February 25

February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 309 days remaining until the end of the year (310 in leap years).

Events

• 138 – The Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor.
• 493 – Odoacer surrenders Ravenna after a 3-year siege and agrees to a mediated peace with Theodoric the Great.
• 628 – Khosrau II is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
• 1336 – 4,000 defenders of Pilėnai commit mass suicide rather than be taken captive by the Teutonic Knights.
• 1570 – Pope Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth I of England.
• 1631 – François de Bassompierre, a French courtier, is arrested on Richelieu's orders.
• 1797 – Colonel William Tate and his force of 1000-1500 soldiers surrender after the Last invasion of Britain.
• 1821 – Greek War of Independence: Alexander Ypsilantis issues a proclamation at Iași, announcing that he had "the support of a great power" (i.e. Russia).
• 1831 – Battle of Olszynka Grochowska, part of Polish November Uprising against Russian Empire.
• 1836 – Samuel Colt is granted a United States patent for the Colt revolver.
• 1843 – Provisional Cession of the Hawaiian or Sandwich Islands established by Lord George Paulet.
• 1848 – Provisional government in revolutionary France, by Louis Blanc's motion, guarantees workers' rights.
• 1856 – A Peace conference opens in Paris after the Crimean War.
• 1866 – Miners in Calaveras County, California, discover what is now called the Calaveras Skull - human remains that supposedly indicated that man, mastodons, and elephants had co-existed.
• 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.
• 1875 – Guangxu Emperor of China begins his reign, under Empress Dowager Cixi's regency.
• 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.
• 1916 – World War I: the Germans capture Fort Douaumont during the Battle of Verdun.
• 1919 – Oregon places a one 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, is occupied by Bolshevist Russia.
• 1928 – Charles Jenkins Laboratories of Washington, D.C. 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. It is the first US Navy ship to be built solely as an aircraft carrier.
• 1941 – February Strike: In occupied Amsterdam, a general strike is declared in response to increasing anti-Jewish measures instituted by the Nazis.
• 1945 – World War II: Turkey declares war on Germany.
• 1947 – The State of Prussia ceases to exist.
• 1948 – The Communist Party 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 Abdel Nasser is made premier of Egypt.
• 1956 – In his speech On the Personality Cult and its Consequences, Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union denounces the cult of personality of Joseph Stalin.
• 1964 – North Korean Prime Minister Kim Il-sung calls for the removal of feudalistic land ownership aimed at turning all cooperative farms into state-run ones.
• 1964 – U.S. Air Force launches a satellite employing a US Air Force Atlas/Agena combination from Point Arguello (LC-2-3) in California and from Cape Kennedy in Florida.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: 135 unarmed citizens of Hà My village in South Vietnam's Quảng Nam Province are killed and buried en masse by South Korean troops in what would come to be known as the Hà My massacre.
• 1971 – The first unit of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, the first commercial nuclear power station in Canada, goes online.
• 1980 – The government of Suriname is overthrown by a military coup which is initiated by the bombing of the police station from an army ship off the coast of the nation's capital, Paramaribo
• 1986 – People Power Revolution: President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the Philippines' first woman president.
• 1987 – Southern Methodist University's football program is the first college football program to receive the Death Penalty by the NCAA's Committee on Infractions. It was revealed that athletic officials and school administrators had knowledge of a "slush fund" used to make illegal payments to the school's football players as far back as 1981.
• 1991 – Gulf War: An Iraqi scud missile hits an American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia killing 28 U.S. Army Reservists from Pennsylvania.
• 1991 – The Warsaw Pact is declared disbanded.
• 1992 – Khojaly massacre: about 613 civilians are killed by Armenian armed forces during the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
• 1994 – Mosque of Abraham massacre: In the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron, Baruch Goldstein opens fire with an automatic rifle, killing 29 Palestinian worshippers and injuring 125 more before being subdued and beaten to death by survivors.
• 1997 – Yi Han-yong, North Korean defector was murdered by unidentified assailants in Bundang, South Korea.
