February 25

February 25 in recent years

2024 (Sunday)

2023 (Saturday)

2022 (Friday)

2021 (Thursday)

2020 (Tuesday)

2019 (Monday)

2018 (Sunday)

2017 (Saturday)

2016 (Thursday)

2015 (Wednesday)

February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 309 days remain 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 Theoderic the Great.
• 628 – Khosrau II is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
• 1336 – Four thousand defenders of Pilėnai commit mass suicide rather than be taken captive by the Teutonic Knights.
• 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 – Lord George Paulet occupies the Kingdom of Hawaii in the name of Great Britain in the Paulet Affair (1843).
• 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 Qing dynasty 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 broadcast license for television 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 designed from the start of construction as an aircraft carrier.
• 1939 – The first of 21⁄2 million Anderson air raid shelters appeared in North London.
• 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 formal abolition of Prussia is proclaimed by the Allied Control Council. The Prussian government had already been abolished in 1934 by the Law for the Reconstruction of the Reich.
• 1948 – The Communist Party takes control of government in Czechoslovakia and the period of the Third Republic ends.
• 1950 – Federal State of East Java, part of United States of Indonesia (Republik Indonesia Serikat, RIS), abolished and reunited to Republic of Indonesia.
• 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 Cult of Personality 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.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: One hundred thirty-five 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 led by Dési Bouterse.
• 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, a 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.
• 2015 – At least 310 people are killed in avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan.
• 2016 – Three people are killed and fourteen others injured in a series of shootings in Newton and Hesston, Kansas.

