more
• 25 Aug 1959: Steve Levy, American lawyer and politician Steven A. Levy is an American politician and lawyer who served as the seventh County Executive of Suffolk County, New York, elected on November 4, 2003. Originally a fiscally conservative Democrat, Levy joined the Republican Party in an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for governor. Read more
• 25 Aug 1959: Bernardo Rezende, Brazilian volleyball coach and player Bernardo Rocha de Rezende, known as Bernardo Rezende and nicknamed Bernardinho, is a Brazilian volleyball coach and former player. He is the current coach of the female volleyball team Rio de Janeiro Vôlei Clube. Rezende is one of the most successful coaches in the history of volleyball, accumulating more than 30 major titles in a twenty-year career directing the Brazilian male and female national teams. Read more
• 25 Aug 1959: Lane Smith, American author and illustrator Lane Smith is an American illustrator and writer of children's books. He is the Kate Greenaway medalist (2017) known for his eclectic visuals and subject matter, both humorous and earnest, such as the contemplative Grandpa Green, which received a Caldecott Honor in 2012, and the outlandish Stinky Cheese Man, which received a Caldecott Honor in 1992. Read more
• 25 Aug 1959: Ruth Ann Swenson, American soprano and actress Ruth Ann Swenson is an American soprano who is renowned for her coloratura roles. Read more
• 25 Aug 1958: Tim Burton, American director, producer, and screenwriter Timothy Walter Burton is an American filmmaker, and former animator. He is known for pioneering goth subculture in Hollywood, with his films employing a distinctive style that blends gothic horror and dark fantasy aesthetics with whimsical and surreal elements. He has received numerous accolades, including one Emmy Award and nominations for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three BAFTA Awards. He was honored with the Venice International Film Festival's Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2007 and France's Order of Arts and Letters in 2010. Read more
• 25 Aug 1958: Christian LeBlanc, American actor Christian Jules LeBlanc is an American television actor. He is best known for playing the role of Michael Baldwin on The Young and the Restless. He has received thirteen Daytime Emmy Award nominations, including three wins for his work on The Young and the Restless. Read more
• 25 Aug 1957: Sikander Bakht, Pakistani cricketer and sportscaster Sikander Bakht is a Pakistani former international cricketer who played in 26 Test matches and 27 One Day Internationals (ODIs) for Pakistan from 1976 to 1989. He was included in the team in place of Ehteshamuddin and took 11 wickets in that Test and 24 wickets in the series. Read more
• 25 Aug 1957: Simon McBurney, English actor and director Simon Montagu McBurney is an English actor, playwright, and theatre and opera director. He is the founder and artistic director of the Théâtre de Complicité, London. He has had roles in the films The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Friends with Money, The Last King of Scotland, The Golden Compass (2007), The Duchess (2008), Robin Hood, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Magic in the Moonlight, The Theory of Everything, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), and Nosferatu (2024). He played Cecil the choirmaster in BBC's The Vicar of Dibley (1994–2004). Read more
• 25 Aug 1957: Frank Serratore, American ice hockey player and coach Frank Serratore is an American ice hockey coach, currently with the Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey team. He formerly coached professional hockey in the International Hockey League with the Minnesota Moose from 1994 to 1996. Read more
• 25 Aug 1956: Matt Aitken, English songwriter and record producer Matthew James Aitken is an English songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as part of the 1980s/early-1990s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman. Read more
• 25 Aug 1956: Takeshi Okada, Japanese footballer, coach, and manager Takeshi Okada is a Japanese football manager and former player who played as a defender. He is currently the owner of FC Imabari. Read more
• 25 Aug 1956: Henri Toivonen, Finnish race car driver (died 1986) Henri Pauli Toivonen was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his younger brother, Harri, became a professional circuit racer. Read more
• 25 Aug 1955: John McGeoch, Scottish guitarist (died 2004) John Alexander McGeoch was a Scottish musician and songwriter. He is best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Magazine (1977–1980) and Siouxsie and the Banshees (1980–1982). Read more
• 25 Aug 1955: Gerd Müller, German businessman and politician Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a German politician of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, who is currently serving as Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization since 2021. Read more
• 25 Aug 1954: Elvis Costello, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Declan Patrick MacManus, known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author, and television host. According to Rolling Stone, Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical traditions of Bob Dylan and Van Morrison with the raw energy and sass that were principal ethics of punk", noting the "construction of his songs, which set densely layered wordplay in an ever-expanding repertoire of styles". He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Grammy Awards and two Ivor Novello Awards, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016. Read more
• 25 Aug 1954: Jim Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, Scottish lawyer and politician, First Minister of Scotland James Robert Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, was a Scottish politician who served as a Liberal Democrat life peer in the House of Lords from 2007 until his death in 2026. He had previously served as Deputy First Minister of Scotland from 1999 to 2005, and during that time was twice acting First Minister, in 2000, in the aftermath of Donald Dewar's death, and in 2001, following Henry McLeish's resignation. Read more
• 25 Aug 1952: Kurban Berdyev, Turkmen footballer and manager Kurban Bekiyevich Berdyev is a Turkmen-Russian football manager, and a former Soviet footballer who is in charge of the Azerbaijani club Turan Tovuz. In 2017 he was included among top 50 managers in the world by fourfourtwo.com, at the 36th place, ahead of Brendan Rodgers. Read more
• 25 Aug 1952: Geoff Downes, English keyboard player, songwriter, and producer Geoffrey Downes is an English keyboardist who gained fame as a member of the new wave group the Buggles with Trevor Horn, the progressive rock band Yes, and the supergroup Asia. Read more
• 25 Aug 1952: Duleep Mendis, Sri Lankan cricketer and coach Deshamanya Louis Rohan Duleep Mendis, known as Duleep Mendis, is a Sri Lankan former cricketer and former captain of the team. Mendis captained Sri Lanka to their first Test series victory in 1985. He was primarily a specialist batsman, whose best performances came from 1982 to 1985. Read more
• 25 Aug 1951: Rob Halford, English heavy metal singer-songwriter Robert John Arthur Halford is an English heavy metal singer. He is the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which he joined in 1973, and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. He is noted for his powerful and wide-ranging operatic style and trademark leather-and-studs image, both of which have become iconic in heavy metal. His side projects include Fight, Two and Halford. Read more
• 25 Aug 1951: Bill Handel, Brazilian-American lawyer and radio host William Wolf Handel is a Brazilian-born American radio host and attorney. Read more
• 25 Aug 1950: Willy DeVille, American singer and songwriter (died 2009) Willy DeVille was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five-year career, first with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1986) and later on his own, DeVille created songs rooted in traditional American musical styles. He worked with collaborators from across the spectrum of contemporary music, including Jack Nitzsche, Doc Pomus, Dr. John, Mark Knopfler, Allen Toussaint, and Eddie Bo. Latin rhythms, blues riffs, doo-wop, Cajun music, strains of French cabaret, and echoes of early-1960s uptown soul can be heard in DeVille's work. Read more
• 25 Aug 1950: Charles Fambrough, American bassist, composer, and producer (died 2011) Charles Fambrough was an American jazz bassist, composer and record producer from Philadelphia. Read more
• 25 Aug 1949: Martin Amis, British novelist (died 2023) Sir Martin Louis Amis was an English novelist, essayist, memoirist, screenwriter and critic. He is best known for his novels Money (1984) and London Fields (1989). He received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his memoir Experience and was twice listed for the Booker Prize. Amis was a professor of creative writing at the University of Manchester's Centre for New Writing from 2007 until 2011. In 2008, The Times named him one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. Read more
• 25 Aug 1949: Rijkman Groenink, Dutch banker and academic Rijkman Willem Johan Groenink is a Dutch banker. He is best known as the CEO of the Dutch bank ABN AMRO at the time that the bank was sold to a consortium of banks. The consortium was led by the Royal Bank of Scotland, Fortis and Banco Santander in 2007. Read more
• 25 Aug 1949: John Savage, American actor and producer John Smeallie Youngs, known professionally as John Savage, is an American actor. He first rose to prominence in the late 1970s for his portrayals of troubled-but-sensitive characters in films like The Deer Hunter (1978), The Onion Field (1979) and Hair (1979). His television roles include Donald Lydecker on Dark Angel (2000–2002) and Hack Scudder on Carnivàle (2003–2005). Read more
• 25 Aug 1949: Gene Simmons, Israeli-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor Gene Simmons, also known by his stage persona "the Demon", is an Israeli and American musician and songwriter. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss, which he co-founded with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss in 1973. Simmons, alongside Stanley, remained a constant member of the band until their dissolution in 2023. Simmons is also known for his long tongue and for his reality television show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, which aired from 2006 to 2012. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of Kiss. Read more
• 25 Aug 1948: Ledward Kaapana, American singer and guitarist Ledward Kaapana is a Hawaiian musician, best known for playing in the slack key guitar style. He also plays steel guitar, ukulele, autoharp, and bass guitar, and is a baritone and falsetto vocalist. Read more
• 25 Aug 1948: Nicholas A. Peppas, Greek chemist and biologist Nicholas (Nikolaos) A. Peppas is a chemical and biomedical engineer whose leadership in biomaterials science and engineering, drug delivery, bionanotechnology, pharmaceutical sciences, chemical and polymer engineering has provided seminal foundations based on the physics and mathematical theories of nanoscale, macromolecular processes and drug/protein transport and has led to numerous biomedical products or devices. Read more
