October 25
is the 298th day of the year (299th in
leap years) in the
Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining.
*
1147 - The Portuguese, under
Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer
Lisbon.
*
1415 - The army of
Henry V of England defeats the French at the
Battle of Agincourt.
*
1616 - Dutch sea-captain
Dirk Hartog makes second recorded landfall by a European on
Australian soil, at the later-named
Dirk Hartog Island off the
Western Australian coast.
*
1747 - British fleet under Admiral Sir
Edward Hawke defeats French at the
second battle of Cape Finisterre.
*
1760 -
George III becomes
King of Great Britain*
1813 -
War of 1812:
Canadians and
Mohawks defeat the
Americans in the
Battle of Chateauguay.
*
1828 - The
St Katharine Docks opened in
London.
*
1854 - The
Battle of Balaklava during the
Crimean War (
Charge of the Light Brigade).
*
1861 - The
Toronto Stock Exchange was created.
*
1900 - The
United Kingdom annexes the
Transvaal.
*
1917 - The
Bolshevik Revolution commences (according to the
Julian calendar, which Russia used at the time of the Revolution. On the
Gregorian calendar, the date was
November 7).
*
1922 - The
Dail of the
Irish Free State approves the constitution of the new state, formally bringing it into being.
*
1923 - The
United States Senate begins investigating the
Teapot Dome scandal*
1924 - The forged
Zinoviev Letter is published in the
Daily Mail, wrecking the
British Labour Party's hopes of re-election.
*
1935 -
Hurricane floods
Haiti, killing over 2,000 people.
*
1936 -
Adolf Hitler and
Benito Mussolini create the
Rome-
Berlin Axis.
*
1938 - The
Archbishop of Dubuque,
Francis J. L. Beckman, denounces
Swing music as "a degenerated musical system... turned loose to gnaw away at the moral fiber of young people", warning that it leads down a "primrose path to
hell".
*
1944 -
Japan launches first
kamikaze attacks, during the
Battle of Leyte Gulf* 1944 -
Heinrich Himmler orders a crackdown on the
Edelweiss Pirates, a loosely organized
youth culture in
Nazi Germany that had assisted army deserters and others to hide from the
Third Reich* 1944 - The
USS Tang (SS-306) under
Richard O'Kane (the top submarine captain of World War II) is sunk by her own torpedo.
* 1944 - The
Romanian Army liberates
Carei, the last
Romanian city under
Axis Powers' occupation.
*
1945 - The
Republic of China takes over administration of
Taiwan following Japan's surrender to
the Allies.
*
1962 -
Cuban missile crisis:
Adlai Stevenson shows photos at the
UN proving
Soviet missiles are installed in
Cuba*
1971 - The
United Nations seated the
People's Republic of China and expelled the
Republic of China (see
political status of Taiwan and
China and the United Nations)
*
1972 -
The Washington Post reports that
White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman was the fifth person to control a secret cash fund designed to finance illegal political
sabotage and
espionage during the 1972 presidential election campaign (see also
Watergate scandal)
*
1980 Proceedings on the
Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction conclude at
The Hague *
1983 -
Operation Urgent Fury: The
United States and its
Caribbean allies invade
Grenada, six days after
Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and several of his supporters were
executed in a
coup d'état.
*
1986 - The
New York Mets defeat the
Boston Red Sox due to
Bill Buckner's famous error in
Game 6 of the
World Series and go on to win the championship two days later.
*
1991 -
History of Slovenia: Three months after the end of the
Ten-Day War, the last soldier of the
Yugoslav People's Army leaves the territory of the
Republic of Slovenia.
*
1992 -
Latvia establishes its first post-Soviet
constitution.
*
1993 -
Jean Chrétien becomes
prime minister of
Canada with a massive majority for his
Liberal Party in a
general election in which the governing
Progressive Conservatives, led by
Kim Campbell, lost 149 of 151 seats in the
parliament.
*
1995 -
A commuter train slams into a school bus in
Fox River Grove, Illinois, killing seven students.
*
1997 - After a brief
civil war which has driven President
Pascal Lissouba out of
Brazzaville,
Denis Sassou-Nguesso proclaims himself the President of the
Republic of the Congo.
*
2001 -
Windows XP is offically released.
*
2003 - The
Cedar Fire is reported at 5:37 pm. It becomes the largest
wildfire in
California history.
* 2003 -
Australia defeat
Namibia in the
2003 Rugby World Cup by a record 142 points to zero.
*
2004 -
Fidel Castro,
Cuba's President, announces that transactions using the American Dollar will be banned by
November 8th.
