EVENTS OF THIS DAY IN THE PAST 25/4

[edit]

• 404 BC – Peloponnesian War: Lysander's Spartan Armies defeated the Athenians and the war ends.
• 775 – The Battle of Bagrevand puts an end to an Armenian rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate. Muslim control over Transcaucasia is solidified and its Islamization begins, while several major Armenian nakharar families lose power and their remnants flee to the Byzantine Empire.
• 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.
• 1134 – The name Zagreb was mentioned for the first time in the Felician Charter relating to the establishment of the Zagreb Bishopric around 1094.
• 1607 – Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar.
• 1644 – The Chongzhen Emperor, the last Emperor of Ming Dynasty China, commits suicide during a peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng.
• 1707 – A coalition of England, the Netherlands and Portugal is defeated by a Franco-Spanish army at Almansa (Spain) in the War of the Spanish Succession.
• 1792 – Highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier becomes the first person executed by guillotine.
• 1792 – La Marseillaise (the French national anthem) is composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
• 1804 – The western Georgian kingdom of Imereti accepts the suzerainty of the Russian Empire
• 1829 – Charles Fremantle arrives in HMS Challenger off the coast of modern-day Western Australia prior to declaring the Swan River Colony for the United Kingdom.
• 1846 – Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican–American War.
• 1847 – The last survivors of the Donner Party are out of the wilderness.
• 1849 – The Governor General of Canada, Lord Elgin, signs the Rebellion Losses Bill, outraging Montreal's English population and triggering the Montreal Riots.
• 1859 – British and French engineers break ground for the Suez Canal.
• 1862 – American Civil War: Forces under Union Admiral David Farragut demand the surrender of the Confederate city of New Orleans, Louisiana.
• 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Marks' Mills.
• 1882 – Tonkin Campaign: French and Vietnamese troops clashed in Tonkin, when Commandant Henri Rivière seized the citadel of Hanoi with a small force of marine infantry.
• 1898 – Spanish–American War: The United States declares war on Spain.
• 1901 – New York becomes the first U.S. state to require automobile license plates.
  
  

  Anzac Beach – Australian and New Zealand forces invade Turkey
• 1915 – World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli begins—The invasion of the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula by Australian, British, French and New Zealand troops begins with landings at Anzac Cove and Cape Helles.
• 1916 – Easter Rebellion: The United Kingdom declares martial law in Ireland.
• 1916 – Anzac Day is commemorated for the first time on the first anniversary of the landing at Anzac Cove.
• 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.
• 1938 – U.S. Supreme Court delivers its opinion in Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins and overturns a century of federal common law.
• 1940 - Merkið, the flag of the Faroe Islands is approved by the British occupation goverment.
• 1943 – The Demyansk Shield for German troops in commemoration of Demyansk Pocket is instituted.
• 1944 – The United Negro College Fund is incorporated.
• 1945 – Elbe Day: United States and Soviet troops meet in Torgau along the River Elbe, cutting the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany in two, a milestone in the approaching end of World War II in Europe.
• 1945 – Liberation Day (Italy): The Nazi occupation army surrenders and leaves Northern Italy after a general partisan insurrection by the Italian resistance movement; the puppet fascist regime dissolves and Benito Mussolini is captured after trying to escape. This day was set as a public holiday to celebrate the Liberation of Italy.
• 1945 – Fifty nations gather in San Francisco, California to begin the United Nations Conference on International Organization.
• 1945 – The last German troops retreat from Finland's soil in Lapland, ending the Lapland War. Military acts of Second World War end in Finland.
• 1946 – Naperville train disaster kills 47 in Naperville, Illinois.
• 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.
• 1953 – Francis Crick and James D. Watson publish "Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid" describing the double helix structure of DNA.
• 1954 – The first practical solar cell is publicly demonstrated by Bell Telephone Laboratories.
• 1959 – The St. Lawrence Seaway, linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, officially opens to shipping.
• 1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton completes the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
• 1961 – Robert Noyce is granted a patent for an integrated circuit.
• 1965 – Teenage sniper Michael Andrew Clark kills three and wounds six others shooting from a hilltop along Highway 101 just south of Santa Maria, California.
• 1966 – The city of Tashkent is destroyed by a huge earthquake.
• 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.
