February 25

Events

• 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor.
• 1570 - Pope Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth I of England.
• 1793 - George Washington holds the first Cabinet meeting as President of the United States.
• 1797 - Colonel William Tate and his force of 1000-1500 soldiers surrender after the Last Invasion of Britain
• 1836 - Samuel Colt receives an American patent for the Colt revolver.
• 1836 - US Showman Phineas Taylor Barnum exhibits African American slave Joice Heth.
• 1837 - The first practical electric motor in the US is patented by Thomas Davenport.
• 1870 - Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the United States Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in the U.S. Congress.
• 1901 - J.P. Morgan incorporates the United States Steel Corporation.
• 1912 - Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of Guillaume IV, becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
• 1919 - Oregon places a 1 cent per U.S. gallon tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax.
• 1921 - Tbilisi, capital of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, occupied by Bolshevist Russia.
• 1925 - Glacier Bay National Monument (now Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve) is established in Alaska.
• 1925 - The diplomatic relations between Japan and the Soviet Union were established.
• 1928 - Charles Jenkins Laboratories of Washington, DC becomes the first holder of a television license from the Federal Radio Commission.
• 1932 - Adolf Hitler obtains German citizenship by naturalization, which allows him to run in the 1932 election for Reichspräsident.
• 1933 - The USS Ranger is launched, becoming the first custom-built aircraft carrier.
• 1941 - February strike: First general & physical protest against Nazi anti-Jewish behaviour & -laws (Amsterdam)
• 1945 - World War II: Turkey declares war on Germany.
• 1948 - The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia takes control of government in Czechoslovakia and the period of the Third Republic ends.
• 1951 - The first Pan American Games are held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• 1954 - Gamal Abdul Nasser is made premier of Egypt.
• 1956 - In his speech On the Personality Cult and its Consequences Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev denounces the cult of personality of Joseph Stalin.
• 1969 - Germany gives $5 million to an Arab terrorist as ransom for the passengers and crew of a hijacked jumbo jet.
• 1971 - The first unit of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, first commercial nuclear power station in Canada, goes online.
• 1980 - The Suriname government (elected after gaining independence from the Netherlands in 1975 ) was overthrown by a military coup which was initiated with the bombing of the police station from an army ship of the coast of the nations capital; Paramaribo
• 1986 - People Power Revolution: President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the first Filipino woman president.
• 1991 - Gulf War: An Iraqi Scud missile hits an American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia killing 28 U.S. Army Reservists from Pennsylvania.
• 1992 - Khojaly massacre: about 613 civilians killed by Armenian armed forces during the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan
• 1994 - Mosque of Abraham massacre: In the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron, Dr. Baruch Kappel Goldstein opens fire with an automatic rifle, killing 29 Palestinian worshippers and injuring 125 more before being subdued and beaten to death by survivors. Subsequent rioting kills 26 more Palestinians and 9 Israelis.
• 2008 - The country of Kosovo declares independence from Serbia.

