February 25
February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 309 days remaining, 310 in leap years.
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.
- 1836 - Samuel Colt receives an American patent for the Colt revolver.
- 1837 - First US electric printing press patented by Thomas Davenport
- 1870 - Hiram Rhoades 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.
- 1913 - The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution, authorizing a graduated income tax, is ratified.
- 1919 - Oregon places a 1 cent per US gallon (0.26 ¢/l)tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax.
- 1921 - The Democratic Republic of Georgia is occupied by the Soviet Russia.
- 1925 - Glacier Bay National Monument (now Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve) is established in Alaska.
- 1928 - Charles Jenkins Laboratories of Washington, DC becomes the first holder of a television license from the Federal Radio Commission.
- 1933 - The USS Ranger is launched, becoming the first custom-built aircraft carrier.
- 1951 - The first Pan American Games are held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- 1954 - Gamal Abdul Nasser is made premier of Egypt.
- 1964 - Cassius Clay beatx Sonny Liston in Miami Beach, Florida, and is crowned the heavyweight champion of the world.
- 1969 - Germany gives $5 million to an Arab terrorist as ransom for the passengers and crew of a hijacked jumbo jet.
- 1986 - EDSA 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 US Marines.
- 2004 - On Ash Wednesday, Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ is released in movie theaters across the United States, grossing approximately $370 million domestically.
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 - Hyde Parker, 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
- 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)
- 1873 - Enrico Caruso, Italian tenor (d. 1921)
- 1877 - Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist (d. 1935)
- 1888 - John Foster Dulles, U.S. Secretary of State (d. 1959)
- 1890 - Dame Myra Hess, English pianist (d. 1965)
- 1890 - Vyacheslav Molotov, Soviet politician (d. 1986)
- 1901 - Zeppo Marx, American actor (d. 1979)
- 1910 - Millicent Fenwick, American fashion editor and politician (d. 1992)
- 1913 - Jim Backus, American actor (d. 1989)
- 1913 - Gert Fröbe, German actor (d. 1988)
- 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)
- 1919 - Karl Pribram, Austrian neuroscientist
- 1921 - Pierre Laporte, Canadian statesman (assassinated) (d. 1970)
- 1925 - Edward Gorey, American illustrator (d. 2000)
- 1928 - Larry Gelbart, American comedy writer
- 1932 - Faron Young, American singer (d.1996)
- 1935 - Sally Jessy Raphaël, American talk show host
- 1937 - Tom Courtenay, British actor
- 1937 - Bob Schieffer, American broadcast journalist
- 1938 - Diane Baker, American actress
- 1938 - Herb Elliott, Australian runner
- 1940 - Billy Packer, American sports broadcaster
- 1940 - Ron Santo, baseball player
- 1942 - Karen Grassle, American actress
- 1943 - Wilson Piazza, Brazilian footballer
- 1946 - Franz Xaver Kroetz, German dramatist
- 1947 - Lee Evans, American athlete
- 1947 - Doug Yule, American bass guitarist, (The Velvet Underground)
- 1948 - Danny Denzongpa, Indian actor
- 1949 - Ric Flair, American professional wrestler
- 1950 - Neil Jordan, Irish director, writer, and producer
- 1950 - Néstor Kirchner, President of Argentina
- 1951 - Don Quarrie, Jamaican runner
- 1952 - Joey Dunlop, Irish motorcycle racer (d. 2000)
- 1953 - José María Aznar, Prime Minister of Spain
- 1954 - John Doe, American musician
- 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 - Nancy O'Dell, American reporter and television personality
- 1964 - Don Majkowski, American football player
- 1966 - Alexis Denisof, American actor
- 1966 - Samson Kitur, Kenyan athlete (d. 2003)
- 1966 - Téa Leoni, American actress
- 1969 - Paul Trimboli, Australian footballer
- 1971 - Sean Astin, American actor
- 1977 - Josh Wolff, American hockey player
- 1978 - Sara Sinha, English singer and guitarist
- 1981 - Park Ji-Sung, Korean footballer
- 1982 - Bert McCracken, American singer (The Used)
- 1986 - Justin Berfield, American actor
- 1998 - Brendon Baerg, American actor
Deaths
- 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) (d. 1492)
- 1558 - Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Portugal and France (b. 1498)
- 1577 - King Eric XIV of Sweden (b. 1533)
- 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. 1644)
- 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)
- 1945 - Mário de Andrade, Brazilian writer and photographer (b. 1893)
- 1950 - George Minot, American physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1885)
- 1957 - George "Bugs" Moran, American gangster (b. 1893)
- 1964 - Grace Metalious, American writer (b. 1924)
- 1971 - Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist, Nobel Prize 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)
- 1994 - Baruch Goldstein, American-born mass killer (b. 1956)
- 1994 - Jersey Joe Walcott, American boxer (b. 1914)
- 1996 - Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-born actor (b. 1940)
- 1999 - Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist, Nobel Prize 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)
Holidays and observances
- Februaristaking (Netherlands) - strike against Nazi occupier, 1941
- Kuwait's national day.
External links
February 24 - February 26 - January 25 - March 25 -- listing of all days