March 25

Events
Up to 1900
421 - Venice is said to have been founded.
708 - Constantine is made Pope.
717 - Theodosius III resigns from the throne of the Byzantine Empire in order to enter the clergy.
1199 - King Richard I of England is wounded by a crossbow while fighting in France, leading to his death on April 6.
1306 - Robert the Bruce becomes King of Scotland.
1409 - The Council of Pisa opens.
1555 - The city of Valencia, Negros Oriental, Venezuela is founded.
1634 - The first settlers arrive in Maryland (led by Lord Baltimore).
1655 - Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is discovered by Christiaan Huygens.
1655 - Protestants take over Maryland at the Battle of the Severn.
1802 - The Treaty of Amiens is signed as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace" between France and the United Kingdom.
1807 - The Slave Trade Act becomes law, abolishing slavery in the United Kingdom.
1811 - Percy Bysshe Shelley is expelled by the University of Oxford for producing the pamphlet, The Necessity of Atheism.
1821 - Greece declares its independence from the Ottoman Empire, beginning the Greek War of Independence.
1865 - The "Claywater Meteorite" explodes just before reaching ground level in Vernon County, Wisconsin. Fragments having a combined mass of 1.5 kg are recovered.
1865 - American Civil War: In Virginia, Confederate forces capture Fort Stedman from the Union.
1894 - Coxey's Army, the first significant American protest march, departs Massillon, Ohio for Washington D.C..
1901 2000
1901 - At the five-day "Week of Nice" race in Nice, France, Mercedes wins its first racing victory.
1911 - In New York City the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire kills 146 garment workers.
1913 - Floods kill 300 people in Dayton, Ohio.
1918 - The Belarusian National Republic was established.
1924 - Greece proclaims itself a republic.
1931 - The Scottsboro Boys are arrested in Alabama and charged with rape.
1939 - Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli becomes Pope Pius XII.
1941 - Kingdom of Yugoslavia joins the Axis powers.
1947 - A explosion in a coalmine in Centralia, Illinois kills 111.
1949 - The extensive deportation campaign was conducted in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Soviet authorities deported more than 92,000 people from Baltics to remote areas of the Soviet Union.
1955 - United States Customs seizes Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" as obscene.
1957 - The European Economic Community is established (West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg). It later becomes the European Union.
1960 - In London, United Kingdom, Jacqueline Boyer wins the fifth Eurovision Song Contest for France singing "Tom Pillibi".
1961 - Sputnik 10 is launched into space.
1965 - Civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King, Jr. complete successfully their 4-day 50 mile march from Selma to the capitol in Montgomery.
1969 - During their honeymoon, John Lennon and Yoko Ono hold their first Bed-In for Peace in the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel (until March 31).
1971 - Bangladesh Liberation War: Beginning of Operation Searchlight of Pakistan Army against East Pakistani civilians.
1972 - In Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, Vicky Leandros wins the seventeenth Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg singing "Apres toi" (After you).
1975 - Faisal of Saudi Arabia is shot and killed by a mentally ill nephew.
1979 - The first fully functional space shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for its first launch.
1980 - The UK announces that it will participate in the Summer Olympics in Moscow.
1988 - The Candle Demonstration in Bratislava is the first mass demonstration of the 1980s against the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia.
1990 - In New York City, a fire at an illegal social club called "Happy Land" kills 87.
1992 - Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev returns to Earth after a 10-month stay aboard the Mir space station.
1992 - The Pakistan national cricket team wins the Cricket World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.
1995 - Ward Cunningham opens the first wiki, the Portland Pattern Repository.
1996 - An 81-day long standoff between the antigovernment group Montana Freemen and law enforcement in Jordan, Montana begins.
1996 - The EU's Veterinarian Committee bans the export of British beef and its by-products as a result of mad cow disease (BSE).
From 2001
2001 - Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland implement the Schengen Agreement.
2002 - An earthquake in Afghanistan kills 2,000 people.
2004 - Air Holland files for bankruptcy in response to unproven allegations of marijuana abuse by the their pilots.