*
1102 -
William Clito, Count of Flanders (d.
1128)
*
1330 -
Louis II of Flanders (d.
1384)
*
1683 -
Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, British politician (d.
1757)
*
1692 -
Elizabeth Farnese, queen of
Philip V of Spain (d.
1766)
*
1759 -
Maria Fyodorovna of Russia, second wife of Tsar
Paul I of Russia (d.
1828)
*
1767 -
Benjamin Constant, Swiss writer (d.
1830)
*
1772 -
Geraud Duroc, French general (d.
1813)
*
1806 -
Max Stirner, German philosopher (d.
1856)
*
1811 -
Évariste Galois, French mathematician (d.
1832)
*
1825 -
Johann Strauss II, Austrian composer (d.
1899)
*
1838 -
Georges Bizet, French composer (d.
1875)
*
1856 -
Dragutin Gorjanovic-Kramberger, Croatian paleontologist (d.
1936)
*
1864 -
Alexander Gretchaninov, Russian composer (d.
1956)
*
1867 -
Józef Dowbór-Muśnicki, Polish general (d.
1937)
*
1869 -
John Heisman, American football coach (d.
1936)
*
1881 -
Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter and sculptor (d.
1973)
*
1888 -
Richard E. Byrd, American explorer (d.
1957)
*
1889 -
Abel Gance, French screenwriter (d.
1981)
*
1892 -
Leo G. Carroll, English actor (d.
1972)
*
1895 -
Levi Eshkol,
Prime Minister of Israel (d.
1969)
*
1902 -
Eddie Lang, American jazz guitarist (d.
1933)
*
1903 -
Katharine Byron, U.S. Congresswoman (d.
1976)
*
1908 -
Edmond Pidoux, Swiss writer (d.
2004)
*
1910 -
William Higinbotham, American physicist (d.
1994)
*
1912 -
Minnie Pearl, American comedienne and singer (d.
1996)
*
1913 -
Klaus Barbie, Nazi war criminal (d.
1991)
*
1914 -
John Berryman, American poet (d.
1972)
*
1915 -
Ivan M. Niven, Canadian mathematician (d.
1999)
*
1921 - King
Michael I of Romania*
1924 -
Billy Barty, American actor (d.
2000)
*
1926 -
Galina Vishnevskaya, Russian soprano
*
1927 -
Barbara Cook, American singer and actress
*
1928 -
Marion Ross, American actress
*
1931 -
Jimmy McIlroy, Irish footballer and football manager
*
1932 -
Harry Gregg, Irish footballer and football manager
*
1935 -
Russell Schweickart, astronaut
*
1940 -
Bobby Knight, American basketball coach
*
1941 -
Anne Tyler, American novelist
*
1942 -
Helen Reddy, Australian singer
*
1944 -
Jon Anderson, English singer (
Yes)
* 1944 -
James Carville, American political operative
*
1948 -
Dan Gable, American wrestler and coach
* 1948 -
Glenn Tipton, English guitarist
* 1948 -
Dan Issel, American basketball player
* 1948 -
Dave Cowens, basketball player and coach
*
1954 -
Mike Eruzione, American hockey player
*
1955 -
Robin Eubanks, American jazz trombonist
*
1959 -
Nancy Cartwright, American voice actress
*
1961 -
Grover Waldrop, American biochemist
*
1962 -
Chad Smith, American drummer (
Red Hot Chili Peppers)
* 1962 -
Darlene Vogel, American actress
*
1964 -
Nicole, German singer
*
1966 -
Perry Satullo, American professional wrestler
*
1970 -
J.A. Adande, American sports columnist
* 1970 -
Adam Pascal, American actor
* 1970 -
Ed Robertson, Canadian musician (
Barenaked Ladies)
*
1971 -
Pedro Martínez, Dominican
Major League Baseball player
* 1971 -
Midori, Japanese violinist
* 1971 -
Simon Charlton, English footballer
* 1971 -
Athena Chu, Hong Kong actress and singer
*
1976 -
Steve Jones, Irish footballer
* 1976 -
Joshua P. Warren, American author
*
1977 -
Birgit Prinz, German footballer
*
1978 -
Russell Anderson, Scottish footballer
* 1978 -
Markus Pöyhönen, Finnish athlete
*
1979 -
Sarah Thompson, American actress
* 1979 -
Tony Torcato, baseball player
*
1981 -
Shaun Wright-Phillips, English footballer
*
1982 -
Eman Lam, Hong Kong singer
*
1984 -
Sara Lumholdt, Swedish musician (
A-Teens)
*
1985 -
Ciara Harris, American singer
*
1986 -
Eddie Gaven, American footballer
*
1995 -
Conchita Campbell, Canadian actress
*
304 -
Pope Marcellinus (martyred)
*
625 -
Pope Boniface V*
1047 - King
Magnus I of Norway (b.