• 25 Aug 1947: Michael Kaluta, American author and illustrator Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta, is an American comics artist and writer best known for his acclaimed 1970s adaptation of the pulp magazine hero The Shadow with writer Dennis O'Neil. He is the godfather of comedian and gamemaster Brennan Lee Mulligan. Read more
• 25 Aug 1947: Keith Tippett, British jazz pianist and composer (died 2020) Keith Graham Tippetts, known professionally as Keith Tippett, was a British jazz pianist and composer. According to AllMusic, Tippett's career "…spanned jazz-rock, progressive rock, improvised and contemporary music, as well as modern jazz for more than half-a-century". He held "an unparallelled place in British contemporary music," and was known for "his unique approach to improvisation". Tippett appeared and recorded in many settings, including a duet with Stan Tracey, duets with his wife Julie Tippetts, solo performances, and as a bandleader. Read more
• 25 Aug 1946: Rollie Fingers, American baseball player Roland Glen Fingers is an American former right handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams between 1968 and 1985. His effectiveness helped to redefine the value of relievers within baseball and to usher in the modern closer role. A seven-time All-Star, he led the major leagues in saves three times, and was named Rolaids Relief Man of the Year four times. He first gained prominence as a member of the Oakland Athletics championship teams of the early 1970s, when his flamboyant handlebar mustache made him perhaps the most identifiable member of The Mustache Gang, which led Oakland to become the only non-New York Yankees team ever to win three consecutive World Series titles. Fingers was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1974 World Series after earning a win in the opener and saves in the last three games to secure the title. Read more
• 25 Aug 1946: Charles Ghigna, American poet and author Charles Ghigna (/'gɪnˈjə/), known also as Father Goose, is an American poet and author of children's and adults' books. He has written more than 5,000 poems and 100 books. Read more
• 25 Aug 1946: Charlie Sanders, American football player and sportscaster (died 2015) Charles Alvin Sanders was an American professional football player who was a tight end for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1977. Sanders was chosen for the NFL's 1970s All-Decade Team and voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007. Read more
• 25 Aug 1945: Daniel Hulet, Belgian cartoonist (died 2011) Daniel Hulet was a Belgian cartoonist. Read more
• 25 Aug 1945: Hannah Louise Shearer, American screenwriter and producer Hannah Louise Shearer, also known as Hannah Shearer or Hannah L. Shearer, is a writer who was credited with writing five episodes whilst on the staff of Star Trek: The Next Generation and an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She was also a writer and producer for Emergency! and Knight Rider. Read more
• 25 Aug 1944: Conrad Black, Canadian historian and author Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour is a Canadian and British writer, former politician, newspaper publisher, and financier. Read more
• 25 Aug 1944: Jacques Demers, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and politician Jacques Demers is a former Canadian Senator, former broadcaster and former professional ice hockey head coach. Demers had started out as a chief scout for the Chicago Cougars of the World Hockey Association before rising to director of player personnel. When the team folded in 1975, he joined the Indianapolis Racers. Five games into the 1975-76 season, he was named interim coach of the team and led them to a division championship. After a second season saw him reach the postseason again, he left the team to coach the Cincinnati Stingers for 1977, but he did not elect to stay with the team after just one season. He was soon hired to coach the Quebec Nordiques in 1978 and coached them to a 2nd place finish in the final season of the WHA. He coached the first season of the Nordiques in the National Hockey League before he was fired in 1980. Three years later, he returned to the NHL with the St. Louis Blues, where he led them to the postseason in each of his three seasons that included a trip to the Conference Finals in 1986 before he left to coach the Detroit Red Wings in 1986. He led the Red Wings to the Conference Finals twice and won two division titles but was let go after the team missed the playoffs in 1990. He was hired to coach the Montreal Canadiens in 1992 and in his first season, he led the team to the Stanley Cup Final, which they won in five games for what is currently the last victory by a Canadian team. The Canadiens sputtered in 1994 and Demers was fired five games into the 1995 season. He closed his career out with the Tampa Bay Lightning, coaching from 1997 to 1999. In total, he went to the postseason eleven times in eighteen seasons as a coach. Read more
• 25 Aug 1944: Anthony Heald, American actor Anthony Heald is an American character actor known for portraying Hannibal Lecter's jailer, Dr. Frederick Chilton, in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Red Dragon (2002), and for playing vice principal Scott Guber in David E. Kelley's Boston Public (2000–2004). Heald also had a recurring role as Judge Cooper on Kelley's The Practice and Boston Legal. He had a prominent role as a troubled psychic in The X-Files episode "Closure". Read more
• 25 Aug 1944: Andrew Longmore, British lawyer and judge Sir Andrew Centlivres Longmore is a British lawyer and retired judge. Read more
• 25 Aug 1943: Pete Stemkowski, Canadian ice hockey player Peter David Stemkowski is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Playing as a centre, he spent 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), and played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, and Los Angeles Kings. Nicknamed "Stemmer", Stemkowski is best remembered for his heroics in the semifinal series of the 1971 Stanley Cup playoffs when he scored two overtime goals for the New York Rangers in an eventual series loss to the Chicago Black Hawks. He won the Stanley Cup in 1967 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Considered a textbook "two-way" centre, able to kill penalties and play defence as well as scoring goals, Stemkowski is also remembered as one of the top faceoff takers of the NHL. Read more
• 25 Aug 1942: Nathan Deal, American lawyer, and politician, 82nd Governor of Georgia John Nathan Deal is an American politician and former lawyer who served as the 82nd governor of Georgia from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, he previously served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Read more
• 25 Aug 1942: Pat Ingoldsby, Irish poet and television presenter (died 2025) Patrick Ingoldsby was an Irish poet and television presenter. He hosted children's television shows, wrote plays for the stage and for radio, published books of short stories and was a newspaper columnist. From the mid-1990s, he withdrew from the mass media and was most widely known for his collections of poetry, and his selling of them on the streets of Dublin. Read more
• 25 Aug 1942: Ivan Koloff, Canadian wrestler (died 2017) Oreal Donald Perras was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff, under which name he was billed as being from Russia and, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine. He was the third wrestler to hold the WWWF Championship. In April 2025, Koloff was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Read more
• 25 Aug 1941: Mario Corso, Italian footballer and coach (died 2020) Mario Corso was an Italian football player and coach. A famed and dynamic left winger, he was regarded as one of the greatest Italian players in his position, earning the nicknames "Mandrake" and "God's Left Foot", due to his skills, free kick technique and crossing ability. Read more
• 25 Aug 1941: Ludwig Müller, German footballer (died 2021) Ludwig 'Luggi' Müller was a German professional footballer who played as a defender. Read more
• 25 Aug 1940: Wilhelm von Homburg, German boxer and actor (died 2004) Norbert Grupe, better known outside Germany by his stage name Wilhelm von Homburg, was a German boxer, actor, and professional wrestler known for his villainous supporting roles in various high-profile films of the 1980s and 1990s, including Vigo the Carpathian in Ghostbusters II (1989), the henchman James in Die Hard (1988), and Souteneur in Werner Herzog's Stroszek (1977). Read more
• 25 Aug 1939: John Badham, English-American actor, director, and producer John Badham is an American film and television director, best known for directing the films Saturday Night Fever (1977), Dracula (1979), Blue Thunder (1983), WarGames (1983), Short Circuit (1986), Stakeout (1987), Bird on a Wire (1990), The Hard Way (1991), Point of No Return (1993), Drop Zone (1994), and Nick of Time (1995). He is a two-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee, a two-time Hugo Award nominee, and a Saturn Award winner. He is also a Professor at Chapman University. Read more
• 25 Aug 1939: Marshall Brickman, Brazilian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2024) Marshall Jacob Brickman was an American screenwriter and director, best known for his collaborations with Woody Allen, with whom he shared the 1977 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Annie Hall. He was previously the head writer for Johnny Carson, writing scripts for recurring characters such as Carnac the Magnificent. He is also known for playing the mandolin and banjo with Eric Weissberg in the 1960s, for a series of comical parodies published in The New Yorker, and for his co-authoring the books for the Broadway musicals Jersey Boys and The Addams Family Musical with Rick Elice. Read more
• 25 Aug 1938: David Canary, American actor (died 2015) David Hoyt Canary was an American actor. Canary is best known for his roles as ranch foreman Candy Canaday in the NBC Western drama Bonanza, and as Adam Chandler in the television soap opera All My Children, for which he received 16 Daytime Emmy Award nominations and won five times. Read more
• 25 Aug 1938: Frederick Forsyth, English journalist and author (died 2025) Frederick McCarthy Forsyth was an English novelist and journalist. He was best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil's Alternative, The Fist of God, Icon, The Veteran, Avenger, The Afghan, The Cobra and The Kill List. Read more
• 25 Aug 1937: Jimmy Hannan, Australian television host and singer (died 2019) Jimmy Hannan was an Australian radio and television personality, variety show host, singer, entertainer and game show host of the 1960s and 1970s. One of the pioneers of television, he appeared regularly on variety show In Melbourne Tonight, and later hosted his own musical variety show Jimmy, later called Tonight with Jimmy Hannan. Hannan hosted music show Saturday Date from 1963 until 1967, which featured such performers as Billy Thorpe and Olivia Newton-John. He won the 1965 Gold Logie award for most popular personality on Australian television. Read more
• 25 Aug 1937: Virginia Euwer Wolff, American author Virginia Euwer Wolff is an American author of children's literature.
