August 25th, 1944:

During World War II, Allied forces in Europe liberate Paris, ending four years of Nazi Germany's occupation of the French capital.

1875:

Captain Matthew Webb becomes the first person to swim the English Channel, making the journey from Britain to France in 22 hours.

1985:

Thirteen-year-old Samantha Smith and her father are killed in a plane crash in Maine.

Two years earlier, the girl's letter to the Kremlin led to her famous peace tour of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

1956:

Alfred Kinsey, pioneering researcher of human sexual behavior, dies in Bloomington, Indiana.

He was 62.

1930:

Sean Connery, the original actor to play superspy 007 on the silver screen, is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1918:

Composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein is born in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Among his well-known musicals: On The Town, and West Side Story.

1954:

Elvis Costello, the musician whose work ranges from rock's New Wave to classical and ballads with Burt Bacharach, is born in London.

And, 1975:

Bruce Springsteen's album 'Born to Run', considered a rock 'n' roll masterpiece, is released.

Today in History, August 25th, ______,The Associated Press.