Births

• 1337 – Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg (d. 1383)
• 1552 – Magdalene of Lippe (d. 1587)
• 1591 – Friedrich Spee, German poet and author (d. 1635)
• 1643 – Ahmed II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1695)
• 1644 – Thomas Newcomen, English pastor and engineer (d. 1729)
• 1651 – Johann Philipp Krieger, German organist and composer (d. 1725)
• 1663 – Peter Anthony Motteux, French-English author, playwright, and translator (d. 1718)
• 1670 – Maria Margarethe Kirch, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1720)
• 1682 – Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist and pathologist (d. 1771)
• 1707 – Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright and composer (d. 1793)
• 1714 – René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, French lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of France (d. 1792)
• 1728 – John Wood, the Younger, English architect, designed the Royal Crescent (d. 1782)
• 1752 – John Graves Simcoe, English-Canadian general and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (d. 1806)
• 1755 – François René Mallarmé, French lawyer and politician (d. 1835)
• 1778 – José de San Martín, Argentinian general and politician, 1st President of Peru (d. 1850)
• 1812 – Carl Christian Hall, Danish lawyer and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1888)
• 1816 – Giovanni Morelli, Italian historian and critic (d. 1891)
• 1833 – John St. John, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Kansas (d. 1916)
• 1841 – Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French painter and sculptor (d. 1919)
• 1842 – Karl May, German author, poet, and playwright (d. 1912)
• 1845 – George Reid, Scottish-Australian lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1918)
• 1855 – Cesário Verde, Portuguese poet and author (d. 1886)
• 1856 – Karl Gotthard Lamprecht, German historian and academic (d. 1915)
• 1856 – Mathias Zdarsky, Czech-Austrian skier, painter, and sculptor (d. 1940)
• 1857 – Robert Bond, Canadian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Newfoundland (d. 1927)
• 1860 – William Ashley, English historian and academic (d. 1927)
• 1865 – Andranik, Armenian general (d. 1927)
• 1866 – Benedetto Croce, Italian philosopher and politician (d. 1952)
• 1869 – Phoebus Levene, Russian-American biochemist and physician (d. 1940)
• 1871 – Lesya Ukrainka, Ukrainian-Georgian poet and playwright (d. 1913)
• 1873 – Enrico Caruso, Italian-American tenor and actor (d. 1921)
• 1877 – Tom Crean, Irish sailor and explorer (d. 1938)
• 1877 – Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist and scholar (d. 1935)
• 1881 – William Z. Foster, American union leader and politician (d. 1961)
• 1881 – Alexei Rykov, Russian politician, Premier of Russia (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)
• 1888 – John Foster Dulles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 52nd United States Secretary of State (d. 1959)
• 1889 – Homer S. Ferguson, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Philippines (d. 1982)
• 1890 – Myra Hess, English pianist and educator (d. 1965)
• 1894 – Meher Baba, Indian mystic and educator (d. 1969)
• 1897 – Peter Llewelyn Davies, English soldier and publisher (d. 1960)
• 1901 – Zeppo Marx, American comedian and agent (d. 1979)
• 1903 – King Clancy, Canadian ice hockey player, referee, and coach (d. 1986)
• 1905 – Perry Miller, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1963)
• 1907 – Sabahattin Ali, Turkish journalist, author, and poet (d. 1948)
• 1907 – Mary Coyle Chase, American journalist and playwright (d. 1981)
• 1908 – Frank G. Slaughter, American physician and author (d. 2001)
• 1910 – Millicent Fenwick, American journalist and politician (d. 1992)
• 1913 – Jim Backus, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1989)
• 1913 – Gert Fröbe, German actor and singer (d. 1988)
• 1914 – John Arlott, English journalist and author (d. 1991)