• 2009 – Members of the Bangladesh Rifles mutiny at their headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka, Bangladesh, resulting in 74 deaths, including more than 50 army officials.

Births

• 1591 – Friedrich Spee, German poet (d. 1635)
• 1643 – Ahmed II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1695)
• 1651 – Johann Philipp Krieger, German organist and composer (d. 1725)
• 1663 – Pierre Antoine Motteux, French-English playwright (d. 1718)
• 1682 – Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist (d. 1771)
• 1692 – Karl Ludwig von Pöllnitz, German author and adventurer (d. 1775)
• 1707 – Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright (d. 1793)
• 1708 – Felix Benda, Bohemian organist and composer (d. 1768)
• 1714 – René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, French politician, Lord Chancellor of France (d. 1792)
• 1714 – Sir Hyde Parker, 5th Baronet, English admiral (d. 1782)
• 1725 – Karl Wilhelm Ramler, German poet (d. 1798)
• 1727 – Armand-Louis Couperin, French organist and composer (d. 1789)
• 1728 – John Wood, the Younger, English architect, designed the Royal Crescent (d. 1782)
• 1737 – August Wilhelm Hupel, German-Estonian linguist and clergyman (d. 1819)
• 1752 – John Graves Simcoe, English-Canadian general and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (d. 1806)
• 1755 – François René Mallarmé, French politician (d. 1835)
• 1778 – José de San Martín, Argentinian general and politician, 1st President of Peru (d. 1850)
• 1812 – Carl Christian Hall, Danish politician, 6th Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1888)
• 1816 – Giovanni Morelli, Italian historian and critic (d. 1891)
• 1833 – John St. John, American politician, 8th Governor of Kansas (d. 1916)
• 1841 – Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French painter and sculptor (d. 1919)
• 1842 – Karl May, German author (d. 1912)
• 1845 – George Reid, Australian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1918)
• 1855 – George Bonnor, Australian cricketer (d. 1912)
• 1855 – Cesário Verde, Portuguese poet (d. 1886)
• 1856 – Karl Gotthard Lamprecht, German historian (d. 1915)
• 1856 – Mathias Zdarsky, Czech-Austrian skier (d. 1940)
• 1857 – Robert Bond, Canadian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Newfoundland (d. 1927)
• 1860 – William Ashley, English historian (d. 1927)
• 1861 – Rudolf Steiner, Austrian philosopher and educator (d. 1925)
• 1865 – Andranik, Armenian general (d. 1927)
• 1866 – Benedetto Croce, Italian philosopher (d. 1952)
• 1869 – Phoebus Levene, Russian-American biochemist (d. 1940)
• 1871 – Lesya Ukrainka, Ukrainian poet (d.1913)
• 1873 – Enrico Caruso, Italian tenor (d. 1921)
• 1877 – Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist (d. 1935)
• 1881 – William Z. Foster, American union leader (d. 1961)
• 1881 – Alexei Rykov, Russian politician (d. 1938)
• 1883 – Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (d. 1981)
• 1885 – Princess Alice of Battenberg (d. 1969)
• 1885 – Sylvia Brett, English wife of Charles Vyner Brooke (d. 1971)
• 1886 – Wally Hardinge, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1965)
• 1888 – John Foster Dulles, American politician, 52nd United States Secretary of State (d. 1959)
• 1889 – Homer S. Ferguson, American politician (d. 1982)
• 1890 – Myra Hess, English pianist and educator (d. 1965)
• 1894 – Meher Baba, Indian mystic (d. 1969)
• 1895 – Lew Andreas, American basketball player and coach (d. 1984)
• 1897 – Peter Llewelyn Davies, English publisher (d. 1960)
• 1900 – Richard Indreko, Estonian archeologist and historian (d. 1961)
• 1901 – Zeppo Marx, American actor and agent (d. 1979)