  Her award-winning series Make Lemonade features a 14-year-old girl named LaVaughn, who babysits for the children of a 17-year-old single mother. There are three books. The second, True Believer, won the 2001 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
  The second and third, This Full House (2009), garnered Kirkus Reviews starred reviews. She was the recipient of the 2011 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature, honoring her entire body of work. Read more
• 25 Aug 1936: Giridharilal Kedia, Indian businessman, founded the Image Institute of Technology & Management (died 2009) Giridharilal Kedia was an Indian well known social entrepreneur. He served the Kala Vikash Kendra, Cuttack for 12 years as the Working President and Trustee. Kedia was also the founder and chairman of Image Institute of Technology & Management. He was awarded the Samaj Gaurav award for his service. He was also awarded the Theater Movement Award by Global Peace Organization. Kedia was a District Governor of Lions Club International for the years 1981-1982 for the undivided district 322C. Read more
• 25 Aug 1935: Charles Wright, American poet Charles Wright is an American poet. He shared the National Book Award in 1983 for Country Music: Selected Early Poems and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998 for Black Zodiac. From 2014 to 2015, he served as the 20th poet laureate of the United States. Read more
• 25 Aug 1934: Lise Bacon, Canadian judge and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec (died 2025) Lise Bacon was a Canadian politician who served as Deputy Premier of Quebec from 1985 to 1994. A member of the Quebec Liberal Party, she served as a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec (MNA) for the riding of Bourassa from 1973 to 1976 and again for the riding of Chomedey from 1981 to 1994. She was the second woman elected to the National Assembly after Marie-Claire Kirkland. She served as president of the Quebec Liberal Party from 1970 to 1973, making her the first woman elected president of a political party in Canada. Read more
• 25 Aug 1934: Eddie Ilarde, Filipino journalist and politician (died 2020) Edgar "Eddie" Ubalde Ilarde was a Filipino politician, public servant, and radio and television host. On radio and television, he hosted programs such as Kahapon Lamang, Student Canteen and Darigold Jamboree. Read more
• 25 Aug 1933: Patrick F. McManus, American journalist and author (died 2018) Patrick Francis McManus was an American educator and humor writer, who primarily wrote about the outdoors. A humor columnist and editor for Outdoor Life from 1983 to 2009, and Field & Stream from 1977 to 1982, as well as other magazines, his columns and stories have been collected in several books, beginning with A Fine and Pleasant Misery (1978) up through The Good Samaritan Strikes Again (1992) and The Horse in My Garage and Other Stories (2012). Read more
• 25 Aug 1933: Wayne Shorter, American saxophonist and composer (died 2023) Wayne Shorter was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures in the history of modern jazz. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he received 12 Grammy Awards and the Polar Music Prize, and was acclaimed worldwide for his originality, compositional depth, and transformative approach to musical improvisation. Read more
• 25 Aug 1933: Tom Skerritt, American actor Thomas Roy Skerritt is an American actor and director, who has appeared in over 170 film and television productions since 1962. The beginning of his film career coincided with the New Hollywood movement, with a breakthrough role as Duke Forrest in Robert Altman's M*A*S*H (1970). He then starred in notable films like The Turning Point (1977), Up in Smoke, Ice Castles, Alien (1979), The Dead Zone (1983), Top Gun (1986), and A River Runs Through It (1992). Read more
• 25 Aug 1932: Anatoly Kartashov, Soviet aviator and cosmonaut (died 2005) Anatoly Yakovlevich Kartashov was a cosmonaut in the Soviet Vostok program. Read more
• 25 Aug 1931: Regis Philbin, American actor and television host (died 2020) Regis Francis Xavier Philbin was an American television presenter, comedian, actor, and singer. Once called "the hardest-working man in show business", he continues to hold the Guinness World Record for the most hours spent on US television (posthumously). Read more
• 25 Aug 1930: Sean Connery, Scottish actor and producer (died 2020) Sir Thomas Sean Connery was a Scottish actor and film producer. Connery was the first actor to portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond in motion pictures, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. He originated the role in Dr. No (1962) and continued starring as Bond in the Eon Productions films From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). His final appearance in the role was with Never Say Never Again (1983), a non-Eon-produced Bond film. Read more
• 25 Aug 1930: György Enyedi, Hungarian economist and geographer (died 2012) György Enyedi was an economist and geographer who has played a major role in the long-term development of regional science. Enyedi was a decisive figure in the rapid development of integrative spatial sciences, regional science in the second part of the 20th century. Read more
• 25 Aug 1930: Graham Jarvis, Canadian actor (died 2003) Graham Powley Jarvis was a Canadian character actor in American films and television from the 1960s to the early 2000s. Read more
• 25 Aug 1930: Crispin Tickell, English academic and diplomat, British Permanent Representative to the United Nations (died 2022) Sir Crispin Charles Cervantes Tickell was a British diplomat, environmentalist and academic. Read more
• 25 Aug 1928: John "Kayo" Dottley, American football player (died 2018) John Albert "Kayo" Dottley was an American professional football player who was a fullback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels. Read more
• 25 Aug 1928: Darrell Johnson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 2004) Darrell Dean Johnson was an American professional catcher, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball (MLB). As a manager, he led the 1975 Boston Red Sox to the American League pennant, and was named "Manager of the Year" by both The Sporting News and the Associated Press. Read more
• 25 Aug 1928: Karl Korte, American composer and academic (died 2022) Karl Richard Korte was an American composer of contemporary classical music. Read more
• 25 Aug 1928: Herbert Kroemer, German-American physicist, engineer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2024) Herbert Kroemer was a German–American physicist who, along with Zhores Alferov, received the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics "for developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed- and opto-electronics." His research into transistors was a stepping stone to the later development of mobile phone technologies. Read more
• 25 Aug 1927: Althea Gibson, American tennis player and golfer (died 2003) Althea Neale Gibson was an American tennis player and professional golfer, and one of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis. In 1956, she became the first Black player to win a Grand Slam event. The following year she won both Wimbledon and the US Nationals, then won both again in 1958 and was voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in both years. In all, she won 11 Grand Slam titles: five singles titles, five doubles titles, and one mixed doubles title. "She is one of the greatest players who ever lived," said Bob Ryland, a tennis contemporary and former coach of Venus and Serena Williams. "Martina [Navratilova] couldn't touch her. I think she'd beat the Williams sisters." Gibson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971 and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. In the early 1960s, she also became the first Black player to compete in the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Read more
• 25 Aug 1927: Des Renford, Australian swimmer (died 1999) Desmond Robert Renford MBE was an Australian long-distance swimmer who swam the English Channel 19 times from 19 attempts. This was a record for successful crossings by an Australian until it was overtaken by Chloe McCardel in 2016. From 1975 to 1979 and for a period in 1980 he held the title of King of the Channel. At the time of his death, only two other people had swum the Channel more often, Alison Streeter and Michael Read. Read more
• 25 Aug 1925: Thea Astley, Australian journalist and author (died 2004) Thea Beatrice May Astley was an Australian novelist and short story writer. She was a prolific writer who was published for over 40 years from 1958. At the time of her death, she had won more Miles Franklin Awards, Australia's major literary award, than any other writer. As well as being a writer, she taught at all levels of education – primary, secondary and tertiary. Read more
• 25 Aug 1925: Hilmar Hoffmann, German film and culture academic (died 2018) Hilmar Hoffmann was a German stage and film director, cultural politician and academic lecturer. He founded the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen. He was for decades an influential city councillor in Frankfurt, where he initiated the Museumsufer of 15 museums, including the Jewish Museum Frankfurt. He was the president of the Goethe-Institut and taught at universities such as Bochum and Tel Aviv. He wrote the book Kultur für alle, which was a motto of his life and work. Read more
• 25 Aug 1925: Stepas Butautas, Lithuanian basketball player and coach (died 2001) Stepas Butautas was a Soviet and Lithuanian professional basketball player and coach. He trained at the VSS Žalgiris, in Kaunas. He played with the Soviet Union men's national basketball team at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games, where he won a silver medal. During the tournament, he played in all eight games. Read more
• 25 Aug 1924: Zsuzsa Körmöczy, Hungarian tennis player and coach (died 2006) Zsuzsa Körmöczy was a Hungarian tennis player. She reached a career high of World No. 2 in women's tennis, and won the 1958 French Open at the age of 33. Read more
• 25 Aug 1923: Álvaro Mutis, Colombian-Mexican author and poet (died 2013) Álvaro Mutis Jaramillo was a Colombian poet, novelist, and essayist. His best-known work is the novel sequence The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll, which revolves around the character of Maqroll el Gaviero. He won the 1991 International Nonino Prize in Italy. He was awarded the 2001 Miguel de Cervantes Prize and the 2002 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. Read more
• 25 Aug 1923: Allyre Sirois, Canadian lawyer and judge (died 2012) Allyre Louis Joseph Sirois was a Canadian fransaskois judge of the Court of the Queen's Bench in Saskatchewan, Canada. Read more
