February 25
It is the feast day of Saint Walpurga and is a day of national significance in Hungary, Kuwait, the Philippines and Suriname. Among famous events on the day have been the patent for Samuel Colt's revolver ; the first African American sworn into the United States Senate ; Hitler obtaining German citizenship so he could run for public office ; the construction in an Islington garden of the first Anderson shelter ; Nikita Khrushchev's denunciation of Stalin ; and the disbandment of the Warsaw Pact.
People born on 25 February include José de San Martín, the first President of Peru; Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir ; operatic tenor Enrico Caruso ; actor Tom Courtenay ; musician George Harrison ; and eight-time Olympic champion Birgit Fischer. Among those who have died on the day are Albrecht von Wallenstein, Austrian general in the Thirty Years War ; Christopher Wren, English architect who designed St Paul's Cathedral ; Paul Reuter, founder of the Reuters news agency ; Prohibition Era gangster Bugs Moran ; acclaimed playwright Tennessee Williams ; and record-breaking Australian cricketer Don Bradman.
Events
- 138 - Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
- 628 - Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire, is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
- 1336 - Four thousand defenders of Pilenai commit mass suicide rather than be taken captive by the Teutonic Knights.
- 1836 - Samuel Colt is granted a United States patent for his revolver firearm.
- 1843 - Lord George Paulet occupies the Kingdom of Hawaii in the name of Great Britain in the Paulet Affair.
- 1870 - Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the United States Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in Congress.
- 1875 - Guangxu Emperor of Qing dynasty China begins his reign, under Empress Dowager Cixi's regency.
- 1912 - Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of Guillaume IV, becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
- 1916 - In the Battle of Verdun, a German unit captures Fort Douaumont, keystone of the French defences, without a fight.
- 1918 - German forces capture Tallinn to virtually complete the occupation of Estonia.
- 1921 - Georgian capital Tbilisi falls to the invading Russian forces after heavy fighting and the Russians declare the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.
- 1932 - 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.
- 1933 - Launch of the at Newport News, Virginia. It is the first purpose-built aircraft carrier to be commissioned by the US Navy.
- 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.
- 1941 - The outlawed Communist Party of the Netherlands organises a general strike in German-occupied Amsterdam to protest against Nazi persecution of Dutch Jews.
- 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.
- 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.
- 1951 - The first Pan American Games are officially opened in Buenos Aires by Argentine President Juan Perón.
- 1956 - In his speech On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences, Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union, denounces Stalin.
- 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.
- 1991 - Disbandment of the Warsaw Pact at a meeting of its members in Budapest.
Births
pre-19th century
- 1259 - Infanta Branca of Portugal, daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal and Urraca of Castile
- 1337 - Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg
- 1475 - Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, last male member of the House of York
- 1540 - Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton, English aristocrat and courtier
- 1543 - Sharaf Khan Bidlisi, Emir of Bitlis
- 1591 - Friedrich Spee, German poet and author
- 1643 - Ahmed II, Ottoman sultan
- 1663 - Peter Anthony Motteux, French-English author, playwright and translator
- 1670 - Maria Margarethe Kirch, German astronomer and mathematician
- 1682 - Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist and pathologist
- 1707 - Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright and composer
- 1714 - René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, French lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of France
- 1728 - John Wood, the Younger, English architect, designed the Royal Crescent
- 1752 - John Graves Simcoe, English-Canadian general and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada
- 1755 - François René Mallarmé, French lawyer and politician
- 1778 - José de San Martín, Argentinian general and politician, 1st President of Peru
19th century
- 1806 - Emma Catherine Embury, American author and poet
- 1809 - John Hart, English-Australian politician, 10th Premier of South Australia
- 1812 - Carl Christian Hall, Danish lawyer and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Denmark
- 1816 - Giovanni Morelli, Italian historian and critic
- 1833 - John St. John, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Kansas
- 1841 - Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French painter and sculptor
- 1842 - Karl May, German author, poet, and playwright
- 1845 - George Reid, Scottish-Australian lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Australia
- 1855 - Cesário Verde, Portuguese poet and author
- 1856 - Karl Gotthard Lamprecht, German historian and academic
- 1856 - Mathias Zdarsky, Czech-Austrian skier, painter, and sculptor
- 1857 - Robert Bond, Canadian politician; first Prime Minister of Newfoundland
- 1860 - William Ashley, English historian and academic
- 1865 - Andranik, Armenian general
- 1866 - Benedetto Croce, Italian philosopher and politician
- 1869 - Phoebus Levene, Russian-American biochemist and physician
- 1873 - Enrico Caruso, Italian-American tenor; the most popular operatic tenor of the early 20th century and the first great recording star.