Births

• 1398 - Xuande, Emperor of China (d. 1435)
• 1591 - Friedrich von Spee, German writer (d. 1635)
• 1643 - Ahmed II, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1695)
• 1663 - Pierre Antoine Motteux, French-born English dramatist (d. 1718)
• 1682 - Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist (d. 1771)
• 1692 - Karl Ludwig, Freiherr von Pöllnitz, German adventurer and writer (d. 1775)
• 1707 - Carlo Goldoni, Italian writer (d. 1793)
• 1714 - René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, Chancellor of France (d. 1792)
• 1714 - Sir Hyde Parker, 5th Baronet, British admiral (d. 1782)
• 1725 - Karl Wilhelm Ramler, German poet (d. 1798)
• 1752 - John Graves Simcoe, first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (d. 1806)
• 1778 - José de San Martín, Argentine general and liberator of South America (d. 1850)
• 1841 - Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French painter, graphic artist and sculptor (d. 1919)
• 1842 - Karl May, German writer (d. 1912)
• 1845 - George Reid, fourth Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1918)
• 1855 - George Bonnor, Australian cricketer (d. 1912)
• 1855 - Cesário Verde, Portuguese poet (d. 1886)
• 1860 - Sir William Ashley, economic historian (d. 1927)
• 1866 - Benedetto Croce, Italian philosopher (d. 1952)
• 1873 - Enrico Caruso, Italian tenor (d. 1921)
• 1877 - Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist (d. 1935)
• 1883 - Princess Alice of Albany, Countess of Athlone (d. 1981)
• 1885 - Sylvia Brett, Lady Brooke, Ranee of Sarawak (d. 1971)
• 1888 - John Foster Dulles, U.S. Secretary of State (d. 1959)
• 1889 - Homer S. Ferguson, United States Senator (d. 1982)
• 1890 - Dame Myra Hess, English pianist (d. 1965)
• 1890 - Vyacheslav Molotov, Soviet politician (d. 1986)
• 1894 - Meher Baba, Indian spiritual leader (d. 1969)
• 1895 - Lew Andreas, American basketball coach (d. 1984)
• 1901 - Zeppo Marx, American actor (d. 1979)
• 1903 - King Clancy, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1986)
• 1908 - Frank G. Slaughter, American novelist (d. 2001)
• 1910 - Millicent Fenwick, American fashion editor and politician (d. 1992)
• 1912 - Brenda Joyce, American actress
• 1913 - Jim Backus, American actor (d. 1989)
• 1913 - Gert Fröbe, German actor (d. 1988)
• 1914 - John Arlott, English cricket journalist (d. 1991)
• 1916 - Reinhard Bendix, German sociologist (d. 1991)
• 1917 - Anthony Burgess, English author (d. 1993)
• 1918 - Barney Ewell, American athlete (d. 1996)
• 1918 - Bobby Riggs, American tennis player (d. 1995)
• 1918 - Rena Kyriakou, Greek pianist (d. 1994)
• 1919 - Karl H. Pribram, Austrian neuroscientist
• 1920 - Gérard Bessette, Canadian author (d. 2005)
• 1921 - Pierre Laporte, Canadian statesman (d. 1970)
• 1927 - Ralph Stanley, American musician
• 1928 - Larry Gelbart, American comedy writer
• 1929 - Christopher George, American actor (d. 1983)
• 1929 - Tommy Newsom, American bandleader (d. 2007)
• 1932 - Tony Brooks, English race car driver
• 1932 - Faron Young, American singer (d. 1996)
• 1934 - Bernard Bresslaw, English actor (d. 1993)
• 1934 - Tony Lema, American golfer (d. 1966)
• 1935 - Sally Jessy Raphaël, American talk show host
• 1937 - Tom Courtenay, English actor
• 1937 - Bob Schieffer, American broadcast journalist
• 1937 - Barbara Piasecka Johnson, widow of John Seward Johnson I
• 1938 - Diane Baker, American actress
• 1938 - Herb Elliott, Australian runner
• 1940 - Billy Packer, American sports broadcaster
• 1940 - Danny Cater, American baseball player
• 1940 - Ron Santo, American baseball player
• 1942 - Karen Grassle, American actress
• 1943 - George Harrison, English musician (The Beatles) (d. 2001)
• 1943 - Wilson da Silva Piazza, Brazilian footballer
