Captain Kidd hanged for piracy

On May 23, 1701, Captain William Kidd, convicted of piracy and murder, was hanged in London. His body was later tarred and hung up in a gibbet – an iron cage – at the mouth of the River Thames as a warning to others.

Learn more about Captain Kidd.

THIS DAY @ LAW

US signed peace treaty with Germany ending World War I

On August 25, 1921, the United States, which never ratified the Versailles Treaty ending World War I, finally signed its own peace treaties with Germany, Austria and Hungary.

Former East Germany leader convicted of manslaughter for Berlin Wall policy

On August 25, 1997, Egon Krenz, the former of East Germany was convicted of manslaughter for promulgating a policy of shooting any East Germans who attempted to cross the Berlin Wall. Krenz was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison, of which he served four before being released into retirement from political life.