• 1903 – King Clancy, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1986)
• 1905 – Harald Lander, Danish dancer and choreographer (d. 1971)
• 1905 – Perry Miller, American historian and author (d. 1963)
• 1906 – Domingo Ortega, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1988)
• 1906 – Boris Papandopulo, Croatian composer and conductor (d. 1991)
• 1907 – Mary Chase, American playwright (d. 1981)
• 1908 – Frank G. Slaughter, American author (d. 2001)
• 1910 – Millicent Fenwick, American journalist and politician (d. 1992)
• 1913 – Jim Backus, American actor (d. 1989)
• 1913 – Gert Fröbe, German actor (d. 1988)
• 1914 – John Arlott, English journalist and author (d. 1991)
• 1916 – Reinhard Bendix, German sociologist (d. 1991)
• 1917 – Anthony Burgess, English author (d. 1993)
• 1917 – Brenda Joyce, American actress (d. 2009)
• 1918 – Eilert Eilertsen, Norwegian footballer, physician and politician (d. 2014)
• 1918 – Barney Ewell, American runner (d. 1996)
• 1918 – Rena Kyriakou, Greek pianist and composer (d. 1994)
• 1918 – Bobby Riggs, American tennis player (d. 1995)
• 1919 – Monte Irvin, American baseball player
• 1919 – Karl H. Pribram, Austrian-American psychologist and academic
• 1920 – Gérard Bessette, Canadian author (d. 2005)
• 1920 – Philip Habib, American diplomat (d. 1992)
• 1920 – Sun Myung Moon, South Korean religious leader, founded the Unification Church (d. 2012)
• 1921 – Pierre Laporte, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1970)
• 1921 – Andy Pafko, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013)
• 1922 – Molly Bobak, Canadian painter and educator (d. 2014)
• 1923 – Takeo Kajiwara, Japanese Go player (d. 2009)
• 1923 – Nicholas C. Petris, American politician (d. 2013)
• 1924 – Hugh Huxley, English-American biologist and academic (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Janaky Athi Nahappan, Malaysian captain and politician (d. 2014)
• 1926 – Eva Bergh, Norwegian actress (d. 2013)
• 1926 – Harvey McGregor, Scottish lawyer and academic
• 1927 – Dick Jones, American actor and singer (d. 2014)
• 1927 – Ralph Stanley, American singer and banjo player (Stanley Brothers)
• 1928 – Hushang Ebtehaj, Iranian poet
• 1928 – Paul Elvstrøm, Danish sailor
• 1928 – Larry Gelbart, American author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
• 1928 – Richard G. Stern, American author and educator (d. 2013)
• 1929 – Christopher George, American actor (d. 1983)
• 1929 – Tommy Newsom, American saxophonist (d. 2007)
• 1930 – Wendy Beckett, South African-Scottish nun and historian
• 1932 – Tony Brooks, English race car driver
• 1932 – Faron Young, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 1996)
• 1934 – Bernard Bresslaw, English actor (d. 1993)
• 1934 – David E. Jeremiah, American admiral (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Tony Lema, American golfer (d. 1966)
• 1935 – Sally Jessy Raphael, American talk show host
• 1937 – Tom Courtenay, English actor
• 1937 – Barbara Piasecka Johnson, Polish-American art collector and philanthropist (d. 2013)
• 1937 – Bob Schieffer, American journalist
• 1938 – Diane Baker, American actress and producer
• 1938 – Herb Elliott, Australian runner
• 1938 – Farokh Engineer, Indian cricketer
• 1940 – Danny Cater, American baseball player
• 1940 – Billy Packer, American sportscaster and author
• 1940 – Monica Proietti, Canadian bank robber (d. 1967)
• 1940 – Ron Santo, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2010)
• 1941 – David Puttnam, English film producer and academic
• 1942 – Karen Grassle, American actress
• 1942 – John Saul, American author
