Explore the history of today 25 March in India, including important events, famous personalities, and milestones for UPSC SSC,Banking & PSC exams.
Last updated on 25 March 2026, 04:20 AM
📜 Important Events on 25 March in World History
25 Mar 2018: Syrian civil war: Following the completion of the Afrin offensive, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) initiate an insurgency against the Turkish occupation of the Afrin District. Read more
25 Mar 2006: Capitol Hill massacre: A gunman kills six people before taking his own life at a party in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Read more
25 Mar 2006: Protesters demanding a new election in Belarus, following the rigged 2006 Belarusian presidential election, clash with riot police. Opposition leader Aleksander Kozulin is among several protesters arrested. Read more
25 Mar 1996: The European Union's Veterinarian Committee bans the export of British beef and its by-products as a result of mad cow disease (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy). Read more
25 Mar 1995: WikiWikiWeb, the world's first wiki, and part of the Portland Pattern Repository, is made public by Ward Cunningham. Read more
25 Mar 1988: The Candle demonstration in Bratislava is the first mass demonstration of the 1980s against the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Read more
25 Mar 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. Read more
25 Mar 1975: Faisal of Saudi Arabia is shot and killed by his nephew. Read more
25 Mar 1971: The Army of the Republic of Vietnam abandon an attempt to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos. Read more
25 Mar 1965: Civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King Jr. successfully complete their 4-day 50-mile (80 km) march from Selma to the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama. Read more
25 Mar 1959: Chain Island is sold by the State of California to Russell Gallaway III, a Sacramento businessman who plans to use it as a "hunting and fishing retreat", for $5,258.20 ($58,072 in 2025). Read more
25 Mar 1957: United States Customs seizes copies of Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl" on obscenity grounds. Read more
25 Mar 1957: The European Economic Community is established with West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg as the first members. Read more
25 Mar 1949: More than 92,000 kulaks are suddenly deported from the Baltic states to Siberia. Read more
25 Mar 1948: The first successful tornado forecast predicts that a tornado will strike Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Read more
25 Mar 1947: An explosion in a coal mine in Centralia, Illinois kills 111. Read more
25 Mar 1941: The Kingdom of Yugoslavia joins the Axis powers with the signing of the Tripartite Pact. Read more
25 Mar 1932: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is unveiled in Athens. Read more
25 Mar 1931: The Scottsboro Boys are arrested in Alabama and charged with rape. Read more
25 Mar 1924: On the anniversary of Greek Independence, Alexandros Papanastasiou proclaims the Second Hellenic Republic. Read more
25 Mar 1919: The Tetiev pogrom occurs in Ukraine, becoming the prototype of mass murder during the Holocaust. Read more
25 Mar 1918: The Belarusian People's Republic is established. Read more
25 Mar 1917: The Georgian Orthodox Church restores its autocephaly abolished by Imperial Russia in 1811. Read more
25 Mar 1914: The Greek multi-sport club Aris Thessaloniki is founded in Thessaloniki. Read more
25 Mar 1911: In New York City, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 garment workers. Read more
25 Mar 1911: Andrey Yushchinsky is murdered in Kiev, leading to the Beilis affair. Read more
25 Mar 1905: The Greek football club P.A.E. G.S. Diagoras is founded in the city of Rhodes. Read more
25 Mar 1894: Coxey's Army, the first significant American protest march, departs Massillon, Ohio for Washington, D.C. Read more
25 Mar 1878: Last issue of the Bulletin de la Fédération jurassienne, the first or one of the first anarchist newspapers. Read more
25 Mar 1865: American Civil War: In Virginia during the Siege of Petersburg, Confederate forces temporarily capture Fort Stedman from the Union before being repulsed. Read more
25 Mar 1845: New Zealand Legislative Council pass the first Militia Act constituting the New Zealand Army. Read more
25 Mar 1821: Greek War of Independence: Traditional date of the start of the Greek War of Independence. The war had actually begun on 23 February 1821 (Julian calendar). Read more
25 Mar 1811: Percy Bysshe Shelley is expelled from the University of Oxford for publishing the pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism. Read more
25 Mar 1807: The Swansea and Mumbles Railway, then known as the Oystermouth Railway, becomes the first passenger-carrying railway in the world. Read more
25 Mar 1802: The Treaty of Amiens is signed as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace" between France and the United Kingdom. Read more
🎂 Important Births on 25 March in World History
25 Mar 2000: Ozan Kabak, Turkish footballer Ozan Muhammed Kabak is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club TSG Hoffenheim and the Turkey national team. Read more
25 Mar 1999: Mikey Madison, American actress Mikaela "Mikey" Madison Rosberg is an American actress. Her accolades include an Academy Award and BAFTA Award, in addition to nominations for two Actor Awards, two Critics' Choice Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. Read more
25 Mar 1994: Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Canadian skier Justine Dufour-Lapointe is a Canadian freestyle and freeride skier. She was the Olympic champion in the moguls event at the 2014 Winter Olympics and won a silver medal in moguls at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The gold and silver she and her sister Chloe Dufour-Lapointe won in 2014 was the first time that Canadian sisters stood together on the podium, and the fourth time ever by all nations. In winning the Olympics, she became the youngest freestyle skiing Olympic champion ever at nineteen years of age. Dufour-Lapointe was the FIS World Cup rookie of the year for the 2010–11 season. Dufour-Lapointe was the world champion in moguls at the 2015 World Championships has also won a silver and two other bronze medals in the moguls event at the Freestyle World Ski Championships. Read more
25 Mar 1993: Jacob Gagan, Australian rugby league player Jacob Gagan is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently playing for the Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup. Read more
25 Mar 1993: Sam Johnstone, English footballer Samuel Luke Johnstone is an English professional footballer who plays as goalkeeper for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the England national team. Read more
25 Mar 1992: Meg Lanning, Australian cricketer Meghann Moira Lanning is an Australian cricketer who formerly captained the national women's team. Lanning has been a member of seven successful world championship campaigns, winning two Women's Cricket World Cup and five ICC Women's World Twenty20 titles. She holds the record for the most Women's One Day International centuries and is the first Australian to score 2,000 Twenty20 International runs. Read more
25 Mar 1991: Scott Malone, English footballer Scott Liam Malone is an English professional footballer who plays as a left back or left-sided midfielder. He currently plays for Crawley Town. Read more
25 Mar 1990: Mehmet Ekici, Turkish footballer Mehmet Ekici is a professional footballer who most recently played as a central midfielder for Fenerbahçe. Read more
25 Mar 1990: Alexander Esswein, German footballer Alexander Esswein is a German professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Oberliga Baden-Württemberg club VfR Mannheim. Read more
25 Mar 1989: Aly Michalka, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Alyson Renae Michalka is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and musician. Michalka rose to prominence with her starring role as Keely Teslow in the Disney Channel sitcom Phil of the Future (2004–2006). She went on to appear in various films, such as Bandslam (2009), Easy A (2010), The Roommate (2011), Grown Ups 2 (2013), Sequoia (2014), Weepah Way for Now (2015), and The Lears (2017). She had starring roles in The CW comedy drama series Hellcats (2010–2011) and the CW crime drama series iZombie (2015–2019), along with the Hallmark Channel Original Movie, Sand Dollar Cove (2021). Read more
25 Mar 1989: Scott Sinclair, English footballer Scott Andrew Sinclair is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger. He represented England at youth level, from the under-17s to the under-21s, and also played for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Read more