• 25 Aug 1921: Monty Hall, Canadian television personality and game show host (died 2017) Monty Hall was a Canadian-American radio and television show host who moved to the United States in 1955 to pursue a career in broadcasting. After working as a radio newsreader and sportscaster, Hall returned to television in the U.S., where his focus was now on hosting game shows. Starting in 1963, he was best known as the host, co-creator, and co-producer of Let's Make a Deal. A conundrum involving game theory and psychology was named after him: the Monty Hall problem. Behind the scenes, Hall also carried on an active life of philanthropy. Read more
• 25 Aug 1921: Bryce Mackasey, Canadian businessman and politician, 20th Canadian Minister of Labour (died 1999) Bryce Stuart Mackasey was a Canadian politician and diplomat. He served as twice a Member of Parliament, as a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec, and as ambassador to Portugal. Read more
• 25 Aug 1921: Brian Moore, Northern Irish-Canadian author and screenwriter (died 1999) Brian Moore, was a novelist and screenwriter from Northern Ireland who emigrated to Canada and later lived in the United States. He was acclaimed for the descriptions in his novels of life in Northern Ireland during and after the Second World War, in particular his explorations of the inter-communal divisions of The Troubles, and has been described as "one of the few genuine masters of the contemporary novel". He was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1975 and the inaugural Sunday Express Book of the Year award in 1987, and he was shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times. Moore also wrote screenplays and several of his books were made into films. Read more
• 25 Aug 1919: William P. Foster, American bandleader and educator (died 2010) William Patrick Foster, also known as The Law and The Maestro, was the director of the noted Florida A&M University Marching "100". He served as the band's director from 1946 to his retirement in 1998. His innovations revolutionized college marching band technique and the perceptions of the collegiate band. Foster was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, the National Association for Distinguished Band Conductors Hall of Fame, the Florida Music Educators Association Hall of Fame and the Afro-American Hall of Fame among others. He also served as the president of the American Bandmasters Association and was appointed to the National Council on the Arts by President Bill Clinton. Foster wrote the book titled The Man Behind the Baton. Read more
• 25 Aug 1919: George Wallace, American lawyer, and politician, 45th Governor of Alabama (died 1998) George Corley Wallace Jr. was an American politician and lawyer who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama, and the longest-serving governor from the Democratic Party. Wallace unsuccessfully sought the presidential nomination as a Democrat three times, and once with the American Independent Party, in which he carried five states in the 1968 presidential election, resulting in a rare moment not seen since the 1948 presidential election where a third party managed to secure electoral seats independent of the de-facto 'two party system' of the United States. Read more
• 25 Aug 1919: Jaap Rijks, Dutch Olympic medalist (died 2017) Jacob "Jaap" Rijks was a Dutch equestrian who competed for his home nation in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. He was born in Nijmegen. Read more
• 25 Aug 1918: Leonard Bernstein, American pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1990) Leonard Bernstein was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first American-born conductor to receive international acclaim. Bernstein was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history" according to music critic Donal Henahan. Bernstein's honors and accolades include seven Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and 16 Grammy Awards, as well as an Academy Award nomination. He received the Kennedy Center Honor in 1981. Read more
• 25 Aug 1918: Richard Greene, English actor (died 1985) Richard Marius Joseph Greene was an English actor. A matinée idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he played Robin Hood in the British television series The Adventures of Robin Hood, which ran on ITV for 143 episodes from 1955 to 1959. Read more
• 25 Aug 1917: Mel Ferrer, American actor, director, and producer (died 2008) Melchor Gastón Ferrer was an American actor, director, and producer, active in film, theatre, and television. He achieved prominence on Broadway before scoring notable film hits with Scaramouche (1952), Lili (1953), and Knights of the Round Table . He starred opposite his wife, actress Audrey Hepburn, in War and Peace (1956) and produced her film Wait Until Dark (1967). Read more
• 25 Aug 1916: Van Johnson, American actor (died 2008) Charles Van Dell Johnson was an American actor. He had a prolific career in film, television, theatre and radio, which spanned over 50 years, from 1940 to 1992. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II, known for his upbeat and "all-American" screen persona, often playing young military servicemen, or in musicals. Read more
• 25 Aug 1916: Frederick Chapman Robbins, American pediatrician and virologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2003) Frederick Chapman Robbins was an American pediatrician and virologist. He was born in Auburn, Alabama, and grew up in Columbia, Missouri, attending David H. Hickman High School. Read more
• 25 Aug 1916: Saburō Sakai, Japanese lieutenant and pilot (died 2000) Saburō Sakai was a Japanese naval aviator and flying ace of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Sakai had 28 aerial victories, including shared ones, according to official Japanese records, though he and his ghostwriter Martin Caidin claimed much higher numbers. Read more
• 25 Aug 1913: Don DeFore, American actor (died 1993) Donald John DeFore was an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet from 1952 to 1957 and the sitcom Hazel from 1961 to 1965, the former of which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Read more
• 25 Aug 1913: Walt Kelly, American illustrator and animator (died 1973) Walter Crawford Kelly Jr. was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip Pogo. He began his animation career in 1936 at Walt Disney Productions, contributing to Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Dumbo. In 1941, at the age of 28, Kelly transferred to work at Dell Comics, where he created Pogo, which eventually became his platform for political and philosophical commentary. Read more
• 25 Aug 1912: Erich Honecker, German politician (died 1994) Erich Ernst Paul Honecker was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic from 1971 until shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. He held the posts of General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) and Chairman of the National Defence Council; in 1976, he replaced Willi Stoph as Chairman of the State Council, the official head of state. As the leader of East Germany, Honecker was viewed as a dictator. During his leadership, the country had close ties to the Soviet Union, which maintained a large army in the country. Read more
• 25 Aug 1911: Võ Nguyên Giáp, Vietnamese general and politician, 3rd Minister of Defence for Vietnam (died 2013) Võ Nguyên Giáp was a Vietnamese general, communist revolutionary and politician. Highly regarded as a military strategist, Giáp led Vietnamese communist military forces to victory in the decades-long Indochina wars. Giáp was the military commander of the Việt Minh and the People's Army from 1941 to 1972, minister of defense of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1946–1947 and from 1948 to 1980, and deputy prime minister from 1955 to 1991. He was a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Read more
• 25 Aug 1910: George Cisar, American baseball player (died 2010) George Cisar was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1937 season. He batted and threw right-handed. Read more
• 25 Aug 1910: Dorothea Tanning, American painter, sculptor, and poet (died 2012) Dorothea Margaret Tanning was an American painter, printmaker, sculptor, writer, and poet. Her early work was influenced by European Surrealism. Read more
• 25 Aug 1909: Ruby Keeler, Canadian-American actress, singer, and dancer (died 1993) Ethel Ruby Keeler was a Canadian and American actress, dancer, and singer who was paired on-screen with Dick Powell in a string of successful early musicals at Warner Bros., particularly 42nd Street (1933). From 1928 to 1940, she was married to actor and singer Al Jolson. She retired from show business in the 1940s, but made a widely publicized comeback on Broadway starring in the revival of the 1920s musical No, No, Nanette in 1971. Read more
• 25 Aug 1909: Michael Rennie, English actor and producer (died 1971) Michael Rennie was a British film, television and stage actor, who had leading roles in a number of Hollywood films, including his portrayal of the space visitor Klaatu in the science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). In a career spanning more than 30 years, Rennie appeared in more than 50 films and in several American television series. Read more
• 25 Aug 1906: Jim Smith, English cricketer (died 1979) Cedric Ivan James Smith was an English cricketer who played in five Test matches for the England cricket team between 1935 and 1937. Read more
• 25 Aug 1905: Faustina Kowalska, Polish nun and saint (died 1938) Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, OLM was a Polish Catholic religious sister and mystic. Faustyna, popularly spelled Faustina in English, had apparitions of Jesus Christ which inspired the Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy, therefore she is sometimes called the "secretary" of Divine Mercy. Read more
• 25 Aug 1903: Arpad Elo, Hungarian-American chess player, created the Elo rating system (died 1992) Arpad Emmerich Elo was a Hungarian-American physics professor who created the Elo rating system for two-player games such as chess. Read more
• 25 Aug 1902: Stefan Wolpe, German-American composer and educator (died 1972) Stefan Wolpe was a German-born American composer. He was associated with interdisciplinary modernism, with affiliations ranging from the Bauhaus, Berlin agitprop theater and the kibbutz movement to the Eighth Street Artists' Club, Black Mountain College, and the Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music. He lived and worked in Berlin (1902–1933) until the Nazi seizure of power forced him to move first to Vienna (1933–34) and Jerusalem (1934–38) before settling in New York City (1938–72). In works such as Battle Piece (1942/1947) and "In a State of Flight" in Enactments for Three Pianos (1953), he responded self-consciously to the circumstances of his uprooted life, a theme he also explored extensively in voluminous diaries, correspondence, and lectures. His densely eclectic music absorbed ideas and idioms from diverse artistic milieus, including post-tonality, bebop, and Arab classical musics. Read more
• 25 Aug 1900: Isobel Hogg Kerr Beattie, Scottish architect (died 1970) Isobel Hogg Kerr Beattie was possibly the first woman in Scotland to practice architecture on a regular basis. Read more
