On August 25, 1985, Samantha Smith, 13, the schoolgirl whose letter to Yuri V. Andropov resulted in her famous peace tour of the Soviet Union, died with her father, Arthur, and six other people in a commuter plane crash in Auburn, Maine.
Ten years ago
Hurricane Katrina hit Florida with 80 mph winds and headed into the Gulf of Mexico. The base closing commission voted to shut down the Army’s historic Walter Reed hospital and move much of its staff and services to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
Five years ago
North Korea welcomed Jimmy Carter back to Pyongyang as the former U.S. president arrived to bring home Aijalon Mahli Gomes, an American jailed in the communist country since January 2010 for entering the country illegally from China.
One year ago
A funeral was held in St. Louis for Michael Brown, the unarmed 18-year-old shot to death by a police officer in suburban Ferguson on August 9. At the Emmy Awards, ABC’s “Modern Family” won best comedy series for the fifth time, while the final season of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” captured the top drama award and a trio of acting honors for its stars, including Bryan Cranston.
— By The Associated Press
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