• 1974 – Carnation Revolution: A leftist military coup in Portugal overthrows the fascist Estado Novo regime and establishes a democratic government.
• 1975 – As North Vietnamese forces close in on the South Vietnamese capital Saigon, the Australian Embassy is closed and evacuated, almost ten years to the day since the first Australian troop commitment to South Vietnam.
• 1981 – More than 100 workers are exposed to radiation during repairs of a nuclear power plant in Tsuruga, Japan.
• 1982 – Israel completes its withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula per the Camp David Accords.
• 1983 – 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.
• 1983 – Pioneer 10 travels beyond Pluto's orbit.
• 1986 – Mswati III is crowned King of Swaziland, succeeding his father Sobhuza II.
• 1988 – In Israel, John Demjanuk is sentenced to death for war crimes committed in World War II.
• 1990 – Violeta Chamorro takes office as the President of Nicaragua, the first woman to hold the position.
• 2001 – Michele Alboreto is killed while testing an Audi R8 at the Lausitzring in Germany.
• 2005 – The final piece of the Obelisk of Axum is returned to Ethiopia after being stolen by the invading Italian army in 1937.
• 2005 – Bulgaria and Romania sign accession treaties to join the European Union.
• 2005 – One hundred seven people die in Amagasaki rail crash in Japan.
• 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.

Births[edit]

• 1214 – Louis IX of France (d. 1270)
• 1228 – Conrad IV of Germany (d. 1254)
• 1284 – Edward II of England (d. 1327)
• 1287 – Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1330)
• 1502 – Georg Major, German theologian and academic (d. 1574)
• 1599 – Oliver Cromwell, English general and politician (d. 1658)
• 1608 – Gaston, Duke of Orléans (d. 1660)
• 1621 – Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery, English soldier and politician (d. 1679)
• 1666 – Johann Heinrich Buttstett, German organist and composer (d. 1727)
• 1694 – Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, English architect and politician, Lord High Treasurer of Ireland (d. 1753)
• 1710 – James Ferguson, Scottish astronomer (d. 1776)
• 1723 – Giovanni Marco Rutini, Italian composer (d. 1797)
• 1725 – Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel, English admiral and politician (d. 1786)
• 1767 – Nicolas Oudinot, French general (d. 1847)
• 1770 – Georg Sverdrup, Norwegian philologist (d. 1850)
• 1775 – Carlota Joaquina of Spain (d. 1830)
• 1776 – Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh (d. 1857)
• 1843 – Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (d. 1878)
• 1849 – Felix Klein, German mathematician (d. 1925)
• 1850 – Luise Adolpha Le Beau, German composer (d. 1927)
• 1851 – Leopoldo Alas, Spanish author (d. 1901)
• 1862 – Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 1933)
• 1868 – John Moisant, American pilot and engineer (d. 1910)
• 1871 – Lorne Currie, French-English sailor (d. 1926)
• 1873 – Walter de la Mare, English poet and author (d. 1956)
• 1874 – Guglielmo Marconi, Italian businessman and inventor, developed Marconi's law, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)
• 1874 – Ernest Webb, English race walker (d. 1937)
• 1876 – Jacob Nicol, Canadian publisher, lawyer, and politician (d. 1958)
• 1878 – William Merz, American gymnast (d. 1946)
• 1887 – Kojo Tovalou Houénou, Beninese politician and writer (d. 1936)
• 1892 – Maud Hart Lovelace, American author (d. 1980)
• 1897 – Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (d. 1965)
• 1898 – Fred Haney, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1977)
• 1900 – Gladwyn Jebb, English politician and diplomat, Secretary-General of the United Nations (d. 1996)
• 1900 – Wolfgang Pauli, Austrian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1958)
• 1902 – Werner Heyde, German psychiatrist and academic (d. 1964)
• 1902 – Mary Miles Minter, American actress (d. 1984)
• 1903 – Andrey Kolmogorov, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1987)
