April 25 facts for kids

April 25 is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 250 days remain until the end of the year. April 25th is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from ancient battles to scientific discoveries and important social changes. Many famous people were also born or passed away on this day. Let's explore some of the most notable moments and individuals connected to April 25th!

Events

Ancient Times (Before 1600)

• 404 BC – The Peloponnesian War ends! The Spartan navy, led by Admiral Lysander, and King Pausanias of Sparta blockaded Athens, forcing them to surrender.
• 775 – A big rebellion by Armenians against the Abbasid Caliphate ends with the Battle of Bagrevand. This made Muslim control stronger in the South Caucasus region.
• 799 – Pope Leo III had a tough time in Rome and was mistreated. He fled to Paderborn in the Frankish kingdom to seek help from King Charlemagne.
• 1134 – The city of Zagreb (which is now the capital of Croatia) is mentioned for the very first time in a document called the Felician Charter.

Later History (1601–1900)

• 1607 – During the Eighty Years' War, the Dutch navy bravely destroyed the Spanish fleet anchored at Gibraltar.
• 1644 – The last emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China, the Chongzhen Emperor, sadly took his own life during a peasant uprising led by Li Zicheng.
• 1707 – In the War of the Spanish Succession, a group of armies from Britain, the Netherlands, and Portugal were defeated by French and Spanish forces at Almansa in Spain.
• 1792 – Nicolas Jacques Pelletier became the first person to be executed using the guillotine.
• 1792 – The famous French national anthem, "La Marseillaise", was composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
• 1829 – Charles Fremantle arrived in Western Australia on his ship, HMS Challenger. He later claimed the land for the British Empire, starting the Swan River Colony.
• 1846 – A disagreement over the border of Texas led to the Thornton Affair, which then started the Mexican–American War.
• 1859 – Engineers from Britain and France began digging for the Suez Canal, a very important waterway that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
• 1862 – During the American Civil War, U.S. Admiral David Farragut successfully captured the Confederate city of New Orleans, Louisiana.
• 1864 – In another American Civil War battle, the Battle of Marks' Mills, Confederate soldiers attacked Union troops, causing many casualties.
• 1898 – The United States Congress declared war on Spain, officially starting the Spanish–American War. This happened after the U.S. Navy began blocking the Spanish colony of Cuba.

Modern Times (1901–present)

• 1901 – New York became the first U.S. state to require special license plates for cars.
• 1915 – World War I: The difficult Battle of Gallipoli began. British, French, Australian, New Zealand, and other troops landed on the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula.
• 1916 – Anzac Day was celebrated for the first time, marking the one-year anniversary of the landings at Anzac Cove during World War I.
• 1933 – Nazi Germany passed a law that limited the number of Jewish students allowed to attend public schools and universities.
• 1944 – The United Negro College Fund was officially started to help African American students go to college.
• 1945 – World War II: American and Soviet soldiers met along the Elbe River in Germany. This meeting, known as Elbe Day, cut the German army in two.
• 1945 – Liberation Day (Italy): In Italy, a general uprising was called to fight against the German occupation and the Italian Social Republic.
• 1945 – Founding talks for the United Nations, an international organization for peace, began in San Francisco.
• 1951 – Korean War: Chinese forces had to retreat after tough fighting with UN troops, especially from Australia and Canada, at the Battle of Kapyong.
• 1953 – Scientists Francis Crick and James Watson published their groundbreaking paper describing the double helix structure of DNA, which is like the blueprint for life!
• 1954 – The first working solar cell was shown to the public by Bell Telephone Laboratories. This was a big step for clean energy.
• 1959 – The Saint Lawrence Seaway, a system of canals and locks that connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, officially opened for ships.
• 1960 – The United States Navy submarine USS Triton completed the first underwater trip around the world.
• 1961 – Robert Noyce received a patent for an integrated circuit, a tiny electronic component that made computers and other devices much smaller.
• 1974 – The Carnation Revolution: A peaceful military coup in Portugal overthrew the old government and brought in a democratic one.
• 1982 – Israel finished pulling its troops out of the Sinai Peninsula, as agreed in the Camp David Accords.
• 1983 – During the Cold War, American schoolgirl Samantha Smith was invited to visit the Soviet Union by its leader, Yuri Andropov. She had written him a letter about her worries about nuclear war.
• 1983 – The Pioneer 10 spacecraft traveled beyond Pluto's orbit, going further into space than any spacecraft before it.
• 1990 – Violeta Chamorro became the President of Nicaragua, making her the first woman to hold that position.
• 2005 – A large stone monument called the Obelisk of Axum was finally returned to Ethiopia. It had been taken by the Italian army in 1937.
• 2005 – Bulgaria and Romania signed a treaty to join the European Union.
• 2014 – The Flint water crisis began in Flint, Michigan. The city's water supply was changed to the Flint River, which led to lead and bacteria getting into the drinking water.
• 2015 – A very strong 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal, sadly killing nearly 9,100 people.