• 1945 - Herbert Léonard, French singer
• 1945 - Elkie Brooks, English singer
• 1946 - Franz Xaver Kroetz, German dramatist
• 1946 - Jean Todt, French executive director of Scuderia Ferrari
• 1947 - Lee Evans, American athlete
• 1947 - Doug Yule, American bass guitarist (The Velvet Underground)
• 1948 - Danny Denzongpa, Indian actor
• 1948 - Aldo Busi, Italian writer
• 1949 - Ric Flair, American professional wrestler
• 1950 - Neil Jordan, Irish director
• 1950 - Néstor Kirchner, President of Argentina
• 1950 - Francisco Fernández Ochoa, Spanish alpine skier (d. 2006)
• 1951 - Don Quarrie, Jamaican runner
• 1951 - James Brown, American sportscaster
• 1951 - César Cedeño, Dominican baseball player
• 1952 - Jerry Chamberlain, American musician
• 1952 - Joey Dunlop, Irish motorcycle racer (d. 2000)
• 1952 - Inger Segelström, Swedish politician
• 1953 - José María Aznar, former Prime Minister of Spain
• 1953 - Kim Yeong-cheol, South Korean actor
• 1954 - John Doe, American musician
• 1958 - Kurt Rambis, American basketball player
• 1959 - Carl Marotte, Canadian actor
• 1959 - Mike Peters, Welsh musician (The Alarm)
• 1960 - Tony Grimaud, Maltese-born singer and songwriter
• 1960 - Stefan Blöcher, German field hockey player
• 1961 - Davey Allison, American race car driver (d. 1993)
• 1961 - Todd Blackledge, American football player
• 1962 - Birgit Fischer, German kayaker
• 1963 - Paul O'Neill, American baseball player
• 1964 - Lee Evans, English comedian
• 1964 - Don Majkowski, American football player
• 1965 - Carrot Top, American comedian
• 1965 - Brian Baker, American guitarist
• 1966 - Alexis Denisof, American actor
• 1966 - Samson Kitur, Kenyan athlete (d. 2003)
• 1966 - Téa Leoni, American actress
• 1966 - Nancy O'Dell, American reporter and television personality
• 1966 - Samantha Phillips, American actress
• 1968 - Sandrine Kiberlain, French actress
• 1968 - Evridiki, Greek Cypriot singer
• 1969 - Paul Trimboli, Australian soccer player
• 1970 - Julie Hesmondhalgh, English actress
• 1971 - Sean Astin, American actor
• 1971 - Dave Harris, American disc jockey
• 1971 - Daniel Powter, Canadian musician
• 1973 - Justin Jeffre, American singer (98 Degrees)
• 1973 - Anson Mount, American actor
• 1973 - Julio José Iglesias, Spanish singer
• 1973 - Normann Stadler, German triathlete
• 1975 - Chelsea Handler, American comedian and actress
• 1976 - Rashida Jones, American actress, writer, model, and musician
• 1976 - Chris Pitman, American keyboardist and member of Guns N' Roses
• 1977 - Sarah Jezebel Deva, English singer
• 1977 - Josh Wolff, American footballer
• 1979 - Jennifer Ferrin, American actress
• 1979 - David Hoflin, Swedish-born Australian Actor
• 1980 - Antonio Burks, American basketball player
• 1980 - Christy Knowings, American actress
• 1981 - Jamie Lynn, American model
• 1981 - Shahid Kapoor, Indian actor
• 1981 - Park Ji-Sung, South Korean footballer
• 1981 - Misty Giles, American beauty queen and Survivor contestant
• 1982 - Chris Baird, Irish footballer
• 1982 - Anton Volchenkov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1982 - Bert McCracken, American singer (The Used)
• 1982 - Maria Kanellis, American model and professional wrestler
• 1982 - Tara Wilson, Canadian actress
• 1983 - Eduardo da Silva, Brazilian-born Croatian footballer
• 1984 - Logan Leistikow, American director and actor
• 1984 - Lovefoxxx, Brazilian singer (CSS)
• 1985 - Joakim Noah, American basketball player
• 1985 - Benji Marshall, New Zealand rugby player
• 1986 - Justin Berfield, American actor
• 1986 - James and Oliver Phelps, English actors
• 1986 - Danny Saucedo, Swedish singer
• 1987 - Eva Avila, Canadian singer
• 1989 - Tony Oller, American actor
• 1998 - Brendon Baerg, American actor

