1. 1676: Bacon's Rebellion - On August 25, 1676, Bacon's Rebellion reached its climax as rebels led by Nathaniel Bacon burned down the colonial capital of Jamestown, Virginia. The rebellion was caused by grievances against Governor William Berkeley's administration and its policies toward Native Americans.

2. 1814: Burning of Washington - On August 25, 1814, during the War of 1812, British troops marched on Washington, D.C. and burned down the White House, the Capitol building, and other government buildings. The attack was in retaliation for the American burning of York (now Toronto), the capital of Upper Canada.

3. 1862: Battle of Manassas - On August 25, 1862, during the American Civil War, the Second Battle of Manassas (also known as the Second Battle of Bull Run) began in northern Virginia. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's army defeated Union General John Pope's army in a decisive victory, paving the way for Lee's invasion of Maryland.

4. 1961: Virginia Vogelmann's Swim - On August 25, 1961, Virginia Vogelmann became the first woman to swim across the Chesapeake Bay, covering the 4.4-mile distance in under 3 hours. Vogelmann, a 39-year-old mother of four, accomplished the feat while wearing a wetsuit and flippers.

5. 2001: Execution of the D.C. Snipers - On August 25, 2001, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, also known as the D.C. snipers, were arrested at a rest stop in Maryland after a nationwide manhunt. The pair had terrorized the Washington, D.C. area for three weeks, killing 10 people and injuring three others. Muhammad was executed in Virginia in 2009, and Malvo is currently serving multiple life sentences in prison.