• 1917 – Anthony Burgess, English author, playwright, and critic (d. 1993)
• 1917 – Brenda Joyce, American actress (d. 2009)
• 1918 – Bobby Riggs, American tennis player (d. 1995)
• 1919 – Monte Irvin, American baseball player (d. 2016)
• 1919 – Karl H. Pribram, Austrian-American psychologist and academic (d. 2015)
• 1920 – Philip Habib, American academic and diplomat, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (d. 1992)
• 1920 – Sun Myung Moon, South Korean religious leader, founded the Unification Church (d. 2012)
• 1921 – Pierre Laporte, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1970)
• 1921 – Andy Pafko, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013)
• 1924 – Hugh Huxley, English-American biologist and academic (d. 2013)
• 1926 – Masatoshi Gündüz Ikeda, Japanese-Turkish mathematician and academic (d. 2003)
• 1927 – Dick Jones, American actor (d. 2014)
• 1927 – Ralph Stanley, American singer and banjo player (Stanley Brothers)
• 1928 – Paul Elvstrøm, Danish sailor and engineer
• 1928 – Larry Gelbart, American author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
• 1928 – Richard G. Stern, American author and academic (d. 2013)
• 1929 – Christopher George, American actor (d. 1983)
• 1929 – Tommy Newsom, American saxophonist and bandleader (d. 2007)
• 1934 – Bernard Bresslaw, English actor and singer (d. 1993)
• 1934 – David E. Jeremiah, American admiral (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Tony Lema, American golfer (d. 1966)
• 1935 – Sally Jessy Raphael, American journalist and talk show host
• 1935 – Oktay Sinanoğlu, Turkish chemist and academic (d. 2015)
• 1937 – Tom Courtenay, English actor
• 1937 – Bob Schieffer, American journalist and author
• 1938 – Diane Baker, American actress
• 1938 – Herb Elliott, Australian runner and businessman
• 1940 – Billy Packer, American sportscaster and author
• 1940 – Ron Santo, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2010)
• 1941 – David Puttnam, English film producer and academic
• 1942 – Karen Grassle, American actress
• 1943 – Jack Concannon, American football player and actor (d. 2005)
• 1943 – George Harrison, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Beatles, The Quarrymen, Traveling Wilburys, and Plastic Ono Band) (d. 2001)
• 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)
• 1946 – Andrew Ang, Singaporean lawyer, 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 race car driver and businessman
• 1946 – Pete Wernick, American banjo player (Hot Rize)
• 1947 – Giuseppe Betori, Italian cardinal
• 1947 – Lee Evans, American runner and coach
• 1947 – Marc Sautet, French philosopher, author, and academic (d. 1998)
• 1947 – Doug Yule, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Velvet Underground and American Flyer)
• 1949 – Ric Flair, American wrestler, manager, and trainer
• 1949 – Jack Handey, American author and screenwriter
• 1949 – Amin Maalouf, Lebanese-French journalist and author
• 1950 – Francisco Fernández Ochoa, Spanish skier (d. 2006)
• 1950 – Neil Jordan, Irish director, screenwriter, and author
• 1950 – Néstor Kirchner, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 51st President of Argentina (d. 2010)
• 1950 – Emitt Rhodes, American singer-songwriter (The Merry-Go-Round and The Palace Guard)
• 1951 – James Brown, American journalist and sportscaster
• 1951 – César Cedeño, Dominican baseball player and coach
• 1951 – Don Quarrie, Jamaican runner and coach
• 1952 – Jerry Chamberlain, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Daniel Amos and The Swirling Eddies)
• 1952 – Joey Dunlop, Northern Irish motorcycle racer (d. 2000)
• 1953 – José María Aznar, Spanish academic and politician, Prime Minister of Spain
• 1954 – John Doe, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor (X, The Flesh Eaters, and The Knitters)
• 1955 – Rodger McFarlane, American soldier, therapist, and activist (d. 2009)
