What Happened on May 25

Battle Of Freetown

The Battle of Freetown was a skirmish between American colonists and a British naval ship during the American Revolutionary War. The action took... Read more

Battle of St. Louis

The British arrived on May 26 and savagely handled a group of farmers and slaves on the outskirts of town before rushing into the deadly volleys... Read more

Ralph Waldo Emerson is Born

Essayist, philosopher, and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston on May 25, 1803. Son and grandson of Protestant divines, Emerson attended... Read more

Felling Mine Disaster

On the 25th of May, 1812, an explosion occurred at Brandling Main, of Felling Colliery, near Gateshead-on-Tyne, which was attended with a more... Read more

John Quincy Adams Speaks To The House

Former President John Quincy Adams also expressed his belief that the war was fundamentally an effort to expand slavery in a speech he gave before... Read more

"Blind Tom" Wiggins is born

Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins was born on May 25, 1849 on the Wiley Edward Jones Plantation in Harris County, Georgia. Blind at birth, he was sold in... Read more

Ex Parte Merryman

On May 25, 1861, a secessionist named John Merryman was imprisoned by military order at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Md., for his alleged... Read more

First Battle of Winchester - Stonewall Jackson Defeats Nathaniel P. Banks

Description: After skirmishing with Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks’s retreating army at Middletown and Newtown on May 24, Maj. Gen. T.J. Jackson’s... Read more

Battle of New Hope Church - Hooker's Forces Defeated

Description: After Johnston retreated to Allatoona Pass on May 19-20, Sherman decided that he would most likely pay dearly for attacking Johnston... Read more

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson is Born

Legendary jazz tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was born on May 25, 1878, in Richmond, Virginia. His given name was Luther, but he despised it... Read more

Oscar Wilde is Sentenced to Two Years Hard Labor

It is no use for me to address you. People who can do these things must be dead to all sense of shame, and one cannot hope to produce any effect... Read more

Battle of Nanshan

On 24 May 1904, during a heavy thunderstorm, the Japanese Fourth Division attacked the walled town of Chinchou (modern-day Jinzhou 金州), just north... Read more

'Exiles' is Published

Critics of Joyce have usually paid less attention to this play than to his other work. In the literary career of Joyce, it is both important and... Read more

Jesse Owens sets 3 world records in 45 minutes at Ohio State

Owens attended The Ohio State University only after employment was found for his father, ensuring the family could be supported. Affectionately... Read more

First Transport of Prisoners to the Mauthausen-Gusen Nazi Concentration Camp Complex

Mauthausen Concentration Camp and its sub Labor camp Gusen, combined to form the Mauthausen-Gusen Nazi concentration camp, were located near the... Read more

President Kennedy First Announces Goal of Landing a Man on the Moon

President Kennedy was also eager for the United States to lead the way in exploring space. The Soviet Union was ahead of the United States in its... Read more

"Midnight Cowboy" Is Released

Midnight Cowboy is a 1969 American drama film based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. It was written by Waldo Salt, directed... Read more

"Frenzy" Is Released

Frenzy is a 1972 thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and is the penultimate feature film of his extensive career. The film is based upon... Read more

Lauryn Hill Born

Lauryn Noel Hill is an American recording artist, musician, producer and actress. Early in her career, she established her reputation in the... Read more

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Released

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released simply as Star Wars, is an American 1977 space opera film, written and directed by George... Read more

Montreal Canadiens win Stanley Cup

The 1978 Stanley Cup Final championship series was contested by the Boston Bruins and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens, making their... Read more

AC/DC releases Powerage

Powerage is the fifth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in May 1978. It is also AC/DC's fourth international studio album.... Read more

American Airlines Flight 191 Crashes during Take-off

At just after 3 p.m. on May 25, 1979, an American Airlines DC-10 crashed shortly after takeoff killing all 271 on board and two on the ground. The... Read more

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan.... Read more

"It's a trap!" - Admiral Ackbar Stars in the End of Return of the Jedi

Admiral Ackbar (played by Timothy M. Rose) is a character in the Star Wars fictional universe. He first appears in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of... Read more