Today is Sunday, Aug. 17, the 229th day of 2025
with 136 to follow.
The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus. Evening stars are Mars, Mercury, Neptune and Saturn.
On this date in history:
boat trip between Albany, N.Y., and New York City.
In 1915, a hurricane struck Galveston, Texas, killing 275 people.
In 1946, George Orwell publishes Animal Farm.
In 1969, the Woodstock music festival ended after three days on a 600-acre farm in Bethel, N.Y.
In 1978, Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman completed the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by balloon, landing their helium-filled Double Eagle II near Paris.
In 1987, Rudolf Hess, Hitler's former deputy, was found strangled in Berlin's Spandau Prison. He was 93.
In 1996, the Reform Party nominated Texas businessman Ross Perot for president.
In 1998, addressing the American people, U.S. President Bill Clinton said he had a relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky that was "not appropriate."
In 1999, an earthquake in a densely populated region of northwestern Turkey killed at least 17,000 people and injured about 40,000.
In 2001, Ford Motor Co. announced it would dismiss up to 5,000 of its salaried employees -- 10 percent of its managers and engineers.
In 2008, Iran reported it had tested a new rocket capable of carrying a satellite into orbit.
In 2017, a man drove a van into a group of pedestrians in Barcelona, Spain, killing 14 people and injuring another 130 people. The driver killed a 15th person in a carjacking while fleeing the scene. In a related attack hours later, a group of terrorists drove into more civilians, killing a 16th person. All told, eight attackers were also killed.
In 2019, an explosion at a Kabul, Afghanistan, wedding hall killed at least 63 people. The Islamic State claimed responsibility.