25 Mar 1988: Big Sean, American rapper, singer and songwriter Sean Michael Leonard Anderson, known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. He met Kanye West as a teenager, and signed with his record label GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings in 2007. He gained popularity following the release of his third mixtape, Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big (2010). His first two studio albums, Finally Famous (2011) and Hall of Fame (2013), both peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top 40 singles "My Last", "Marvin & Chardonnay", "Dance (Ass)", and "Beware". Read more
25 Mar 1988: Ryan Lewis, American music producer Ryan Scott Lewis is an American musician and record producer based in Seattle, Washington. Along with producing his own album, Instrumentals, Lewis produced the recordings The VS. EP (2009), The Heist (2012), and This Unruly Mess I've Made (2016) as part of the duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. He also directed 12 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis videos. Read more
25 Mar 1988: Mitchell Watt, Australian long jumper Mitchell Watt is an Australian track & field athlete. His main event is the long jump and holds the current Oceania record for the long jump – 8.54m. He was the first ever Australian long jump medalist at a World Championship and was the silver medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Read more
25 Mar 1988: Arthur Zeiler, German rugby player Arthur Zeiler is a German international rugby union player, playing for the Heidelberger RK in the Rugby-Bundesliga and the German national rugby union team. Read more
25 Mar 1987: Jacob Bagersted, Danish handball player Jacob Bagersted is a Danish handballer, currently playing for Danish side SønderjyskE Håndbold. He has previously played for German sides SC Magdeburg and Frisch Auf Göppingen. Read more
25 Mar 1987: Victor Obinna, Nigerian footballer Victor Nsofor Obinna is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Read more
25 Mar 1987: Nobunari Oda, Japanese figure skater Nobunari Oda is a Japanese retired competitive figure skater. He is the 2006 Four Continents champion, a four-time Grand Prix Final medalist, the 2005 World Junior champion and the 2008 Japanese national champion. Read more
25 Mar 1987: Hyun-jin Ryu, South Korean baseball player Hyun-jin Ryu is a South Korean professional baseball pitcher for the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. Read more
25 Mar 1986: Marco Belinelli, Italian basketball player Marco Stefano Belinelli is an Italian former professional basketball player. He was selected 18th overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. In 2014, he won the NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs, becoming the first Italian player to do so. He won the Three-Point Contest during the 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend. He played in the 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017 editions of the FIBA EuroBasket and the 2006 and 2019 editions of the FIBA World Championship with the Italian national basketball team. Read more
25 Mar 1986: Megan Gibson, American softball player Megan Lynn Gibson-Loftin is an American former collegiate All-American, professional softball pitcher and current director of softball operations for Twelve Softball. She is also the former pitching coach at Houston. Gibson-Loftin played college softball for Texas A&M where she is the career leader in offense walks and led them to a runner-up finish at the 2008 Women's College World Series. She also ranks top-10 in the latter category and home runs in the Big 12 Conference. She was selected by the Philadelphia Force as the second overall pick in the 2008 NPF Draft, eventually playing for four seasons. After the Force folded she was picked up by the Tennessee Diamonds in 2010. Read more
25 Mar 1986: Kyle Lowry, American basketball player Kyle Terrell Lowry is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A six-time All-Star, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2016 and won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, their first and only title in franchise history. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Raptors players of all time due to his work with turning the franchise around, from the post-Chris Bosh era to their first-ever championship in 2019. As starting point guard, Lowry played an integral role in the Raptors' success from 2012 to 2021. Lowry was also a member of the U.S. national team that won a gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Read more
25 Mar 1986: Mickey Paea, Australian rugby league player Mickey Paea is a former Tonga international rugby league footballer who played as a prop. Read more
25 Mar 1985: Carmen Rasmusen, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and actress Carmen Rasmusen Herbert is a Canadian-American country music artist who ranked sixth on the second season of American Idol in 2003. Rasmusen also plays piano and guitar. Read more
25 Mar 1985: Diana Rennik, Estonian figure skater Diana Rennik is an Estonian former competitive pair skater. She competed with Aleksei Saks. Together, they are the four times Estonian national champions. They placed 17th at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Read more
25 Mar 1984: Katharine McPhee, American singer-songwriter and actress Katharine Hope McPhee is an American actress and singer. In May 2006, she was the runner-up on the fifth season of American Idol. Read more
25 Mar 1984: Liam Messam, New Zealand rugby player Liam Justin Messam is a retired New Zealand rugby union player who played in the TOP14 for RC Toulonnais. In Super Rugby, he previously played for the Chiefs, and for Waikato in the ITM Cup. Messam predominantly plays as a blindside flanker but can fill in at Number 8 as well as openside flanker. After the retirement of then Chiefs captain Mils Muliaina, Messam was named the team's new co-captain from 2012 onwards, alongside Aaron Cruden. Read more
25 Mar 1983: Mickaël Hanany, French high jumper Mickaël Hanany is a French high jumper. His biggest success to date is winning the bronze medal at the 2012 European Championships in Helsinki. Read more
25 Mar 1982: Danica Patrick, American race car driver Danica Sue Patrick is an American former professional racing driver who competed in the IndyCar Series from 2005 to 2011 and the NASCAR Cup Series from 2012 to 2018. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel car racing—her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only win by a woman in IndyCar. Read more
25 Mar 1982: Álvaro Saborío, Costa Rican footballer Álvaro Alberto Saborío Chacón is a Costa Rican former professional footballer, who played as a forward. Saborío originally retired in 2017 but returned months later. Read more
25 Mar 1982: Jenny Slate, American comedian, actress and author Jenny Slate is an American actress, stand-up comedian, and writer. After early acting and stand-up roles on television, Slate gained recognition for her live variety shows in New York City and for co-creating the children's short film and book series Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2010–2014) with Dean Fleischer Camp, to whom she was married from 2012 to 2016. Slate became more widely known as a cast member on the 35th season of Saturday Night Live in 2009, followed by her roles in the sitcoms Bob's Burgers (2012–present), Parks and Recreation (2013–2015), House of Lies (2013–2015), and Kroll Show (2013–2015). Read more
25 Mar 1981: Casey Neistat, American YouTube personality Casey Owen Neistat is an American YouTube personality, filmmaker, vlogger and co-founder of the multimedia company Beme, which was later acquired by CNN. In 2018, he founded 368, a creative space for creators to collaborate with each other. Read more
25 Mar 1980: Kathrine Sørland, Norwegian fashion model and television presenter Kathrine Sørland is a Norwegian fashion model, tv host and beauty pageant titleholder who has competed at Miss World and Miss Universe beauty pageants. Read more
25 Mar 1979: Nate Bargatze, American stand-up comedian and actor Nathanael Bargatze is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He has been called a clean comedian, and has been noted for his deadpan, monotone delivery. Bargatze was the highest-grossing stand-up comic in 2024, with over a million tickets sold across his shows. Read more