2006 - Several anti-Government demonstrators are arrested in Belarus.
2012 - Hong Kong elects CY Leung as Chief Executive.
2014 - The first cases of the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa are officially reported in Guinea.
2015 - British Top Gear television presenter Jeremy Clarkson is fired by the BBC over a physical attack on a producer.
2015 - It is announced that Zayn Malik is leaving the boy band One Direction.
Births
Up to 1900
1157 - Alfonso II of Aragon (d. 1196)
1252 - Conradin, Duke of Swabia, King of Sicily and Jerusalem (d. 1268)
1259 - Andronikos II Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1332)
1297 - Andronikos III Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1341)
1345 - Blanche of Lancaster, wife of John of Gaunt (d. 1369)
1347 - Catherine of Siena, Italian saint (d. 1380)
1479 - Vasili III, Grand Prince of Moscow (d. 1533)
1539 - Christopher Clavius, German mathematician and astronomer (d. 1612)
1541 - Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1587)
1545 - John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (d. 1622)
1593 - Jean de Brebeuf, French-Canadian missionary and saint (d. 1649)
1661 - Paul de Rapin, French historian (d. 1725)
1714 - Matthew Griswold, American politician, Governor of Connecticut (d. 1799)
1767 - Joachim Murat, King of Naples (d. 1815)
1782 - Caroline Bonaparte, Queen of Naples (d. 1839)
1786 - Giovanni Battista Amici, Italian astronomer and botanist (d. 1863)
1808 - Jose de Espronceda, Spanish writer and poet (d. 1842)
1819 - Venceslaus Ulricus Hammershaimb, Faroese Lutheran minister and linguist (d. 1909)
1821 - Robert Bentley, English botanist (d. 1893)
1840 - Myles Keogh, American soldier of fortune (d. 1876)
1860 - Friedrich Naumann, German theologian and politician (d. 1919)
1865 - Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian-German painter (d. 1941)
1867 - Arturo Toscanini, Italian conductor (d. 1957)
1867 - Gutzon Borglum, American sculptor (d. 1941)
1868 - Bill Lockwood, English cricketer (d. 1932)
1871 - Louis Peree, French fencer (d. 1924)
1872 - Horatio Nelson Jackson, American racing driver and physician (d. 1955)
1873 - Rudolf Rocker, German anarchist (d. 1958)
1874 - Emperor Sunjong of Korea (d. 1926)
1876 - Irving Baxter, American jumper and pole vaulter (d. 1957)
1881 - Bela Bartok, Hungarian composer (d. 1945)
1884 - Georges Imbert, Alsatian chemist (d. 1950)
1886 - Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople (d. 1972)
1887 - Chuichi Nagumi, Japanese admiral (d. 1944)
1901 1950
1901 - Ed Begley, American actor (d. 1970)
1905 - Pote Sarasin, Thai politician (d. 2000)
1908 - David Lean, British movie director (d. 1991)
1910 - Magda Olivero, Italian operatic soprano (d. 2014)
1911 - Jack Ruby, assassin of Lee Harvey Oswald (d. 1967)
1914 - Norman Borlaug, American agronomist (d. 2009)
1920 - Patrick Troughton, English actor (d. 1987)
1920 - Paul Scott, British novelist (d. 1987)
1921 - Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, Queen of Yugoslavia (d. 1993)
1921 - Simone Signoret, French actress (d. 1985)
1921 - Nancy Kelly, American actress (d. 1995)
1922 - Eileen Ford, American model agency executive (d. 2014)
1924 - Machiko Kyo, Japanese actress
1926 - Laszlo Papp, Hungarian boxer (d. 2003)
1926 - Riz Ortolani, Italian composer (d. 2014)
1926 - Jaime Sabines, Mexican poet (d. 1999)
1926 - Gene Shalit, American journalist and critic
1927 - P. Shanmugam, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Puducherry
1928 - Roald Aas, Norwegian speed skater (d. 2012)
1928 - Jim Lovell, American astronaut
1930 - Carlo Mauri, Italian mountaineer (d. 1982)
1931 - Paul Motian, American jazz drummer and composer (d. 2011)
1932 - Roger Wilkins, American civil rights activist and journalist (d. 2017)
1934 - Gloria Steinem, American feminist and publisher
1934 - Karlheinz Schreiber, German-Canadian industrialist, lobbyist and arms dealer
1937 - Tom Monaghan, American businessman, founded Domino's Pizza
1938 - Hoyt Axton, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1999)
1938 - Daniel Buren, French sculptor and painter
1940 - Mina, Italian singer
1940 - Anita Bryant, American singer
1940 - Anker Buch, Danish violinist (d. 2014)
1942 - Aretha Franklin, American singer (d. 2018)
1942 - Richard O'Brien, English actor, writer and composer
1942 - Kim Woodburn, English television personality
1946 - Daniel Bensaid, French philosopher (d. 2010)
1947 - Elton John, English singer and songwriter
1951 1975
1951 - Maizie Williams, Montserratian-English performer (Boney M.)
