What Happened on October 25?

October 25 is World Pasta Day — a global celebration of noodles — on the same date English archers won at Agincourt in 1415, the Charge of the Light Brigade charged in 1854, George III became king in 1760, and Windows XP launched in 2001.

• 1415 — English forces win the Battle of Agincourt

  On St. Crispin's Day 1415, Henry V's outnumbered English army defeated French knights at Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War. Read the full story →

• 1760 — George III becomes King of Great Britain

  On October 25, 1760, twenty-two-year-old George III began a long reign that would include the American Revolution and Britain's industrial rise. Read the full story →

• 1812 — USS United States captures HMS Macedonian

  On October 25, 1812, Captain Stephen Decatur's frigate United States defeated and captured the British frigate Macedonian in the War of 1812. Read the full story →

• 1854 — The Charge of the Light Brigade thunders at Balaclava

  On October 25, 1854, British light cavalry charged Russian guns during the Crimean War — a brave but disastrous miscommunication immortalized in poetry. Read the full story →

• 1962 — Adlai Stevenson presents Cuban missile photos at the United Nations

  On October 25, 1962, U.S. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson showed the U.N. Security Council clear photos of Soviet missiles in Cuba — a dramatic Cold War showdown. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) · Georges Bizet (1838–1875) · Bob Knight (1940–2023) · Katy Perry (1984)

Days & observances

World Pasta Day · International Artist Day · National Greasy Foods Day · St. Crispin's Day