Deaths

• 1246 - Dafydd ap Llywelyn, King of Gwynedd
• 1522 - William Lilye, English classical scholar
• 1536 - Berthold Haller, German-born reformer (b. 1492)
• 1553 - Hirate Masahide, Japanese diplomat and tutor of Oda Nobunaga (suicide) (b. 1492)
• 1558 - Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Portugal and France (b. 1498)
• 1601 - Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, English politician (b. 1566)
• 1634 - Albrecht von Wallenstein, Austrian general (b. 1583)
• 1643 - Marco da Gagliano, Italian composer (b. 1582)
• 1655 - Daniel Heinsius, Flemish scholar (b. 1580)
• 1682 - Alessandro Stradella, Italian composer (b. 1639)
• 1713 - King Frederick I of Prussia (b. 1657)
• 1715 - Pu Songling, Chinese writer (b. 1640)
• 1723 - Sir Christopher Wren, English architect (b. 1632)
• 1756 - Eliza Haywood, English actress and writer (b. 1693)
• 1798 - Louis-Jules Mancini-Mazarini, Duc de Nivernais, French diplomat and writer (b. 1716)
• 1805 - Thomas Pownall, British colonial statesman (b. 1722)
• 1831 - Friedrich Maximilian Klinger, German writer (b. 1752)
• 1850 - Daoguang, Emperor of China (b. 1782)
• 1852 - Thomas Moore, Irish poet (b. 1779)
• 1860 - Chauncey Allen Goodrich, American clergyman, educator, and lexicographer (b. 1790)
• 1899 - Paul Julius Reuter, German-born journalist (b. 1816)
• 1912 - Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (b. 1852)
• 1919 - Josef Christiaens, Belgian racing driver (b. 1879)
• 1922 - Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (b. 1869)
• 1934 - John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (b. 1873)
• 1945 - Mário de Andrade, Brazilian writer and photographer (b. 1893)
• 1950 - George Minot, American physician, Nobel laureate (b. 1885)
• 1953 - Sergei Winogradsky, Russian scientist (b. 1856)
• 1957 - George "Bugs" Moran, American gangster (b. 1893)
• 1964 - Grace Metalious, American writer (b. 1924)
• 1966 - James D. Norris, American sports businessman (b. 1906)
• 1970 - Mark Rothko, Latvian-born American painter (b. 1903)
• 1971 - Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1884)
• 1975 - Elijah Muhammad, American Black Muslim leader (b. 1897)
• 1978 - Daniel "Chappie" James Jr., American general (b. 1920)
• 1983 - Tennessee Williams, American playwright (b. 1911)
• 1987 - James Coco, American actor (b. 1930)
• 1993 - Eddie Constantine, American-born actor and singer (b. 1917)
• 1993 - Mary Walter, Filipino actress (b. 1912)
• 1994 - Baruch Goldstein, American-born mass murderer (b. 1956)
• 1994 - Jersey Joe Walcott, American boxer (b. 1914)
• 1996 - Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-born actor (b. 1940)
• 1998 - Celestine Tate Harrington, a quadriplegic street musician and writer.
• 1999 - Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1912)
• 2001 - Sir Donald Bradman, Australian cricketer (b. 1908)
• 2003 - Tom O'Higgins, Irish Chief Justice (b. 1916)
• 2003 - Alberto Sordi, Italian actor (b. 1920)
• 2004 - Donald Hings, Canadian inventor (b. 1907)
• 2005 - Peter Benenson, English founder of Amnesty International (b. 1921)
• 2006 - Darren McGavin, American actor (b. 1922)
• 2006 - Charlie Wayman, English footballer (b. 1922)
• 2007 - William R. Anderson, CO USS Nautilus submarine, US Congressman (b. 1921)
• 2007 - Mark Spoelstra, American singer/songwriter (b. 1940)
• 2008 - Ashley Cooper, Australian race car driver (b. 1980)
• 2008 - Hans Raj Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court of India (b. 1912)
• 2008 - Static Major, American singer (b. 1974)

Holidays and observances

• Kuwait's national day.
• People Power Day, special holiday in the Philippines.
• February 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani,OSB

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada