Today marks Tuesday, November 25, 2025, the 329th day of the year, leaving just 36 days until the year concludes.
Today in history:
On this day in 1999, a dramatic international custody saga began when Elian Gonzalez, a 5-year-old boy from Cuba, was found by two fishermen off the Florida coast. This discovery sparked a heated legal and diplomatic battle, ultimately resulting in his return to Cuba to live with his father.
Also on this date:
In a significant moment of history on November 25, 1783, the last British troops withdrew from New York City, signaling the end of their presence in the United States following the Revolutionary War.
The USS Enterprise made history on this date in 1961 as the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Known for its remarkable length of 1,123 feet, it holds the record as the longest naval vessel ever constructed.
In 1963, the nation mourned as President John F. Kennedy’s body was interred at Arlington National Cemetery. The funeral procession through Washington, D.C., drew an estimated crowd of one million people, all paying their respects.
The Iran-Contra affair came to light on November 25, 1986, when President Ronald Reagan and Attorney General Edwin Meese disclosed that proceeds from clandestine arms sales to Iran had been funneled to support Nicaraguan rebels, causing a political storm.
In 2001, as the war in Afghanistan entered its eighth week, CIA officer Johnny “Mike” Spann was killed during a prison uprising in Mazar-e-Sharif that erupted while he was interviewing detainees, becoming the first American combat casualty of the conflict.
In 2016, Fidel Castro, who led his rebels to a victorious revolution in 1959, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 U.S. presidents during his half-century of authoritarian rule in Cuba, died at age 90.
In 2020, Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona died of a heart attack at age 60. Maradona led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title before later struggling with cocaine use and obesity.
Today’s Birthdays:
- Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs is 85.
- Actor John Larroquette is 78.
- Dance judge Bruno Tonioli (TV: “Dancing with the Stars”) is 70.
- Musician Amy Grant is 65.
- Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter is 60.
- Rapper-producer Erick Sermon is 57.
- Actor Jill Hennessy is 57.
- Actor Christina Applegate is 54.
- Former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb is 49.
- Television personality Jenna Bush Hager and twin sister Barbara Pierce Bush, daughters of former President George W. Bush, are 44.
- Soccer manager and former player Xabi Alonso is 44.
- Actor Stephanie Hsu is 35.
