25 YEARS AGO

August 7,1978 President Jimmy Carter declares the Love Canal area of Niagara Falls, New York, a longtime toxic-waste dump, to be a disaster area.

August 17, 1978 Three Americans land outside Paris after the first successful crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a balloon. They had left from Maine six days earlier.

September 15,1978 Muhammad AIi wins the world heavyweight boxing championship for the third time, beating Leon Spinks by a decision.

September 17, 1978 President Anwar el-Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel sign the American-mediated Camp David Accords,, which will lead to enduring peace, though not friendship, between the two nations.

50 YEARS AGO

September 22, 1953 The American Federation of Labor expels the International Longshoremen’s Association because of its ties to organized crime.

75 YEARS AGO

August 25, 1928 Adm. Richard E. Byrd departs in the icebreaker City of New York on an expedition to the South Pole.

August 27, 1928 Representatives from the United States and 14 other countries sign the Pact of Paris, also known as the Kellogg-Briand Pact. The treaty, which will eventually be signed by 62 nations, makes war illegal.

200 YEARS AGO

August 31, 1803 Meriwether Lewis sets out down the Ohio River to explore the vast Louisiana Purchase, which was bought from France the previous year. He will be met by William Clark and the other members of the U.S. Corps of Discovery on October 14 at Clarksville in the Indiana Territory.

225 YEARS AGO

August 29, 1778 American forces leave Newport, Rhode Island, after an unsuccessful attempt to capture it from the British.