• 25 Aug 1900: Hans Adolf Krebs, German physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1981) Sir Hans Adolf Krebs, FRS was a German-British biologist, physician and biochemist. He was a pioneer scientist in the study of cellular respiration, a biochemical process in living cells that extracts energy from food and oxygen and makes it available to drive the processes of life. He is best known for his discoveries of two important sequences of chemical reactions that take place in the cells of nearly all organisms, including humans, other than anaerobic microorganisms, namely the citric acid cycle and the urea cycle. The former, often eponymously known as the "Krebs cycle", is the sequence of metabolic reactions that allows cells of oxygen-respiring organisms to obtain far more ATP from the food they consume than anaerobic processes such as glycolysis can supply; and its discovery earned Krebs a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1953. With Hans Kornberg, he also discovered the glyoxylate cycle, a slight variation of the citric acid cycle found in plants, bacteria, protists, and fungi. Read more
• 25 Aug 1899: Paul Herman Buck, American historian and author (died 1978) Paul Herman Buck was an American historian. He won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1938 and became the first Provost of Harvard University in 1945. Read more
• 25 Aug 1898: Helmut Hasse, German mathematician and academic (died 1975) Helmut Hasse was a German mathematician working in algebraic number theory, known for fundamental contributions to class field theory, the application of p-adic numbers to local class field theory and diophantine geometry, and to local zeta functions. Read more
• 25 Aug 1898: Arthur Wood, English cricketer (died 1973) Arthur Wood was a Yorkshire and England cricketer, who played as the wicket-keeper in four Tests from 1938 to 1939. Read more
• 25 Aug 1893: Henry Trendley Dean, American dentist (died 1962) Henry Trendley Dean was the first director of the United States National Institute of Dental Research and a pioneer investigator of water fluoridation in the prevention of tooth decay. Read more
• 25 Aug 1891: David Shimoni, Belarusian-Israeli poet and translator (died 1956) David Shimoni was an Israeli poet, writer and translator. Read more
• 25 Aug 1889: Alexander Mair, Australian politician, 26th Premier of New South Wales (died 1969) Alexander Mair was an Australian politician who served as Premier of New South Wales from 5 August 1939 to 16 May 1941. Born in Melbourne, Mair worked in various businesses there before moving to Albury, New South Wales where he went on to be a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for fourteen years. In 1932, Mair was elected to the seat of Albury and was re-elected a further four times. He rose quickly through the cabinet of Bertram Stevens' United Australia Party government, becoming an Assistant Minister in April 1938, Minister for Labour and Industry in June and Colonial Treasurer in October. Read more
• 25 Aug 1882: Seán T. O'Kelly, Irish journalist and politician, 2nd President of Ireland (died 1966) Seán Thomas O'Kelly, originally John T. O'Kelly, was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the president of Ireland from June 1945 to June 1959. He also served as deputy prime minister of Ireland from 1932 to 1945, Minister for Local Government and Public Health from 1932 to 1939, Minister for Finance from 1939 to 1945 and Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1919 to 1921. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1918 to 1945. Read more
• 25 Aug 1878: Ted Birnie, English footballer and manager (died 1935) Edward Lawson Birnie was an English professional football player and manager. He played for Sunderland Seaburn, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur In his managerial career, he took on the reins at Southend United, staying in charge of the seaside club until his retirement in 1934. Read more
• 25 Aug 1877: Joshua Lionel Cowen, American businessman, co-founded the Lionel Corporation (died 1965) Joshua Lionel Cowen was an American inventor and cofounder of the Lionel Corporation, a manufacturer of model railroads and toy trains who gained prominence in the market before and after World War II. Read more
• 25 Aug 1875: Agnes Mowinckel, Norwegian actress (died 1963) Agnes Mowinckel was a Norwegian actress and theatre director. Born in Bergen into a distinguished family, she became Norway's first professional stage director. A pioneer in bringing painters to the theatre, she used light as an artistic element, and engaged contemporary composers. She took part in theatrical experiments, worked at small stages in Oslo, and founded her own theatre. Read more
• 25 Aug 1869: Tom Kiely, British-Irish decathlete (died 1951) Thomas Francis Kiely was an Irish athlete. Kiely won gold in the all-round at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri representing Great Britain and Ireland, making him the first multi-event track and field champion of the Modern Olympic Games Read more
• 25 Aug 1867: James W. Gerard, American lawyer and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Germany (died 1951) James Watson Gerard III was an American lawyer, diplomat, and justice of the New York Supreme Court. Read more
• 25 Aug 1850: Charles Richet, French physiologist and occultist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1935) Charles Robert Richet was a French physiologist at the Collège de France and immunology pioneer. In 1913, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "in recognition of his work on anaphylaxis". Richet devoted many years to the study of paranormal and spiritualist phenomena, coining the term "ectoplasm". He believed in the inferiority of black people, was a proponent of eugenics, and presided over the French Eugenics Society towards the end of his life. The Richet line of professorships of medical science continued through his son Charles and his grandson Gabriel. Gabriel Richet was also one of the pioneers of European nephrology. Read more
• 25 Aug 1845: Ludwig II of Bavaria, King of Bavaria (died 1886) Ludwig II, also called the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King, was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. Read more
• 25 Aug 1841: Emil Theodor Kocher, Swiss physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1917) Emil Theodor Kocher was a Swiss physician and medical researcher who received the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work in the physiology, pathology and surgery of the thyroid. Among his many accomplishments are the introduction and promotion of aseptic surgery and scientific methods in surgery, specifically reducing the mortality of thyroidectomies below 1% in his operations. Read more
• 25 Aug 1840: George C. Magoun, American businessman (died 1893) George C. Magoun was, in the late 1880s, the Chairman of the Board of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Read more
• 25 Aug 1836: Bret Harte, American short story writer and poet (died 1902) Francis Brett Hart, known as Bret Harte, was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a career spanning more than four decades, he also wrote poetry, plays, lectures, book reviews, editorials, and magazine sketches. Read more
• 25 Aug 1829: Carlo Acton, Italian pianist and composer (died 1909) Carlo Eduardo Acton was an Italian composer and concert pianist. He is particularly remembered for his opera Una cena in convitto and for his sacred music compositions of which his Tantum ergo is the most well-known. Read more
• 25 Aug 1817: Marie-Eugénie de Jésus, French nun and saint, founded the Religious of the Assumption (died 1898) Marie-Eugénie de Jésus was a French Catholic nun who founded the Religious of the Assumption and is a Catholic saint. Read more
• 25 Aug 1812: Nikolay Zinin, Russian organic chemist (died 1880) Nikolay Nikolaevich Zinin was a Russian organic chemist. Read more
• 25 Aug 1803: Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, Duke of Caxias (died 1880) Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, Duke of Caxias, nicknamed "o Pacificador" and "o Duque de Ferro", was an army officer, politician and monarchist of the Empire of Brazil. Like his father and uncles, Caxias pursued a military career. In 1823 he fought as a young officer in the Brazilian War of Independence against Portugal, then spent three years in Brazil's southernmost province, Cisplatina, as the government unsuccessfully resisted that province's secession in the Cisplatine War. Though his own father and uncles renounced Emperor Dom Pedro I during the protests of 1831, Caxias remained loyal. Pedro I abdicated in favor of his young son Dom Pedro II, whom Caxias instructed in swordsmanship and horsemanship and eventually befriended. Read more
• 25 Aug 1802: Nikolaus Lenau, Romanian-Austrian poet and author (died 1850) Nikolaus Lenau was the pen name of Nikolaus Franz Niembsch Edler von Strehlenau, a German-language Austrian poet. Read more

Notable Deaths on 25 August

• 25 Aug 2024: Salim Al-Huss, Lebanese statesman, 34th Prime Minister of Lebanon (born 1929) Salim Ahmad al-Huss, also spelled Selim El-Hoss, was a Lebanese politician who served as the prime minister of Lebanon and a longtime Member of Parliament representing his hometown, Beirut. He was known as a technocrat. Read more
• 25 Aug 2022: Mable John, American blues vocalist (born 1930) Mable John was an American blues vocalist and the first female artist signed by Berry Gordy to Motown's Tamla label. Read more
• 25 Aug 2019: Ferdinand Piëch, Austrian business magnate and engineer (born 1937) Ferdinand Karl Piëch was an Austrian business magnate, engineer, and executive who held the positions of chairman of the executive board (Vorstandsvorsitzender) of the Volkswagen Group from 1993 to 2002, and chairman of the supervisory board (Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender) from 2002 to 2015. Read more
• 25 Aug 2018: John McCain, American politician (born 1936) John Sidney McCain III was an American politician and naval officer who represented Arizona in the United States Congress for over 35 years, first as a U.S. representative from 1983 to 1987, then as a U.S. senator from 1987 until his death in 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 2008 presidential election. Read more
• 25 Aug 2017: Rich Piana, American bodybuilder (born 1971) Richard Eugene Piana was an American bodybuilder, businessman, and YouTuber. He won the National Physique Committee (NPC) Mr. Teen California title in 1989, NPC Mr. California in 1998, and NPC competitions in 2003 and 2009. Read more
• 25 Aug 2016: Marvin Kaplan, American actor (born 1927) Marvin Wilbur Kaplan was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter who was best known as Henry Beesmeyer in Alice (1978–1985). Read more
• 25 Aug 2015: José María Benegas, Spanish lawyer and politician (born 1948) José María "Txiki" Benegas Haddad was a Spanish politician for the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE).