- 1877 - Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist and scholar
- 1881 - William Z. Foster, American union leader and politician
- 1881 - Alexei Rykov, Russian politician, Premier of Russia
- 1883 - Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
- 1885 - Princess Alice of Battenberg, mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
- 1888 - John Foster Dulles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 52nd United States Secretary of State
- 1890 - Myra Hess, English pianist and educator
- 1894 - Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master
- 1898 - William Astbury, physicist and molecular biologist
1901–1925
- 1901 - Vince Gair, Australian politician, 27th Premier of Queensland
- 1901 - Zeppo Marx, American comedian and theatrical agent
- 1903 - King Clancy, Canadian ice hockey player, referee, and coach; rated one of the 100 greatest NHL players
- 1905 - Perry Miller, American historian, author, and academic
- 1906 - Mary Coyle Chase, American journalist and playwright; author of Harvey
- 1907 - Sabahattin Ali, Turkish journalist, author, and poet
- 1908 - Mary Locke Petermann, cellular biochemist
- 1908 - Frank G. Slaughter, American physician and author
- 1910 - Millicent Fenwick, American journalist and politician
- 1913 - Jim Backus, American actor and screenwriter; the voice of Mr. Magoo
- 1913 - Gert Fröbe, German actor; title role in Goldfinger
- 1915 - S. Rajaratnam, 1st Senior Minister of Singapore
- 1917 - Anthony Burgess, English author, playwright, and critic
- 1918 - Bobby Riggs, American tennis player; winner of three major titles, 1939–1941
- 1919 - Monte Irvin, American baseball player and executive
- 1920 - Philip Habib, American academic and diplomat, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
- 1921 - Pierre Laporte, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
- 1921 - Andy Pafko, American baseball player and manager
- 1922 - Molly Reilly, Canadian aviator
- 1924 - Hugh Huxley, English-American biologist and academic
- 1925 - Shehu Shagari, former President of Nigeria
- 1925 - Lisa Kirk, American actress and singer
1926–1950
- 1926 - Masatoshi Gündüz Ikeda, Japanese-Turkish mathematician and academic; developed algebraic number theory
- 1927 - Ralph Stanley, American bluegrass singer and banjo player; member of International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame
- 1928 - Paul Elvstrøm, Danish yachtsman; winner of four Olympic gold medals, 1948–1960
- 1928 - A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., prominent African-American civil rights advocate, author, and federal court judge
- 1928 - Larry Gelbart, American author and screenwriter; creator and producer of M*A*S*H TV series
- 1928 - Richard G. Stern, American author and academic
- 1932 - Tony Brooks, English racing driver; six Formula One victories, second in 1959 World Championship
- 1932 - Faron Young, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist; member of Country Music Hall of Fame
- 1934 - Tony Lema, American golfer; winner of the 1964 Open Championship
- 1935 - Oktay Sinanoglu, Turkish physical chemist and molecular biophysicist; two-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- 1937 - Tom Courtenay, award-winning English actor
- 1937 - Bob Schieffer, American political author, journalist and TV interviewer
- 1938 - Herb Elliott, Australian 1500 metres runner; 1960 Olympic champion and world record holder
- 1938 - Farokh Engineer, Indian international cricketer; successful as batsman and wicketkeeper
- 1940 - Ron Santo, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1941 - David Puttnam, English film producer and academic
- 1943 - George Harrison, English singer-songwriter, guitarist and film producer; lead guitarist of The Beatles
- 1944 - François Cevert, French racing driver
- 1946 - Jean Todt, French racing driver and team manager; FIA President, 2009–2021
- 1947 - Lee Evans, American sprinter and athletics coach; two gold medals and world 400m record at 1968 Olympics
- 1949 - Amin Maalouf, Lebanese-French journalist and author
- 1950 - Francisco Fernández Ochoa, Spanish skier; 1972 Olympic slalom champion
- 1950 - Neil Jordan, Irish film director, screenwriter and author
- 1950 - Néstor Kirchner, Argentinian politician; 51st President of Argentina, 2003–2007
1951–2000
- 1951 - Don Quarrie, Jamaican sprinter and coach; four Olympic medals and two world records
- 1952 - Joey Dunlop, Northern Irish motorcycle road racing champion; holds record for most wins at the Isle of Man TT
- 1953 - José María Aznar, Spanish politician; Prime Minister of Spain, 1996–2004
- 1957 - Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore politician; 5th Senior Minister of Singapore
- 1958 - Kurt Rambis, American basketball player and coach; four-time NBA Finals champion
- 1962 - Birgit Fischer, German kayaker; winner of eight Olympic gold medals
- 1963 - Paul O'Neill, American baseball player and sportscaster; five-time World Series champion
- 1967 - Ed Balls, British politician; Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
- 1968 - Oumou Sangaré, Grammy Award-winning Malian Wassoulou musician
