TODAY IN HISTORY

Saturday, August  25, 2012 AP Highlight in History: On Aug. 25, 1944, Paris was liberated by Allied forces after four years of Nazi occupation. AP Photo
On this date in: 1718 Hundreds of French colonists arrived in Louisiana, with some of them settling in present-day New Orleans. 1825 Uruguay declared its independence from Brazil. 1875 Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel, traveling from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in 22 hours. 1916 The National Park Service was established within the Department of the Interior. 1921 The United States signed a peace treaty with Germany. 1950 President Harry S. Truman ordered the Army to seize control of the nation's railroads to avert a strike. 1975 The album "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen was released. 1984 Author Truman Capote was found dead at age 59. AP Photo 1985 Samantha Smith, the schoolgirl whose letter to Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov resulted in her peace tour of the communist country, was killed with her father in an airplane crash in Maine. 1997 The tobacco industry agreed to an $11.3 billion settlement with the state of Florida. 1998 Former Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell died at age 90. 2003 Tennis champion Pete Sampras announced his retirement during a news conference at the U.S. Open in New York. AP Photo/Elise Amendola 2009 South Korea's first rocket blasted off into space. 2009 Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., died at age 77.		Video HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS DAY IN HISTORY Today's Birthdays: Actor Sean Connery turns 82 years old today. AP Photo/Peter Kramer Name Profession Age Monty Hall Game show host ("Let's Make a Deal") 91 Regis Philbin Talk show, game show host 81 Wayne Shorter Jazz saxophonist 79 Tom Skerritt Actor ("Picket Fences") 79 Marshall Brickman Filmmaker 71 Rollie Fingers Baseball Hall of Famer 66 Gene Simmons Rock musician (Kiss) 63 Rob Halford Rock singer (Judas Priest) 61 Elvis Costello Rock musician 58 Tim Burton Director 54 Billy Ray Cyrus Country singer 51 Ally Walker Actress 51 Blair Underwood Actor 48 Albert Belle Baseball player 46 Jeff Tweedy Rock singer (Wilco) 45 Rachael Ray TV chef 44 Claudia Schiffer Model 42 Rachel Bilson Actress ("The O.C.") 31 Actress Blake Lively ("Gossip Girl") turns 25 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini

2001

Singer and actress Aaliyah died in a plane crash in the Bahamas.

2003

NASA launched the infrared Spitzer Space Telescope.