1952 - Stephen Dorrell, English politician
1952 - Antanas Mockus, Colombian mathematician, philosopher and politician, Mayor of Bogota
1955 - Lee Mazzilli, American baseball player, coach and manager
1955 - Jim Shannon, Northern Irish politician
1957 - Christina Boxer, English runner
1957 - Aleksandr Puchkov, Russian hurdler
1958 - John Ensign, American politician
1958 - James McDaniel, American actor and director
1960 - Steve Norman, English saxophonist, songwriter and producer (Spandau Ballet)
1960 - Brenda Strong, American actress
1962 - David Nuttall, English politician
1962 - Marcia Cross, American actress
1963 - Karen Bruce, English dancer and choreographer
1964 - Mike Henry, American voice actor, writer and producer
1964 - Rene Meulensteen, Dutch footballer and coach
1965 - Avery Johnson, American basketball coach
1965 - Sarah Jessica Parker, American actress
1965 - Frank Ordenewitz, German footballer
1966 - Frank Ferrer, American musician (Guns N' Roses)
1966 - Jeff Healey, Canadian guitarist (d. 2008)
1967 - Debi Thomas, American figure skater
1969 - Cathy Dennis, English singer-songwriter, producer and actress
1970 - Magnus Larsson, Swedish golfer
1971 - Sheryl Swoopes, American basketball player
1972 - Yuichi Yoshimoto, Japanese footballer
1972 - Phil O'Donnell, Scottish footballer (d. 2007)
1973 - Michaela Dorfmeister, Austrian skier
1973 - Anders Friden, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
1974 - Kseniya Rappoport, Russian actress
1975 - Melanie Blatt, British singer
From 1976
1976 - Reema Vakarua, New Zealand-Italian rugby player
1976 - Cha Tae-hyun, South Korean actor and singer
1976 - GiGi Leung, Hong Kong actress and singer
1976 - Wladimir Klitschko, Ukrainian boxer
1979 - Muriel Hurtis-Houari, French athlete
1981 - Casey Neistadt, American YouTube personality and filmmaker
1982 - Danica Patrick, American racecar driver
1984 - Katharine McPhee, American singer and actress
1985 - Carmen Rasmussen, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and actress
1987 - Jason Castro, American singer
1987 - Nobunari Oda, Japanese figure skater
1987 - Jacob Bagersted, Danish handball player
1987 - Victor Obinna, Nigerian footballer
1988 - Erik Knudsen, Canadian actor
1988 - Ryan Lewis, American DJ and producer
1989 - Scott Sinclair, English footballer
1989 - Alyson Michalka, American actress
1991 - Seychelle Gabriel, American actress
1991 - Samia Yusuf Omar, Somali sprinter (d. 2012)
2005 - Zack Raines,Great Canadian
Deaths
Up to 1900
752 - Pope-elect Stephen
1223 - Afonso II of Portugal (b. 1185)
1345 - Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster (b. 1281)
1558 - Marcos de Niza, French friar and explorer (b. 1495)
1583 - Juan de Garay, Spanish conquistador (b. 1528)
1620 - Johannes Nucius, German composer (b. 1556)
1732 - Lucy Filippini, Italian saint (b. 1672)
1751 - Frederick I of Sweden (b. 1676)
1801 - Novalis, German poet (b. 1772)
1818 - Caspar Wessel, Norwegian-Danish mathematician and cartographer (b. 1745)
1860 - James Braid, Scottish surgeon and physician (b. 1795)
