February 25
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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).
- 1912 – Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of Guillaume IV, becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.[8]
- 1916 – World War I: In the Battle of Verdun, a German unit captures Fort Douaumont, keystone of the French defences, without a fight.[9]
- 1918 – World War I: German forces capture Tallinn to virtually complete the occupation of Estonia.[10]
- 1921 – Georgian capital Tbilisi falls to the invading Russian forces after heavy fighting and the Russians declare the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.[11]
- 1932 – Adolf Hitler, having been stateless for seven years, obtains German citizenship when he is appointed a Brunswick state official by Dietrich Klagges, a fellow Nazi. As a result, Hitler is able to run for Reichspräsident in the 1932 election.[12]
- 1933 – Launch of the USS Ranger at Newport News, Virginia. It is the first purpose-built aircraft carrier to be commissioned by the US Navy.[13]
- 1939 – As part of British air raid precautions, the first of 2.5 million Anderson shelters is constructed in a garden in Islington, north London.[14]
- 1941 – The outlawed Communist Party of the Netherlands organises a general strike in German-occupied Amsterdam to protest against Nazi persecution of Dutch Jews.[15]
- 1947 – The formal abolition of Prussia is proclaimed by the Allied Control Council, the Prussian government having already been abolished by the Preußenschlag of 1932.[16]
- 1947 – Soviet NKVD forces in Hungary abduct Béla Kovács—secretary-general of the majority Independent Smallholders' Party—and deport him to the USSR in defiance of Parliament. His arrest is an important turning point in the Communist takeover of Hungary.[17]
- 1948 – In a coup d'état led by Klement Gottwald, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia takes control of government in Prague to end the Third Czechoslovak Republic.[18]
- 1951 – The first Pan American Games are officially opened in Buenos Aires by Argentine President Juan Perón.[19]
- 1956 – In his speech On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences, Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union, denounces Stalin.[20]
- 1980 – The government of Suriname is overthrown by a military coup led by Dési Bouterse.[21]
- 1986 – People Power Revolution: President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the Philippines' first female president.[22]
- 1991 – Disbandment of the Warsaw Pact at a meeting of its members in Budapest.[23]
- 1994 – American-Israeli extremist Baruch Goldstein commits a mass shooting at the Cave of the Patriarchs mausoleum, leaving 29 dead and over 100 injured before he was disarmed and beaten to death by survivors.[24]
- 1999 – Alitalia Flight 1553 crashes at Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport in Genoa, Italy, killing four.[25]
- 2009 – Soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles mutiny at their headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka, Bangladesh, resulting in 74 deaths, including 57 army officials.[26]
- 2009 – Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 crashed during landing at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Netherlands, primarily due to a faulty radio altimeter, resulting in the death of nine passengers and crew including all three pilots.[27]
- 2015 – At least 310 people are killed in avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan.[28]
- 2016 – Three people are killed and fourteen others injured in a series of shootings in the small Kansas cities of Newton and Hesston.[29]
- 1643 – Ahmed II, Ottoman sultan (died 1695)[36]
- 1663 – Peter Anthony Motteux, French-English author, playwright and translator (died 1718)[37]
- 1670 – Maria Margarethe Kirch, German astronomer and mathematician (died 1720)[38]
- 1682 – Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist and pathologist (died 1771)[39]