  His nickname "Txiki" is Basque for "small". Read more
• 25 Aug 2015: Francis Sejersted, Norwegian historian and academic (born 1936) Francis Sejersted was a Norwegian history professor and the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee from 1991 until 1995. Read more
• 25 Aug 2014: William Greaves, American director and producer (born 1926) William Garfield Greaves was an American filmmaker and actor. Trained at the Actors Studio, he worked as a stage and film actor but became disillusioned with the roles available to Black performers, and transitioned into a career as a pioneering documentarian at the highest of the civil rights movement. He produced more than 200 documentaries, and wrote and directed more than half of these. He garnered many accolades for his work, including four Emmy nominations. Read more
• 25 Aug 2014: Marcel Masse, Canadian educator and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of National Defence (born 1936) Marcel Masse was a Canadian politician. He served as a Quebec MLA, federal MP and federal cabinet minister. Read more
• 25 Aug 2014: Nico M. M. Nibbering, Dutch chemist and academic (born 1938) Nicolaas Martinus Maria Nibbering was a Dutch chemist and mass spectrometrist. He was a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and a recipient of the Thomson Medal and the Joannes Marcus Marci Award. Read more
• 25 Aug 2014: Uziah Thompson, Jamaican-American drummer and producer (born 1936) Uzziah "Sticky" Thompson was a Jamaican percussionist, vocalist and deejay active from the late 1950s. He worked with some of the best known performers of Jamaican music and played on hundreds of albums. Read more
• 25 Aug 2014: Enrique Zileri, Peruvian journalist and publisher (born 1931) Enrique Zileri Gibson was the publisher of Caretas (Masks), Peru's leading newsmagazine, which was cofounded by his mother Doris Gibson. He ran the magazine as "a symbol of resistance" against successive Peruvian dictators and their censors. He won many international honours, including the Maria Moors Cabot Prize (1975), but was twice deported by his own government, and the magazine was shut down at least eight times. The Peruvian Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa called him an "indefatigable defender of freedom and democracy" who "could never be bribed or intimidated". Read more
• 25 Aug 2013: Ciril Bergles, Slovene poet and translator (born 1934) Ciril Bergles was a Slovene poet, essayist and translator. He published numerous collections of poetry and was also known for his translations of poetry, mostly by Spanish and South American authors, into Slovene. Read more
• 25 Aug 2013: António Borges, Portuguese economist and banker (born 1949) António Mendo de Castel-Branco do Amaral Osório Borges was a Portuguese economist and banker. He was also a Managing Director and International Adviser of Goldman Sachs. Read more
• 25 Aug 2013: William Froug, American screenwriter and producer (born 1922) William Froug was an American television writer and producer. His producing credits included the series The Twilight Zone, Gilligan's Island, and Bewitched. He was a writer for, among other shows, The Dick Powell Show, Charlie's Angels, and Adventures in Paradise. He authored numerous books on screenwriting, including Screenwriting Tricks of the Trade, Zen and the Art of Screenwriting I and II, The Screenwriter Looks at The Screenwriter, and How I Escaped from Gilligan's Island: Adventures of a Hollywood Writer-Producer, published in 2005 by the University of Wisconsin Press. Read more
• 25 Aug 2013: Liu Fuzhi, Chinese academic and politician, 3rd Minister of Justice for China (born 1917) Liu Fuzhi was a politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as the Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Minister of Public Security, and Minister of Justice. Read more
• 25 Aug 2013: Raghunath Panigrahi, Indian singer-songwriter (born 1932) Suramani' Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi was an Odissi music Guru, vocalist, composer and music director. He is most known for his renditions of Jayadeva's Gita Govinda and his vocal support for his wife, the Odissi danseuse Sanjukta Panigrahi. He was widely known as 'Gitagobinda Panigrahi'. Read more
• 25 Aug 2013: Gylmar dos Santos Neves, Brazilian footballer (born 1930) Gylmar dos Santos Neves, known simply as Gilmar, was a Brazilian footballer who played goalkeeper for Corinthians and Santos and was a member of the Brazil national team in three World Cups. He was elected the best Brazilian goalkeeper of the 20th century and one of the best in the world by the IFFHS. He is remembered for his sober style on the pitch and his peaceful personality. Read more
• 25 Aug 2012: Florencio Amarilla, Paraguayan footballer, coach, and actor (born 1935) Florencio Amarilla Lacasa was a Paraguayan footballer, coach and later actor. Read more
• 25 Aug 2012: Neil Armstrong, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut (born 1930) Neil Alden Armstrong was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who, as the commander of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, became the first person to walk on the Moon. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot and university professor. Read more
• 25 Aug 2012: Roberto González Barrera, Mexican banker and businessman (born 1930) Roberto González Barrera was a Mexican businessman. He was the chairman of Gruma, the largest producer of tortillas and corn flour in the world, and of Banorte, the largest Mexican-owned private bank in Mexico. Because of his prominent role in the expansion of Gruma, he was often nicknamed "El Maseco" or "Don Maseco", as well as the "King of Tortillas". Read more
• 25 Aug 2012: Donald Gorrie, Scottish politician (born 1933) Donald Cameron Easterbrook Gorrie OBE was a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. He was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Central Scotland region from 1999 to 2007, and sat in the British House of Commons as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh West from 1997 to 2001. Read more
• 25 Aug 2011: Lazar Mojsov, Macedonian politician (born 1920) Lazar Mojsov was a Macedonian journalist, communist politician and diplomat from SFR Yugoslavia. Read more
• 25 Aug 2009: Ted Kennedy, American politician (born 1932) Edward Moore Kennedy was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the second-most-senior member of the Senate when he died. He is ranked fifth in U.S. history for length of continuous service as a senator. Kennedy was the younger brother of President John F. Kennedy and U.S. attorney general and U.S. senator Robert F. Kennedy, an uncle of incumbent U.S. secretary of health and human services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the father of U.S. representative Patrick J. Kennedy. Read more
• 25 Aug 2009: Mandé Sidibé, Malian economist and politician, Prime Minister of Mali (born 1940) Mandé Sidibé was Prime Minister of Mali from 2000 to 2002 and chairman of the Board of Directors of Ecobank from 2006 to 2009. He was also Director of the Malian branch of the Central Bank of West African States from 1992 to 1995. Read more
• 25 Aug 2008: Ahmad Faraz, Pakistani poet (born 1931) Syed Ahmad Shah, better known by his pen name Ahmad Faraz, was a Pakistani Urdu poet, scriptwriter and became the founding director general of Pakistan Academy of Letters. He wrote his poetry under the pseudonym Faraz. He criticised military rule and coup d'état in the country and was displaced by the military dictators. Read more
• 25 Aug 2008: Kevin Duckworth, American basketball player (born 1964) Kevin Jerome Duckworth was an American professional basketball player who played as center in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A native of Illinois, he played college basketball for the Eastern Illinois Panthers before being selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the 1986 NBA draft. Before completing his rookie season with the Spurs, he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers where he spent most of his six seasons and was named the NBA's Most Improved Player and a two-time All-Star. After playing with three more teams he retired in 1997 and returned to Oregon where he would later work for the Trail Blazers' organization. Read more
• 25 Aug 2007: Benjamin Aaron, American lawyer and scholar (born 1915) Benjamin Aaron was an American attorney, labor law scholar and civil servant. He is known for his work as an arbitrator and mediator, and for helping to advance the development of the field of comparative labor law in the United States. Read more
• 25 Aug 2007: Ray Jones, English footballer (born 1988) Raymond Barry Bankote Jones was an English professional footballer who played as a striker. Jones spent his professional career at Queens Park Rangers, making his debut in the Football League Championship in April 2006. His good form at the start of the following season led to his only international match, for England under-19 against the Netherlands, as well as bids for other clubs to sign him. He totalled six goals in 37 professional matches. Read more
• 25 Aug 2006: Noor Hassanali, Trinidadian-Tobagonian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Trinidad and Tobago (born 1918) Noor Mohamed Hassanali TC was a Trinidadian lawyer, judge and politician who served as the second president of Trinidad and Tobago from 1987 to 1997. A retired high-court judge, he was the first person of Indian descent and first Muslim president of Trinidad and Tobago, and the first Muslim head of state in the Americas. Read more
• 25 Aug 2005: Peter Glotz, Czech-German academic and politician (born 1939) Peter Glotz was a German social democratic politician and social scientist. Read more
• 25 Aug 2003: Tom Feelings, American author and illustrator (born 1933) Tom Feelings was an American artist, cartoonist, children's book illustrator, author, teacher, and activist. Many of his books focus on African-American and African culture, such as To Be a Slave (1968), Jambo Means Hello (1974), and The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo (1995). Read more
• 25 Aug 2002: Dorothy Hewett, Australian author and poet (born 1923) Dorothy Coade Hewett was an Australian playwright, poet and author. She wrote in a number of different literary styles: modernism, socialist realism, expressionism and avant garde. She was a member of the Australian Communist Party in the 1950s and 1960s, which informed her work during that period. Read more
• 25 Aug 2001: Aaliyah, American singer and actress (born 1979) Aaliyah Dana Haughton was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the "Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop, and hip hop. Her accolades include three American Music Awards and two MTV VMAs, along with five Grammy Award nominations. Read more
• 25 Aug 2001: Carl Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1938) Carl Thomas Brewer was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. Brewer attended De La Salle College and Riverdale Collegiate Institute prior to his hockey career. Read more
• 25 Aug 2001: Üzeyir Garih, Turkish engineer and businessman, co-founded Alarko Holding (born 1929) Üzeyir Garih was a Jewish Turkish engineer, businessman, writer and investor. Read more
• 25 Aug 2001: Ken Tyrrell, English race car driver and businessman, founded Tyrrell Racing (born 1924) Robert Kenneth Tyrrell was a British Formula Two racing driver and the founder of the Tyrrell Formula One constructor. Read more