• 1943 – Wilson da Silva Piazza, Brazilian footballer
• 1943 – George Harrison, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Beatles, The Quarrymen, Traveling Wilburys, and Plastic Ono Band) (d. 2001)
• 1943 – Jack Concannon, American football player (d. 2005)
• 1944 – Matt Guokas, American basketball player and coach
• 1944 – François Cevert, French race car driver (d. 1973)
• 1945 – Elkie Brooks, English singer-songwriter (Vinegar Joe)
• 1945 – Herbert Léonard, French singer
• 1946 – Andrew Ang, Singaporean judge and academic
• 1946 – Jan Groth, Norwegian singer and keyboard player (Just 4 Fun and Aunt Mary) (d. 2014)
• 1946 – Franz Xaver Kroetz, German actor, director, and playwright
• 1946 – Jean Todt, French businessman
• 1946 – Pete Wernick, American banjo player (Hot Rize)
• 1947 – Giuseppe Betori, Italian cardinal
• 1947 – Lee Evans, American runner
• 1947 – Richard French, Canadian politician
• 1947 – Marc Sautet, French philosopher (d. 1998)
• 1947 – Doug Yule, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Velvet Underground and American Flyer)
• 1948 – Aldo Busi, Italian author
• 1948 – Danny Denzongpa, Indian actor
• 1949 – Ric Flair, American wrestler
• 1949 – Jack Handey, American author and screenwriter
• 1949 – Amin Maalouf, Lebanese-French author
• 1950 – Francisco Fernández Ochoa, Spanish skier (d. 2006)
• 1950 – Neil Jordan, Irish director, screenwriter, and author
• 1950 – Néstor Kirchner, Argentinian politician, 51st President of Argentina (d. 2010)
• 1950 – Mick Miller, English comedian
• 1950 – Emitt Rhodes, American singer-songwriter (The Merry-Go-Round)
• 1950 – Jaak Tamm, Estonian businessman and politician (d. 1999)
• 1951 – James Brown, American sportscaster
• 1951 – César Cedeño, Dominican baseball player and coach
• 1951 – Don Quarrie, Jamaican runner
• 1952 – Jerry Chamberlain, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Daniel Amos and The Swirling Eddies)
• 1952 – Joey Dunlop, Irish motorcycle racer (d. 2000)
• 1952 – Inger Segelström, Swedish politician
• 1953 – José María Aznar, Spanish politician, Prime Minister of Spain
• 1953 – Kim Yeong-cheol, South Korean actor
• 1954 – John Doe, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor (X, The Flesh Eaters, and The Knitters)
• 1954 – Gerardo Pelusso, Uruguayan footballer and manager
• 1955 – Rodger McFarlane, American soldier, therapist, and activist (d. 2009)
• 1955 – Camille Thériault, Canadian politician, 29th Premier of New Brunswick
• 1957 – Sérgio Marques, Portuguese politician
• 1957 – Chuck Strahl, Canadian politician
• 1957 – Martin Zobel, Estonian ecologist
• 1958 – Panagiotis Beglitis, Greek politician
• 1958 – Jeff Fisher, American football player and coach
• 1958 – Kevin Gray, American actor (d. 2013)
• 1958 – Kurt Rambis, American basketball player and coach
• 1959 – Aleksei Balabanov, Russian director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1959 – Renee M. Borges, Indian ecologist
• 1959 – Carl Marotte, Canadian actor
• 1959 – Mike Peters, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Alarm and Big Country)
• 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 canoe racer
• 1962 – John Lanchester, German-English journalist and author
• 1962 – Faron Moller, Canadian-English computer scientist and academic
• 1962 – Andres Siim, Estonian architect
• 1962 – Foster Sylvers, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (The Sylvers)
• 1963 – Joseph E. Duncan III, American serial killer and sex offender
• 1963 – Paul O'Neill, American baseball player
• 1963 – Doug Stahl, American wrestler
• 1964 – Lee Evans, English comedian and actor
• 1964 – Don Majkowski, American football player
