1537 The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, is formed.
1814 British forces destroy the Library of Congress, which contained 3,000 books.
1835 The New York Sun publishes the Great Moon Hoax story about John Herschel, who claimed he had discovered life, landscapes, and fantastical creatures on the Moon through a powerful telescope.
On 25th August 1919, fire destroyed the Waterloo Hydro, Aberystwyth's largest hotel. The hotel had been built in 1910 and had five floors and 127 bedrooms with the balcony and bay windows giving the rooms the best sea views in the town. On the cleared site, one of the most fantastic pieces of this town’s twentieth-century architecture was built; the King’s Hall, originally called Municipal Hall. Finished in 1933, it was a huge building that took up the entire plot and was constructed in the classic art deco style that the country loved at the time. A balcony balustrade ran around the flat roof which was broken on the centre of the seafront side by a great clock tower topped with a flag pole. However the building fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1989.
1920 Russia suffers a decisive defeat in the Battle of Warsaw against Poland.
On 25th August 1945, the children who had been evacuated from English cities to the comparative safety of Wales, returned home.
Evacuation began in September 1939, with an operation nicknamed 'Pied Piper' when approximately 110,000 children were sent to Wales. The evacuees were all given a gas mask and food for the journey and had a label stating the child’s name, home address, school and destination, pinned to their clothing. Most of the children adapted well to country life staying in touch with their host family after the end of war. However, it wasn’t only children who were evacuated. Mothers of young babies, pregnant women and disabled people were also evacuated. In some cases, teachers were evacuated and stayed in the same village as their pupils.
On 25 August 1986, the inaugural World Bog Snorkelling Chamionship was held in a water-filled 60-yard trench at the Waen Rhydd peat bog, near Llanwrtyd Wells. The invention of the activity was inspired by the need to raise funds for a new community centre in the town and the event now takes place annually on the August Bank Holiday. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course relying only on flipper power. The event has proved to be so popular that in 2012 the town decided to hold the first World Alternative Games at which the programme included worm charming, gravy wrestling, snail racing, beer mat tossing, wife carrying and husband dragging.
1995 Gloucestershire cricketer Andrew Symonds scores 254 against Glamorgan, including a then first-class record of 16 sixes. It was at Abergavenny and Furry was there.
25 Aug 1961 After playing a lunchtime gig at The Cavern Club Liverpool, The Beatles played aboard the Merseyside riverboat M.V.Royal Iris supporting Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band.
