1595 Italian priest St Philip Neri, the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory in Rome, died on May 25, 1595. Neri introduced devotional services in his Oratory (or prayer hall) at Rome and it is from this that the term 'oratorio' comes. The services included acting, sermons, prayers, hymn singing, and devotional music and were intended for the reform of the youth of the city.
1770 The last outbreak of bubonic plague in Western Europe started in Marseilles, France when the Grand St Antoine merchant ship docked at the port there on May 25, 1770. Known as the Great Plague of Marseille, it killed around 100,000: half in the city itself and half in the surrounding towns and provinces.
1810 The Argentine population rose against Spanish rule in 1810. On May 25, 1810 The Primera Junta, the first independent government in Argentina, was established in an open cabildo in Buenos Aires, marking the end of the May revolution. May 25th is celebrated each year as the National Day of Argentina, a public holiday remembering the First National Government of Argentina.
1816 Kublai Khan was written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge one night in 1797 after reading a work describing Xanadu, the summer palace of the Mongol ruler and Emperor of China, Kublai Khan. Not feeling well, he took some opium and fell asleep in his chair. Coleridge had an opium-influenced dream in which he composed from two to three hundred lines. Upon waking, he set about writing the lines of poetry that came to him during the dream. The poem was published on May 25, 1816.
1826 On Christmas Eve 1797 the author Sir Walter Scott married the beautiful French woman Charlotte Margaret Carpenter. They had five children, and the couple remained happy until the death of Charlotte after three decades of marriage on May 25, 1826.
1827 The fountain pen was made available in Europe in the 17th century with diarist Samuel Pepys being the first recorded user in 1663. While a student in Paris, Romanian Petrache Poenaru received the world's first fountain pen patent on May 25, 1827. It was for his invention of a fountain pen with a barrel made from a large swan quill.
1850 Obaysch, the first hippopotamus seen in Europe since the days of the Roman Empire, arrived at London Zoo on May 25, 1850. He was captured on an island on the White Nile when he was less than one year old. His name was derived from the name of the island. Obaysch was an instant sensation in London, attracting up to 10,000 visitors each day, and spawning a trade in hippo memorabilia. The number of visitors to the Zoo in 1850 was double of that the previous year.
1878 Gilbert and Sullivan's fourth operatic collaboration, H.M.S. Pinafore, opened at the Opera Comique in London, on May 25, 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical theater piece up to that time. H.M.S. Pinafore was Gilbert and Sullivan's first international sensation. Its triumphant American premiere in 1879 made comic opera the most popular musical form for the rest of the century in the States.
1879 America's first Cardinal, John McCloskey, dedicated the just-completed St. Patrick's Cathedral on May 25, 1879 in midtown Manhattan. After more than 20 years of construction, the Gothic revival cathedral becomes the centerpiece for Catholics in the United States
1881 The dwarf George Nutt died on May 25, 1881. He was touring New England with a circus when P. T. Barnum hired him to appear at the American Museum in New York City. Barnum gave Nutt the stage name Commodore Nutt, a wardrobe that included naval uniforms, and a miniature carriage in the shape of an English walnut. Nutt became one of the Museum's major attractions.
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| Philip Romolo Neri |
1770 The last outbreak of bubonic plague in Western Europe started in Marseilles, France when the Grand St Antoine merchant ship docked at the port there on May 25, 1770. Known as the Great Plague of Marseille, it killed around 100,000: half in the city itself and half in the surrounding towns and provinces.
1810 The Argentine population rose against Spanish rule in 1810. On May 25, 1810 The Primera Junta, the first independent government in Argentina, was established in an open cabildo in Buenos Aires, marking the end of the May revolution. May 25th is celebrated each year as the National Day of Argentina, a public holiday remembering the First National Government of Argentina.
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| The people gathered in front of the Buenos Aires Cabildo. By Ceferino Carnacini Wikipedia |
1816 Kublai Khan was written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge one night in 1797 after reading a work describing Xanadu, the summer palace of the Mongol ruler and Emperor of China, Kublai Khan. Not feeling well, he took some opium and fell asleep in his chair. Coleridge had an opium-influenced dream in which he composed from two to three hundred lines. Upon waking, he set about writing the lines of poetry that came to him during the dream. The poem was published on May 25, 1816.
1826 On Christmas Eve 1797 the author Sir Walter Scott married the beautiful French woman Charlotte Margaret Carpenter. They had five children, and the couple remained happy until the death of Charlotte after three decades of marriage on May 25, 1826.
1827 The fountain pen was made available in Europe in the 17th century with diarist Samuel Pepys being the first recorded user in 1663. While a student in Paris, Romanian Petrache Poenaru received the world's first fountain pen patent on May 25, 1827. It was for his invention of a fountain pen with a barrel made from a large swan quill.
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| Poenaru's patent |
1850 Obaysch, the first hippopotamus seen in Europe since the days of the Roman Empire, arrived at London Zoo on May 25, 1850. He was captured on an island on the White Nile when he was less than one year old. His name was derived from the name of the island. Obaysch was an instant sensation in London, attracting up to 10,000 visitors each day, and spawning a trade in hippo memorabilia. The number of visitors to the Zoo in 1850 was double of that the previous year.