25 Mar 1979: Muriel Hurtis-Houairi, French sprinter Muriel Hurtis-Houairi, née Muriel Hurtis, is a French track and field athlete. She came to prominence in 2002 when she won the 200 m gold medals at both the European Indoor Championships and the European Athletics Championships. The following year she added the World Indoor title and won a bronze medal at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics and a gold in the 4 × 100 metres relay with France. Read more
25 Mar 1978: Gennaro Delvecchio, Italian footballer Gennaro Delvecchio is an Italian football official and a former player who played as a midfielder. He works as the head of youth development at Bari. Read more
25 Mar 1978: Teddy Lussi-Modeste, French film director, screenwriter and literature teacher Teddy Lussi-Modeste is a French Romani film director, screenwriter and literature teacher. He wrote and directed the films Jimmy Rivière (2011), The Price of Success (2017), and The Good Teacher (2024). Read more
25 Mar 1977: Natalie Clein, English cellist and educator Natalie Clein is a British classical cellist. Her mother is a professional violinist. Her sister is the actress Louisa Clein. Read more
25 Mar 1977: Andrew Lindsay, Scottish rower Andrew James Ronald Lindsay is a British Olympic gold medal-winning rower and former co-CEO of Telecom Plus, which owns Utility Warehouse. Read more
25 Mar 1976: Francie Bellew, Irish footballer Francis "Francie" Bellew is a Gaelic footballer who played for the Armagh county team. He has won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal, five Ulster Championships and a National League title with the county. He was also awarded an All Star for his performances in 2003. Read more
25 Mar 1976: Lars Figura, German sprinter Lars Figura is a former German sprinter who specialised in the 400 metres. Read more
25 Mar 1976: Wladimir Klitschko, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2017. He held multiple heavyweight world championships between 2000 and 2015, including unified titles between 2008 and 2015. During this time he also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) and Ring magazine titles. Read more
25 Mar 1976: Rima Wakarua, New Zealand-Italian rugby player Rima Shane Wakarua-Noema is a former professional rugby union footballer and coach. He played as a fly-half for North Harbour in New Zealand before moving to Italy in 1999, where he played for Leonessa, Gran Parma, I Cavalieri and Unione Rugby Prato Sesto. During his time there, he became a naturalised citizen and was called up to the Italy national team for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Read more
25 Mar 1975: Ladislav Benýšek, Czech ice hockey player Ladislav Benýšek is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 161 games in the National Hockey League with the Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild between 1997 and 2003. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1992 to 2013, was mainly spent in various European leagues. Internationally Benýšek played for the Czech national team at three World Championships, winning gold in both 1999 and 2000. Read more
25 Mar 1975: Melanie Blatt, English singer-songwriter and actress Melanie Ruth Blatt is an English singer. She rose to fame in 1997 as a member of the girl group All Saints. The group have gained five UK number-one singles, two multi-platinum albums and two BRIT Awards, and have sold over 10 million records worldwide. Read more
25 Mar 1975: Erika Heynatz, Papua New Guinean-Australian model and actress Erika Heynatz is an Australian model, actress, singer, and television personality. She joined long-running Australian TV series Home and Away in June 2015, as villainous biology teacher Charlotte King. Read more
25 Mar 1974: Serge Betsen, Cameroonian-French rugby player Serge Betsen Tchoua is a former French rugby union player who played as a flanker for London Wasps and Biarritz at club level and for France internationally. Read more
25 Mar 1974: Lark Voorhies, American actress and singer Lark Voorhies is an American actress. She played Lisa Turtle on the NBC sitcom Saved by the Bell (1989–1993) and was nominated for the Young Artist Award six times, winning in 1990 and 1993 for her work on the show. Read more
25 Mar 1973: Michaela Dorfmeister, Austrian skier Michaela Dorfmeister is an Austrian former alpine ski racer who competed in the Olympic Games and World Cup. Her specialities were both the downhill and the super-G disciplines, although she skied in and had success in giant slalom. Read more
25 Mar 1973: Anders Fridén, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer Pär Anders Fridén is a Swedish vocalist, best known as the lead singer of the heavy metal band In Flames. He was also the vocalist of Dark Tranquillity and side project Passenger. Read more
25 Mar 1973: Bob Sura, American basketball player Robert Sura Jr. is an American World Series of Poker player and former professional basketball player who played ten seasons for five different teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). At 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), 200 pounds (91 kg), he played as a shooting guard and point guard. Read more
25 Mar 1972: Naftali Bennett, Israeli politician, 13th Prime Minister of Israel Naftali Bennett is an Israeli politician and businessman who served as the prime minister of Israel from 13 June 2021 to 30 June 2022, and as the alternate prime minister from 1 July to 8 November 2022. Bennett was the leader of the New Right party from 2018 to 2022, having previously led the religious Zionist and far-right political party The Jewish Home between 2012 and 2018. Read more
25 Mar 1972: Giniel de Villiers, South African racing driver Giniel de Villiers is a South African racing and rally driver, best known for winning the 2009 Dakar Rally. Read more
25 Mar 1972: Phil O'Donnell, Scottish footballer (died 2007) Philip O'Donnell was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Motherwell, Celtic and Sheffield Wednesday. He also earned one international cap for Scotland and twice won the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award. He died after suffering cardiac arrest while playing for Motherwell against Dundee United on 29 December 2007, aged 35. Read more
25 Mar 1971: Stacy Dragila, American pole vaulter and coach Stacy Renée Mikaelson, married Stacy Renée Dragila, is a former American pole vaulter. She is an Olympic gold medalist and a multiple-time world champion. Read more
25 Mar 1971: Cammi Granato, American ice hockey player and sportscaster Catherine Michelle Granato is an American former ice hockey player and one of the first women to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2010. She currently works as an assistant general manager for the Vancouver Canucks organization. Granato was the captain of the U.S. women's hockey team that won a gold medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics. She is the younger sister of former NHL player Tony Granato and former Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato, and a graduate of Providence College. Granato played hockey for Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Read more
25 Mar 1971: Sheryl Swoopes, American basketball player and coach Sheryl Denise Swoopes is an American former professional basketball player. She was the first player to be signed in the WNBA, is a three-time WNBA MVP, and was named one of the league's Top 15 Players of All Time at the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game. Swoopes has won three Olympic gold medals and is one of eleven women's basketball players to have won an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup gold, and a WNBA title. She was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2017, she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Read more
25 Mar 1970: Magnus Larsson, Swedish golfer Per Henrik Magnus Larsson is a former professional tennis player from Sweden. Read more
25 Mar 1969: George Chlitsios, Greek conductor and composer George Chlitsios is a Greek conductor and composer. Read more
25 Mar 1969: Dale Davis, American basketball player Elliott Lydell "Dale" Davis is an American former professional basketball player who played center and power forward. Read more
25 Mar 1969: Cathy Dennis, English singer-songwriter, record producer and actress Catherine Dennis is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. She was discovered as a teenager by music manager Simon Fuller, which led to her featuring on the hit dance single "C'mon and Get My Love" with D Mob in 1989. Read more
25 Mar 1969: Jeffrey Walker, English singer-songwriter and bass player Jeffrey Walker is an English musician, best known as the bassist and lead vocalist of extreme metal band Carcass, for which he also serves as the primary lyricist. Before Carcass, he played in English thrashcore band Electro Hippies as guitarist and vocalist. After the initial demise of Carcass, he went on to form the hard rock band Blackstar with two former Carcass bandmates, and joined American grindcore supergroup, Brujeria. Loudwire placed him at number 22 on their list of Top 25 Extreme Metal Vocalists. Read more
