Today marks Saturday, October 25, 2025, the 298th day of the year, leaving 67 days remaining until year’s end.
Today in history:
On this day in 1929, Albert B. Fall, a former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, was found guilty of accepting bribes for granting oil field leases. This incident, known as the “Teapot Dome Scandal,” involved oil fields at Teapot Dome, Wyoming, and in Elk Hills and Buena Vista, California. Fall’s conviction led to him becoming the first cabinet official in U.S. history to be incarcerated for crimes committed while in office.
Also on this date:
Back in 1760, King George III ascended to the British throne, succeeding his grandfather, George II.
In 1859, the radical abolitionist John Brown faced trial in Charles Town, Virginia, following his unsuccessful raid on Harpers Ferry. Brown was ultimately convicted and executed.
Fast forward to 1962, amid the tense Cuban missile crisis, U.S. Ambassador Adlai E. Stevenson II confronted Soviet Ambassador Valerian Zorin at an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting. Stevenson pressed Zorin to verify or deny the presence of Soviet missile bases in Cuba, backing his claims with photographic evidence—a pivotal moment in the crisis.
In 1983, under the directive of President Ronald Reagan, U.S. forces launched an invasion of Grenada. Reagan justified the action as necessary for safeguarding American citizens on the island.
In 1986, in Game 6 of the World Series, the New York Mets rallied for three runs with two outs in the 10th inning, defeating the Boston Red Sox 6-5 and forcing a seventh game; the tiebreaking run scored on Boston first baseman Bill Buckner’s error on Mookie Wilson’s slow grounder. (The Mets went on to win Game 7 and the Series.)
In 1999, golfer Payne Stewart and five others were killed when their Learjet lost cabin pressure, flew hundreds of miles off course on autopilot, and crashed in a field in South Dakota. Stewart was 42.
In 2002, Democratic U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota was killed in a plane crash in northern Minnesota along with his wife, daughter and five others, a week-and-a-half before the election.
In 2022, Rishi Sunak became Britain’s first prime minister of color after being chosen to lead the governing Conservative Party.
In 2023, Robert Card opened fire at a bowling alley and a bar and grill in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people and leaving 13 others wounded. Card was found dead by suicide two days after the attack, the worst mass shooting in Maine’s history.
Today’s Birthdays:
- Actor Marion Ross is 96.
- Author Anne Tyler is 84.
- Rock singer Jon Anderson (Yes) is 81.
- Political strategist James Carville is 81.
- Basketball Hall of Famer Dave Cowens is 77.
- Olympic gold medal wrestler Dan Gable is 77.
- Olympic gold medal hockey player Mike Eruzione is 71.
- Actor Nancy Cartwright (TV: “The Simpsons”) is 68.
- Rock drummer Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 64.
- Actor-comedian-TV host Samantha Bee is 56.
- Country singer Chely (SHEL’-ee) Wright is 55.
- Violinist Midori is 54.
- Baseball Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez is 54.
- Actor Craig Robinson is 54.
- Author Zadie Smith is 50.
- Actor Mehcad (muh-KAD’) Brooks is 45.
- Pop singer Katy Perry is 41.
- Singer Ciara is 40.
- Golfer Xander Schauffele is 32.
- MLB All-Star Juan Soto is 27.