- 1707 – Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright and composer (died 1793)[40]
- 1714 – René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, French lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of France (died 1792)[41]
- 1728 – John Wood, the Younger, English architect, designed the Royal Crescent (died 1782)[42]
- 1752 – John Graves Simcoe, English-Canadian general and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (died 1806)[43]
- 1755 – François René Mallarmé, French lawyer and politician (died 1835)[44]
- 1778 – José de San Martín, Argentinian general and politician, 1st President of Peru (died 1850)[45]
- 1806 – Emma Catherine Embury, American author and poet (died 1863)[46]
- 1809 – John Hart, English-Australian politician, 10th Premier of South Australia (died 1873)[47]
- 1812 – Carl Christian Hall, Danish lawyer and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Denmark (died 1888)[48]
- 1816 – Giovanni Morelli, Italian historian and critic (died 1891)[49]
- 1833 – John St. John, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Kansas (died 1916)[50]
- 1841 – Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French painter and sculptor (died 1919)[51]
- 1842 – Karl May, German author, poet, and playwright (died 1912)[52]
- 1845 – George Reid, Scottish-Australian lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Australia (died 1918)[53]
- 1855 – Cesário Verde, Portuguese poet and author (died 1886)[54]
- 1856 – Karl Gotthard Lamprecht, German historian and academic (died 1915)[55]
- 1856 – Mathias Zdarsky, Czech-Austrian skier, painter, and sculptor (died 1940)[56]
- 1857 – Robert Bond, Canadian politician; first Prime Minister of Newfoundland (died 1927)[57]
- 1860 – William Ashley, English historian and academic (died 1927)[58]
- 1865 – Andranik, Armenian general (died 1927)[59]
- 1866 – Benedetto Croce, Italian philosopher and politician (died 1952)[60]
- 1869 – Phoebus Levene, Russian-American biochemist and physician (died 1940)[61]
- 1871 – Lesya Ukrainka, Ukrainian poet and playwright (died1913)[62]
- 1873 – Enrico Caruso, Italian-American tenor; the most popular operatic tenor of the early 20th century and the first great recording star. (died 1921)[63]
- 1877 – Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist and scholar (died 1935)[64]
- 1881 – William Z. Foster, American union leader and politician (died 1961)[65]
- 1881 – Alexei Rykov, Russian politician, Premier of Russia (died 1938)[66]
- 1883 – Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (died 1981)[67]
- 1885 – Princess Alice of Battenberg, mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (died 1969)[68]
- 1888 – John Foster Dulles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 52nd United States Secretary of State (died 1959)[69]
- 1890 – Myra Hess, English pianist and educator (died 1965)[70]
- 1894 – Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master (died 1969)[71]
- 1896 – Ida Noddack, German chemist and physicist (died 1978)[72]
- 1898 – William Astbury, physicist and molecular biologist (died 1961)[73]
- 1901 – Vince Gair, Australian politician, 27th Premier of Queensland (died 1980)[74]
- 1901 – Zeppo Marx, American comedian and theatrical agent (died 1979)[75]
- 1903 – King Clancy, Canadian ice hockey player, referee, and coach (died 1986)[76]
- 1905 – Perry Miller, American historian, author, and academic (died 1963)[77]
- 1906 – Mary Coyle Chase, American journalist and playwright (died 1981)[78]
- 1907 – Sabahattin Ali, Turkish journalist, author, and poet (died 1948)
- 1908 – Mary Locke Petermann, American cellular biochemist (died 1975)[79][80]
- 1908 – Frank G. Slaughter, American physician and author (died 2001)[81]
- 1910 – Millicent Fenwick, American journalist and politician (died 1992)[82]
- 1913 – Jim Backus, American actor and screenwriter (died 1989)[83]
- 1913 – Gert Fröbe, German actor (died 1988)[84]
- 1915 – S. Rajaratnam, Singaporean politician, 1st Senior Minister of Singapore (died 2006)[85]