25 Mar 1967: Matthew Barney, American sculptor and photographer Matthew Barney is an American contemporary artist and film director who works in the fields of sculpture, film, photography and drawing. His works explore connections among geography, biology, geology and mythology as well as notable themes of sex, intercourse, the human body, and conflict. His early pieces were sculptural installations combined with performance and video. Between 1994 and 2002, he created The Cremaster Cycle, a series of five films described by Jonathan Jones in The Guardian as "one of the most imaginative and brilliant achievements in the history of avant-garde cinema." He is also known for his projects Drawing Restraint 9 (2005), River of Fundament (2014) and Redoubt (2018). Read more
25 Mar 1967: Doug Stanhope, American comedian and actor Doug Stanhope is an American stand-up comedian, author, actor, political activist and podcast host. His stand-up material consist of profane and confrontational observations of life. Read more
25 Mar 1967: Debi Thomas, American figure skater and physician Debra Janine Thomas is an American figure skater and physician. She is the 1986 World champion, the 1988 Olympic bronze medalist, and a two-time U.S. national champion. Her rivalry with East Germany's Katarina Witt at the 1988 Calgary Olympics was known as the Battle of the Carmens. Read more
25 Mar 1966: Tom Glavine, American baseball player Thomas Michael Glavine is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), for the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets (2003–2007). Read more
25 Mar 1966: Humberto Gonzalez, Mexican boxer Humberto González is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 1995. He is a three-time light-flyweight champion having held the World Boxing Council (WBC) title three times and then unified with the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title in 1994. Read more
25 Mar 1966: Jeff Healey, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2008) Norman Jeffrey Healey was a Canadian blues, rock and jazz guitarist, singer and songwriter who attained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. He reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Angel Eyes" and reached the Top 10 in Canada with the songs "I Think I Love You Too Much" and "How Long Can a Man Be Strong". Read more
25 Mar 1966: Anton Rogan, Northern Irish footballer Anton Rogan is a former professional footballer. His playing career included spells at Lisburn Distillery, Celtic, Sunderland, Oxford United, Millwall and Blackpool. Rogan also played 18 times for the Northern Ireland national team between 1987 and 1996. Read more
25 Mar 1965: Avery Johnson, American basketball player and coach Avery DeWitt Johnson is an American basketball television commentator, former player and coach who previously served as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team. He is an NBA and college basketball analyst for CBS Sports. Read more
25 Mar 1965: Stefka Kostadinova, Bulgarian high jumper Stefka Georgieva Kostadinova is a Bulgarian former athlete who competed in the high jump. Her world record of 2.09 metres stood since 1987 until being broken by Yaroslava Mahuchikh in 2024. She is the 1996 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion, and a five-time World Indoor champion. She has been the president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee from 2005 to 2025. Read more
25 Mar 1965: Sarah Jessica Parker, American actress, producer, and designer Sarah Jessica Parker is an American actress and television producer. In a career spanning over five decades, she has performed across several productions of both screen and stage. Her accolades include six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022. Read more
25 Mar 1964: Norm Duke, American bowler Norm Duke is an American retired professional bowler who previously competed on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour and on the PBA50 Tour. He has won 40 titles on the PBA Tour, including seven major championships, and another six titles on the PBA50 Tour. A member of both the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame, Duke is one of only three players in history to reach 40 career PBA Tour titles. He has bowled 73 perfect 300 games in PBA competition, including the 16th televised 300 game in PBA Tour history on January 5, 2003. Duke is a member of the Storm pro staff. Read more
25 Mar 1964: Buzz Osborne, American musician Roger "Buzz" Osborne, also known as King Buzzo, is an American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is a founding member of the rock band Melvins, as well as Fantômas and Venomous Concept. Read more
25 Mar 1964: René Meulensteen, Dutch footballer and coach Reinhard Jozef Petrus "René" Meulensteen is a Dutch professional football manager and former player who is currently assistant coach of the Iraq national team. Read more
25 Mar 1964: Ken Wregget, Canadian ice hockey player Kenneth Lee Wregget is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Read more
25 Mar 1963: Karen Bruce, English dancer and choreographer Karen Bruce is a choreographer and director who has worked in theatre and television. Read more
25 Mar 1963: Velle Kadalipp, Estonian architect Velle Kadalipp is an Estonian architect. Read more
25 Mar 1963: Andrew O'Connor, British actor, comedian, magician, television presenter and executive producer Andrew Mark O'Connor is an English actor, comedian, magician, and television producer. Read more
25 Mar 1962: Marcia Cross, American actress Marcia Cross is an American actress. She acted in daytime soap operas such as The Edge of Night, Another World, and One Life to Live before moving to primetime television with a recurring role on Knots Landing. From 1992 to 1997, she starred as Kimberly Shaw on Melrose Place. Cross played the role of the housewife Bree Van de Kamp on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives (2004–2012), for which she was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, and a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She had a recurring role as President Claire Haas on the ABC series Quantico. Read more
25 Mar 1962: David Nuttall, English lawyer and politician David Taylor Nuttall is a former British Conservative Party politician. He is a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Bury North, having won his seat in the House of Commons at the 2010 general election. He lost his seat to Labour's James Frith at the 2017 general election. Read more
25 Mar 1961: Mark Brooks, American golfer Mark David Brooks is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. Read more
25 Mar 1960: Mike Aulby, American bowler Michael Aulby is an American former professional bowler and former member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He is one of only five PBA bowlers to win both the Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year award. He is also the first player in history to complete a career "Super Slam", in which a bowler wins all five PBA Tour major tournaments at least once. He has since been joined in this exclusive club by Jason Belmonte. Aulby owns 29 career PBA Tour titles, currently 9th place all-time, with eight major titles among these wins. He is a member of both the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame. Read more
25 Mar 1960: Steve Norman, English saxophonist, songwriter, and producer Steven Antony Norman is an English musician who played tenor saxophone, guitar, percussion and other instruments for the English new wave band Spandau Ballet. Read more
25 Mar 1960: Peter O'Brien, Australian actor Peter O'Brien is an Australian actor, best known for his role as an original cast member in 1985 of Australian soap opera Neighbours as Shane Ramsay. He has also acted in numerous British and American productions. Read more
25 Mar 1960: Brenda Strong, American actress Brenda Lee Strong is an American actress. She began her career in television, including guest starring appearances in Twin Peaks, Party of Five, Seinfeld, Scandal, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Blossom and Sports Night. She also starred as Mary Alice Young on Desperate Housewives (2004–12). Read more
25 Mar 1958: Susie Bright, American journalist, author, and critic Susannah Bright is an American feminist, author and journalist, often writing on the subject of politics and sexuality. Read more
