On This Day in History — March 25

Highlights of March 25

• 2008 — Invasion of Anjouan began as Comoros and African Union forces launched an assault to remove Mohamed Bacar from power in Anjouan. Read more
• 2006 — A gunman in Seattle, Washington, U.S., entered a rave afterparty and opened fire, killing six and wounding two, before committing suicide. Read more
• 2006 — Protesters demanding a new election in Belarus, following the presidential vote days earlier, were arrested, including opposition leader Alyaksandr Kazulin. Read more
• 1995 — American computer programmer Ward Cunningham established the first wiki site, the WikiWikiWeb. Read more
• 1975 — King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot and killed by his nephew Faisal bin Musaid. Read more
• 1949 — The Soviet Union began mass deportations of more than 90,000 "undesirable" people from the Baltic states to Siberia. Read more
• 1948 — Meteorologists at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, United States, issued the world's first tornado forecast after noticing conditions similar to another tornado that had struck five days earlier. Read more
• 1934 — Enrico Fermi published his discovery of neutron-induced radioactivity, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. Read more
• 1917 — Following the overthrow of the Russian tsar Nicholas II, Georgia's bishops unilaterally restored the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Read more
• 1917 — World War I: A delayed action bomb left by German troops exploded in the town hall of Bapaume, France, killing 24 soldiers and civilians. Read more
• 1915 — The appointment of Mehmed Reshid as governor of Diyarbekir, Turkey, intensified the genocide of Syriac Christians by pro-Ottoman forces. Read more
• 1911 — The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City killed 146 sweatshop workers, many of whom could not escape because the doors to the stairwells and exits had been locked. Read more
• 1903 — The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (ship pictured) anchored in the South Orkney Islands with the intention of establishing the first weather station in Antarctic territory. Read more
• 1807 — The Slave Trade Act, which abolished the Atlantic slave trade in the British Empire, received royal assent. Read more
• 1799 — War of the Second Coalition: In their second battle in seven days, the French Army of the Danube and Habsburg forces battled for control of the Hegau region. Read more
• 1776 — American Revolutionary War: American Patriot forces in Georgia conducted a raid on Tybee Island, with the primary goal of capturing runaway slaves seeking refuge with the British. Read more
• 1725 — Bach's chorale cantata Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern was first performed on the Feast of the Annunciation, which coincided that year with Palm Sunday. Read more
• 1708 — Jacobite risings: A French fleet anchored near Fife Ness as part of a planned French invasion of Britain. Read more
• 1655 — Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan, the largest natural satellite of Saturn. Read more
• 1458 — Wars of the Roses: A formal reconciliation ceremony between the Lancastrians and Yorkists led to a brief period of peace. Read more
• 1410 — The Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty launched the first of his military campaigns against the Mongols, resulting in the fall of the Mongol khan Bunyashiri. Read more
• 717 — Byzantine emperor Theodosius III abdicated in favour of Leo the Isaurian after he captured Theodosius's son. Read more
• 708 — Constantine was selected as one of the last popes of the Byzantine Papacy. Read more