- 1917 – Anthony Burgess, English author, playwright, and critic (died 1993)[86]
- 1918 – Bobby Riggs, American tennis player (died 1995)[87]
- 1919 – Monte Irvin, American baseball player and executive (died 2016)[88]
- 1920 – Philip Habib, American academic and diplomat, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (died 1992)[89]
- 1921 – Pierre Laporte, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec (died 1970)[90]
- 1921 – Andy Pafko, American baseball player and manager (died 2013)[91]
- 1922 – Molly Reilly, Canadian aviator (died 1980)[92][93]
- 1924 – Hugh Huxley, English-American biologist and academic (died 2013)[94]
- 1925 – Lisa Kirk, American actress and singer (died 1990)[95]
- 1925 – Shehu Shagari, Nigerian politician, 6th President of Nigeria (died 2018)[96]
- 1926 – Masatoshi Gündüz Ikeda, Japanese-Turkish mathematician and academic (died 2003)[97]
- 1927 – Ralph Stanley, American singer and banjo player (died 2016)[98]
- 1928 – Paul Elvstrøm, Danish yachtsman (died 2016)[99]
- 1928 – Larry Gelbart, American author and screenwriter (died 2009)[100]
- 1928 – A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., American civil rights advocate, historian, and judge (died 1998)[101]
- 1928 – Richard G. Stern, American author and academic (died 2013)[102]
- 1930 – Wendy Beckett, British nun and art critic (died 2018)[103]
- 1932 – Tony Brooks, English racing driver (died 2022)[104]
- 1932 – Faron Young, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1996)[105]
- 1934 – Tony Lema, American golfer (died 1966)[106]
- 1935 – Tony Campolo, American sociologist and pastor (died 2024)[107]
- 1935 – Oktay Sinanoglu, Turkish physical chemist and molecular biophysicist (died 2015)[108]
- 1937 – Tom Courtenay, English actor[109]
- 1937 – Bob Schieffer, American political author, journalist and TV interviewer[110]
- 1938 – Diane Baker, American actress and producer[111]
- 1938 – Herb Elliott, Australian athlete[112]
- 1938 – Farokh Engineer, Indian cricketer[113]
- 1940 – Ron Santo, American baseball player and sportscaster (died 2010)[114]
- 1941 – David Puttnam, English film producer and academic[115]
- 1942 – Karen Grassle, American actress[111]
- 1943 – George Harrison, English singer-songwriter, guitarist and film producer (died 2001)[116]
- 1944 – François Cevert, French racing driver (died 1973)[117]
- 1946 – Jean Todt, French racing driver and team manager[118]
- 1947 – Lee Evans, American sprinter and athletics coach (died 2021)[119]
- 1949 – Ric Flair, American professional wrestler[120]
- 1949 – Amin Maalouf, Lebanese-French journalist and author[121]
- 1950 – Francisco Fernández Ochoa, Spanish skier (died 2006)[122]
- 1950 – Neil Jordan, Irish film director, screenwriter and author[123]
- 1950 – Néstor Kirchner, Argentine politician; 51st President of Argentina (died 2010)[124]
- 1951 – Don Quarrie, Jamaican sprinter and coach[125]
- 1952 – Joey Dunlop, Northern Irish motorcyclist (died 2000)[126]
- 1953 – José María Aznar, Spanish politician; Prime Minister of Spain, 1996–2004[127]
- 1953 – John Doe, American musician, singer-songwriter, actor, and poet[111]
- 1957 – Raymond McCreesh, Irish Republican, hunger striker (died 1981)[128]
- 1957 – Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singaporean economist and politician; 5th Senior Minister and 9th President of Singapore[129]
- 1958 – Kurt Rambis, Greek-American basketball player, coach, and executive[130]
- 1962 – Birgit Fischer, German kayaker[131]
- 1963 – Paul O'Neill, American baseball player and sportscaster[132]
- 1965 – Carrot Top, American comedian[133]
- 1965 – Veronica Webb, American model, actress, and writer[111]
- 1966 – Alexis Denisof, American actor[111]
- 1966 – Téa Leoni, American actress[134]
- 1967 – Ed Balls, English politician; Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer[135]
- 1968 – Lesley Boone, American actress and producer[111]
- 1968 – Oumou Sangaré, Malian musician[136]
