February 25 in History

30 events 138 – 2026

February 25 spans 30 recorded events across recorded history, from 138 to 2026. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By · — Wikipedia

1947 — The formal abolition of Prussia is proclaimed by the Allied Control Council, the Prussian government having already been abolished by the Preußenschlag of 1932

More major events on February 25

The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.

  1. 1986 People Power Revolution: President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the Philippines' first female president. Source
  2. 1933 Launch of the USS Ranger at Newport News, Virginia. It is the first purpose-built aircraft carrier to be commissioned by the US Navy. Source
  3. 1951 The first Pan American Games are officially opened in Buenos Aires by Argentine President Juan Perón. Source

Did you know

In 1947, The formal abolition of Prussia is proclaimed by the Allied Control Council, the Prussian government having already been abolished by the Preußenschlag of 1932. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

The Allied Control Council (ACC) or Allied Control Authority, also referred to as the Four Powers, was the governing body of the Allied occupation zones in Germany (1945–1949/1991) and Austria (1945–1955) following the end of World War II in Europe. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

Its members were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and France. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

Following the defeat of the Nazis, Germany and Austria were occupied as two different areas, both by the same four Allies. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.

Did you know

Both were later divided into four zones by the 1 August 1945 Potsdam Agreement. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

138
Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
Calendar year
Wikipedia source
628 Khosrow_II
Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
Emperor of the Sasanian Empire from 590 to 628
Wikipedia source
1705 George_Frideric_Handel
George Frideric Handel's opera Nero premieres in Hamburg.
German-British composer (1685–1759)
Wikipedia source
1836 Samuel_Colt
Samuel Colt is granted a United States patent for his revolver firearm.
American industrialist and inventor (1814–1862)
Wikipedia source
1843 Lord_George_Paulet
Lord George Paulet occupies the Kingdom of Hawaii in the name of Great Britain in the Paulet affair.
British admiral (1803–1879)
Wikipedia source
1870 Hiram_R._Revels
Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the United States Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in Congress.
American politician (1827–1901)
Wikipedia source
1875 Guangxu_Emperor
Guangxu Emperor of Qing dynasty China begins his reign, under Empress Dowager Cixi's regency.
Emperor of China from 1875 to 1908
Wikipedia source
1912 Marie-Adélaïde,_Grand_Duchess_of_Luxembourg
Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of Guillaume IV, becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1912 to 1919
Wikipedia source
1916 World_War_I
World War I: In the Battle of Verdun, a German unit captures Fort Douaumont, keystone of the French defences, without a fight.
Global conflict from 1914 to 1918
Wikipedia source
1918 Tallinn
World War I: German forces capture Tallinn to virtually complete the occupation of Estonia.
Capital and largest city of Estonia
Wikipedia source
1921 Democratic_Republic_of_Georgia
Georgian capital Tbilisi falls to the invading Russian forces after heavy fighting and the Russians declare the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.
State in the Caucasus (1918–1921)
Wikipedia source
1932 Adolf_Hitler
Adolf Hitler, having been stateless for seven years, obtains German citizenship when he is appointed a Brunswick state official by Dietrich Klagges, a fellow Nazi.
As a result, Hitler is able to run for Reichspräsident in the 1932 election.
Wikipedia source
1933 USS_Ranger_(CV-4)
Launch of the USS Ranger at Newport News, Virginia.
It is the first purpose-built aircraft carrier to be commissioned by the US Navy.
Wikipedia source
1939 Air_Raid_Precautions
As part of British air raid precautions, the first of 2.5 million Anderson shelters is constructed in a garden in Islington, north London.
British civil defence programme
Wikipedia source
1941 Communist_Party_of_the_Netherlands
The outlawed Communist Party of the Netherlands organises a general strike in German-occupied Amsterdam to protest against Nazi persecution of Dutch Jews.
Political party in the Netherlands (1909–91)
Wikipedia source
1947 NKVD
Soviet NKVD forces in Hungary abduct Béla Kovács—secretary-general of the majority Independent Smallholders' Party—and deport him to the USSR in defiance of Parliament.
His arrest is an important turning point in the Communist takeover of Hungary.
Wikipedia source
1948
In a coup d'état led by Klement Gottwald, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia takes control of government in Prague to end the Third Czechoslovak Republic.
Soviet-backed coup
Wikipedia source
1951 Pan_American_Games
The first Pan American Games are officially opened in Buenos Aires by Argentine President Juan Perón.
Multi-sport event of the Americas
Wikipedia source
1956
In his speech On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences, Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union, denounces Stalin.
1956 speech by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev
Wikipedia source
1980 Suriname
The government of Suriname is overthrown by a military coup led by Dési Bouterse.
Country in South America
Wikipedia source
1986 People_Power_Revolution
People Power Revolution: President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the Philippines' first female president.
1986 demonstrations in the Philippines
Wikipedia source
1991 Warsaw_Pact
Disbandment of the Warsaw Pact at a meeting of its members in Budapest.
Eastern European military alliance (1955–1991)
Wikipedia source
1994 Baruch_Goldstein
American-Israeli extremist Baruch Goldstein commits a mass shooting at the Cave of the Patriarchs mausoleum, leaving 29 dead and over 100 injured before he is disarmed and beaten to death by survivors.
American-Israeli mass murderer (1956–1994)
Wikipedia source
1999 Minerva_Airlines_Flight_1553
Alitalia Flight 1553 crashes at Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport in Genoa, Italy, killing four.
1999 aviation accident in Italy
Wikipedia source
2009 Border_Guard_Bangladesh
Soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles mutiny at their headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka, Bangladesh, resulting in 74 deaths, including 57 army officials.
Border security agency of Bangladesh
Wikipedia source
2009 Turkish_Airlines_Flight_1951
Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 crashes during landing at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Netherlands, primarily due to a faulty radio altimeter, resulting in the death of nine passengers and crew including all three pilots.
2009 aviation accident in the Netherlands
Wikipedia source
2015 2015_Afghanistan_avalanches
At least 310 people are killed in avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan.
Wikipedia source
2016
Three people are killed and fourteen others injured in a series of shootings in the small Kansas cities of Newton and Hesston.
2016 mass shooting in Kansas, U.S.
Wikipedia source
2026 Cuba
Four people are killed and several more are injured when Cuban Border Guard Troops confront and open fire on a US-registered speedboat violating Cuban waters.
Country in the Caribbean
Wikipedia source

History runs on facts, and this project runs on coffee!

Your support is incredibly helpful and genuinely appreciated.

Support with a coffee ☕