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Former Cabinet member found guilty in Teapot Dome scandal

Born on This Day

Georges Bizet

1838 - 1875

French composer best known for “Carmen,” an opera he adapted from a short story.

Anne Tyler

1941 -

Pulitzer Prize-winning author admired for perceptive comedies of manners such as the 1985 novel The Accidental Tourist.

Juan Soto

1998 -

Baseball superstar who signed a record $765 million contract with the New York Yankees in 2024.

Georges BizetGetty Images

Anne TylerContour by Getty Images

Juan SotoGetty Images

1978

OCT25

“Halloween” premieres, sending chills across small towns nationwide. Produced for $300,000, the slasher movie grossed more than $47 million in North America. Jamie Lee Curtis, then 19, was paid only $8,000 for her film debut.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on October 25th

Battle of Agincourt

The Battle of Agincourt, held in northern France in October 1415, brought a decisive victory for the forces of England's Henry V over a far larger French army.

John Adams marries Abigail Smith

On October 25, 1764, future President John Adams marries Abigail Smith. This devoted couple’s prolific correspondence during their married life has provided entertainment and a glimpse of early American life for generations of history buffs. Future first lady Abigail Adams was the daughter of a parson. She was home-taught and read everything from the classics […]

Native Americans attack transcontinental railroad survey crew in Utah

On October 25, 1853, members of the Paiute Indian Tribe attack U.S. Army Captain John W. Gunnison and his party of 37 soldiers and railroad surveyors near Sevier Lake, Utah. Gunnison and seven other men were killed, but the survey party continued with its work and eventually reported its findings to the United States Congress. U.S. officials […]

Charge of the Light Brigade

In an event alternately described as one of the most heroic or disastrous episodes in British military history, Lord James Cardigan leads a charge of the Light Brigade cavalry against well-defended Russian artillery during the Crimean War. The British were winning the Battle of Balaklava when Cardigan received his order to attack the Russians. His […]

Pablo Picasso is born

Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century, is born in Malaga, Spain.

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Greece’s King Alexander dies after being bitten by a monkey

On October 25, 1920, Greece’s King Alexander dies from wounds he received after a monkey attacked him earlier in the month. He was 27 years old. The incident leading to King Alexander’s death occurred while he was walking on the grounds of the castle outside of Athens. A Barbary macaque that belonged to a resident […]

First kamikaze attack of the war begins

On October 25, 1944, during the Battle of the Leyte Gulf, the Japanese deploy kamikaze (“divine wind”) bombers against American warships for the first time. It will prove costly—to both sides. This decision to employ suicide bombers against the American fleet at Leyte, an island of the Philippines, was based on the failure of conventional […]

President Eisenhower pledges support to South Vietnam

President Eisenhower pledges support to South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem’s government and military forces in a letter on October 25, 1954. Eisenhower made it clear to Diem that U.S. aid to his government during Vietnam’s “hour of trial” was contingent upon his assurances of the “standards of performance [he] would be able to maintain […]

Atomic Age sci-fi thriller ‘The Amazing Colossal Man’ premieres in New York

The Atomic Age sci-fi thriller “The Amazing Colossal Man” premieres in New York City on October 25, 1957. The film was one of many from the era to exploit cultural anxieties over atomic weaponry.

Minnesota Vikings’ Jim Marshall runs wrong way with recovered fumble

On October 25, 1964, after recovering a fumble against the 49ers in San Francisco, Minnesota Vikings star defensive end Jim Marshall runs 66 yards the wrong way into his own end zone. The four-year veteran believes he has scored a touchdown, so he throws the ball out of bounds in celebration, resulting in a safety […]

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The U.N. seats the People’s Republic of China and expels Taiwan

U.N. representatives vote to seat the the People’s Republic of China as a permanent member and expels Taiwan, led by the Chinese Nationalist Party. The U.S.—which had unsuccessfully proposed seating both the PRC and Taiwan—was interested in seeking the PRC’s help in resolving the sticky Vietnam situation, using influence with the PRC as diplomatic leverage […]

Australian rock gods AC/DC earn their first Top 40 hit with “You Shook Me All Night Long”

On October 25, 1980, AC/DC earn their first pop Top 40 hit with “You Shook Me All Night Long”—clocking in at number 39. Back when they were releasing albums like Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1977), AC/DC would have seemed an unlikely candidate to become one of the top-selling pop-music acts of all time. But […]

United States invades Grenada

President Ronald Reagan, citing the threat posed to American nationals on the Caribbean nation of Grenada by that nation’s Marxist regime, orders U.S. forces to invade and secure their safety. There were approximately 1,000 Americans in Grenada at the time, many of them students at the island’s medical school. In little more than a week, […]

Susan Smith reports a false carjacking to cover killing her kids

On October 25, 1994, Susan Smith falsely reports she was carjacked in South Carolina by a Black man who took her two young sons. Days later, she confessed the truth: She had killed her children.

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