May 25 facts for kids

May 25th is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from ancient times to modern days. It's a day when important decisions were made, new things were discovered, and famous people were born or passed away. Let's explore some of the key moments that happened on this date!

Historical Events

Ancient Times and Middle Ages

• 567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of ancient Rome, celebrated a big victory over the Etruscans.
• 240 BC – For the first time, people recorded seeing Halley's Comet as it passed closest to the Sun.
• 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile took back the city of Toledo, Spain, from the Moors.
• 1420 – Prince Henry the Navigator, a famous explorer, was put in charge of the Military Order of Christ.
• 1521 – The Diet of Worms meeting ended with Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw.

17th to 19th Centuries

• 1644 – A general from the Ming dynasty in China teamed up with the invading Manchus and opened a gate in the Great Wall of China, allowing them to march towards the capital.
• 1660 – Charles II returned to England, marking the end of the time when England was a republic and bringing back the monarchy.
• 1738 – A treaty between Pennsylvania and Maryland finally ended a border dispute between the two areas.
• 1763 – The first issue of Norske Intelligenz-Seddeler, Norway's first regular newspaper, was published.
• 1787 – The United States Constitutional Convention officially began in Philadelphia to create the U.S. Constitution.
• 1798 – The United Irishmen Rebellion saw the start of the Battle of Carlow.
• 1809 – The Chuquisaca Revolution began in modern-day Sucre, starting the fight for independence in Latin America from the Spanish Empire.
• 1810 – The May Revolution in Buenos Aires led to citizens removing the Spanish viceroy, beginning the Argentine War of Independence.
• 1819 – The first Argentine Constitution of 1819 was officially put into effect.
• 1833 – The Chilean Constitution of 1833 was also officially put into effect.
• 1865 – In Mobile, Alabama, about 300 people died when a military storage area exploded.
• 1878 – The funny opera H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan opened in London.
• 1895 – The Republic of Formosa was formed, with Tang Jingsong as its president.

20th Century to Today

• 1914 – The British Parliament passed a law to give Ireland more control over its own affairs.
• 1925 – In the famous Scopes Trial, John T. Scopes was charged for teaching about human evolution in Tennessee.
• 1933 – The famous Disney cartoon Three Little Pigs premiered, featuring the popular song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?"
• 1935 – Jesse Owens, a fantastic athlete, broke three world records and tied a fourth at a track and field championship.
• 1938 – During the Spanish Civil War, the city of Alicante was bombed, and many people died.
• 1940 – In World War II, German forces captured the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, ending the Battle of Boulogne.
• 1946 – The parliament of Transjordan made Abdullah I of Jordan their leader.
• 1953 – The United States conducted its first and only nuclear artillery test at the Nevada Test Site.
• 1953 – The first public television station in the U.S., KUHT, began broadcasting from the University of Houston.
• 1955 – A very strong tornado hit Udall, Kansas, killing 80 people and injuring many more. It was the deadliest tornado in the state's history.
• 1955 – The first people successfully climbed Kanchenjunga, the third-highest mountain in the world.
• 1961 – U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced the ambitious goal of sending a "man on the Moon" before the end of the decade.
• 1963 – The Organisation of African Unity was created in Ethiopia to promote cooperation among African nations.
• 1968 – The iconic Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, was officially dedicated.
• 1973 – The captain and crew of a Greek naval ship refused to return to Greece to protest against the country's dictatorship.
• 1977 – The first Star Wars movie (later called A New Hope) was released in theaters, changing movies forever!
• 1977 – The Chinese government ended a ban on William Shakespeare's works, signaling the end of the Cultural Revolution.
• 1978 – The first of several bombings linked to the "Unabomber" happened at Northwestern University, causing minor injuries.
• 1979 – American Airlines Flight 191, a large passenger plane, crashed during takeoff in Chicago, leading to a tragic loss of life.
• 1981 – The Gulf Cooperation Council was formed in Riyadh, bringing together several countries in the Persian Gulf region.
• 1982 – During the Falklands War, a British warship, HMS Coventry, was sunk by Argentine planes.
• 1985 – A powerful tropical cyclone and storm surge hit Bangladesh, causing the deaths of about 10,000 people.
• 1986 – The "Hands Across America" event took place, where millions of people held hands in a human chain across the United States to raise money for charity.
• 1997 – A military takeover in Sierra Leone replaced the president with a new leader.
• 1999 – The U.S. House of Representatives released a report detailing China's nuclear spying against the U.S.
• 2000 – Israel withdrew its army from most of Lebanon, 18 years after its invasion.
• 2001 – Erik Weihenmayer became the first blind person to reach the top of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain.
• 2002 – China Airlines Flight 611 broke apart in mid-air and crashed into the Taiwan Strait, with all 225 people on board losing their lives.
• 2008 – NASA's Phoenix lander successfully landed on Mars to search for signs of water and tiny life forms.
• 2009 – North Korea reportedly tested its second nuclear device, causing international concern.
• 2011 – Oprah Winfrey aired her very last show, ending her incredible 25-year run of The Oprah Winfrey Show.
• 2012 – The SpaceX Dragon 1 became the first commercial spacecraft to successfully connect with the International Space Station.
• 2018 – The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a new set of rules about data privacy, became enforceable in the European Union.

