On This Day in History — April 25

Highlights of April 25

• 2026 — Malian minister of defence Sadio Camara is killed during the start of coordinated attacks in the country. Read more
• 2015 — Nepal was struck by a magnitude-7.8 earthquake, killing more than 8,000 people. Read more
• 2014 — A water crisis began when officials in Flint, Michigan, switched the city's water supply to the Flint River, leading to contamination. Read more
• 2012 — Daniel Chong is discovered in a holding room in San Diego, having been incarcerated for five days without food or water. Read more
• 1990 — Violeta Chamorro took office as President of Nicaragua, becoming the first female head of state in the Americas to have been elected in her own right. Read more
• 1986 — Mswati III (pictured) was crowned King of Swaziland, succeeding his father Sobhuza II. Read more
• 1983 — The first issue of The Jakarta Post was published in Indonesia. Read more
• 1982 — British prime minister Margaret Thatcher told journalists in Downing Street to "rejoice" upon hearing news of the successful recapture of South Georgia from Argentine forces in the Falklands War. Read more
• 1964 — 109 individuals were arrested in a police raid on a gay bar near Chicago. Read more
• 1960 — The U.S. Navy submarine Triton completed the first submerged circumnavigation of the world. Read more
• 1955 — Following restoration at the British Museum, the Emesa Helmet was placed on display there (pictured) before its return to Syria. Read more
• 1946 — Two passenger trains collided in Naperville, Illinois, leaving 45 people dead and some 125 injured. Read more
• 1932 — Gladys Elinor Watkins consecrated the carillon of the National War Memorial in Wellington, New Zealand (dedication pictured). Read more
• 1920 — At the San Remo conference, the principal Allies of World War I passed a resolution allocating League of Nations mandates for the administration of former Ottoman territories in the Middle East. Read more
• 1920 — A march by blind people from across the United Kingdom to protest poor working conditions ended at Trafalgar Square, London. Read more
• 1916 — The first issue of Irish War News was published in Ireland. Read more
• 1915 — First World War: The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Anzac Cove while British and French troops landed at Cape Helles to begin the Allied invasion of the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire. Read more
• 1792 — French composer Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle wrote "La Marseillaise", now the national anthem of France. Read more
• 1644 — Ming–Qing transition: The Ming dynasty of China fell when the Chongzhen Emperor committed suicide during a peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng. Read more
• 1643 — First English Civil War: Despite being vastly outnumbered, a Parliamentarian force under James Chudleigh defeated a Royalist army near Okehampton, Devon, at the Battle of Sourton Down. Read more
• 799 — Pope Leo III was attacked by partisans of his predecessor Adrian I, but was rescued and taken to Charlemagne, as described in the epic Karolus magnus et Leo papa. Read more
• 775 — The Abbasid army won a decisive victory over the forces of rebelling Armenian princes at the Battle of Bagrevand. Read more