• 1905 – George Nepia, New Zealand rugby player and referee (d. 1986)
• 1906 – William J. Brennan, Jr., American colonel and jurist (d. 1997)
• 1908 – Edward R. Murrow, American journalist (d. 1965)
• 1909 – William Pereira, American architect, designed the Transamerica Pyramid (d. 1985)
• 1911 – Connie Marrero, Cuban baseball player and coach (d. 2014)
• 1912 – Earl Bostic, American saxophonist (d. 1965)
• 1913 – Nikolaos Roussen, Greek captain (d. 1944)
• 1913 – Kenneth Lee Spencer, American opera singer and actor (d. 1964)
• 1914 – Ross Lockridge, Jr., American author (d. 1948)
• 1915 – Mort Weisinger, American journalist (d. 1978)
• 1917 – Ella Fitzgerald, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 1996)
• 1918 – Gérard de Vaucouleurs, French-American astronomer and academic (d. 1995)
• 1918 – Astrid Varnay, Swedish soprano (d. 2006)
• 1919 – Finn Helgesen, Norwegian speed skater (d. 2011)
• 1920 – Jean Carmet, French actor (d. 1994)
• 1920 – Robert Q. Lewis, American game show host and actor (d. 1991)
• 1921 – Karel Appel, Dutch painter and sculptor (d. 2006)
• 1923 – Francis Graham-Smith, English astronomer
• 1923 – Melissa Hayden, Canadian-American ballerina (d. 2006)
• 1923 – Albert King, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1992)
• 1924 – Ingemar Johansson, Swedish race walker (d. 2009)
• 1924 – Franco Mannino, Italian pianist, composer, director, and playwright (d. 2005)
• 1924 – Paulo Vanzolini, Brazilian singer-songwriter and zoologist (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Tony Christopher, Baron Christopher, English union leader and businessman
• 1925 – Sammy Drechsel, German comedian and journalist (d. 1986)
• 1925 – Kay E. Kuter, American actor (d. 2003)
• 1925 – Louis O'Neil, Canadian educator and politician
• 1926 – Johnny Craig, American illustrator (d. 2001)
• 1926 – Gertrude Fröhlich-Sandner, Austrian politician (d. 2008)
• 1927 – Corín Tellado, Spanish author (d. 2009)
• 1927 – Albert Uderzo, French author and illustrator
• 1928 – Vassar Clements, American fiddler (Old and in the Way) (d. 2005)
• 1928 – Cy Twombly, American painter and sculptor, long based in Italy (d. 2011)
• 1929 – Yvette Williams, New Zealand long jumper
• 1930 – Paul Mazursky, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
• 1930 – Godfrey Milton-Thompson, English admiral and surgeon (d. 2012)
• 1930 – Peter Schulz, German politician, Mayor of Hamburg (d. 2013)
• 1931 – Felix Berezin, Russian mathematician and physicist (d. 1980)
• 1931 – James Fenton, Irish linguist and poet
• 1931 – David Shepherd, English painter
• 1932 – Meadowlark Lemon, American basketball player and actor
• 1932 – Lia Manoliu, Romanian discus thrower (d. 1998)
• 1932 – William Roache, English actor
• 1933 – Jerry Leiber, American songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
• 1933 – Joyce Ricketts, American baseball player (d. 1992)
• 1934 – Peter McParland, Irish footballer and manager
• 1934 – Denny Miller, American actor (d. 2014)
• 1935 – Bob Gutowski, American pole vaulter (d. 1960)
• 1935 – Reinier Kreijermaat, Dutch footballer
• 1936 – Henck Arron, Surinamese politician, 1st Prime Ministers of the Republic of Suriname (d. 2000)
• 1938 – Roger Boisjoly, American engineer (d. 2012)
• 1938 – Ton Schulten, Dutch painter
• 1939 – Tarcisio Burgnich, Italian footballer and manager
• 1939 – Ted Kooser, American poet
• 1939 – Richard Lapthorne, English businessman
• 1939 – Michael Llewellyn-Smith, English academic and diplomat
• 1939 – Robert Skidelsky, Baron Skidelsky, Chinese-English historian and academic
• 1939 – Veronica Sutherland, British diplomat and academic
• 1940 – Jochen Borchert, German politician
• 1940 – Al Pacino, American actor and director
• 1941 – Princess Muna al-Hussein of Jordan
• 1941 – Bertrand Tavernier, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1942 – Mr. Hito, Japanese wrestler (d. 2010)
• 1942 – Jon Kyl, American lawyer and politician
• 1943 – Tony Christie, English singer-songwriter and actor
• 1943 – Alan Feduccia, American ornithologist and academic