• 1964 – Luigi Troiani, Italian rugby player
• 1965 – Brian Baker, American guitarist and songwriter (Bad Religion, Minor Threat, Junkyard, and Dag Nasty)
• 1965 – Maricel Soriano, Filipino actress
• 1965 – Carrot Top, American comedian and actor
• 1965 – Veronica Webb, American model and actress
• 1966 – Alexis Denisof, American actor
• 1966 – Andrew Feldman, Baron Feldman of Elstree, English lawyer and businessman
• 1966 – Samson Kitur, Kenyan runner (d. 2003)
• 1966 – Téa Leoni, American actress
• 1966 – Nancy O'Dell, American journalist
• 1966 – Sam Phillips, American model and actress
• 1967 – Ed Balls, English politician
• 1967 – Jonathan Freedland, English journalist
• 1968 – Evridiki, Cypriot singer
• 1968 – Sandrine Kiberlain, French actress and singer
• 1969 – Paul Trimboli, Australian footballer
• 1970 – Julie Hesmondhalgh, English actress
• 1971 – Sean Astin, American actor, director, and producer
• 1971 – Dave Harris, American radio host and songwriter
• 1971 – Sean O'Haire, American wrestler, mixed martial artist, and kick-boxer (d. 2014)
• 1971 – Daniel Powter, Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1972 – Jason Byrne, Irish comedian and radio host
• 1972 – Jaak Mae, Estonian skier
• 1973 – Julio Iglesias, Jr., Spanish singer and actor
• 1973 – Anson Mount, American actor
• 1973 – Normann Stadler, German triathlete
• 1974 – Divya Bharti, Indian actress
• 1974 – Dominic Raab, English lawyer and politician
• 1974 – Kevin Skinner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1975 – Mandingo, American porn actor
• 1975 – Chelsea Handler, American comedian, actress, author, and talk show host
• 1975 – Naga Munchetty, English journalist
• 1975 – Chiemi Chiba, Japanese voice actress
• 1975 – Dmitri Suur, Russian-Estonian ice hockey player
• 1976 – Rashida Jones, American actress, singer, and screenwriter
• 1976 – Samaki Walker, American basketball player
• 1977 – Niña Corpuz, Filipino journalist
• 1977 – Sarah Jezebel Deva, English singer-songwriter (Angtoria, Cradle of Filth, and Mystic Circle)
• 1977 – Josh Wolff, American soccer player and manager
• 1978 – Maian Kärmas, Estonian singer-songwriter and journalist
• 1979 – Jennifer Ferrin, American actress
• 1979 – David Hoflin, Swedish-Australian actor
• 1980 – Antonio Burks, American basketball player
• 1980 – Christy Knowings, American actress
• 1981 – Park Ji-Sung, South Korean footballer
• 1981 – Shahid Kapoor, Indian actor and dancer
• 1981 – Jamie Lynn, American porn actress
• 1981 – Duc Nguyen, Vietnamese conjoined twin
• 1981 – Viet Nguyen, Vietnamese conjoined twin (d. 2007)
• 1982 – Chris Baird, Irish footballer
• 1982 – Kimberly Caldwell, American singer and actress
• 1982 – Han Ga-in, South Korean actress
• 1982 – Maria Kanellis, American wrestler, actress, and singer
• 1982 – Bert McCracken, American singer-songwriter (The Used)
• 1982 – Flavia Pennetta, Italian tennis player
• 1982 – Anton Volchenkov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1982 – Tara Wilson, Canadian actress
• 1983 – Eduardo da Silva, Brazilian-Croatian footballer
• 1983 – Steven Lewington, English wrestler
• 1984 – Lovefoxxx, Brazilian singer-songwriter (CSS)
• 1984 – Logan Leistikow, American director and producer
• 1984 – Craig Mackail-Smith, Scottish footballer
• 1984 – João Pereira, Portuguese footballer
• 1984 – Dane Swan, Australian footballer
• 1985 – Benji Marshall, New Zealand rugby player
• 1985 – Joakim Noah, American basketball player
• 1986 – Justin Berfield, American actor and producer
• 1986 – James Phelps, English actor
• 1986 – Oliver Phelps, English actor
• 1986 – Danny Saucedo, Swedish singer-songwriter (E.M.D.)