Events

• 2018 — Syrian civil war: Following the completion of the Afrin offensive, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) initiate an insurgency against the Turkish occupation of the Afrin District. Read more
• 2006 — Capitol Hill massacre: A gunman kills six people before taking his own life at a party in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Read more
• 2006 — Protesters demanding a new election in Belarus, following the rigged 2006 Belarusian presidential election, clash with riot police. Opposition leader Aleksander Kozulin is among several protesters arrested. Read more
• 1996 — The European Union's Veterinarian Committee bans the export of British beef and its by-products as a result of mad cow disease (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy). Read more
• 1995 — WikiWikiWeb, the world's first wiki, and part of the Portland Pattern Repository, is made public by Ward Cunningham. Read more
• 1988 — The Candle demonstration in Bratislava is the first mass demonstration of the 1980s against the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Read more
• 1979 — The first fully functional Space Shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for its first launch. Read more
• 1975 — Faisal of Saudi Arabia is shot and killed by his nephew. Read more
• 1971 — The Army of the Republic of Vietnam abandon an attempt to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos. Read more
• 1965 — Civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King Jr. successfully complete their four-day 50-mile (80 km) march from Selma to the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama. Read more
• 1959 — Chain Island is sold by the State of California to Russell Gallaway III, a Sacramento businessman who plans to use it as a "hunting and fishing retreat", for $5,258.20 ($58,072 in 2025). Read more
• 1957 — United States Customs seizes copies of Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl" on obscenity grounds. Read more
• 1957 — The European Economic Community is established with West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg as the first members. Read more
• 1949 — More than 92,000 kulaks are suddenly deported from the Baltic states to Siberia. Read more
• 1948 — The first successful tornado forecast predicts that a tornado will strike Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Read more
• 1947 — An explosion in a coal mine in Centralia, Illinois kills 111. Read more
• 1941 — The Kingdom of Yugoslavia joins the Axis powers with the signing of the Tripartite Pact. Read more
• 1932 — The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is unveiled in Athens. Read more
• 1931 — The Scottsboro Boys are arrested in Alabama and charged with rape. Read more
• 1924 — On the anniversary of Greek Independence, Alexandros Papanastasiou proclaims the Second Hellenic Republic. Read more
• 1919 — The Tetiev pogrom occurs in Ukraine, becoming the prototype of mass murder during the Holocaust. Read more
• 1918 — The Belarusian People's Republic is established. Read more
• 1917 — The Georgian Orthodox Church restores its autocephaly abolished by Imperial Russia in 1811. Read more
• 1914 — The Greek multi-sport club Aris Thessaloniki is founded in Thessaloniki. Read more
• 1911 — In New York City, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 garment workers. Read more
• 1911 — Andrey Yushchinsky is murdered in Kiev, leading to the Beilis affair. Read more
• 1905 — The Greek football club P.A.E. G.S. Diagoras is founded in the city of Rhodes. Read more
• 1894 — Coxey's Army, the first significant American protest march, departs Massillon, Ohio for Washington, D.C. Read more
• 1878 — Last issue of the Bulletin de la Fédération jurassienne, the first or one of the first anarchist newspapers. Read more
• 1865 — American Civil War: In Virginia during the Siege of Petersburg, Confederate forces temporarily capture Fort Stedman from the Union before being repulsed. Read more
• 1845 — New Zealand Legislative Council pass the first Militia Act constituting the New Zealand Army. Read more
• 1821 — Greek War of Independence: Traditional date of the start of the Greek War of Independence. The war had actually begun on 23 February 1821 (Julian calendar). Read more
• 1811 — Percy Bysshe Shelley is expelled from the University of Oxford for publishing the pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism. Read more
• 1807 — The Swansea and Mumbles Railway, then known as the Oystermouth Railway, becomes the first passenger-carrying railway in the world. Read more
• 1802 — The Treaty of Amiens is signed as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace" between France and the United Kingdom. Read more
• 1776 — American Revolutionary War: American Patriots conduct a Raid on Tybee Island, primarily seeking to capture runaway slaves who sought refuge with British forces stationed there. Read more
• 1770 — Daskalogiannis leads the people of Sfakia in the first Greek uprising against the Ottoman rule Read more
• 1725 — Bach's chorale cantata "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1", is first performed on the Feast of the Annunciation, coinciding with Palm Sunday. Read more
• 1708 — A French fleet anchors nears Fife Ness as part of the planned French invasion of Britain. Read more
• 1655 — Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is discovered by Christiaan Huygens. Read more
• 1584 — Sir Walter Raleigh is granted a patent to colonize Virginia. Read more
• 1576 — Jerome Savage takes out a sub-lease to start the Newington Butts Theatre outside London. Read more
• 1519 — Hernán Cortés, entering province of Tabasco, defeats Tabascan Indians. Read more
• 1410 — The Yongle Emperor of Ming China launches the first of his military campaigns against the Mongols, resulting in the fall of the Mongol khan Bunyashiri. Read more
• 1409 — The Council of Pisa convenes, in an attempt to heal the Western Schism. Read more
• 1306 — Robert the Bruce becomes King of Scots (Scotland). Read more
• 1221 — Coronation of Robert of Courtenay as Emperor of the Latin Empire. Read more
• 1065 — The Great German Pilgrimage is attacked on Good Friday by Beduin bandits, suffering heavy losses. Read more
• 1000 — Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah assassinates the eunuch chief minister Barjawan and assumes control of the government. Read more
• 919 — Romanos Lekapenos seizes the Boukoleon Palace in Constantinople and becomes regent of the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII. Read more
• 717 — Theodosius III resigns the throne to the Byzantine Empire to enter a monastery, allowing Leo III to take the throne and begin the Isaurian dynasty. Read more
• 708 — Election of Pope Constantine following the death of Pope Sisinnius. He would be the last pope to visit Constantinople until 1967. Read more
• 421 — Italian city Venice is founded with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo di Rialto on the islet of Rialto. Read more
• 410 — The Southern Yan capital of Guanggu falls to the Jin dynasty general Liu Yu, ending the Southern Yan dynasty. Read more

