Here's a quick look at our top stories for Monday, Oct. 20, 2025:
Watch the latest weather forecast
Temperatures slowly climbing this week
TOP HEADLINES:
Montana State Prison replacing entire 50-year-old water system
Montana State Prison begins complete water system overhaul after failures
Thousands gather in Bozeman for 'No Kings' protest against Trump administration
Thousands gather in Bozeman for 'No Kings' protest against Trump administration
Meet Boomer, a sweet senior pup who needs a new home
Tails to Adoption: Meet Boomer
THAT’S INTERESTING:
Historical events and more for Oct. 20:
- 1803 — U.S. Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase treaty (vote 24–7), doubling U.S. territory.
- 1935 — Mao Zedong and surviving Communist forces complete the Long March, arriving in the northwest (Yan’an area).
- 1944 — Gen. Douglas MacArthur makes his return to the Philippines, landing on Leyte (fulfilling his “I shall return” promise).
- 1968 — Dick Fosbury wins Olympic gold in the high jump at Mexico City using the “Fosbury Flop.”
- 1973 — The Sydney Opera House is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II.
- 1973 — “Saturday Night Massacre”: President Richard Nixon orders the firing of special prosecutor Archibald Cox; Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy AG William Ruckelshaus resign rather than carry out the order.
- 1977 — Plane crash kills members of Lynyrd Skynyrd (including lead singer Ronnie Van Zant) after a concert in Mississippi.
Notable births
- 1854 — Arthur Rimbaud, French poet.
- 1859 — John Dewey, American philosopher and educational reformer.
- 1882 — Béla Lugosi, Hungarian-American actor (famous for Dracula).
- 1931 — Mickey Mantle, American baseball Hall of Famer.
- 1950 — Tom Petty, American singer-songwriter.
- 1958 — Viggo Mortensen, actor and artist.
- 1964 — Kamala Harris, U.S. politician (born Oct. 20, 1964).
- 1971 — Snoop Dogg (Calvin Broadus), American rapper and entertainer.
- 1979 — John Krasinski, actor/director.
(If you want a larger list I can add more names and birth years.)
Notable deaths
- 1936 — Anne Sullivan Macy, teacher of Helen Keller (died Oct. 20, 1936).
- 1964 — Herbert Hoover, 31st U.S. president (died Oct. 20, 1964).
- 1977 — Ronnie Van Zant, lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd (died in the Oct. 20, 1977 plane crash).
- 1984 — Paul Dirac, Nobel Prize–winning physicist (died Oct. 20, 1984).
- 1994 — Burt Lancaster, American actor (died Oct. 20, 1994).
- 2011 — Muammar Gaddafi, former Libyan leader (killed Oct. 20, 2011).
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