Events

• 2026 — Shots are fired outside of the White House Correspondents' Dinner in the Washington Hilton where U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet are attending. One injury is reported and a suspect is taken into custody. Read more
• 2015 — At least 8,962 are killed in Nepal after a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Nepal. Read more
• 2014 — The Flint water crisis begins when officials at Flint, Michigan switch the city's water supply to the Flint River, leading to lead and bacteria contamination. Read more
• 2007 — Boris Yeltsin's funeral: The first to be sanctioned by the Russian Orthodox Church for a head of state since the funeral of Emperor Alexander III in 1894. Read more
• 2005 — The final piece of the Obelisk of Axum is returned to Ethiopia after being stolen by the invading Italian army in 1937. Read more
• 2005 — A seven-car commuter train derails and crashes into an apartment building near Amagasaki Station in Japan, killing 107, including the driver. Read more
• 2005 — Bulgaria and Romania sign the Treaty of Accession 2005 to join the European Union. Read more
• 2004 — The March for Women's Lives brings over one million protesters, mostly pro-choice, to Washington D.C. to protest the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, and other restrictions on abortion. Read more
• 1990 — Violeta Chamorro takes office as the President of Nicaragua, the first woman to hold the position. Read more
• 1983 — Cold War: American schoolgirl Samantha Smith is invited to visit the Soviet Union by its leader Yuri Andropov after he read her letter in which she expressed fears about nuclear war. Read more
• 1982 — Israel completes its withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula per the Camp David Accords. Read more
• 1981 — More than 100 workers are exposed to radiation during repairs of at the Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. Read more
• 1980 — One hundred forty-six people are killed when Dan-Air Flight 1008 crashes near Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Read more
• 1974 — Carnation Revolution: A leftist military coup in Portugal overthrows the authoritarian-conservative Estado Novo regime. Read more
• 1972 — Vietnam War: Nguyen Hue Offensive: The North Vietnamese 320th Division forces 5,000 South Vietnamese troops to retreat and traps about 2,500 others northwest of Kontum. Read more
• 1961 — Robert Noyce is granted a patent for an integrated circuit. Read more
• 1959 — The Saint Lawrence Seaway, linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, officially opens to shipping. Read more
• 1954 — The first practical solar cell is publicly demonstrated by Bell Telephone Laboratories. Read more
• 1953 — Francis Crick and James Watson publish "Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid" describing the double helix structure of DNA. Read more
• 1951 — Korean War: Assaulting Chinese forces are forced to withdraw after heavy fighting with UN forces, primarily made up of Australian and Canadian troops, at the Battle of Kapyong. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: United States and Soviet reconnaissance troops meet in Torgau and Strehla along the River Elbe, cutting the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany in two. This would be later known as Elbe Day. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: Liberation Day (Italy): The National Liberation Committee for Northern Italy calls for a general uprising against the German occupation and the Italian Social Republic. Read more
• 1945 — United Nations Conference on International Organization: Founding negotiations for the United Nations begin in San Francisco. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: The last German troops retreat from Finnish soil in Lapland, ending the Lapland War. Military actions of the Second World War end in Finland. Read more
• 1944 — The United Negro College Fund is incorporated. Read more
• 1938 — U.S. Supreme Court delivers its opinion in Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins and overturns a century of federal common law. Read more
• 1933 — Nazi Germany issues the Law Against Overcrowding in Schools and Universities limiting the number of Jewish students able to attend public schools and universities. Read more
• 1920 — At the San Remo conference, the principal Allied Powers of World War I adopt a resolution to determine the allocation of Class "A" League of Nations mandates for administration of the former Ottoman-ruled lands of the Middle East. Read more
• 1915 — World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli begins: The invasion of the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula by British, French, Indian, Newfoundland, Australian and New Zealand troops begins with landings at Anzac Cove and Cape Helles. Read more
• 1898 — Spanish–American War: The United States Congress declares that a state of war between the U.S. and Spain has existed since April 21, when an American naval blockade of the Spanish colony of Cuba began. Read more
• 1892 — Véry bombing during the Ère des attentats (1892–1894). Read more
• 1882 — French and Vietnamese troops clash in Tonkin, when Commandant Henri Rivière seizes the citadel of Hanoi with a small force of marine infantry. Read more
• 1864 — American Civil War: In the Battle of Marks' Mills, a force of 8,000 Confederate soldiers attacks 1,800 Union soldiers and a large number of wagon teamsters, killing or wounding 1,500 Union combatants. Read more
• 1862 — American Civil War: Forces under U.S. Admiral David Farragut demand the surrender of the Confederate city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Read more
• 1859 — British and French engineers break ground for the Suez Canal. Read more
• 1849 — The Governor General of Canada, Lord Elgin, signs the Rebellion Losses Bill, outraging Montreal's English population and triggering the Montreal Riots. Read more
• 1846 — Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican–American War. Read more
• 1829 — Charles Fremantle arrives in HMS Challenger off the coast of modern-day Western Australia prior to declaring the Swan River Colony for the British Empire. Read more
• 1808 — Dano-Swedish War of 1808–1809: The Battle of Trangen takes place at Trangen in Flisa, Hedemarkens Amt, between Swedish and Norwegian troops. Read more
• 1792 — Highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier becomes the first person executed by guillotine. Read more
• 1792 — "La Marseillaise" (the French national anthem) is composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. Read more
• 1707 — A coalition of Britain, the Netherlands and Portugal is defeated by a Franco-Spanish army at Almansa (Spain) in the War of the Spanish Succession. Read more
• 1644 — Transition from Ming to Qing: The Chongzhen Emperor, the last Emperor of Ming China, commits suicide during a peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng. Read more
• 1607 — Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Read more
• 1464 — A Yorkist army under the Baron Montagu defeats a Lancastrian army under the Duke of Somerset in the battle of Hedgeley Moor during the Wars of the Roses. Read more
• 799 — After mistreatment and disfigurement by the citizens of Rome, Pope Leo III flees to the Frankish court of king Charlemagne at Paderborn for protection. Read more
• 775 — The Battle of Bagrevand puts an end to an Armenian rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate. Muslim control over the South Caucasus is solidified and its Islamization begins, while several major Armenian nakharar families lose power and their remnants flee to the Byzantine Empire. Read more
• 404 BC — Admiral Lysander and King Pausanias of Sparta blockade Athens and bring the Peloponnesian War to a successful conclusion. Read more