• 1944 – Len Goodman, English dancer
• 1944 – Stephen Nickell, English economist and academic
• 1945 – Stu Cook, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (Creedence Clearwater)
• 1945 – Richard C. Hoagland, American theorist and author
• 1945 – Björn Ulvaeus, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer (ABBA and Hootenanny Singers)
• 1946 – Talia Shire, American actress
• 1946 – Peter Sutherland, Irish lawyer and politician, Attorney General of Ireland
• 1946 – Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian colonel, lawyer, and politician
• 1947 – Johan Cruyff, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1947 – Jeffrey DeMunn, American actor
• 1948 – Mike Selvey, English cricketer and sportscaster
• 1948 – Yu Shyi-kun, Taiwanese politician, 39th Premier of the Republic of China
• 1949 – Michael Brown, American keyboard player and songwriter (The Left Banke and Stories) (d. 2015)
• 1949 – James Fenton, English poet and critic
• 1949 – Vicente Pernía, Argentinian footballer and race car driver
• 1949 – Dominique Strauss-Kahn, French economist, lawyer, and politician
• 1950 – Donnell Deeny, British judge
• 1950 – Steve Ferrone, English drummer (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Average White Band)
• 1950 – Peter Jurasik, American actor
• 1950 – Valentyna Kozyr, Ukrainian high jumper
• 1950 – Apollo Quiboloy, Filipino religious leader
• 1951 – Ian McCartney, Scottish politician, Minister of State for Trade
• 1952 – Ketil Bjørnstad, Norwegian pianist and composer
• 1952 – Vladislav Tretiak, Russian ice hockey player
• 1952 – Jacques Santini, French footballer and coach
• 1953 – Ron Clements, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
• 1953 – Anthony Venables, British economist
• 1954 – Melvin Burgess, English author
• 1954 – Randy Cross, American football player and sportscaster
• 1954 – Róisín Shortall, Irish politician
• 1955 – Américo Gallego, Argentinian footballer and coach
• 1955 – Parviz Parastui, Iranian actor and singer
• 1955 – Zev Siegl, American businessman, co-founded Starbucks
• 1956 – Dominique Blanc, French actress
• 1956 – Jaroslava Schallerová, Czech actress
• 1956 – Andres Sõber, Estonian basketball player and coach
• 1957 – Eric Bristow, English darts player
• 1957 – Theo de Rooij, Dutch cyclist and manager
• 1958 – Fish, Scottish singer-songwriter and actor (Marillion)
• 1959 – Clarissa Burt, American model and actress
• 1959 – Paul Madden, British diplomat, British High Commissioner to Australia
• 1959 – Daniel Kash, Canadian actor and director
• 1959 – Tony Phillips, American baseball player
• 1960 – Michael Lohan, American father of Lindsay Lohan
• 1960 – Robert Peston, English journalist
• 1960 – Bruce Redman, Australian director, producer, and critic
• 1961 – Dinesh D'Souza, Indian-American educator, pundit and author
• 1962 – Foeke Booy, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1963 – Joy Covey, American businesswoman (d. 2013)
• 1963 – Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, French actress
• 1963 – David Moyes, Scottish footballer and manager
• 1963 – Bernd Müller, German footballer and manager
• 1963 – Paul Wassif, British guitar player
• 1964 – Hank Azaria, American actor and director
• 1964 – Andy Bell, English singer-songwriter and DJ (Erasure)
• 1964 – Fiona Bruce, British journalist
• 1965 – Eric Avery, American bass player and songwriter (Jane's Addiction, Deconstruction, and Polar Bear)
• 1965 – Mark Bryant, American basketball player
• 1965 – Simon Fowler, English singer and guitarist (Ocean Colour Scene and Merrymouth)
• 1965 – John Henson, American puppeteer and voice actor (d. 2014)
• 1966 – Man Arenas, Belgian-Spanish production designer and illustrator
• 1966 – James Stacy Barbour, American actor and singer
• 1966 – Diego Domínguez, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
• 1966 – Femke Halsema, Dutch politician
• 1966 – Darren Holmes, American baseball player
• 1966 – Erik Pappas, American baseball player and coach
• 1966 – Rubén Sosa, Uruguayan footballer and coach