• 1955 – Camille Thériault, Canadian politician, 29th Premier of New Brunswick
• 1957 – Chuck Strahl, Canadian businessman and politician, 28th Canadian Minister of Transport
• 1958 – Jeff Fisher, American football player and coach
• 1958 – Kurt Rambis, American basketball player and coach
• 1959 – Aleksei Balabanov, Russian director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1959 – Mike Peters, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Alarm and Big Country)
• 1961 – Davey Allison, American race car driver (d. 1993)
• 1961 – Todd Blackledge, American football player and sportscaster
• 1962 – John Lanchester, German-English journalist and author
• 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 and sportscaster
• 1963 – Doug Stahl, American wrestler and boxer
• 1964 – Lee Evans, English comedian and actor
• 1964 – Don Majkowski, American football player and sportscaster
• 1965 – Brian Baker, American guitarist and songwriter (Bad Religion, Minor Threat, Junkyard, and Dag Nasty)
• 1965 – Carrot Top, American comedian and actor
• 1966 – Alexis Denisof, American actor
• 1966 – Andrew Feldman, Baron Feldman of Elstree, English lawyer and politician
• 1966 – Téa Leoni, American actress
• 1966 – Nancy O'Dell, American model and journalist
• 1966 – Sam Phillips, American model, actress, producer, and radio host
• 1967 – Ed Balls, English politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
• 1967 – Jonathan Freedland, English journalist and author
• 1968 – Evridiki, Cypriot singer
• 1968 – Sandrine Kiberlain, French actress and singer
• 1970 – Julie Hesmondhalgh, English actress
• 1971 – Sean Astin, American actor, director, and producer
• 1971 – Stuart MacGill, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
• 1971 – Sean O'Haire, American wrestler, mixed martial artist, and kick-boxer (d. 2014)
• 1971 – Daniel Powter, Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1973 – Julio Iglesias, Jr., Spanish singer and actor
• 1973 – Anson Mount, American actor and producer
• 1974 – Divya Bharti, Indian model and actress (d. 1993)
• 1974 – Dominic Raab, English lawyer and politician
• 1974 – Kevin Skinner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1975 – Tunde Adebimpe, American singer-songwriter, actor, and director (TV on the Radio)
• 1975 – Chelsea Handler, American comedian, actress, author, and talk show host
• 1975 – Naga Munchetty, English journalist
• 1976 – Rashida Jones, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1976 – Samaki Walker, American basketball player
• 1977 – Sarah Jezebel Deva, English singer-songwriter (Angtoria, Cradle of Filth, and Mystic Circle)
• 1977 – Josh Wolff, American soccer player and manager
• 1980 – Antonio Burks, American basketball player and coach
• 1980 – Christy Knowings, American actress
• 1980 – Muratcan Güler, Turkish professional basketball player
• 1981 – Park Ji-sung, South Korean footballer
• 1982 – Chris Baird, Northern Irish footballer
• 1982 – Bert McCracken, American singer-songwriter (The Used)
• 1982 – Flavia Pennetta, Italian tennis player
• 1982 – Anton Volchenkov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1983 – Eduardo da Silva, Brazilian footballer
• 1983 – Steven Lewington, English wrestler
• 1984 – Lovefoxxx, Brazilian singer-songwriter (CSS)
• 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 – 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 – Adrián López Rodríguez, Spanish footballer
• 1987 – Andrew Poje, Canadian figure skater
• 1987 – Jai Reyes, Filipino basketball player
• 1988 – Luca Di Matteo, Italian footballer
• 1988 – Jimmy Monaghan, American-Irish singer-songwriter and pianist (Music for Dead Birds)
• 1989 – Jimmer Fredette, American basketball player
• 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 – Dominika Kaňáková, Czech tennis player
• 1991 – Tony Oller, American singer-songwriter and actor (MKTO)
• 1992 – Max Aaron, American figure skater
• 1994 – Eugenie Bouchard, Canadian tennis player