Famous Birthdays

Many notable people were born on May 25th:

Before 1900

• 1048 – Emperor Shenzong of Song, a Chinese emperor.
• 1334 – Emperor Sukō of Japan.
• 1550 – Camillus de Lellis, an Italian saint and nurse.
• 1713 – John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, a Scottish politician and former Prime Minister of Great Britain.
• 1803 – Edward Bulwer-Lytton, an English author and politician.
• 1803 – Ralph Waldo Emerson, a famous American poet and philosopher.
• 1818 – Jacob Burckhardt, a Swiss historian.
• 1865 – John Mott, an American evangelist who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1865 – Pieter Zeeman, a Dutch physicist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1878 – Bill Robinson, a well-known American actor and dancer.
• 1887 – Padre Pio, an Italian priest and saint.
• 1889 – Igor Sikorsky, a Russian-American who designed aircraft and founded Sikorsky Aircraft.
• 1899 – Kazi Nazrul Islam, a famous Bengali poet and author.

1901 to Present

• 1907 – U Nu, the first Prime Minister of Burma (now Myanmar).
• 1921 – Jack Steinberger, a German-Swiss physicist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1925 – Jeanne Crain, an American actress.
• 1926 – Bill Sharman, an American basketball player and coach.
• 1929 – Beverly Sills, a famous American opera singer.
• 1930 – Sonia Rykiel, a French fashion designer.
• 1931 – Georgy Grechko, a Russian engineer and astronaut.
• 1939 – Dixie Carter, an American actress and singer.
• 1939 – Ian McKellen, a well-known English actor.
• 1944 – Frank Oz, an English-born American puppeteer, filmmaker, and actor (known for his work with the Muppets).
• 1948 – Klaus Meine, the lead singer of the rock band Scorpions.
• 1953 – Daniel Passarella, an Argentinian footballer and coach.
• 1958 – Paul Weller, an English singer, songwriter, and musician.
• 1963 – Mike Myers, a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and screenwriter.
• 1969 – Anne Heche, an American actress.
• 1970 – Octavia Spencer, a celebrated American actress and author.
• 1976 – Cillian Murphy, an Irish actor.
• 1979 – Jonny Wilkinson, a famous English rugby player.
• 1985 – Roman Reigns, an American football player and wrestler.
• 1986 – Geraint Thomas, a Welsh cyclist.
• 1994 – Aly Raisman, an American gymnast and Olympic medalist.
• 1996 – David Pastrňák, a Czech ice hockey player.

Notable Deaths

Some important people who passed away on May 25th include:

Before 1900

• 992 – Mieszko I of Poland, the first historical ruler of Poland.
• 1085 – Pope Gregory VII.
• 1261 – Pope Alexander IV.
• 1555 – Gemma Frisius, a Dutch physician and cartographer.
• 1681 – Pedro Calderón de la Barca, a Spanish poet and playwright.
• 1899 – Rosa Bonheur, a French painter and sculptor.

1901 to Present

• 1919 – Madam C. J. Walker, an American businesswoman and philanthropist.
• 1934 – Gustav Holst, an English composer.
• 1948 – Witold Pilecki, a Polish officer and Resistance leader during World War II.
• 1954 – Robert Capa, a Hungarian photographer and journalist.
• 1970 – Tom Patey, a Scottish mountaineer and author.
• 1979 – Amédée Gordini, an Italian-born French racing driver.
• 1983 – Idris of Libya, the former King of Libya.
• 1995 – Krešimir Ćosić, a Croatian basketball player.
• 2005 – Sunil Dutt, an Indian actor and politician.
• 2005 – Ismail Merchant, an Indian-born film producer and director.
• 2007 – Charles Nelson Reilly, an American actor and comedian.
• 2014 – Wojciech Jaruzelski, a Polish general and former President of Poland.
• 2021 – John Warner, an American attorney and politician.

Holidays and Observances

May 25th is a day for several special celebrations around the world:

• Africa Day (African Union)
• African Liberation Day (African Union, Rastafari)
• First National Government / National Day (Argentina)
• Geek Pride Day (celebrating geek culture)
• Independence Day in Jordan, celebrating its independence from the United Kingdom in 1946.
• Last bell (a school celebration in Russia and other post-Soviet countries)
• Liberation Day (Lebanon)
• International Missing Children's Day and its related observances:
  • National Missing Children's Day (United States)
• National Tap Dance Day (United States)
• Towel Day in honor of the writer Douglas Adams

See also

In Spanish: 25 de mayo para niños