1024)
*
1154 - King
Stephen of England (b.
1096)
*
1230 -
Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, English soldier (b.
1180)
*
1400 -
Geoffrey Chaucer, English poet
*
1415 - Killed in the
Battle of Agincourt:
**
Charles d'Albret, Count of Dreux and Constable of France
**
John I of Alençon (b.
1385)
**
Antoine, Duke of Brabant (b.
1384)
**
Philip of Burgundy, Count of Nevers and Rethel (b.
1389)
**
Frederick of Lorraine (born
1371)
**
Philip II, Count of Nevers (b.
1389)
**
Michael de la Pole, 3rd Earl of Suffolk (born
1394)
**
Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York (born
1373)
*
1492 -
Thaddeus McCarthy, Irish Catholic bishop
*
1495 - King
John II of Portugal (b.
1455)
*
1514 -
William Elphinstone, Scottish bishop and statesman (b.
1431)
*
1555 -
Olympia Fulvia Morata, Italian classical scholar (b.
1526)
*
1557 -
William Cavendish, English politician (b.
1505)
*
1633 -
Jean Titelouze, French organist
*
1647 -
Evangelista Torricelli, Italian physicist and mathematician (b.
1608)
*
1683 -
William Scroggs, Lord Chief Justice of England
*
1733 -
Giovanni Gerolamo Saccheri, Italian mathematician (b.
1667)
*
1757 -
Antoine Augustine Calmet, French theologian (b.
1672)
*
1760 -
George II of Great Britain (b.
1683)
*
1833 -
Abbas Mirza, prince of Persia (b.
1789)
*
1889 -
Émile Augier, French dramatist (b.
1820)
*
1895 -
Charles Hallé, German pianist and conductor (b.
1819)
*
1910 -
Willie Anderson, Scottish-born golfer (b.
1878)
*
1920 - King
Alexander I of Greece (bitten by a pet monkey) (b.
1893)
*
1921 -
Bat Masterson, American journalist and lawman
*
1938 -
Alfonsina Storni, Argentine poet (b.
1892)
*
1953 -
Holger Pedersen, Danish linguist (b.
1867)
*
1957 -
Albert Anastasia, Italian-born gangster (b.
1902)
* 1957 -
Lord Dunsany, Irish writer (b.
1878)
*
1963 -
Roger Désormière, French conductor (b.
1898)
*
1965 -
Eduard Einstein, Second son of Albert Einstein who suffered from schizophrenia (b.
1910)
*
1973 -
Cleo Moore, American film star (b.
1928)
* 1973 -
Abebe Bikila, Ethiopian athlete (b.
1932)
*
1980 -
Virgil Fox, American organist (b.
1912)
*
1985 -
Gary Holton, English actor, famous for his role in
Auf Wiedersehen Pet (b.
1952)
*
1986 -
Forrest Tucker, America actor (b.
1919)
*
1991 -
Bill Graham, German-born concert promoter (b.
1931)
*
1992 -
Roger Miller, American musician and composer (b.
1936)
*
1993 -
Danny Chan, Hong Kong singer, actor, and songwriter (b.
1958)
* 1993 -
Vincent Price, American actor (b.
1911)
*
1994 -
Kara Spears Hultgreen American naval aviator
USS Abraham Lincoln (b.
1965)
*
1995 -
Bobby Riggs, American tennis player (b.
1918)
*
1999 -
Payne Stewart, American golfer (b.
1957)
*
2002 -
Richard Harris, Irish actor (b.
1930)
* 2002 -
Paul Wellstone, U.S. Senator from Minnesota (b.
1944)
*
2003 -
Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish cross-country skier (b.
1925)
*
2004 -
John Peel, British disc jockey (b.
1939)
*
2005 -
Wellington Mara, American football team owner (b.
1916)
*
R.C. Saints - Feast day of Saints
Crispin and Crispian; Six Welsh martyrs and companions; forty martyrs of England and Wales
* Also see
October 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *
Kazakhstan -
Republic Day *
Republic of China - Taiwan Retrocession Day (
1945)
*
Virgin Islands -
Thanksgiving Day : end of the hurricane season
* Day of the
Romanian Army*
BBC: On This Day October 24 -
October 26 -
September 25 -
November 25 - more
historical anniversaries 