Births

Famous People Born Before 1900

• 1284 – Edward II of England, a king of England.
• 1599 – Oliver Cromwell, an important English general and politician who became the Lord Protector of Great Britain.
• 1776 – Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, a daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom.
• 1843 – Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, a daughter of Queen Victoria.
• 1873 – Walter de la Mare, an English poet and writer.
• 1874 – Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor who helped develop radio technology and won a Nobel Prize.
• 1900 – Wolfgang Pauli, an Austrian-Swiss-American physicist who won a Nobel Prize.

Famous People Born After 1900

• 1903 – Andrey Kolmogorov, a very important Russian mathematician.
• 1908 – Edward R. Murrow, a famous American journalist.
• 1917 – Ella Fitzgerald, an amazing American singer, often called the "First Lady of Song."
• 1921 – Karel Appel, a Dutch painter and sculptor.
• 1923 – Albert King, an influential African-American blues singer and guitarist.
• 1927 – Albert Uderzo, a French artist who co-created the famous Astérix comic books.
• 1930 – Al Pacino, a well-known American actor and director.
• 1932 – Meadowlark Lemon, a famous African-American basketball player for the Harlem Globetrotters.
• 1947 – Johan Cruyff, a legendary Dutch footballer and manager.
• 1964 – Hank Azaria, an American actor and voice artist, known for many cartoon characters.
• 1969 – Renée Zellweger, a popular American actress and producer.
• 1976 – Tim Duncan, an American basketball player, considered one of the greatest ever.
• 1981 – Felipe Massa, a Brazilian racing driver.
• 1987 – Jay Park, a popular American-South Korean singer and dancer.
• 1988 – Sara Paxton, an American actress.
• 1993 – Raphaël Varane, a French footballer.

Deaths

Notable People Who Passed Away Before 1900

• 1472 – Leon Battista Alberti, an Italian author, poet, and philosopher.
• 1566 – Diane de Poitiers, a famous mistress of King Henry II of France.
• 1595 – Torquato Tasso, an important Italian poet.
• 1644 – Chongzhen Emperor of China, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
• 1744 – Anders Celsius, a Swedish astronomer and physicist who created the Celsius temperature scale.
• 1878 – Anna Sewell, an English author best known for her classic novel Black Beauty.

Notable People Who Passed Away After 1900

• 1972 – George Sanders, an English actor.
• 1975 – Mike Brant, an Israeli singer.
• 1976 – Carol Reed, an English film director.
• 1995 – Ginger Rogers, a famous American actress, singer, and dancer.
• 2002 – Lisa Lopes, an American rapper and dancer from the group TLC.
• 2006 – Jane Jacobs, an American-Canadian journalist and activist known for her writings on urban planning.
• 2009 – Bea Arthur, an American actress and singer, famous for her roles in TV shows like The Golden Girls.
• 2023 – Harry Belafonte, a celebrated American singer, activist, and actor.

Holidays and observances

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

See also

In Spanish: 25 de abril para niños