- 1971 – Sean Astin, American actor, director and producer[137]
- 1971 – Daniel Powter, Canadian singer-songwriter and musician[111]
- 1973 – Anson Mount, American actor[111]
- 1974 – Dominic Raab, English politician; First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs[138]
- 1975 – Chelsea Handler, American comedian, actress, author, and television host[139]
- 1976 – Rashida Jones, American actress and writer[140]
- 1976 – Samaki Walker, American basketball player[141]
- 1979 – Napoleon Harris, American football player and politician[142]
- 1980 – Kash Patel, American lawyer, former federal prosecutor and official[143]
- 1981 – Park Ji-sung, South Korean footballer[144]
- 1982 – Maria Kanellis, American professional wrestler, actress, and model[145]
- 1982 – Flavia Pennetta, Italian tennis player[146]
- 1982 – Anton Volchenkov, Russian ice hockey player[147]
- 1985 – Joakim Noah, French-American basketball player[148]
- 1986 – Justin Berfield, American actor, writer, and producer[111]
- 1986 – Jameela Jamil, English actress and presenter[149]
- 1986 – James Phelps, English actor[111]
- 1986 – Oliver Phelps, English actor[111]
- 1987 – Justin Abdelkader, American ice hockey player[150]
- 1988 – Tom Marshall, English photo colouriser and artist[151]
- 1988 – Gerald McCoy, American football player[152]
- 1989 – Jimmer Fredette, American basketball player[153]
- 1989 – Kana Hanazawa, Japanese voice actress and singer[154]
- 1989 – E'Twaun Moore, American basketball player[155]
- 1990 – Félix Peña, Dominican baseball player[156]
- 1992 – Joakim Nordström, Swedish ice hockey player[157]
- 1992 – Jorge Soler, Cuban baseball player[158]
- 1993 – Erick Fedde, American baseball player[159]
- 1993 – Lukáš Sedlák, Czech ice hockey player[160]
- 1994 – Fred VanVleet, American basketball player[161]
- 1995 – Mario Hezonja, Croatian basketball player[162]
- 1995 – Viktoriya Tomova, Bulgarian tennis player[163]
- 1997 – Isabelle Fuhrman, American actress[111]
- 1997 – Thon Maker, South Sudanese-Australian basketball player[164]
- 1999 – Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italian footballer[165]
- 1999 – Rocky, South Korean singer, dancer and songwriter[166]
- 2000 – Bo Nix, American football player[167]
- 2001 – Vernon Carey Jr., American basketball player[168]
- 2003 – Brandin Podziemski, American basketball player[169]
- 2004 – Tyler Sanders, American actor (died 2022)[170]
- 2005 – Noah Jupe, English actor[171]
- 1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (born 1566)[179]
- 1634 – Albrecht von Wallenstein, Austrian general and politician (born 1583)[180]
- 1636 – Santorio Santorio, Italian biologist (born 1561)[181]
- 1655 – Daniël Heinsius, Flemish poet and scholar (born 1580)[182]
- 1682 – Alessandro Stradella, Italian composer (born 1639)[183]
- 1710 – Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, French soldier and explorer (born 1639)[184]
- 1713 – Frederick I of Prussia (born 1657)[185]
- 1723 – Christopher Wren, English architect, designed St Paul's Cathedral (born 1632)[186]
- 1756 – Eliza Haywood, English actress and poet (born 1693)[187]
- 1796 – Samuel Seabury, American bishop (born 1729)[188]
- 1805 – Thomas Pownall, English politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (born 1722)[189]
- 1819 – Francisco Manoel de Nascimento, Portuguese-French poet and educator (born 1734)[190]
- 1822 – William Pinkney, American politician and diplomat, 7th United States Attorney General (born 1764)[191]
- 1841 – Philip P. Barbour, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 12th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (born 1783)[192]
- 1850 – Daoguang Emperor of China (born 1782)[193]
- 1852 – Thomas Moore, Irish poet and lyricist (born 1779)[194]
- 1865 – Otto Ludwig, German author, playwright, and critic (born 1813)[195]
- 1870 – Henrik Hertz, Danish poet and playwright (born 1797)[196]
- 1877 – Jung Bahadur Rana, Nepalese ruler (born 1816)[197]
- 1878 – Townsend Harris, American merchant, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Japan (born 1804)[198]