• 1986 – James Starks, American football player
• 1987 – Justin Abdelkader, American ice hockey player
• 1987 – Eva Avila, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1987 – Mevlüt Erdinç, Turkish footballer
• 1987 – Andrew Poje, Canadian figure skater
• 1987 – Adrián López Rodríguez, Spanish footballer
• 1988 – Luca Di Matteo, Italian footballer
• 1988 – Sören Ludolph, German runner
• 1988 – Jimmy Monaghan, American-Irish singer-songwriter and pianist (Music for Dead Birds)
• 1989 – Jimmer Fredette, American basketball player
• 1989 – Kana Hanazawa, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1989 – E'Twaun Moore, American basketball player
• 1990 – Alejandra Andreu, Spanish model, Miss International 2008
• 1990 – Jefferson Alves Oliveira, Brazilian footballer
• 1990 – Marianna Zachariadi, Greek pole vaulter (d. 2013)
• 1991 – Gerran Howell, Welsh-English actor
• 1991 – Dominika Kaňáková, Czech tennis player
• 1991 – Tony Oller, American singer-songwriter and actor (MKTO)
• 1992 – Max Aaron, American figure skater
• 1993 – Mohammed Milon, Bangladeshi archer
• 1994 – Eugenie Bouchard, Canadian tennis player
• 1997 – Isabelle Fuhrman, American actress

Deaths

• 1246 – Dafydd ap Llywelyn, Welsh king (b. 1212)
• 1522 – William Lily, English scholar (b. 1468)
• 1536 – Berchtold Haller, German-Swiss reformer (b. 1492)
• 1553 – Hirate Masahide, Japanese samurai (b. 1492)
• 1558 – Eleanor of Austria (b. 1498)
• 1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, English politician (b. 1566)
• 1634 – Albrecht von Wallenstein, Austrian general and politician (b. 1583)
• 1643 – Marco da Gagliano, Italian composer (b. 1582)
• 1655 – Daniel Heinsius, Flemish scholar (b. 1580)
• 1682 – Alessandro Stradella, Italian composer (b. 1639)
• 1710 – Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, French soldier and explorer (b. 1639)
• 1713 – Frederick I of Prussia (b. 1657)
• 1715 – Pu Songling, Chinese author (b. 1640)
• 1723 – Christopher Wren, English architect, designed St Paul's Cathedral (b. 1632)
• 1756 – Eliza Haywood, English actress and poet (b. 1693)
• 1796 – Samuel Seabury, American bishop (b. 1729)
• 1798 – Louis Jules Mancini Mazarini, French diplomat (b. 1716)
• 1805 – Thomas Pownall, English politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1722)
• 1815 – Stanoje Glavaš, Serbian soldier (b. 1763)
• 1819 – Francisco Manoel de Nascimento, Portuguese poet (b. 1734)
• 1822 – William Pinkney, American politician and diplomat, 7th United States Attorney General (b. 1764)
• 1831 – Friedrich Maximilian Klinger, German author and playwright (b. 1752)
• 1841 – Philip Pendleton Barbour, American politician, 12th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1783)
• 1850 – Daoguang Emperor of China (b. 1782)
• 1852 – Thomas Moore, Irish poet (b. 1779)
• 1860 – Chauncey Allen Goodrich, American clergyman, lexicographer, and educator (b. 1790)
• 1864 – Anna Harrison, American wife of William Henry Harrison, 9th First Lady of the United States (b. 1775)
• 1865 – Otto Ludwig, German author, playwright, and critic (b. 1813)
• 1870 – Henrik Hertz, Danish poet (b. 1797)
• 1877 – Jang Bahadur Rana, Nepalese ruler (b. 1816)
• 1878 – Townsend Harris, American politician (b. 1804)
• 1888 – Josif Pančić, Croatian-Serbian botanist (b. 1814)
• 1894 – Steele MacKaye, American actor and playwright (b. 1842)
• 1899 – Paul Reuter, German-English journalist (b. 1816)
• 1906 – Anton Arensky, Russian pianist and composer (b. 1861)
• 1910 – Worthington Whittredge, American painter (b. 1820)
• 1911 – Friedrich Spielhagen, German author (b. 1829)
• 1912 – William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (b. 1852)
• 1914 – John Tenniel, English illustrator (b. 1820)
• 1915 – Charles Edwin Bessey, American botanist (b. 1845)