• 25 Aug 2000: Carl Barks, American author and illustrator (born 1901) Carl Barks was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of Scrooge McDuck. He worked anonymously until late in his career; fans dubbed him "The Duck Man" and "The Good Duck Artist". In 1987, Barks was one of the three inaugural inductees of the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame. Read more
• 25 Aug 2000: Frederick C. Bock, American soldier and pilot (born 1918) Frederick Carl Bock Jr was an American bomber pilot during World War II who took part in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945. Read more
• 25 Aug 2000: Jack Nitzsche, American pianist, composer, and producer (born 1937) Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spector, and went on to work with the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, and others. He worked extensively in film scores for the films Performance, The Exorcist and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. In 1983, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for co-writing "Up Where We Belong" with Buffy Sainte-Marie. Read more
• 25 Aug 2000: Allen Woody, American bass player and songwriter (born 1955) Douglas Allen Woody was an American bass guitarist best known for his eight-year tenure in the Allman Brothers Band and as a co-founder of Gov't Mule. Read more
• 25 Aug 1999: Rob Fisher, English keyboard player and songwriter (born 1956) Rob Fisher was an English keyboardist and songwriter from Cheltenham, England, who achieved chart success as a member of the new wave band Naked Eyes and, later, Climie Fisher. He attended Lord Wandsworth College in Hampshire, where he was a member of a band called Cirrus with Nick Ryall and Ray Coop (bass). Read more
• 25 Aug 1998: Lewis F. Powell, Jr., American lawyer and Supreme Court justice (born 1907) Lewis Franklin Powell Jr. was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1972 to 1987. Read more
• 25 Aug 1995: Doug Stegmeyer, American bass player and producer (born 1951) Douglas Alan Stegmeyer was an American musician who was best known as a bassist and back-up vocalist for Billy Joel. Stegmeyer also performed as bassist for Debbie Gibson and Hall & Oates. Read more
• 25 Aug 1990: Morley Callaghan, Canadian author and playwright (born 1903) Edward Morley Callaghan was a Canadian novelist, short story writer, playwright, and TV and radio personality. Read more
• 25 Aug 1988: Price Daniel, American politician, 38th Governor of Texas (born 1910) Marion Price Daniel Sr. was an American jurist and politician who served as a U.S. senator and the 38th governor of Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to be a member of the National Security Council, Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness, and Assistant to the President for Federal-State Relations. Daniel also served as Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court. Read more
• 25 Aug 1988: Art Rooney, American businessman, founded the Pittsburgh Steelers (born 1901) Arthur Joseph Rooney Sr., often referred to as "the Chief", was an American professional football executive. He was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, an American football franchise in the National Football League (NFL), from 1933 until his death. Rooney is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was an Olympic qualifying boxer, and was part or whole owner in several track sport venues and Pittsburgh area pro teams. He was the first president of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1933 to 1974, and the first chairman of the team from 1933 until his death in 1988. Read more
• 25 Aug 1984: Truman Capote, American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter (born 1924) Truman Garcia Capote was an American novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, and he is regarded as one of the founders of New Journalism, along with Gay Talese, Hunter S. Thompson, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe. His work and his life story have been adapted into and have been the subject of more than 20 films and television productions. Read more
• 25 Aug 1984: Viktor Chukarin, Ukrainian gymnast and coach (born 1921) Viktor Ivanovich Chukarin was a Ukrainian gymnast who competed for the Soviet Union. He won eleven medals, including seven gold medals at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics and was the all-around world champion in 1954. He was the most successful athlete at the 1952 Summer Olympics. His performance at the 1952 Summer Olympics became second after Anton Heida for medals received in gymnastics, which was overcome by Boris Shakhlin at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Read more
• 25 Aug 1984: Waite Hoyt, American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1899) Waite Charles Hoyt was an American right-handed professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for seven different teams during 1918–1938. He was one of the dominant pitchers of the 1920s, and the most successful pitcher for the New York Yankees during that decade. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. Read more
• 25 Aug 1982: Anna German, Polish singer (born 1936) Anna Wiktoria German-Tucholska was a Polish singer (lirico-spinto), immensely popular in Poland and in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and the 1970s. She released over a dozen music albums with songs in Polish, as well as several albums with Russian repertoire. Throughout her music career, she also recorded songs in the German, Italian, Spanish, English, and Latin languages. Read more
• 25 Aug 1981: Nassos Kedrakas, Greek actor and cinematographer (born 1915) Athanasios (Nassos) Kedrakas was a Greek actor. Read more
• 25 Aug 1980: Gower Champion, American dancer and choreographer (born 1919) Gower Carlyle Champion was an American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer. Read more
• 25 Aug 1979: Stan Kenton, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (born 1911) Stanley Newcomb Kenton was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though Kenton had several pop hits from the early 1940s into the 1960s, his music was always forward-looking. Kenton was also a pioneer in the field of jazz education, creating the Stan Kenton Jazz Camp in 1959 at Indiana University. Read more
• 25 Aug 1977: Károly Kós, Hungarian architect, ethnologist, and politician (born 1883) Károly Kós was a Hungarian architect, writer, illustrator, ethnologist and politician of Hungary and Romania. Read more
• 25 Aug 1976: Eyvind Johnson, Swedish novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1900) Eyvind Johnson was a Swedish novelist and short story writer. Regarded as the most groundbreaking novelist in modern Swedish literature he became a member of the Swedish Academy in 1957 and shared the 1974 Nobel Prize in Literature with Harry Martinson with the citation: for a narrative art, far-seeing in lands and ages, in the service of freedom. Read more
• 25 Aug 1973: Dezső Pattantyús-Ábrahám, Hungarian lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Hungary (born 1875) Dezső Pattantyús-Ábrahám de Dancka was a conservative Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister and temporary Minister of Finance of the second counter-revolutionary government in Szeged for one month in 1919. His government commissioned Miklós Horthy to Supreme Commander of the National Army. Read more
• 25 Aug 1971: Ted Lewis, American singer and clarinet player (born 1890) Ted Lewis was an American entertainer, bandleader, singer, and musician. He was well known for his catchphrase "Is everybody happy?" He fronted a band and touring stage show that presented a combination of hot jazz, comedy, and nostalgia that was a hit with the American public before and after World War II. Read more
• 25 Aug 1970: Tachū Naitō, Japanese architect and engineer, designed the Tokyo Tower (born 1886) Tachū Naitō was a Japanese architect, engineer, and professor. He was a father of earthquake-proof design and built many broadcasting and observation towers, including the Tokyo Tower. Read more
• 25 Aug 1969: Robert Cosgrove, Australian politician, 30th Premier of Tasmania (born 1884) Sir Robert Cosgrove was an Australian politician who was the 30th and longest-serving Premier of Tasmania. He held office for over 18 years, serving from 1939 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1958. His involvement in state politics spanned five decades, and he dominated the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Labor Party for a generation. Read more
• 25 Aug 1968: Stan McCabe, Australian cricketer and coach (born 1910) Stanley Joseph McCabe was an Australian cricketer who played 39 Test matches for Australia from 1930 to 1938. A short, stocky right-hander, McCabe was described by Wisden as "one of Australia's greatest and most enterprising batsmen" and by his captain Don Bradman as one of the great batsmen of the game. He was never dropped from the Australian Test team and was known for his footwork, mastery of fast bowling and the hook shot against the Bodyline strategy. He also regularly bowled medium-pace and often opened the bowling at a time when Australia lacked fast bowlers, using an off cutter. He was one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1935. Read more
• 25 Aug 1967: Stanley Bruce, Australian lawyer and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Australia (born 1883) Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne was an Australian politician, statesman and businessman who served as the eighth prime minister of Australia from 1923 to 1929. He held office as the leader of the Nationalist Party, having previously served as the treasurer of Australia from 1921 to 1923. Read more
• 25 Aug 1967: Oscar Cabalén, Argentine race car driver (born 1928) Oscar Cabalén, was an Argentine racing driver, mainly active in the Turismo Carretera series. He also took part in the Carrera Panamericana and the Mille Miglia, and was a reserve driver for the Formula One Argentine Grand Prix in 1960. Read more
• 25 Aug 1967: Paul Muni, Ukrainian-born American actor (born 1895) Paul Muni was an American stage and film actor from Chicago. He started his acting career in the Yiddish theater and during the 1930s, he was considered one of the most prestigious actors at the Warner Bros. studio and was given the rare privilege of choosing his own parts. Read more
• 25 Aug 1967: George Lincoln Rockwell, American commander, politician, and activist, founded the American Nazi Party (born 1918) George Lincoln Rockwell was an American neo-Nazi activist and politician who founded the American Nazi Party (ANP) and became one of the most notorious white supremacists in the United States until his assassination in 1967. While Rockwell remains obscure to the American public and never achieved political power, he remains an influence on far-right extremism. Read more
• 25 Aug 1966: Lao She, Chinese novelist and dramatist (born 1899) Shu Qingchun, known by his pen name Lao She, was a Chinese writer of Manchu ethnicity, known for his vivid portrayal of urban life and his colorful use of the Beijing dialect, such as in the novel Rickshaw Boy and the play Teahouse. During the Cultural Revolution, he was persecuted and either drowned himself or was murdered. Read more