- 1899 – Paul Reuter, German-English journalist and businessman, founded Reuters (born 1816)[199]
- 1906 – Anton Arensky, Russian pianist and composer (born 1861)[200]
- 1910 – Worthington Whittredge, American painter and educator (born 1820)[201]
- 1911 – Friedrich Spielhagen, German author, theorist, and translator (born 1829)[202]
- 1912 – William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (born 1852)[203]
- 1914 – John Tenniel, English illustrator (born 1820)[204]
- 1915 – Charles Edwin Bessey, American botanist, author, and academic (born 1845)[205]
- 1920 – Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy, French archaeologist and engineer (born 1844)[206]
- 1928 – William O'Brien, Irish journalist and politician (born 1852)[207]
- 1934 – Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, American botanist and academic (born 1857)[208]
- 1934 – John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (born 1873)[209]
- 1945 – Mário de Andrade, Brazilian author, poet, and photographer (born 1893)[210]
- 1950 – George Minot, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1885)[211]
- 1953 – Sergei Winogradsky, Ukrainian-Russian microbiologist and ecologist (born 1856)[212]
- 1954 – Joseph Beech, American Methodist missionary and educator (born 1867)[213]
- 1957 – Mark Aldanov, Russian author and critic (born 1888)[214]
- 1957 – Bugs Moran, American mob boss (born 1893)[215]
- 1963 – Melville J. Herskovits, American anthropologist and academic (born 1895)[216]
- 1964 – Alexander Archipenko, Ukrainian sculptor and illustrator (born 1887)[217]
- 1964 – Grace Metalious, American author (born 1924)[218]
- 1970 – Mark Rothko, Latvian-American painter and academic (born 1903)[219]
- 1971 – Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1884)[220]
- 1972 – Gottfried Fuchs, German-Canadian Olympic soccer player (born 1889)[221]
- 1975 – Elijah Muhammad, American religious leader (born 1897)[222]
- 1978 – Daniel James, Jr., American general and pilot (born 1920)[223]
- 1980 – Robert Hayden, American poet and academic (born 1913)[224]
- 1983 – Tennessee Williams, American playwright, and poet (born 1911)[225]
- 1996 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-American physician and author (born 1940)[226]
- 1997 – Andrei Sinyavsky, Russian journalist and publisher (born 1925)[227]
- 1998 – W. O. Mitchell, Canadian author and playwright (born 1914)[228]
- 1999 – Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1912)[229]
- 2001 – A. R. Ammons, American poet and critic (born 1926)[230]
- 2001 – Don Bradman, Australian international cricketer; holder of world record batting average (born 1908)[231][232]
- 2005 – Peter Benenson, English lawyer, founded Amnesty International (born 1921)[233]
- 2008 – Hans Raj Khanna, Indian judge and advocate; upholder of civil liberties (born 1912)[234]
- 2010 – Ihsan Dogramaci, Turkish pediatrician and academic (born 1915)[235]
- 2012 – Louisiana Red, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1932)[236]
- 2015 – Harve Bennett, American screenwriter and producer (born 1930)[237]
- 2015 – Ariel Camacho, Mexican musician and singer-songwriter; (born 1992)[238]
- 2015 – Eugenie Clark, American biologist and academic; noted ichthyologist (born 1922)[239]
- 2017 – Bill Paxton, American actor and filmmaker (born 1955)[240]
- 2020 – Dmitry Yazov, last Marshal of the Soviet Union (born 1924)[241]
- 2022 – Farrah Forke, American actress (born 1968)[242]
- 2022 – Shirley Hughes, English author and illustrator (born 1927)[243]
- 2023 – Gordon Pinsent, Canadian actor, director and screenwriter (born 1930)[244]
- 2025 – Henry Kelly, Irish radio and television broadcaster, actor and journalist (born 1947)[245]
- 2025 – Roberto Orci, Mexican-American screenwriter and producer (born 1973)[246]
- 2025 – Jane Reed, UK Magazine editor and media executive (born 1940)[247]
Holidays and observances
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