25 Mar 1958: Lorna Brown, Canadian artist, curator, and writer Lorna Brown is a Canadian artist, curator and writer. Her work focuses on public space, social phenomena such as boredom, and institutional structures and systems. Read more
25 Mar 1958: Sisy Chen, Taiwanese journalist and politician Sisy Chen or Chen Wen-chien is a Taiwanese journalist, television commentator, writer and former politician. She hosts Sisy's World News, a weekly newscast at the Chung T'ien Television and UFO Dinner, a daily radio talk show at UFO Radio. She was an independent member of the Legislative Yuan from February 1, 2002 to January 31, 2005. Since 2005, she also hosted a political talk show on the Phoenix Television, Jie Ma Chen Wen Qian which focuses on exposing the flaws of Taiwan's democratic system. Read more
25 Mar 1958: María Caridad Colón, Cuban javelin thrower and shot putter María Caridad Colón Rueñes-Salazar is a former javelin thrower from Cuba who won the gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics, setting a new record. Read more
25 Mar 1958: John Ensign, American physician and politician John Eric Ensign is an American veterinarian and former politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 2001 until his resignation in 2011 amid a Senate Ethics Committee investigation into his attempts to hide an extramarital affair. A member of the Republican Party, Ensign previously represented Nevada's 1st congressional district in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999, the only Republican to represent the district. Following his resignation from the Senate, Ensign returned to Nevada and resumed his career as a veterinarian. Read more
25 Mar 1958: Ray Tanner, American baseball player and coach Donald Ray Tanner Jr. is a former baseball coach at the University of South Carolina. Tanner began this role after leading the South Carolina Gamecocks baseball program for sixteen seasons. He is currently the athletic director emeritus and a senior advisor to the president at South Carolina after being replaced as athletic director by Jeremiah Donati on December 5, 2024. Read more
25 Mar 1958: Åsa Torstensson, Swedish politician, 3rd Swedish Minister for Infrastructure Åsa-Britt Maria Torstensson is a Swedish politician and a member of the Centre Party. She has a university degree in social work. She was a member of the Riksdag between 1998 and 2002 representing Västra Götaland County. Torstensson was re-elected to the Riksdag in the 2006 general election. On 6 October 2006 she was selected Minister for Infrastructure in the Cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt. After the 2010 general election, she left the cabinet and returned to the Riksdag. Read more
25 Mar 1957: Christina Boxer, English runner and journalist Christina Tracy Cahill née Boxer is a female retired middle distance athlete from England. She represented Great Britain at three Olympic Games, in Moscow 1980, Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 and trained at Aldershot, Farnham & District AC. In Seoul, she finished fourth in the 1500 metres final. She also won a gold medal in the 1500 m at the 1982 Commonwealth Games. In 1979, she became the first British woman in history to run the 800 metres in under two-minutes. Read more
25 Mar 1957: Kanellos Kanellopoulos, Greek cyclist Kanellos Kanellopoulos is a Greek former cyclist. He competed in the individual road race event at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He was also the pilot and human engine for the 1988 MIT Daedalus project, completing the 72.4 mi (115.11 km) flight from Crete to the Greek island of Santorini in 3 hours, 54 minutes. It is the longest human-powered flight in history. Read more
25 Mar 1957: Jonathan Michie, English economist and academic
Jonathan Michie is a British economist who is president of Kellogg College, Oxford, where he is professor of innovation and knowledge exchange and pro-vice-chancellor without portfolio. Read more
25 Mar 1957: Aleksandr Puchkov, Russian hurdler Aleksandr Nikolayevich Puchkov was a Soviet and Russian hurdler and Olympic bronze medallist, who competed for the Soviet Union during his career. Born in Ulyanovsk on 25 March 1957, he died in Saint Petersburg on 9 October 2024, at the age of 67. Read more
25 Mar 1957: Jim Uhls, American screenwriter and producer James "Jim" Uhls is an American screenwriter, best known for writing the screenplay for the film Fight Club (1999), directed by David Fincher. His other major credits include the science fiction film Jumper (2008) and the television film Semper Fi. Read more
25 Mar 1955: Daniel Boulud, French chef and author Daniel Boulud is a French chef and restaurateur with restaurants in New York City, Palm Beach, Miami, Toronto, Montréal, Singapore, the Bahamas, and Dubai. He is best known for his eponymous restaurant Daniel, opened in New York City in 1993, which currently holds one Michelin star. Read more
25 Mar 1955: Lee Mazzilli, American baseball player, coach, and manager Lee Louis Mazzilli is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder for the New York Mets, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Toronto Blue Jays from 1976 through 1989. He was an MLB All-Star in 1979. Mazzilli also managed the Baltimore Orioles from 2004 through 2005 and coached the Yankees from 2000 through 2003 and in 2006. Read more
25 Mar 1954: Thom Loverro, American journalist and author Thomas F. Loverro, is an American sportswriter. He was voted by the National Sports Media Association the Maryland sportswriter of the year in 2009 and District of Columbia sportswriter of the year in 2014. Read more
25 Mar 1953: Christos Ardizoglou, Greek footballer Christos Ardizoglou is a Greek former international footballer who played as mainly a midfielder. Read more
25 Mar 1953: Robert Fox, English producer and manager Robert Michael John Fox was an English theatre and film producer, whose work included the 2002 film The Hours, a film for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Read more
25 Mar 1953: Vesna Pusić, Croatian sociologist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia Vesna Pusić is a Croatian sociologist and politician who served as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the centre-left cabinet of Zoran Milanović. She was Croatia's second female Foreign Minister taking the office after Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović. She is known as an outspoken liberal and an advocate of European integration, anti-fascism, gender equality and LGBT rights. Read more
25 Mar 1953: Haroon Rasheed, Pakistani cricketer and coach Haroon Rasheed Dar is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who played in 23 Test matches and 12 One Day International from 1977 to 1983. Read more
25 Mar 1952: Stephen Dorrell, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Health Stephen James Dorrell is a British politician. He served as the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Loughborough between 1979 and 1997 and then for Charnwood from 1997 to 2015, before joining the Liberal Democrats in 2019. Read more
25 Mar 1952: Antanas Mockus, Colombian mathematician, philosopher, and politician, Mayor of Bogotá Aurelijus Rūtenis Antanas Mockus Šivickas is a Colombian mathematician, philosopher, and politician. He has a master's degree in philosophy from the National University of Colombia, and a Honoris Causa PhD from the University of Paris. He is the son of Lithuanian immigrants. He left office as the president of the National University of Colombia in Bogotá in 1993, and later that year ran a successful campaign for mayor. He proceeded to preside over Bogotá as mayor for two non-consecutive terms, during which he became known for springing surprising and humorous initiatives upon the city's inhabitants. These tended to involve grand gestures, including local artists or personal appearances by the mayor himself—taking a shower in a commercial about conserving water, or walking the streets dressed in spandex and a cape as Supercitizen. Read more
25 Mar 1951: Jumbo Tsuruta, Japanese wrestler (died 2000) Tomomi "Tommy" Tsuruta , better known by his ring name Jumbo Tsuruta , was a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) for most of his career, and is well known for being the first ever Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, having won the PWF Heavyweight Championship, the NWA United National Championship, and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship, and unifying the three titles. He is also known for being one-half of the first World Tag Team Champions with Yoshiaki Yatsu, having won the NWA International Tag Team Championship and the PWF Tag Team Championship, and unifying the two titles. Read more
