February 25
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Christian feast days:
Æthelberht of Kent, BlessedCiriaco María Sancha y Hervás, Gerland of Agrigento, John Roberts, writer and missionary(Anglican Communion), HamburgMatthiae-mahl, feast ofHanseatic Leaguecities on the mediaeval first day of spring, BlessedMaria Adeodata Pisani, BlessedRobert of Arbrissel, founder ofFontevraud Abbey, Saint Walpurga(she was canonised on 1 May c. 870 andWalpurgis Nightis celebrated 30 April), February 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
A day in the Christian liturgical calendar honoring a collection of saints from various eras and traditions.
Kitano Baika-saior "Plum Blossom Festival" (Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine,Kyoto, Japan)
An annual celebration of plum blossoms at the historic Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine in Kyoto, welcoming spring with vibrant floral displays and cultural performances.
Memorial Day for the Victims of the Communist Dictatorships(Hungary)
A day of remembrance in Hungary honoring those who suffered under communist regimes.
National Day (Kuwait)
Kuwait's National Day celebrates the country’s independence and unification.
People Power Day(Philippines)
A commemoration of the 1986 People Power Revolution that restored democracy in the Philippines.
Revolution Day in Suriname
National holiday in Suriname marking the 1980 coup that transformed the country’s political landscape.
Soviet Occupation Day (Georgia)
Commemorative day in Georgia marking the start of Soviet occupation in 1921.
Æthelberht of Kent
Feast day honoring Æthelberht, the 7th-century King of Kent and first English monarch to embrace Christianity.
BlessedCiriaco María Sancha y Hervás
Feast day celebrating Blessed Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás, a 19th-century Spanish Catholic prelate.
Events
Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
Roman Emperor Hadrian formally adopts Antoninus Pius as his heir, securing imperial succession.
Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
Shah Khosrow II is deposed in a palace coup led by his son Kavadh II, marking a dynastic shift in Persia.
George Frideric Handel's opera Nero premiered in Hamburg.
Handel's opera 'Nero' makes its debut in Hamburg, blending Italian and German theatrical styles.
Samuel Colt is granted a United States patent for his revolver firearm.
Samuel Colt receives a U.S. patent for his revolving-cylinder firearm, revolutionizing handguns.
Lord George Paulet occupies the Kingdom of Hawaii in the name of Great Britain in the Paulet affair.
British Captain Lord Paulet temporarily seizes the Hawaiian Kingdom, igniting the Paulet affair.
Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the United States Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in Congress.
Hiram Rhodes Revels takes his seat in the U.S. Senate, becoming the first African American congressman.
Guangxu Emperor of Qing dynasty China begins his reign, under Empress Dowager Cixi's regency.
The child Guangxu Emperor ascends the Qing throne under the powerful regency of Empress Dowager Cixi.
Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of Guillaume IV, becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
Princess Marie-Adélaïde ascends as Luxembourg’s first reigning Grand Duchess, breaking new ground in monarchy.
World War I: In the Battle of Verdun, a German unit captures Fort Douaumont, keystone of the French defences, without a fight.
German troops seize Fort Douaumont at Verdun, delivering a shocking blow to French defenses.
Births
Infanta Branca of Portugal
Portuguese princess and daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal and Urraca of Castile.
Wenceslaus I
Medieval noble who ruled as Duke of Luxembourg during the 14th century.
Edward Plantagenet
English nobleman and key figure in the Wars of the Roses, known as the last male Plantagenet heir.
Henry Howard
Prominent Elizabethan courtier and nobleman who served under multiple English monarchs.
Sharaf Khan Bidlisi
Kurdish emir and historian renowned for writing the Sharafnama.
Friedrich Spee
German Jesuit priest, poet and author known for opposing witch trials.
Ahmed II
21st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire who ruled during the late 17th century.
Peter Anthony Motteux
Restoration-era writer and translator known for his English translation of Don Quixote.
Maria Margarethe Kirch
Pioneering German astronomer, first woman to discover a comet.
Deaths
Tarasios
Byzantine cleric who served as Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 784 until his death in 806.
Fujiwara no Mototsune
Powerful Japanese regent who established the Sesshō and Kampaku offices, shaping Heian politics.
Anselm of Ribemont
Frankish nobleman who joined the First Crusade and took part in major sieges, including Jerusalem.
William Lily
Renowned English scholar whose Latin grammar became the foundation of classical education under King Henry VIII.
Berchtold Haller
German-Swiss theologian who introduced Reformation ideas to Bern and helped establish Protestant governance there.
Vittoria Colonna
Italian noblewoman and poet whose humanist verses and friendship with Michelangelo marked the Italian Renaissance.
Robert Devereux
English nobleman and military commander who served as Earl of Essex and led campaigns in Ireland before his downfall.
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Bohemian nobleman who became a powerful general and key figure in the Thirty Years’ War.
Santorio Santorio
Italian physician and biologist credited as a pioneer of quantitative experimental physiology.