Born on March 25

• 2000 — Ozan Kabak, Turkish footballer Read more
• 1999 — Mikey Madison, American actress Read more
• 1994 — Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Canadian skier Read more
• 1993 — Jacob Gagan, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1993 — Sam Johnstone, English footballer Read more
• 1992 — Meg Lanning, Australian cricketer Read more
• 1991 — Scott Malone, English footballer Read more
• 1990 — Mehmet Ekici, Turkish footballer Read more
• 1990 — Alexander Esswein, German footballer Read more
• 1989 — Aly Michalka, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Read more
• 1989 — Scott Sinclair, English footballer Read more
• 1988 — Big Sean, American rapper, singer and songwriter Read more
• 1988 — Ryan Lewis, American music producer Read more
• 1988 — Mitchell Watt, Australian long jumper Read more
• 1988 — Arthur Zeiler, German rugby player Read more
• 1987 — Jacob Bagersted, Danish handball player Read more
• 1987 — Victor Obinna, Nigerian footballer Read more
• 1987 — Nobunari Oda, Japanese figure skater Read more
• 1987 — Hyun-jin Ryu, South Korean baseball player Read more
• 1986 — Marco Belinelli, Italian basketball player Read more
• 1986 — Megan Gibson, American softball player Read more
• 1986 — Kyle Lowry, American basketball player Read more
• 1986 — Mickey Paea, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1985 — Carmen Rasmusen, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and actress Read more
• 1985 — Diana Rennik, Estonian figure skater Read more
• 1984 — Katharine McPhee, American singer-songwriter and actress Read more
• 1984 — Liam Messam, New Zealand rugby player Read more
• 1983 — Mickaël Hanany, French high jumper Read more
• 1982 — Danica Patrick, American race car driver Read more
• 1982 — Álvaro Saborío, Costa Rican footballer Read more
• 1982 — Jenny Slate, American comedian, actress and author Read more
• 1981 — Casey Neistat, American YouTube personality Read more
• 1980 — Kathrine Sørland, Norwegian fashion model and television presenter Read more
• 1979 — Nate Bargatze, American stand-up comedian and actor Read more
• 1979 — Muriel Hurtis-Houairi, French sprinter Read more
• 1978 — Gennaro Delvecchio, Italian footballer Read more
• 1978 — Teddy Lussi-Modeste, French film director, screenwriter and literature teacher Read more
• 1977 — Natalie Clein, English cellist and educator Read more
• 1977 — Andrew Lindsay, Scottish rower Read more
• 1976 — Francie Bellew, Irish footballer Read more