25 Mar 1950: Chuck Greenberg, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer (died 1995) Chuck Greenberg, born in Chicago, Illinois, was an American musical artist, composer and producer. Read more
25 Mar 1950: Ronnie McDowell, American singer-songwriter Ronald Dean McDowell Sr. is an American country music artist. McDowell charted more than 30 top-40 hits on the Billboard country music charts. Two of his singles – "Older Women" and "You're Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation" — reached number one on the country charts, while 11 more reached top 10. He has also released more than 20 studio albums, and has been signed to Curb Records since 1986. Read more
25 Mar 1950: David Paquette, American-New Zealander pianist David Paquette is an American jazz pianist. He has recorded more than 3 albums. Highlights of his career include touring the European jazz circuit, establishing and directing a two-year running annual Jazz Festival on New Zealand's Waiheke Island, and years as the Musical Director for Sydney Australia's IBIS Budget Hotel. Read more
25 Mar 1949: Ronnie Flanagan, Northern Irish Chief Constable (Royal Irish Constabulary, Police Service of Northern Ireland) Sir Ronald Flanagan is a retired senior Northern Irish police officer. He was the Home Office Chief Inspector of Constabulary for the United Kingdom excluding Scotland. Flanagan was previously the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) since its creation in 2001 to 2002, and had been Chief Constable of its predecessor, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) until 2001. Read more
25 Mar 1949: Sue Klebold, American activist Susan Frances Klebold is an American author and suicide prevention activist. Her son, Dylan Klebold, was one of the perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. Sixteen years after the massacre, she published A Mother's Reckoning, a book in which she reflects on the signs she missed regarding Dylan's mental state and possible motives. Read more
25 Mar 1948: Bonnie Bedelia, American actress Bonnie Bedelia is an American actress. After beginning her career in theatre in the 1960s, Bedelia starred in the CBS daytime soap opera Love of Life and made her film debut in The Gypsy Moths. Bedelia subsequently appeared in the films They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Lovers and Other Strangers, Heart Like a Wheel, The Prince of Pennsylvania, Die Hard, Presumed Innocent, Sordid Lives, and Needful Things. Read more
25 Mar 1948: Michael Stanley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2021) Michael Stanley was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and radio and television personality. As a solo artist and with the Michael Stanley Band (MSB), and Michael Stanley and the Resonators (MS&R), his brand of heartland rock was popular in Cleveland, Ohio, and around the American Midwest in the 1970s and 1980s. Read more
25 Mar 1947: Richard Cork, English historian and critic
Richard Cork is a British art historian, editor, critic, broadcaster and exhibition curator. He has been an art critic for the Evening Standard, The Listener, The Times and the New Statesman. Cork was also editor for Studio International. He is a past Turner Prize judge. Read more
25 Mar 1947: Elton John, English singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor Sir Elton Hercules John is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting effect on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with the lyricist Bernie Taupin is one of the most successful in history. John was the 19th EGOT winner in history. He has sold over 300 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Read more
25 Mar 1946: Cliff Balsom, English footballer Clifford Gene "Cliff" Balsom is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Torquay United. He was born in Torquay, Devon. Read more
25 Mar 1946: Daniel Bensaïd, French philosopher and author (died 2010) Daniel Bensaïd was a philosopher and a leader of the Trotskyist movement in France. He became a leading figure in the student revolt of 1968, while studying at the University of Paris X-Nanterre. Read more
25 Mar 1946: Stephen Hunter, American author and critic Stephen Hunter is an American novelist, essayist, and film critic. Read more
25 Mar 1946: Maurice Krafft, French volcanologist (died 1991) Catherine Joséphine "Katia" Krafft and her husband, Maurice Paul Krafft were French volcanologists and filmmakers who died in a pyroclastic flow on Mount Unzen, Nagasaki, Japan, on 3 June 1991. The Kraffts became well known as pioneers in the filming, photographing, and recording of volcanoes, often coming within feet of lava flows. Their obituary appeared in the Bulletin of Volcanology. Since their deaths, their work has been featured in two documentary films by Werner Herzog, Into the Inferno (2016) and The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft (2022), and a further film, Fire of Love (2022), depicted their lives, relationship and careers using their archived footage. Read more
25 Mar 1945: Leila Diniz, Brazilian actress (died 1972) Leila Roque Diniz was a Brazilian television, film and stage actress, whose liberal ideas and attitudes about sex had raised the discontent of both the feminists and the Brazilian military government of the 1960s. Read more
25 Mar 1943: Paul Michael Glaser, American actor and director Paul Michael Glaser is an American actor, director, and writer whose career has spanned five decades. He made his acting debut in the television series Love Is a Many Splendored Thing and went on to have many acting roles, appearing in The Waltons, The Streets of San Francisco, and Kojak. Glaser rose to prominence for his portrayal as Detective Dave Starsky in the 1970s television series, Starsky & Hutch and went on to write and direct five episodes for the show. Following the show's success, he ventured into directing for other series including Miami Vice, Judging Amy, and Las Vegas. Read more
25 Mar 1942: Robert J. Birgeneau, Canadian-American physicist Robert Joseph Birgeneau is a Canadian-American physicist and university administrator. He was the fourteenth president of the University of Toronto from 2000 to 2004, and the ninth chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley from 2004 to 2013. Read more
25 Mar 1942: Aretha Franklin, American singer-songwriter and pianist (died 2018) Aretha Louise Franklin was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Regarded as the "Queen of Soul", she was twice named by Rolling Stone magazine as the greatest singer of all time. Read more
25 Mar 1942: Richard O'Brien, English actor and screenwriter Richard O'Brien is a British-New Zealand actor, playwright and singer. He wrote the musical stage show The Rocky Horror Show in 1973, which has since remained in continuous production. He also co-wrote the screenplay along with director Jim Sharman for the film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and appeared on-screen as Riff Raff. O'Brien co-wrote the musical film Shock Treatment (1981) and appeared on-screen as Dr. Cosmo McKinley. Read more
25 Mar 1942: Kim Woodburn, English television host (died 2025) Patricia Mary "Kim" Woodburn was an English television personality, writer, and expert cleaner. Known as the "Queen of Clean", she came to prominence by co-presenting the Channel 4 series How Clean Is Your House? (2003–2009) and its Canadian version Kim's Rude Awakenings (2007–2009). Woodburn maintained a media career that spanned over two decades and went on to appear on various reality television shows, most notably I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! (2009) and Celebrity Big Brother (2017). Read more
25 Mar 1941: Gudmund Hernes, Norwegian sociologist and politician, Norwegian Minister of Education and Research Gudmund Hernes is a Norwegian professor and politician for the Labour Party. He was the state secretary to the Secretariat for Long-Term Planning 1980–1981, Minister of Education and Research and Ministry of Church and Cultural Affairs 1990, Minister of Education, Research and Church Affairs 1991-1995 and Minister of Health and Social Affairs 1995-1996 and 1996–1997. Read more
25 Mar 1939: Toni Cade Bambara, American author, academic, and activist (died 1995) Toni Cade Bambara, born Miltona Mirkin Cade, was an African-American author, documentary film-maker, social activist and college professor. Read more
25 Mar 1939: D. C. Fontana, American screenwriter and producer (died 2019) Dorothy Catherine Fontana was an American television script writer and story editor, best known for her work on the original Star Trek series. Read more
25 Mar 1938: Hoyt Axton, American singer-songwriter and actor (died 1999) Hoyt Wayne Axton was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voice. Among his best-known songs are "Joy to the World", "The Pusher", "No No Song", "Greenback Dollar", "Della and the Dealer", "Never Been to Spain", and "Boney Fingers". Read more
