12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for August 31, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1886 – A powerful earthquake devastates Charleston, South Carolina.
- 1888 – Mary Ann Nichols, the first known victim of “Jack the Ripper,” is found murdered in London.
- 1907 – Britain and Russia sign the Anglo-Russian Convention, settling spheres of influence in Persia, Afghanistan, and Tibet.
- 1918 – Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin begins during the Hundred Days Offensive.
- 1935 – The U.S. passes the first Neutrality Act amid rising global tensions.
- 1939 – Nazi Germany stages the Gleiwitz radio attack as a pretext to invade Poland.
- 1957 – The Federation of Malaya proclaims independence from Britain (Hari Merdeka).
- 1962 – Trinidad and Tobago gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1980 – Gdańsk Agreement is signed, legalizing Solidarity in Poland.
- 1986 – Aeroméxico Flight 498 collides with a Piper over Cerritos, California, killing 82 people.
- 1991 – Kyrgyzstan declares independence from the Soviet Union.
- 2010 – President Obama declares the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1945 – Van Morrison, singer-songwriter (“Brown Eyed Girl”) (80).
- 1945 – Itzhak Perlman, virtuoso violinist (80).
- 1949 – Richard Gere, actor (“Pretty Woman”) (76).
- 1970 – Queen Rania of Jordan, humanitarian and global education advocate (55).
- 1970 – Deborah “Debbie” Gibson, pop singer-songwriter (“Only in My Dreams”) (55).
- 1971 – Chris Tucker, actor/comedian (“Rush Hour”) (54).
- 1983 – Larry Fitzgerald, NFL Hall-caliber wide receiver (42).
Today’s Deaths:
- 1963 – Georges Braque, French painter; co-founder of Cubism (81).
- 1969 – Rocky Marciano, heavyweight boxing champion (45).
- 1973 – John Ford, Oscar-winning film director (79).
- 1986 – Henry Moore, British modernist sculptor (88).
- 1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales, humanitarian and former Princess of Wales (36).
- 1997 – Dodi Fayed, Egyptian film producer (42).
- 2020 – Tom Seaver, Baseball Hall of Famer; “Tom Terrific” (75).
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