1878 Gilbert and Sullivan's fourth operatic collaboration, H.M.S. Pinafore, opened at the Opera Comique in London, on May 25, 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical theater piece up to that time. H.M.S. Pinafore was Gilbert and Sullivan's first international sensation. Its triumphant American premiere in 1879 made comic opera the most popular musical form for the rest of the century in the States.
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| Theatre poster, 1879 |
1879 America's first Cardinal, John McCloskey, dedicated the just-completed St. Patrick's Cathedral on May 25, 1879 in midtown Manhattan. After more than 20 years of construction, the Gothic revival cathedral becomes the centerpiece for Catholics in the United States
1881 The dwarf George Nutt died on May 25, 1881. He was touring New England with a circus when P. T. Barnum hired him to appear at the American Museum in New York City. Barnum gave Nutt the stage name Commodore Nutt, a wardrobe that included naval uniforms, and a miniature carriage in the shape of an English walnut. Nutt became one of the Museum's major attractions.
1910 The Wright Brothers promised their father, Milton, they would never fly together. They wanted to ensure that one brother would always be left to continue their flight experiments. They made one exception, a six-minute flight near Dayton on May 25, 1910, with Orville piloting and Wilbur the passenger.
1919 Sarah Breedlove, the first female self-made millionaire in America, died on May 25, 1919.
Sarah Breedlove, known as Madam C. J. Walker, was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist.. She made her fortune by developing and marketing a successful line of beauty and hair products for black women under the company she founded, Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company.
1935 The Staffordshire Bull Terrier bred in the 19th century as a fighting dog attained recognition as a breed by the Kennel Club on May 25, 1935. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club was formed one month later. Staffies are nicknamed the ‘nanny dog' because they are reputed to be good with children.
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| Profile shot of a white Staffordshire Bull Terrier |
1937 Ronald Reagan enlisted in the Army Enlisted Reserve on April 29, 1937 and was assigned to the 323rd Cavalry in Des Moines, Iowa. He performed duties such as public relations and training films production during World War II. Due to his poor eyesight, Reagan was not deployed overseas and did not see combat. Reagan was later transferred to the Army Air Forces (AAF) in 1942 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He served in the AAF as a public relations officer.
1946 The remains of 23 people were discovered in the home of French doctor Marcel Petiot in Paris during World War II. After his crimes were discovered, Petiot grew a beard and joined the police using the alias Captain Valeri. "Valeri" was assigned to find Petiot until someone recognized him, months later. He was beheaded on May 25, 1946. The serial killer is suspected of the murder of around 60 victims during his lifetime, although the true number remains unknown.
1947 Mahatma Gandhi temporarily lost one of his most prized possessions on May 25, 1947 when a thief took the five shilling watch which for 25 years had dangled from his loincloth. The thief is believed to have mingled with crowds which mobbed the leader of the Indian independence movement at Kanpur railway station on his way to Delhi. The thief felt remorse and returned it six months later.
1961 During an address to Congress on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy proposed a national goal of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" by the end of the 1960s. Kennedy's goal was accomplished on the Apollo 11 mission when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin landed their Lunar Module in July 1969, and walked on the lunar surface.
1967 John Lennon took delivery of his Rolls-Royce - hand-painted in bright, psychedelic colors - on May 25, 1967. The Beatle officially gave up driving when he wound up with 17 stitches after crashing his car in 1969.
1977 The film Star Wars (later subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981) was released on May 25, 1977. The Star Wars movies are said to have been inspired by Akira Kurosawa's films Yojimbo and The Hidden Fortress. Marcia Lucas, George Lucas' then wife, was the reason for major changes to the original Star Wars film. Princess Leia's good luck kiss, Obi Wan's death and re-editing the trench run to increase tension were all her ideas. She won the Academy Award for editing the film.
1979 When six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared from the street just two blocks away from his New York City home on May 25, 1979, it prompted an international search for the child, and caused U.S. President Ronald Reagan to designate May 25th as National Missing Children's Day in 1983.
1979 During take-off from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on May 25, 1979, an engine detached from American Airlines Flight 191, causing a crash that killed a total of 273 people. It was the deadliest aviation accident in United States history.
1986 Hands Across America was a public fundraising event on Sunday, May 25, 1986, when 5 to 6.5 million people held hands for 15 minutes in an attempt to form a continuous human chain across the contiguous United States. They raised $34 million for homeless and antipoverty charities.
2001 Douglas Adams wrote in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy that a towel "is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have." Towel Day was first observed on May 25, 2001, two weeks after Adams' death at the age of 49. The observance of Towel Day involves fans of Adams carrying towels with them throughout the day as a humorous and symbolic gesture, as towels hold great significance in Adams' book series.
2015 Holstein cow Blosom was the tallest cow ever standing at 190 centimetres, or just a little over 6.2 feet. Blossom's height was due to a combination of genetics and her diet. She was fed a high-quality diet that included corn, soybeans, and hay. She also received regular exercise, which helped to keep her muscles strong. Blosom passed away on May 25, 2015 from an irreparable leg injury.
2020 Outrage erupted worldwide following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On May 25, 2020 , a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, causing his death. Bystander video of the incident sparked mass protests, demanding justice and an end to racial injustice and police brutality.
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