25 Mar 1938: Daniel Buren, French sculptor and painter Daniel Buren is a French conceptual artist, painter, and sculptor. He has won numerous awards including the Golden Lion for best pavilion at the Venice Biennale (1986), the International Award for best artist in Stuttgart (1991) and the prestigious Premium Imperiale for painting in Tokyo in 2007. He has created several world-famous installations, including "Les Deux Plateaux"(1985) in the Cour d'honneur of the Palais-Royal, and the Observatory of the Light in Fondation Louis Vuitton. He is one of the most active and recognised artists on the international scene, and his work has been welcomed by the most important institutions and sites around the world. Read more
25 Mar 1938: Fritz d'Orey, Brazilian racing driver (died 2020) Frederico José Carlos Themudo "Fritz" d'Orey was a Brazilian racing driver of German and Portuguese descent. He participated in three Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 5 July 1959. He scored no championship points. Read more
25 Mar 1937: Tom Monaghan, American businessman, founded Domino's Pizza Thomas Stephen Monaghan is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded Domino's Pizza in 1960. He also owns the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor Charter Township, Michigan, and owned the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1992. Read more
25 Mar 1936: Carl Kaufmann, American-German sprinter (died 2008) Carl Kaufmann was an American born West German sprint runner. Read more
25 Mar 1935: Gabriel Elorde, Filipino boxer (died 1985) Gabriel "Flash" Elorde was a Filipino professional boxer. He won the lineal super featherweight title in 1960. In 1963, he won the inaugural WBC and WBA super featherweight titles. He holds the record at super featherweight division for the longest title reign, spanning seven years. Elorde is considered one of the best Filipino boxers of all time along with eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao and Pancho Villa, flyweight champion in the 1920s. He was much beloved in the Philippines as a sports and cultural icon, being the first Filipino international boxing champion since middleweight champion Ceferino Garcia. Read more
25 Mar 1934: Johnny Burnette, American singer-songwriter (died 1964) John Joseph Burnette was an American singer and songwriter of rockabilly and pop music. In 1952, Johnny, his brother Dorsey Burnette, and their mutual friend Paul Burlison, formed the band that became known as the Rock and Roll Trio. His career was cut short on August 14, 1964, when he drowned following a boat accident, aged 30. Read more
25 Mar 1934: Bernard King, Australian actor and chef (died 2002) Bernard James King was an Australian stage actor, celebrity chef, and television personality. Read more
25 Mar 1934: Karlheinz Schreiber, German-Canadian businessman Karlheinz Schreiber is a German and Canadian citizen, an industrialist, lobbyist, fundraiser, arms dealer, businessman, and convicted criminal. He has been in the news regarding his alleged role in the 1999 CDU contributions scandal in Germany, which damaged the political legacy of former Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl and involves the former Federal Minister of Finance of Germany Wolfgang Schäuble as well as the Airbus affair in Canada, which was linked through allegation to former prime minister of Canada Brian Mulroney. He was extradited to Germany on 2 August 2009, and convicted of tax evasion. Read more
25 Mar 1934: Gloria Steinem, American feminist activist, co-founded the Women's Media Center Gloria Marie Steinem is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Read more
25 Mar 1932: Penelope Gilliatt, English novelist, short story writer, and critic (died 1993) Penelope Gilliatt was an English novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and film critic. As one of the main film critics for The New Yorker magazine in the 1960s and 1970s, Gilliatt was known for her detailed descriptions and evocative reviews. A writer of short stories, novels, non-fiction books, and screenplays, Gilliatt was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971). Read more
25 Mar 1932: Wes Santee, American runner (died 2010) David Wesley Santee was an American middle distance runner and athlete who competed mainly in the 1,500 meters and mile events. Read more
25 Mar 1931: Humphrey Burton, English radio and television host (died 2025) Sir Humphrey McGuire Burton was an English classical music television presenter, broadcaster, director, producer, impresario, lecturer and biographer of musicians. Burton was knighted in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to classical music, the arts and the media. Read more
25 Mar 1930: David Burge, American pianist, composer, and conductor (died 2013) David Russell Burge was an American pianist, conductor and composer. As a performer, he was noted for championing contemporary pieces. The New York Times called him "one of America's important pianists," and his concerts were described as "an overwhelming experience" presenting "masterful artistry". Read more
25 Mar 1930: Carlo Mauri, Italian mountaineer and explorer (died 1982) Carlo Mauri was an Italian mountaineer and explorer. Mauri was born in Lecco. Among his early climbs in the Alps two stand out: the first winter ascent of the via Comici route on the northern face of Cima Grande di Lavaredo; and the first solitary ascent of the Poire of Mont Blanc. Numerous expeditions abroad followed. In 1956 he reached the summit of Monte Sarmiento in Tierra del Fuego and in 1958, as a member of Riccardo Cassin’s expedition in Karakorum, he and Walter Bonatti made the first ascent of Gasherbrum IV. Read more
25 Mar 1930: Rudy Minarcin, American baseball player and coach (died 2013) Rudolph Anthony Minarcin [Buster] was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1955 through 1957 for the Cincinnati Redlegs (1955) and Boston Red Sox (1956–57). Listed at 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m), 195 lb (88 kg), he batted and threw right-handed. Read more
25 Mar 1929: Cecil Taylor, American pianist and composer (died 2018) Cecil Percival Taylor was an American pianist and poet. Read more
25 Mar 1928: Jim Lovell, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (died 2025) James Arthur Lovell Jr. was an American astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and mechanical engineer. In 1968, as command module pilot of Apollo 8, he, along with Frank Borman and William Anders, became one of the first three astronauts to fly to and orbit the Moon. He then commanded the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970 which, after a critical failure en route, looped around the Moon and returned safely to Earth. Read more
25 Mar 1928: Gunnar Nielsen, Danish runner and typographer (died 1985) Niels Gunnar Nielsen was a Danish middle distance runner who equalled the world record over both 880 yards and 1500 metres. He represented the Østerbro-based club Københavns Idræts Forening throughout his career. Read more
25 Mar 1928: Peter O'Brien, Australian rugby league player (died 2016) Peter O'Brien (1928-2016) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. He played in the NSWRFL premiership for North Sydney as a winger. Read more
25 Mar 1928: Hans Steinbrenner, German sculptor (died 2008) Hans Theodor Steinbrenner was a German painter and sculptor based in Frankfurt who focused on abstract figures in wood and stone. Many of his works are in public space. Read more
25 Mar 1927: P. Shanmugam, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Puducherry (died 2013) P. Shanmugam was the Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Pondicherry. He served from 22 March 2000 to 27 October 2001. Read more
25 Mar 1926: Riz Ortolani, Italian composer and conductor (died 2014) Riziero "Riz" Ortolani was an Italian composer, conductor, and orchestrator, predominantly of film scores. He scored over 200 films and television programs between 1955 and 2014, with a career spanning over fifty years. Read more
25 Mar 1926: László Papp, Hungarian boxer (died 2003) László Papp was a Hungarian professional boxer from Budapest. He was left-handed and won gold medals in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, and the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia. In his final Olympic competition he became the first boxer in Olympic history to win three successive gold medals. He won 12 of his 13 Olympic fights without losing a round, dropping only one, in his last Olympic final, to American boxer José Torres.