- 1971 - Sean Astin, American actor, director and producer
- 1974 - Dominic Raab, British politician; First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
- 1981 - Park Ji-sung, South Korean footballer; the most successful Asian player with 19 career trophies
- 1982 - Flavia Pennetta, Italian tennis player; winner of the 2015 US Open
- 1988 - Tom Marshall, British photo colouriser and artist
- 1992 - Jorge Soler, Cuban baseball player
- 1999 - Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italian international footballer; youngest goalkeeper to play for Italy
Deaths
pre-19th century
- 806 - Tarasios, patriarch of Constantinople
- 891 - Fujiwara no Mototsune, Japanese regent
- 1522 - William Lily, English scholar and educator
- 1536 - Berchtold Haller, German-Swiss theologian and reformer
- 1547 - Vittoria Colonna, marchioness of Pescara
- 1601 - Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
- 1634 - Albrecht von Wallenstein, Austrian general and politician
- 1655 - Daniël Heinsius, Flemish poet and scholar
- 1682 - Alessandro Stradella, Italian composer
- 1710 - Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, French soldier and explorer
- 1713 - Frederick I of Prussia
- 1723 - Christopher Wren, English architect, designed St Paul's Cathedral
- 1756 - Eliza Haywood, English actress and poet
- 1796 - Samuel Seabury, American bishop
19th century
- 1805 - Thomas Pownall, English politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay
- 1819 - Francisco Manoel de Nascimento, Portuguese-French poet and educator
- 1822 - William Pinkney, American politician and diplomat, 7th United States Attorney General
- 1841 - Philip Pendleton Barbour, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 12th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
- 1850 - Daoguang Emperor of China
- 1852 - Thomas Moore, Irish poet and lyricist
- 1865 - Otto Ludwig, German author, playwright, and critic
- 1870 - Henrik Hertz, Danish poet and playwright
- 1877 - Jung Bahadur Rana, Nepalese ruler
- 1878 - Townsend Harris, American merchant, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Japan
- 1899 - Paul Reuter, German-English journalist and businessman, founded Reuters
1901–1950
- 1906 - Anton Arensky, Russian pianist and composer
- 1910 - Worthington Whittredge, American painter and educator
- 1911 - Friedrich Spielhagen, German author, theorist, and translator
- 1912 - William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- 1914 - John Tenniel, English illustrator
- 1915 - Charles Edwin Bessey, American botanist, author, and academic
- 1920 - Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy, French archaeologist and engineer
- 1928 - William O'Brien, Irish journalist and politician
- 1934 - Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, American botanist and academic
- 1934 - John McGraw, American baseball player and manager
- 1945 - Mário de Andrade, Brazilian author, poet, and photographer
- 1950 - George Minot, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1951–2000
- 1953 - Sergei Winogradsky, Ukrainian-Russian microbiologist and ecologist
- 1957 - Mark Aldanov, Russian author and critic
- 1957 - Bugs Moran, American mob boss
- 1963 - Melville J. Herskovits, American anthropologist and academic
- 1964 - Alexander Archipenko, Ukrainian sculptor and illustrator
- 1964 - Grace Metalious, American author
- 1970 - Mark Rothko, Latvian-American painter and academic
- 1971 - Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1972 - Gottfried Fuchs, German-Canadian Olympic soccer player
- 1975 - Elijah Muhammad, American religious leader
- 1978 - Daniel James, Jr., American general and pilot
- 1980 - Robert Hayden, American poet and academic
- 1983 - Tennessee Williams, American playwright, and poet
- 1996 - Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-American physician and author
- 1997 - Andrei Sinyavsky, Russian journalist and publisher
- 1998 - W. O. Mitchell, Canadian author and playwright
- 1999 - Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
21st century
- 2001 - A. R. Ammons, American poet and critic
- 2001 - Don Bradman, Australian international cricketer; holder of world record batting average
- 2005 - Peter Benenson, English lawyer, founded Amnesty International
- 2008 - Hans Raj Khanna, Indian judge and advocate; upholder of civil liberties
- 2010 - Ihsan Dogramaci, Turkish pediatrician and academic
- 2012 - Louisiana Red, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 2015 - Harve Bennett, American screenwriter and producer
- 2015 - Eugenie Clark, American biologist and academic; noted ichthyologist
- 2020 - Dmitry Yazov, last Marshal of the Soviet Union
Holidays and observances
Christian [feast day]s
- Æthelberht of Kent
- Blessed Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás
- Gerland of Agrigento
- John Roberts, writer and missionary
- Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani
- Saint Walpurga
Others
- Kitano Baika-sai or "Plum Blossom Festival"
- Memorial Day for the Victims of the Communist Dictatorships
- National Day
- People Power Day
- Revolution Day in Suriname
- Soviet Occupation Day