Born on April 25

• 2000 — Dejan Kulusevski, Swedish footballer Read more
• 1998 — Satou Sabally, German-American basketball player Read more
• 1996 — Mack Horton, Australian swimmer Read more
• 1995 — Lewis Baker, English footballer Read more
• 1995 — Packy Hanrahan, American bowler Read more
• 1994 — Omar McLeod, Jamaican hurdler Read more
• 1994 — Maggie Rogers, American musician Read more
• 1994 — Sam Fender, English singer-songwriter and musician Read more
• 1993 — Alex Bowman, American race car driver Read more
• 1993 — Daniel Norris, American baseball player Read more
• 1993 — Raphaël Varane, French footballer Read more
• 1991 — Jordan Poyer, American football player Read more
• 1991 — Alex Shibutani, American ice dancer Read more
• 1990 — Jean-Éric Vergne, French racing driver Read more
• 1990 — Taylor Walker, Australian footballer Read more
• 1989 — Marie-Michèle Gagnon, Canadian skier Read more
• 1989 — Michael van Gerwen, Dutch darts player Read more
• 1989 — Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama Read more
• 1988 — Jonathan Bailey, English actor Read more
• 1988 — Sara Paxton, American actress Read more
• 1988 — James Sheppard, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1987 — Razak Boukari, Togolese footballer Read more
• 1987 — Jay Park, American-South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer Read more
• 1986 — Alexei Emelin, Russian ice hockey player Read more
• 1986 — Gwen Jorgensen, American triathlete Read more
• 1986 — Claudia Rath, German heptathlete Read more
• 1985 — Giedo van der Garde, Dutch racing driver Read more
• 1983 — Johnathan Thurston, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1983 — DeAngelo Williams, American football player Read more
• 1982 — Monty Panesar, English cricketer Read more
• 1981 — Felipe Massa, Brazilian racing driver Read more
• 1981 — John McFall, English sprinter Read more
• 1981 — Anja Pärson, Swedish skier Read more
• 1981 — Laura Birn, Finnish actress Read more
• 1980 — Daniel MacPherson, Australian actor and television host Read more
• 1980 — Alejandro Valverde, Spanish cyclist Read more
• 1978 — Matt Walker, English swimmer Read more
• 1977 — Constantinos Christoforou, Cypriot singer-songwriter Read more
• 1977 — Marguerite Moreau, American actress and producer Read more
• 1977 — Matthew West, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor Read more

