Summary of the Day ✨ 25 April (25/04)
On this day, tragedy struck as a devastating earthquake claimed nearly 9,000 lives in Nepal while a commuter train derailment in Japan killed 107 passengers. Meanwhile, history was being rewritten as Ethiopia reclaimed its stolen Obelisk of Axum, Michigan’s Flint water crisis began with contaminated water supplies, and Boris Yeltsin received the first Russian Orthodox-sanctioned state funeral since 1894.
Historical Events 📜
- 2015: At least 8,962 are killed in Nepal after a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Nepal.
- 2014: The Flint water crisis begins when officials at Flint, Michigan switch the city’s water supply to the Flint River, leading to lead and bacteria contamination.
- 2007: Boris Yeltsin’s funeral: The first to be sanctioned by the Russian Orthodox Church for a head of state since the funeral of Emperor Alexander III in 1894.
- 2005: The final piece of the Obelisk of Axum is returned to Ethiopia after being stolen by the invading Italian army in 1937.
- 2005: A seven-car commuter train derails and crashes into an apartment building near Amagasaki Station in Japan, killing 107, including the driver.
- 2005: Bulgaria and Romania sign the Treaty of Accession 2005 to join the European Union.
- 2004: The March for Women’s Lives brings over one million protesters, mostly pro-choice, to Washington D.C. to protest the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, and other restrictions on abortion.
- 2001: President George W. Bush pledges U.S. military support in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
- 1990: Violeta Chamorro takes office as the President of Nicaragua, the first woman to hold the position.
- 1983: Cold War: American schoolgirl Samantha Smith is invited to visit the Soviet Union by its leader Yuri Andropov after he read her letter in which she expressed fears about nuclear war.
- 1983: Pioneer 10 travels beyond Pluto’s orbit.
- 1982: Israel completes its withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula per the Camp David Accords.
- 1981: More than 100 workers are exposed to radiation during repairs of at the Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.
- 1980: One hundred forty-six people are killed when Dan-Air Flight 1008 crashes near Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife, Canary Islands.
- 1974: Carnation Revolution: A leftist military coup in Portugal overthrows the authoritarian-conservative Estado Novo regime.
Famous Births 👶
- 2000: Dejan Kulusevski, Swedish footballer
- 1998: Satou Sabally, German-American basketball player
- 1996: Mack Horton, Australian swimmer
- 1995: Lewis Baker, English footballer
- 1995: Packy Hanrahan, American bowler
- 1994: Omar McLeod, Jamaican hurdler
- 1994: Maggie Rogers, American musician
- 1994: Sam Fender, English singer-songwriter and musician
- 1993: Alex Bowman, American race car driver
- 1993: Daniel Norris, American baseball player
- 1993: Raphaël Varane, French footballer
- 1991: Jordan Poyer, American football player
- 1991: Alex Shibutani, American ice dancer
- 1990: Jean-Éric Vergne, French racing driver
- 1990: Taylor Walker, Australian footballer
Notable Deaths 🕊️
- 2024: Marla Adams, American television actress (born 1938)
- 2024: Laurent Cantet, French director, cinematographer and screenwriter (born 1961)
- 2023: Harry Belafonte, American singer, activist, and actor (born 1927)
- 2019: John Havlicek, American basketball player (born 1940)
- 2018: Madeeha Gauhar, Pakistani actress, playwright and director of social theater, and women’s rights activist (born 1956)
- 2016: Tom Lewis, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of New South Wales (born 1922)
- 2015: Jim Fanning, American-Canadian baseball player and manager (born 1927)
- 2015: Matthias Kuhle, German geographer and academic (born 1948)
- 2015: Don Mankiewicz, American screenwriter and novelist (born 1922)
- 2015: Mike Phillips, American basketball player (born 1956)
- 2014: Dan Heap, Canadian priest and politician (born 1925)
- 2014: William Judson Holloway Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and judge (born 1923)
- 2014: Earl Morrall, American football player and coach (born 1934)
- 2014: Tito Vilanova, Spanish footballer and manager (born 1968)
- 2014: Stefanie Zweig, German journalist and author (born 1932)
Holidays & Observances 🎉
- Anzac Day (Australia, New Zealand, Tonga)
- Christian feast day:
Giovanni Battista Piamarta - Christian feast day:
Major Rogation (Western Christianity) - Christian feast day:
Mark the Evangelist - Christian feast day:
Maughold - Christian feast day:
Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur - Christian feast day:
Philo and Agathopodes - Christian feast day:
Anianus of Alexandria - Christian feast day:
April 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) - Freedom Day (Portugal)
- Liberation Day (Italy)
- Military Foundation Day (North Korea)
- World Malaria Day