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Today in History, October 25th

On October 25, 1415, Henry V's outnumbered English army won at Agincourt. Plus the Charge of the Light Brigade and the U.S. invasion of Grenada.

By Today in History Updated November 10, 2026 3 min read Sources checked

Published October 25, 2026 · Last updated November 10, 2026

October 25 is best known for the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, when Henry V’s outnumbered English army crushed a French force in northern France. The date also saw the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854 and the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983.

The big story: Henry V wins at Agincourt (1415)

By the time Henry V’s army reached Agincourt, it was in rough shape. The English king had crossed the Channel with about 11,000 men during the Hundred Years’ War, then lost roughly half of them to disease and fighting during a five-week siege of Harfleur. Blocking his road home stood a French army of about 20,000. The ground favored the smaller side. The battle was fought on a strip of open field about 1,000 yards wide, hemmed in by woods, and the French knights had to slog toward the English through mud. English longbowmen, shielded by sharpened stakes, poured in arrows from as far as 250 yards. As the French crowded together and could barely move, Henry sent his archers in with swords and axes. Almost 6,000 French soldiers died, against just over 400 English. Within five years Henry was recognized as heir to the French throne, though he died of camp fever only two years after that.

More events on October 25

Year	What happened
1764	John Adams married Abigail Smith. Her letters became one of the richest records of life in early America.
1854	During the Crimean War, Lord Cardigan led the British Light Brigade in a cavalry charge against well-defended Russian guns at Balaklava.
1929	Former Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall was convicted of bribery in the Teapot Dome scandal, the first person convicted of a crime committed while serving in a presidential Cabinet.
1936	Germany and Italy formed the Rome-Berlin Axis.
1940	Benjamin O. Davis Sr. became the first African American general in the U.S. Army.
1944	During the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Japan launched its first kamikaze attacks on American warships.
1950	China entered the Korean War on North Korea’s side, against South Korea and the UN forces led by the U.S.
1964	Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall scooped up a fumble and ran the wrong way into his own end zone, giving up a safety.
1971	The UN General Assembly voted to seat the People’s Republic of China and expel Taiwan.
1983	President Ronald Reagan sent U.S. forces to invade the Caribbean island of Grenada, citing the safety of about 1,000 Americans there.
2001	Microsoft launched Windows XP worldwide, with its main launch event in New York’s Times Square.

Born on October 25

1881: Pablo Picasso, Spanish artist and co-founder of Cubism, born in Málaga.
1940: Bob Knight, college basketball coach with one of the highest win totals in the men’s game, born in Massillon, Ohio.
1941: Anne Tyler, novelist who won the Pulitzer Prize for Breathing Lessons, born in Minneapolis.