Died on April 25

• 2026 — Andrzej Olechowski, Polish politician (born 1947) Read more
• 2025 — Virginia Giuffre, American and Australian advocate (born 1983) Read more
• 2024 — Marla Adams, American television actress (born 1938) Read more
• 2024 — Laurent Cantet, French director, cinematographer and screenwriter (born 1961) Read more
• 2023 — Harry Belafonte, American singer, activist, and actor (born 1927) Read more
• 2019 — John Havlicek, American basketball player (born 1940) Read more
• 2018 — Madeeha Gauhar, Pakistani actress, playwright and director of social theater, and women's rights activist (born 1956) Read more
• 2016 — Tom Lewis, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of New South Wales (born 1922) Read more
• 2015 — Jim Fanning, American-Canadian baseball player and manager (born 1927) Read more
• 2015 — Matthias Kuhle, German geographer and academic (born 1948) Read more
• 2015 — Don Mankiewicz, American screenwriter and novelist (born 1922) Read more
• 2015 — Mike Phillips, American basketball player (born 1956) Read more
• 2014 — Dan Heap, Canadian priest and politician (born 1925) Read more
• 2014 — William Judson Holloway Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and judge (born 1923) Read more
• 2014 — Earl Morrall, American football player and coach (born 1934) Read more
• 2014 — Tito Vilanova, Spanish footballer and manager (born 1968) Read more
• 2014 — Stefanie Zweig, German journalist and author (born 1932) Read more
• 2013 — Brian Adam, Scottish biochemist and politician (born 1948) Read more
• 2013 — Jacob Avshalomov, American composer and conductor (born 1919) Read more
• 2013 — György Berencsi, Hungarian virologist and academic (born 1941) Read more
• 2013 — Rick Camp, American baseball player (born 1953) Read more
• 2012 — Gerry Bahen, Australian footballer (born 1929) Read more
• 2012 — Denny Jones, American rancher and politician (born 1910) Read more
• 2012 — Moscelyne Larkin, American ballerina and educator (born 1925) Read more
• 2012 — Louis le Brocquy, Irish painter and illustrator (born 1916) Read more
• 2011 — Poly Styrene, British musician (born 1957) Read more
• 2010 — Dorothy Provine, American actress and singer (born 1935) Read more
• 2010 — Alan Sillitoe, English novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet (born 1928) Read more
• 2009 — Bea Arthur, American actress and singer (born 1922) Read more
• 2008 — Humphrey Lyttelton, English trumpet player, composer, and radio host (born 1921) Read more
• 2007 — Alan Ball Jr., English footballer and manager (born 1945) Read more
• 2007 — Arthur Milton, English footballer and cricketer (born 1928) Read more
• 2007 — Bobby Pickett, American singer-songwriter (born 1938) Read more
• 2006 — Jane Jacobs, American-Canadian journalist, author, and activist (born 1916) Read more
• 2006 — Peter Law, Welsh politician and independent member of parliament (born 1948) Read more
• 2005 — Jim Barker, American politician (born 1935) Read more
• 2005 — Swami Ranganathananda, Indian monk and educator (born 1908) Read more
• 2004 — Thom Gunn, English-American poet and academic (born 1929) Read more
• 2003 — Samson Kitur, Kenyan runner (born 1966) Read more
• 2002 — Lisa Lopes, American rapper and dancer (born 1971) Read more

Holidays & observances

Anzac Day (Australia, New Zealand, Tonga); Christian feast day: Mark the Evangelist; Christian feast day: Franca Visalta; Christian feast day: Giovanni Battista Piamarta; Christian feast day: Major Rogation (Western Christianity); Christian feast day: Maughold; Christian feast day: Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur; Christian feast day: Philo and Agathopodes; Christian feast day: Anianus of Alexandria; Christian feast day: Blessed Robert Anderton; Christian feast day: April 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Freedom Day (Portugal); Liberation Day (Italy); Military Foundation Day (North Korea); World Malaria Day

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