• 1916 – David Bowman, Australian politician (b. 1860)
• 1919 – Josef Christiaens, Belgian race car driver (b. 1879)
• 1920 – Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy, French archaeologist (b. 1844)
• 1922 – Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (b. 1869)
• 1928 – Gyula Kakas, Hungarian gymnast (b. 1876)
• 1928 – William O'Brien, Irish journalist and politician (b. 1852)
• 1934 – John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (b. 1873)
• 1934 – Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, American botanist (b. 1857)
• 1940 – Mary Mills Patrick, American author (b. 1850)
• 1945 – Mário de Andrade, Brazilian author, poet, and photographer (b. 1893)
• 1950 – George Minot, American physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1885)
• 1953 – Sergei Winogradsky, Ukrainian-Russian microbiologist and ecologist (b. 1856)
• 1954 – Auguste Perret, French architect, designed the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (b. 1874)
• 1957 – Mark Aldanov, Russian author and critic (b. 1888)
• 1957 – Bugs Moran, American gangster (b. 1893)
• 1963 – Melville J. Herskovits, American anthropologist (b. 1895)
• 1964 – Alexander Archipenko, Ukrainian sculptor, and illustrator (b. 1887)
• 1964 – Johnny Burke, American songwriter (b. 1908)
• 1964 – Mariano Jesús Cuenco, Filipino politician (b. 1888)
• 1964 – Maurice Farman, French race car driver and pilot (b. 1877)
• 1964 – David Logan, Scottish politician (b. 1871)
• 1964 – Hinrich Lohse, German politician (b. 1896)
• 1964 – Grace Metalious, American author (b. 1924)
• 1964 – Kenneth Lee Spencer, American opera singer and actor (b. 1913)
• 1966 – James D. Norris, American businessman (b. 1906)
• 1970 – Walter Koch, German astrologer (b. 1895)
• 1970 – Mark Rothko, Latvian-American painter (b. 1903)
• 1971 – Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884)
• 1975 – Elijah Muhammad, American religious leader (b. 1897)
• 1978 – Daniel James, Jr., American general and pilot (b. 1920)
• 1980 – Robert Hayden, American poet (b. 1913)
• 1983 – Tennessee Williams, American playwright (b. 1911)
• 1983 – John Cowles, Sr., American publisher, founded the Cowles Media Company (b. 1898)
• 1984 – Koulis Stoligkas, Greek actor (b. 1909 or 1910)
• 1987 – James Coco, American actor (b. 1930)
• 1991 – André Turp, Canadian tenor (b. 1925)
• 1993 – Eddie Constantine, American-French actor and singer (b. 1917)
• 1993 – Mary Walter, Filipino actress (b. 1912)
• 1994 – Baruch Goldstein, American-Israeli physician and murderer (b. 1956)
• 1994 – Jersey Joe Walcott, American boxer (b. 1914)
• 1996 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-American actor, physician, and author (b. 1940)
• 1997 – Cal Abrams, American baseball player (b. 1924)
• 1997 – Andrei Sinyavsky, Russian journalist and publisher (b. 1925)
• 1998 – Celestine Tate Harrington, American keyboard player (b. 1956)
• 1998 – W. O. Mitchell, Canadian author (b. 1914)
• 1999 – Margaret Meagher, Canadian diplomat (b. 1911)
• 1999 – Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
• 2000 – Luce Maced, French super-centenarian (b. 1886)
• 2001 – A. R. Ammons, American poet (b. 1926)
• 2001 – Donald Bradman, Australian cricketer (b. 1908)
• 2001 – Norbert Glanzberg, Polish-French composer (b. 1910)
• 2001 – Sigurd Raschèr, German-American saxophonist (b. 1907)
• 2001 – Margaret Tafoya, American potter (b. 1904)
• 2001 – L. R. Wright, Canadian author (b. 1939)
• 2003 – Tom O'Higgins, Irish politician and judge, 6th Chief Justice of Ireland (b. 1916)
• 2003 – Alberto Sordi, Italian actor (b. 1920)
• 2004 – Albert Chartier, Canadian illustrator (b. 1912)
• 2004 – Donald Hings, English-Canadian inventor, invented the Walkie-talkie (b. 1907)
• 2005 – Peter Benenson, English lawyer, founded Amnesty International (b. 1921)