Deaths

• 805 – De Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 742)
• 1246 – Dafydd ap Llywelyn, Welsh king (b. 1212)
• 1495 – Sultan Cem, Ottoman politician (b. 1459)
• 1522 – William Lily, English scholar and educator (b. 1468)
• 1536 – Berchtold Haller, German-Swiss theologian and reformer (b. 1492)
• 1558 – Eleanor of Austria (b. 1498)
• 1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1566)
• 1634 – Albrecht von Wallenstein, Austrian general and politician (b. 1583)
• 1655 – Daniel Heinsius, Flemish poet and 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)
• 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 poet and diplomat (b. 1716)
• 1805 – Thomas Pownall, English politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1722)
• 1819 – Francisco Manoel de Nascimento, Portuguese-French poet and educator (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 lawyer, judge, and politician, 12th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1783)
• 1850 – Daoguang Emperor of China (b. 1782)
• 1852 – Thomas Moore, Irish poet and lyricist (b. 1779)
• 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 and playwright (b. 1797)
• 1877 – Jung Bahadur Rana, Nepalese ruler (b. 1816)
• 1878 – Townsend Harris, American merchant, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Japan (b. 1804)
• 1888 – Josif Pančić, Croatian-Serbian botanist and academic (b. 1814)
• 1894 – Steele MacKaye, American actor and playwright (b. 1842)
• 1899 – Paul Reuter, German-English journalist and businessman, founded Reuters (b. 1816)
• 1906 – Anton Arensky, Russian pianist and composer (b. 1861)
• 1910 – Worthington Whittredge, American painter and educator (b. 1820)
• 1911 – Friedrich Spielhagen, German author, theorist, and translator (b. 1829)
• 1912 – William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (b. 1852)
• 1914 – John Tenniel, English illustrator (b. 1820)
• 1915 – Charles Edwin Bessey, American botanist, author, and academic (b. 1845)
• 1916 – David Bowman, Australian politician (b. 1860)
• 1920 – Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy, French archaeologist and engineer (b. 1844)
• 1922 – Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (b. 1869)
• 1928 – William O'Brien, Irish journalist and politician (b. 1852)
• 1934 – Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, American botanist and academic (b. 1857)
• 1934 – John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (b. 1873)
• 1945 – Mário de Andrade, Brazilian author, poet, and photographer (b. 1893)
• 1950 – George Minot, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1885)
• 1953 – Sergei Winogradsky, Ukrainian-Russian microbiologist and ecologist (b. 1856)
• 1957 – Mark Aldanov, Russian author and critic (b. 1888)
• 1957 – Bugs Moran, American mob boss (b. 1893)
• 1963 – Melville J. Herskovits, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1895)
• 1964 – Alexander Archipenko, Ukrainian sculptor and illustrator (b. 1887)
• 1964 – Hinrich Lohse, German politician (b. 1896)
• 1964 – Grace Metalious, American author (b. 1924)
• 1970 – Mark Rothko, Latvian-American painter and academic (b. 1903)
• 1971 – Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist and academic, 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 and academic (b. 1913)
• 1983 – Tennessee Williams, American playwright, and poet (b. 1911)
• 1987 – James Coco, American actor and comedian (b. 1930)
• 1988 – Bernard Ashmole, English archaeologist and historian (b. 1894)
• 1993 – Eddie Constantine, American-French actor and singer (b. 1917)
• 1994 – Baruch Goldstein, American-Israeli physician and murderer (b. 1956)
• 1994 – Jersey Joe Walcott, American boxer and police officer (b. 1914)
• 1996 – Vehbi Koç, Turkish businessman and philanthropist (b. 1901)
• 1996 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-American physician and author (b. 1940)
• 1997 – Cal Abrams, American baseball player (b. 1924)
• 1997 – Andrei Sinyavsky, Russian journalist and publisher (b. 1925)
• 1998 – W. O. Mitchell, Canadian author and playwright (b. 1914)
• 1999 – Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
• 2001 – A. R. Ammons, American poet and critic (b. 1926)
• 2001 – Don Bradman, Australian cricketer (b. 1908)
• 2001 – Norbert Glanzberg, Polish-French composer (b. 1910)
• 2001 – Sigurd Raschèr, German-American saxophonist (b. 1907)
• 2002 – James L. Usry, American politician, first African-American mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey (b. 1922)
• 2003 – Tom O'Higgins, Irish judge and politician, 6th Chief Justice of Ireland (b. 1916)
• 2003 – Alberto Sordi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1920)
• 2004 – Albert Chartier, Canadian illustrator (b. 1912)
• 2005 – Peter Benenson, English lawyer, founded Amnesty International (b. 1921)
• 2005 – Edward Patten, American singer-songwriter and producer (Gladys Knight & the Pips) (b. 1939)
• 2006 – Darren McGavin, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1922)
• 2007 – William Anderson, American commander and politician (b. 1921)
• 2007 – Clem Windsor, Australian rugby player and surgeon (b. 1923)
• 2008 – Hans Raj Khanna, Indian lawyer, judge, and politician, Indian Minister of Law and Justice (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 painter and set designer (b. 1960)
• 2012 – Lynn Compton, American lieutenant, lawyer, and judge (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Erland Josephson, Swedish actor and director (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Louisiana Red, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1932)
• 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 – Ray O'Connor, Australian soldier and politician, 22nd Premier of Western Australia (b. 1926)
• 2014 – Angèle Arsenault, Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1943)
• 2014 – Mário Coluna, Portuguese footballer (b. 1935)
• 2014 – Paco de Lucía, Spanish guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1947)
• 2014 – Quentin Elias, French-American singer and actor (Alliage) (b. 1974)
• 2014 – Chokwe Lumumba, American lawyer and politician (b. 1947)
• 2015 – Harve Bennett, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Marie Cathcart, Countess Cathcart (b. 1923)
• 2015 – Eugenie Clark, American biologist and academic (b. 1922)
• 2015 – A. Vincent, Indian director and cinematographer (b. 1928)
• 2015 – Victor Watson, English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1928)
• 2016 – Bhavarlal Jain, Indian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1937)
• 2016 – Alfred E. Mann, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1925)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Æthelberht of Kent
  • Blessed Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás
  • Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani, OSB
  • John Roberts (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Tarasius (Eastern Orthodox Churches and Traditionalist Catholics)
  • Walburga
  • February 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Armed Forces Day (Dominican Republic)
• Kitano Baika-sai or "Plum Blossom Festival" (Kitano Tenman-gū Shrine, Kyoto)
• Meher Baba's birthday (followers of Meher Baba)
• Memorial Day for the Victims of the Communist Dictatorships (Hungary)
• National Day (Kuwait)
• People Power Day (Philippines)
• Revolution Day (Suriname)
• Soviet Occupation Day (Georgia)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Today in Canadian History