• 25 Aug 1965: Moonlight Graham, American baseball player and physician (born 1879) Archibald Wright "Moonlight" Graham was an American professional baseball player and physician who appeared as a right fielder in a single major league game for the New York Giants on June 29, 1905. His story was popularized by Shoeless Joe, a novel by W. P. Kinsella, and the subsequent 1989 film Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner, and featuring Burt Lancaster and Frank Whaley, respectively, as older and younger incarnations of Graham. Read more
• 25 Aug 1956: Alfred Kinsey, American biologist and academic (born 1894) Alfred Charles Kinsey was an American sexologist, biologist, and professor of entomology and zoology who, in 1947, founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University, now known as the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. He is best known for writing Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953), also known as the Kinsey Reports, as well as for the Kinsey scale. Kinsey's research on human sexuality, foundational to the field of sexology, provoked controversy in the 1940s and 1950s, and has continued to provoke controversy decades after his death. His work has influenced social and cultural values in the United States and United Kingdom as well as internationally. Read more
• 25 Aug 1945: John Birch, American soldier and missionary (born 1918) John Morrison Birch was a United States Army Air Forces military intelligence captain, OSS field agent in China during World War II, as well as former Baptist minister and missionary. He was killed in a confrontation with Chinese Communist soldiers during an assignment he was ordered on by the OSS, ten days after the war ended. Birch was posthumously awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal. Read more
• 25 Aug 1942: Prince George, Duke of Kent (born 1902) Prince George, Duke of Kent, was a member of the British royal family, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary, and a younger brother of Kings Edward VIII and George VI. He served in the Royal Navy during the 1920s before briefly working as a civil servant, and in 1934 was created Duke of Kent. That same year he married Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, with whom he had three children: Edward, Alexandra and Michael. Read more
• 25 Aug 1940: Prince Jean, Duke of Guise (born 1874) Jean d'Orléans was Orléanist pretender to the defunct French throne as Jean III. He used the courtesy title of Duke of Guise. Read more
• 25 Aug 1939: Babe Siebert, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1904) Charles Albert "Babe" Siebert was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. A left winger and defenceman, he played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Maroons, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. He won the 1926 Stanley Cup championship with the Maroons, and was a member of the famous "S Line", and another with the Rangers in 1933. Read more
• 25 Aug 1938: Aleksandr Kuprin, Russian pilot, explorer, and author (born 1870) Aleksandr Ivanovich Kuprin was a Russian writer best known for his novels The Duel (1905) and Yama: The Pit (1915), as well as Moloch (1896), Olesya (1898), "Captain Ribnikov" (1906), "Emerald" (1907), and The Garnet Bracelet (1911) – the latter made into a 1965 movie. Read more
• 25 Aug 1936: Juliette Adam, French author (born 1836) Juliette Adam was a French author and feminist. Read more
• 25 Aug 1931: Dorothea Fairbridge, South African author and co-founder of Guild of Loyal Women (born 1862) Dorothea Ann Fairbridge referred as Dora Fairbridge was a South African author and co-founder of the Guild of Loyal Women. Read more
• 25 Aug 1930: Frankie Campbell, American boxer (born 1904) Frankie Campbell was an Italian-American boxer who fought professionally as a heavyweight. He won 33 of his 40 career fights, losing four, drawing twice, and fighting to a no-contest in another. Campbell was killed in the ring by future heavyweight champion Max Baer on August 25, 1930, in San Francisco, California. Read more
• 25 Aug 1925: Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, Austrian field marshal (born 1852) Franz Xaver Josef Conrad von Hötzendorf, sometimes anglicised as Hoetzendorf, was an Austrian general who played a central role in World War I. He served as K.u.k. Feldmarschall and Chief of the General Staff of the military of the Austro-Hungarian Army and Navy from 1906 to 1917. He was in charge during the July Crisis of 1914 that caused World War I. Read more
• 25 Aug 1924: Mariano Álvarez, Filipino general and politician (born 1818) Mariano Malia Álvarez was a Filipino revolutionary and statesman. He was the first Municipal President of Noveleta. Read more
• 25 Aug 1924: Velma Caldwell Melville, American editor, and writer of prose and poetry (born 1858) Velma Caldwell Melville was an American editor, and writer of prose and poetry from Wisconsin. She edited the Practical Farmer and the Wisconsin Farmer. Melville was one of the most voluminous writers of her time in Central/Western U.S. publications. She wrote several serials, and her poems and sketches appeared in nearly 100 publications. Read more
• 25 Aug 1921: Nikolay Gumilyov, Russian poet and critic (born 1886) Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilev was a Russian poet, literary critic, traveler, and military officer. He was a co-founder of the Acmeist movement. He was the husband of Anna Akhmatova and the father of Lev Gumilev. Nikolai Gumilev was arrested and executed by the Cheka, the secret Soviet police force, in 1921. Read more
• 25 Aug 1916: Mary Tappan Wright, American novelist and short story writer (born 1851) Mary Tappan Wright was an American novelist and short story writer best known for her acute characterizations and depictions of academic life. She was the wife of classical scholar John Henry Wright and the mother of legal scholar and utopian novelist Austin Tappan Wright and geographer John Kirtland Wright. Read more
• 25 Aug 1908: Henri Becquerel, French physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1852) Antoine Henri Becquerel was a French experimental physicist who shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with Marie and Pierre Curie for his discovery of radioactivity. Read more
• 25 Aug 1904: Henri Fantin-Latour, French painter and lithographer (born 1836) Ignace Henri Jean Theodore Fantin-Latour was a French painter and lithographer best known for his flower paintings and group portraits of Parisian artists and writers. Read more
• 25 Aug 1900: Friedrich Nietzsche, German philologist, philosopher, and critic (born 1844) Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a German philosopher and writer who started his career as a classical philologist and turned to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, at age 24, he was appointed Professor of Classical Philology at the University of Basel. Plagued by health problems for most of his life, he resigned from the university in 1879. He afterward lived as an independent writer, spending much of his life in relative solitude and financial insecurity while moving between Switzerland, Italy, and southern France in search of climates that might alleviate his condition, and in the following decade, he completed much of his core writing. In 1889, aged 44, he suffered a neurological collapse, and thereafter a complete loss of his mental faculties, with paralysis and vascular dementia; he lived out his remaining 11 years, first under the care of his mother, and later his sister, until his death. His works and his philosophy have fostered not only extensive scholarship but also much popular interest. Read more
• 25 Aug 1892: William Champ, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of Tasmania (born 1808) William Thomas Napier Champ was a British soldier and Colonial Australian politician and penal administrator, who served as the first Premier of Tasmania from 1856 to 1857. Read more
• 25 Aug 1886: Zinovios Valvis, Greek lawyer and politician, 35th Prime Minister of Greece (born 1800) Zinovios Zafirios I. Valvis was a Greek politician and Prime Minister of Greece. Valvis was born in 1800 in Missolonghi. He first studied theology at the Theological School of Halki but switched to law, furthering his studies in Pisa, Italy. Valvis married Arsinoe Ratzikosta and fathered nine children. He twice served as prime minister but fell on hard times in his old age, dying impoverished in 1872 after refusing a state pension so as not to be a burden on the Greek state. Zinovios Valvis was the brother of Dimitrios Valvis who also served as prime minister. He died in Missolonghi in 1886. Read more
• 25 Aug 1882: Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, Estonian physician and author (born 1803) Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald was an Estonian writer who is considered to be the father of the national literature for the country. He is the author of Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg. Read more
• 25 Aug 1867: Michael Faraday, English physicist and chemist (born 1791) Michael Faraday was an English chemist and physicist who contributed vastly to the study of electrochemistry and electromagnetism. His main discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and electrolysis. Although Faraday received little formal education, as a self-made man, he was one of the most influential scientists in history. It was by his research on the magnetic field around a conductor carrying a direct current that Faraday established the concept of the electromagnetic field in physics. Faraday also established that magnetism could affect rays of light and that there was an underlying relationship between the two phenomena. He similarly discovered the principles of electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and the laws of electrolysis. His inventions of electromagnetic rotary devices formed the foundation of electric motor technology, and it was largely due to his efforts that electricity became practical for use in technology. The SI unit of capacitance, the farad, is named after him. Read more
• 25 Aug 1822: William Herschel, German-English astronomer and composer (born 1738) Frederick William Herschel was a German–British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline Herschel. Born in the Electorate of Hanover, he followed his father into the military band of Hanover, before emigrating to Britain in 1757 at the age of 19. Read more
• 25 Aug 1819: James Watt, Scottish engineer and instrument maker (born 1736) James Watt was a Scottish inventor, engineer and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world. Read more
• 25 Aug 1815: Stephen Badlam, American artisan and military officer (born 1751) Stephen Badlam was an American artisan and military officer. Raised in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Badlam was orphaned as a young child following the death of his father, a tavern-keeper and cabinetmaker. Badlam worked as a surveyor prior to the American Revolutionary War, where he served as an artillery commander in engagements in New York, Canada, and Vermont, serving as a major in General Richard Montgomery's ill-fated 1775 invasion of Quebec. After serving at Fort Stanwix, he fell gravely ill and was forced to return home with his wife to Dorchester. Read more

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