• 1967 – Tim Davie, English broadcaster
• 1968 – Vitaliy Kyrylenko, Ukrainian long jumper
• 1969 – Joe Buck, American sportscaster
• 1969 – Martin Koolhoven, Dutch director and screenwriter
• 1969 – Gina Torres, American actress
• 1969 – Darren Woodson, American football player and sportscaster
• 1969 – Renée Zellweger, American actress and producer
• 1970 – Jason Lee, American skateboarder, actor, and producer
• 1970 – Tomoko Kawakami, Japanese voice actress (d. 2011)
• 1970 – Steve Tovar, American football player and coach
• 1970 – Jason Wiles, American actor
• 1971 – Sara Baras, Spanish dancer
• 1971 – Brad Clontz, American baseball player
• 1972 – Zaza Zazirov, Ukrainian wrestler
• 1973 – Carlota Castrejana, Spanish athlete
• 1973 – Fredrik Larzon, Swedish drummer (Millencolin)
• 1974 – Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou
• 1974 – Dean Phoenix, Mexican porn actor
• 1975 – Emily Bergl, English-American actress
• 1975 – Jacque Jones, American baseball player and coach
• 1976 – Gilberto da Silva Melo, Brazilian footballer
• 1976 – Tim Duncan, American basketball player
• 1976 – Kim Jong-kook, South Korean singer (Turbo)
• 1976 – Rainer Schüttler, German tennis player
• 1976 – Kristin Sutton, American actress and voice over actress
• 1977 – Constantinos Christoforou, Cypriot singer-songwriter (One)
• 1977 – Ilias Kotsios, Greek footballer
• 1977 – Tommy Mac, Canadian bass player (Hedley)
• 1977 – Marguerite Moreau, American actress
• 1977 – Paavo Siljamäki, Finnish DJ and producer (Above & Beyond)
• 1977 – Matthew West, American singer-songwriter and actor
• 1978 – Letícia Birkheuer, Brazilian model and actress
• 1978 – Duncan Kibet, Kenyan runner
• 1978 – Matt Walker, English swimmer
• 1980 – Ben Johnston, Scottish drummer and songwriter (Biffy Clyro)
• 1980 – James Johnston, Scottish bass player and songwriter (Biffy Clyro)
• 1980 – Daniel MacPherson, Australian actor
• 1980 – Bruce Martin, New Zealand cricketer
• 1980 – Lee Spick, English snooker player (d. 2015)
• 1980 – Kazuhito Tadano, Japanese baseball player
• 1980 – Alejandro Valverde, Spanish cyclist
• 1981 – Dwone Hicks, American football player
• 1981 – Felipe Massa, Brazilian race car driver
• 1981 – John McFall, British Paralympic sprinter
• 1981 – Anja Pärson, Swedish skier
• 1982 – Brian Barton, American baseball player
• 1982 – Monty Panesar, English cricketer
• 1982 – Marco Russo, Italian footballer
• 1983 – J. P. Howell, American baseball player
• 1983 – Joanne Peh, Singaporean actress
• 1983 – Johnathan Thurston, Australian rugby player
• 1983 – DeAngelo Williams, American football player
• 1983 – Nick Willis, New Zealand runner
• 1984 – Robert Andino, American baseball player
• 1984 – Melonie Diaz, American actress
• 1984 – Jen Johnson, American model and actress
• 1984 – Isaac Kiprono Songok, Kenyan runner
• 1984 – Andre' Woodson, American football player and coach
• 1985 – Jadyn Maria, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
• 1985 – Giedo van der Garde, Dutch race car driver
• 1986 – Daniel Sharman, British actor
• 1986 – John DeLuca, American actor
• 1986 – Alexei Emelin, Russian ice hockey player
• 1986 – Claudia Rath, German heptathlete
• 1987 – Razak Boukari, Togolese footballer
• 1987 – Jay Park, American-South Korean singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor(2PM and Art of Movement)
• 1987 – Johann Smith, American soccer player
• 1988 – James Sheppard, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1988 – Sara Paxton, American actress
• 1989 – Victor Engström, Swedish Bandy player (d. 2013)
• 1989 – Marie-Michèle Gagnon, Canadian skier
• 1989 – Michael van Gerwen, Dutch darts player
• 1989 – Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, Chinese 11th Panchen Lama
• 1990 – Jean-Éric Vergne, French race car driver
• 1990 – Taylor Walker, Australian footballer
• 1993 – Alex Bowman, American race car driver
• 1993 – Raphaël Varane, French footballer
• 1993 – Daniel Norris, American baseball player
• 1996 – Allisyn Ashley Arm, American actress