Died on March 25

• 2026 — Dash Crofts, American musician (born 1938) Read more
• 2026 — Alexander Kluge, German author, film director and public intellectual (born 1932) Read more
• 2025 — Tapani Kansa, Finnish singer (born 1949) Read more
• 2025 — Terry Manning, American musician and recording engineer (born 1947) Read more
• 2022 — Taylor Hawkins, American drummer and singer (born 1972) Read more
• 2021 — Beverly Cleary, American author (born 1916) Read more
• 2020 — Floyd Cardoz, Indian-born American chef (born 1960) Read more
• 2019 — Barrie Hole, Welsh footballer (born 1942) Read more
• 2017 — Cuthbert Sebastian, St. Kitts and Nevis politician (born 1921) Read more
• 2016 — Shannon Bolin, American actress and singer (born 1917) Read more
• 2015 — George Fischbeck, American journalist and educator (born 1922) Read more
• 2014 — Lorna Arnold, English historian and author (born 1915) Read more
• 2014 — Hank Lauricella, American football player and politician (born 1930) Read more
• 2014 — Jon Lord, Canadian businessman and politician (born 1956) Read more
• 2014 — Sonny Ruberto, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1946) Read more
• 2014 — Jonathan Schell, American journalist and author (born 1943) Read more
• 2014 — Ralph Wilson, American businessman, founded the Buffalo Bills (born 1918) Read more
• 2013 — Léonce Bernard, Canadian politician, 26th Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (born 1943) Read more
• 2013 — Ben Goldfaden, American basketball player and educator (born 1913) Read more
• 2013 — Anthony Lewis, American journalist and academic (born 1927) Read more
• 2013 — Jean Pickering, English runner and long jumper (born 1929) Read more
• 2013 — Jean-Marc Roberts, French author and screenwriter (born 1954) Read more
• 2013 — John F. Wiley, American lieutenant, football player, and coach (born 1920) Read more
• 2012 — Priscilla Buckley, American journalist and author (born 1921) Read more
• 2012 — Hal E. Chester, American actor, director, and producer (born 1921) Read more
• 2012 — John Crosfield, English businessman, founded Crosfield Electronics (born 1915) Read more
• 2012 — Edd Gould, English animator and voice actor, founded Eddsworld (born 1988) Read more
• 2012 — Antonio Tabucchi, Italian author and academic (born 1943) Read more
• 2009 — Johnny Blanchard, American baseball player (born 1933) Read more
• 2009 — Kosuke Koyama, Japanese-American theologian and academic (born 1929) Read more
• 2009 — Dan Seals, American musician (born 1948) Read more
• 2009 — Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, Turkish politician and member of the Parliament of Turkey (born 1954) Read more
• 2008 — Ben Carnevale, American basketball player and coach (born 1915) Read more
• 2008 — Thierry Gilardi, French journalist and sportscaster (born 1958) Read more
• 2008 — Abby Mann, American screenwriter and producer (born 1927) Read more
• 2008 — Herb Peterson, American businessman, created the McMuffin (born 1919) Read more
• 2007 — Andranik Margaryan, Armenian engineer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Armenia (born 1951) Read more
• 2006 — Bob Carlos Clarke, Irish photographer (born 1950) Read more
• 2006 — Rocío Dúrcal, Spanish singer and actress (born 1944) Read more
• 2006 — Richard Fleischer, American film director (born 1916) Read more

Holidays & observances

Anniversary of the Arengo and the Feast of the Militants (San Marino); Christian feast days: Feast of the Annunciation; Christian feast days: March 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Christian Saints' days Ælfwold II of Sherborne; Christian Saints' days Blessed Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas; Christian Saints' days Omelyan Kovch (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church); Christian Saints' days Dismas, the "Good Thief"; Christian Saints' days Hilary Paweł Januszewski; Christian Saints' days Humbert of Maroilles; Christian Saints' days Josaphata Hordashevska; Christian Saints' days Margaret Clitherow; Christian Saints' days Procopius of Sázava; Christian Saints' days Quirinus of Tegernsee; Commemoration Day for the Victims of Communist Genocide (Latvia); Cultural Workers Day (Russia); Empress Menen's Birthday (Rastafari); EU Talent Day (European Union); Freedom Day (Belarus); Independence Day, celebrates the start of Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire, in 1821. (Greece); International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (international); International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members (United Nations General Assembly); International Day of the Unborn Child (international); Maryland Day (Maryland, United States); Medal of Honor Day (United States); Mother's Day (Slovenia); New Year's Day (Lady Day) in England, Wales, Ireland, and some of the future United States and Canada from 1155 through 1751, until the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 moved it to 1 January and adopted the Gregorian calendar. (The year 1751 began on 25 March; the year 1752 began on 1 January.) It was also New Years Day in Scotland until (and including) 25 March 1599; 1600 in Scotland began in 1 January – see Calendar (New Style) Act 1750#Scotland.; New Year's Day (Lady Day) in England, Wales, Ireland, and some of the future United States and Canada from 1155 through 1751, until the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 moved it to 1 January and adopted the Gregorian calendar. (The year 1751 began on 25 March; the year 1752 began on 1 January.) Some other European countries also celebrated 25 March as New Years Day until the late Medieval period – see New Year#Historical European new year dates.; NZ Army Day; Quarter day (first of four) in Ireland and England.; Struggle for Human Rights Day (Slovakia); Tolkien Reading Day; Vårfrudagen or Våffeldagen, "Waffle Day" (Sweden, Norway & Denmark)

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