1862 - John Peisley, first Australian born bushranger, hanged (b. 1835)
1873 - Wilhelm Marstrand, Danish painter (b. 1810)
1901 2000
1914 - Frederic Mistral, French poet (b. 1830)
1917 - Spyridon Samaras, Greek composer (b. 1861)
1918 - Claude Debussy, French composer (b. 1862)
1919 - Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German sculptor and artist (b. 1881)
1931 - Ida B. Wells, American journalist and activist (b. 1862)
1932 - Harriet Backer, Norwegian painter (b. 1845)
1945 - Franz Oppenhoff, German jurist and Mayor of Aachen (b. 1902)
1957 - Max Ophuls, German director and screenwriter (b. 1902)
1967 - Renato Cellini, Italian conductor (b. 1913)
1969 - Max Eastman, American poet (b. 1883)
1973 - Edward Steichen, Luxembourg-American photographer (b. 1879)
1975 - Faisal of Saudi Arabia (b. 1906)
1975 - Juan Gaudino, Argentine racing driver (b. 1893)
1979 - Akinoumi Setsuo, Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1914)
1980 - Roland Barthes, French literary critic and writer (b. 1915)
1980 - Walter Susskind, Czech conductor (b. 1913)
1988 - Robert Joffrey, American dancer, choreographer and director (b. 1931)
1991 - Marcel Lefebvre, French archbishop (b. 1905)
1992 - Nancy Walker, American actress (b. 1922)
1994 - Max Petitpierre, Swiss politician (b. 1899)
1999 - Cal Ripken, Sr., American baseball manager (b. 1936)
From 2001
2002 - Kenneth Wolstenholme, British football commentator (b. 1920)
2005 - Paul Henning, American TV and movie producer (b. 1911)
2006 - Buck Owens, American singer and TV personality (b. 1926)
2007 - Andranik Margaryan, Armenian politician (b. 1951)
2008 - Abby Mann, American movie writer and producer (b. 1927)
2009 - Yukio Endo, Japanese gymnast (b. 1937)
2010 - Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, German political scientist (b. 1916)
2012 - Antonio Tabucchi, Italian writer (b. 1943)
2014 - Nanda, Indian actress (b. 1939)
2014 - Ralph Wilson, American businessman (b. 1918)
2014 - Jerry Roberts, British World War II code breaker (b. 1920)
2014 - Mohammad Ebrahim Bastani Parizi, Iranian historian and writer (b. 1924)
2014 - Jonathan Schell, American writer, journalist and activist (b. 1943)
2014 - Sonny Ruberto, American baseball player (b. 1946)
2015 - George Fischbeck, American weatherman (b. 1922)
2015 - Ivo Garrani, Italian actor (b. 1924)
2015 - Dick Bond, American politician (b. 1921)
2015 - Bill Slayback, American baseball player (b. 1948)
2015 - Ron Suart, English footballer (b. 1920)
2016 - Abu Ala al-Afri, Iraqi militant (b. 1958)
2016 - Clodomir Santos de Morais, Brazilian sociologist (b. 1928)
2016 - Paolo Poli, Italian actor (b. 1929)
2016 - Imre Pozsgay, Hungarian politician (b. 1933)
2016 - David Snellgrove, British Tibetologist (b. 1920)
2017 - Teodor Oizerman, Soviet-Russian philosopher (b. 1914)
2017 - Cuthbert Sebastian, Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis (b. 1921)
Observances
Annunciation of Blessed Virgin Mary (Catholicism)
Lady Day - Old official New Year's Day, before it was changed to January 1
Mother's Day (Slovenia)
Independence Day in Greece
Maryland Day
Days of the year