• 2005 – Ben Bowen, American brain cancer victim (b. 2002)
• 2005 – Leo Labine, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1931)
• 2005 – Edward Patten, American singer-songwriter and producer (Gladys Knight & the Pips) (b. 1939)
• 2006 – Thomas Koppel, Danish pianist and composer (The Savage Rose) (b. 1944)
• 2006 – Darren McGavin, American actor (b. 1922)
• 2006 – Charlie Wayman, English footballer (b. 1922)
• 2007 – William Anderson, American commander and politician (b. 1921)
• 2007 – Mark Spoelstra, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
• 2007 – Clem Windsor, Australian rugby player and surgeon (b. 1923)
• 2008 – Ashley Cooper, Australian race car driver (b. 1980)
• 2008 – Hans Raj Khanna, Indian judge (b. 1912)
• 2008 – Static Major, American rapper and producer (Playa) (b. 1974)
• 2009 – Philip José Farmer, American author (b. 1918)
• 2010 – İhsan Doğramacı, Turkish pediatrician and academic (b. 1915)
• 2011 – Nikos Alexiou, Greek artist (b. 1960)
• 2012 – Maurice André, French trumpet player (b. 1933)
• 2012 – Lynn Compton, American lieutenant, lawyer, and judge (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Dick Davies, American basketball player (b. 1936)
• 2012 – Red Holloway, American saxophonist (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Erland Josephson, Swedish actor and director (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Louisiana Red, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1932)
• 2012 – Martha Stewart, American actress and singer (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, Algerian terrorist (b. 1965)
• 2013 – Allan B. Calhamer, American game designer, created Diplomacy (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Herb Epp, Canadian politician, Mayor of Waterloo (b. 1934)
• 2013 – Stewart "Dirk" Fischer, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1924)
• 2013 – C. Everett Koop, American surgeon and admiral, 13th Surgeon General of the United States (b. 1916)
• 2013 – Carmen Montejo, Cuban-Mexican actress (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Ray O'Connor, Australian politician, 22nd Premier of Western Australia (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Willy Rizzo, Italian-French photographer (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Dan Toler, American guitarist (The Allman Brothers Band and Gregg Allman Band) (b. 1948)
• 2013 – Milan Velimirović, Serbian chess player (b. 1952)
• 2014 – Angèle Arsenault, Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1943)
• 2014 – Peter Callander, English songwriter and producer (b. 1939)
• 2014 – Mário Coluna, Portuguese footballer (b. 1935)
• 2014 – Ian Cuttler, Mexican art director, photographer and graphic design artist (b. 1971)
• 2014 – Quentin Elias, French singer and actor (Alliage) (b. 1974)
• 2014 – Paco de Lucía, Spanish guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1947)
• 2014 – Carlos Gracida, Mexican polo player (b. 1960)
• 2014 – Jim Lange, American game show host (b. 1932)
• 2014 – Chokwe Lumumba, American lawyer and politician (b. 1947)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Æthelberht of Kent
  • Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani, OSB
  • Tarasius (Eastern Orthodox Churches and Traditional Roman Catholics)
  • Walburga
  • John Roberts (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • February 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Kitano Baika-sai or "Plum Blossom Festival" (Kitano Tenman-gū Shrine, Kyoto)
• Memorial Day for the Victims of the Communist Dictatorships (Hungary)
• National Day (Kuwait)
• People Power Day (Philippines)
• Soviet Occupation Day (Georgia)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada