February 25
Events
Pre-1600
- 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.
1601–1900
- 1705 - George Frideric Handel's opera Nero premiered in Hamburg.
- 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.
1901–present
- 1912 - Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of Guillaume IV, becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
- 1916 - World War I: In the Battle of Verdun, a German unit captures Fort Douaumont, keystone of the French defences, without a fight.
- 1918 - World War I: 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 - 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 female president.
- 1991 - Disbandment of the Warsaw Pact at a meeting of its members in Budapest.
- 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.
- 1999 - Alitalia Flight 1553 crashes at Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport in Genoa, Italy, killing four.
- 2009 - Soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles mutiny at their headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka, Bangladesh, resulting in 74 deaths, including 57 army officials.
- 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.
- 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 the small Kansas cities of Newton and Hesston.
Births
Pre-1600
- 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
1601–1900
- 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
- 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
- 1871 - Lesya Ukrainka, Ukrainian poet and playwright
- 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
- 1896 - Ida Noddack, German chemist and physicist
- 1898 - William Astbury, physicist and molecular biologist
1901–present
- 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
- 1905 - Perry Miller, American historian, author, and academic
- 1906 - Mary Coyle Chase, American journalist and playwright
- 1907 - Sabahattin Ali, Turkish journalist, author, and poet
- 1908 - Mary Locke Petermann, American cellular biochemist
- 1908 - Frank G. Slaughter, American physician and author
- 1910 - Millicent Fenwick, American journalist and politician
- 1913 - Jim Backus, American actor and screenwriter
- 1913 - Gert Fröbe, German actor
- 1915 - S. Rajaratnam, Singaporean politician, 1st Senior Minister of Singapore
- 1917 - Anthony Burgess, English author, playwright, and critic
- 1918 - Bobby Riggs, American tennis player
- 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 - Lisa Kirk, American actress and singer
- 1925 - Shehu Shagari, Nigerian politician, 6th President of Nigeria
- 1926 - Masatoshi Gündüz Ikeda, Japanese-Turkish mathematician and academic
- 1927 - Ralph Stanley, American singer and banjo player
- 1928 - Paul Elvstrøm, Danish yachtsman
- 1928 - Larry Gelbart, American author and screenwriter
- 1928 - A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., American civil rights advocate, historian, and judge
- 1928 - Richard G. Stern, American author and academic
- 1930 - Wendy Beckett, British nun and art critic
- 1932 - Tony Brooks, English racing driver
- 1932 - Faron Young, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1934 - Tony Lema, American golfer
- 1935 - Tony Campolo, American sociologist and pastor
- 1935 - Oktay Sinanoglu, Turkish physical chemist and molecular biophysicist
- 1937 - Tom Courtenay, English actor
- 1937 - Bob Schieffer, American political author, journalist and TV interviewer
- 1938 - Diane Baker, American actress and producer
- 1938 - Herb Elliott, Australian athlete
- 1938 - Farokh Engineer, Indian cricketer
- 1940 - Ron Santo, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1941 - David Puttnam, English film producer and academic
- 1942 - Karen Grassle, American actress
- 1943 - George Harrison, English singer-songwriter, guitarist and film producer
- 1944 - François Cevert, French racing driver
- 1946 - Jean Todt, French racing driver and team manager
- 1947 - Lee Evans, American sprinter and athletics coach
- 1949 - Ric Flair, American professional wrestler
- 1949 - Amin Maalouf, Lebanese-French journalist and author
- 1950 - Francisco Fernández Ochoa, Spanish skier
- 1950 - Neil Jordan, Irish film director, screenwriter and author
- 1950 - Néstor Kirchner, Argentine politician; 51st President of Argentina
- 1951 - Don Quarrie, Jamaican sprinter and coach
- 1952 - Joey Dunlop, Northern Irish motorcyclist
- 1953 - José María Aznar, Spanish politician; Prime Minister of Spain, 1996–2004
- 1953 - John Doe, American musician, singer-songwriter, actor, and poet
- 1957 - Raymond McCreesh, Irish Republican, hunger striker
- 1957 - Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singaporean economist and politician; 5th Senior Minister and 9th President of Singapore
- 1958 - Kurt Rambis, Greek-American basketball player, coach, and executive
- 1962 - Birgit Fischer, German kayaker
- 1963 - Paul O'Neill, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1965 - Carrot Top, American comedian
- 1965 - Veronica Webb, American model, actress, and writer
- 1966 - Alexis Denisof, American actor
- 1966 - Téa Leoni, American actress
- 1967 - Ed Balls, English politician; Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
- 1968 - Lesley Boone, American actress and producer
- 1968 - Oumou Sangaré, Malian musician
- 1971 - Sean Astin, American actor, director and producer
- 1971 - Daniel Powter, Canadian singer-songwriter and musician
- 1973 - Anson Mount, American actor
- 1974 - Dominic Raab, English politician; First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
- 1975 - Chelsea Handler, American comedian, actress, author, and television host
- 1976 - Rashida Jones, American actress and writer
- 1976 - Samaki Walker, American basketball player
- 1979 - Napoleon Harris, American football player and politician
- 1980 - Kash Patel, American lawyer, former federal prosecutor and official
- 1981 - Park Ji-sung, South Korean footballer
- 1982 - Maria Kanellis, American professional wrestler, actress, and model
- 1982 - Flavia Pennetta, Italian tennis player
- 1982 - Anton Volchenkov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1985 - Joakim Noah, French-American basketball player
- 1986 - Justin Berfield, American actor, writer, and producer
- 1986 - Jameela Jamil, English actress and presenter
- 1986 - James Phelps, English actor
- 1986 - Oliver Phelps, English actor
- 1987 - Justin Abdelkader, American ice hockey player
- 1988 - Tom Marshall, English photo colouriser and artist
- 1988 - Gerald McCoy, American football player
- 1989 - Jimmer Fredette, American basketball player
- 1989 - Kana Hanazawa, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1989 - E'Twaun Moore, American basketball player
- 1990 - Félix Peña, Dominican baseball player
- 1992 - Joakim Nordström, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1992 - Jorge Soler, Cuban baseball player
- 1993 - Erick Fedde, American baseball player
- 1993 - Lukáš Sedlák, Czech ice hockey player
- 1994 - Fred VanVleet, American basketball player
- 1995 - Mario Hezonja, Croatian basketball player
- 1995 - Viktoriya Tomova, Bulgarian tennis player
- 1997 - Isabelle Fuhrman, American actress
- 1997 - Thon Maker, South Sudanese-Australian basketball player
- 1999 - Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italian footballer
- 1999 - Rocky, South Korean singer, dancer and songwriter
- 2000 - Bo Nix, American football player
- 2001 - Vernon Carey Jr., American basketball player
- 2003 - Brandin Podziemski, American basketball player
- 2004 - Tyler Sanders, American actor
- 2005 - Noah Jupe, English actor