There was not another triple gold medalist for 20 years, when Cuba's Teófilo Stevenson won three, followed by another Cuban Félix Savón as the third of the three men to accomplish the feat. Read more
25 Mar 1926: Shirley Jean Rickert, American actress (died 2009) Shirley Jean Rickert was an American child actress who was briefly the "blonde girl" for the Our Gang series in 1931, during the Hal Roach early talkie period. Read more
25 Mar 1926: Jaime Sabines, Mexican poet and politician (died 1999) Jaime Sabines Gutiérrez was a Mexican contemporary poet. Known as "the sniper of literature" as he formed part of a group that transformed literature into reality, he wrote ten volumes of poetry, and his work has been translated into more than twelve languages. His writings chronicle the experience of everyday people in places such as the street, hospital, and playground. Sabines was also a politician. Read more
25 Mar 1926: Gene Shalit, American journalist and critic Eugene Shalit is an American retired journalist, television personality, film and book critic and author. After starting to work part-time on NBC's The Today Show in 1970, he filled those roles from January 15, 1973, until retiring on November 11, 2010. He is known for his frequent use of puns and his comical “absent-minded professor” appearance, which consists of an oversized handlebar moustache, fuzzy hair, large glasses, and colorful bow ties. Read more
25 Mar 1925: Flannery O'Connor, American short story writer and novelist (died 1964) Mary Flannery O'Connor was an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. Read more
25 Mar 1925: Anthony Quinton, Baron Quinton, English physician and philosopher (died 2010) Anthony Meredith Quinton, Baron Quinton, FBA was an English political and moral philosopher, metaphysician, and materialist philosopher of mind. He served as President of Trinity College, Oxford from 1978 to 1987; and as chairman of the board of the British Library from 1985 to 1990. He is also remembered as a presenter of the BBC Radio programme Round Britain Quiz. Read more
25 Mar 1925: Kishori Sinha, Indian politician, social activist and advocate (died 2016) Kishori Sinha was an Indian politician, social activist, a lifelong advocate of women's empowerment and a former two-term Member of Parliament from the Vaishali constituency. She was married to the former Chief Minister of Bihar Satyendra Narayan Sinha, who was a seven-term Member of Parliament, from the constituency of Aurangabad. Her son Nikhil Kumar had served as the Governor of Kerala and Governor of Nagaland. Read more
25 Mar 1924: Roberts Blossom, American actor (died 2011) Roberts Scott Blossom was an American poet and character actor of theatre, film, and television. He is best known for his roles as Old Man Marley in Home Alone (1990) and as Ezra Cobb in the horror film Deranged (1974). Blossom is also remembered for his supporting roles in films such as The Great Gatsby (1974), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Escape from Alcatraz (1979), Christine (1983), and The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). Read more
25 Mar 1924: Machiko Kyō, Japanese actress (died 2019) Motoko Yano, better known as Machiko Kyō , was a Japanese actress who was active primarily in the 1950s. Considered one of Japan's first sex symbols and one of its greatest screen actresses, Kyō is best known for her critically acclaimed work with directors Akira Kurosawa, Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Kon Ichikawa, Teinosuke Kinugasa, Kōzaburō Yoshimura, Shirō Toyoda and Hiroshi Teshigahara, appearing in films such as Rashomon, Ugetsu, Gate of Hell, Street of Shame, Floating Weeds, Odd Obsession and The Face of Another. Read more
25 Mar 1923: Bonnie Guitar, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2019) Bonnie Buckingham, better known as Bonnie Guitar, was an American singer, musician, producer, and businesswoman. She was best known for her 1957 song, "Dark Moon", which was a country-pop crossover hit. She became one of the first female country music singers to have hit songs cross over from the country charts to the pop charts. Read more
25 Mar 1923: Wim van Est, Dutch cyclist (died 2003) Willem "Wim" van Est was a Dutch racing cyclist. He is best known for being the first Dutch cyclist to wear the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification in the Tour de France of 1951, and for falling into a ravine while wearing it. Read more
25 Mar 1922: Eileen Ford, American businesswoman, co-founded Ford Models (died 2014) Eileen Cecile Ford was an American modeling agency executive. Along with her husband Gerard "Jerry" Ford, she co-founded Ford Models in 1946, which emerged as one of the earliest and most successful modeling agencies in the mid and late-20th century. Read more
25 Mar 1921: Nancy Kelly, American actress (died 1995) Nancy Kelly was an American actress in film, theater, and television. A child actress and model, she was a repertory cast member of CBS Radio's The March of Time, and appeared in several films in the late 1920s. She became a leading lady upon returning to the screen in the late 1930s, while still in her teens, and made two dozen movies between 1938 and 1946, including portraying Tyrone Power's love interest in the classic Jesse James (1939), which also featured Henry Fonda, and playing opposite Spencer Tracy in Stanley and Livingstone, later that same year. After turning to the stage in the late 1940s, she had her greatest success in a character role, the distraught mother in The Bad Seed, receiving a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the 1955 stage production and an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress for the 1956 film adaptation, her last film role. Kelly worked regularly in television until 1963, then took over the role of Martha in the original Broadway production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for several months. She returned to television for a handful of appearances in the mid-1970s. Read more
25 Mar 1921: Simone Signoret, French actress (died 1985) Simone Signoret was a French actress. She received various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a César Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, in addition to nominations for two Golden Globe Awards. Read more
25 Mar 1921: Alexandra of Yugoslavia, the last Queen of Yugoslavia (died 1993) Alexandra was the last Queen of Yugoslavia as the wife of King Peter II. Read more
25 Mar 1920: Paul Scott, English author, poet, and playwright (died 1978) Paul Mark Scott was an English novelist best known for his tetralogy The Raj Quartet. In the last years of his life, his novel Staying On won the Booker Prize (1977). The series of books was dramatised by Granada Television during the 1980s and won Scott the public and critical acclaim that he had not received during his lifetime. Read more
25 Mar 1920: Patrick Troughton, English actor (died 1987) Patrick George Troughton was an English actor. He became best known for his work as a character actor in television, most notably starring as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction television series Doctor Who from 1966 to 1969; he reprised the role three times between 1972 and 1985. Classically trained, Troughton's early work included appearances in Laurence Olivier's films Hamlet (1948) and Richard III (1955), and he later appeared in genre films including Jason and the Argonauts (1963), The Gorgon (1964), Scars of Dracula (1970) and The Omen (1976), as well as the fantasy television series The Box of Delights (1984). Read more
25 Mar 1920: Usha Mehta, Gandhian and freedom fighter of India (died 2000) Usha Mehta was a Gandhian and independence activist of India. She is also remembered for organizing the Congress Radio, also called the Secret Congress Radio, an underground radio station, which functioned for a few months during the Quit India Movement of 1942. In 1998, the Government of India conferred on her Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Read more
25 Mar 1918: Howard Cosell, American soldier, journalist, and author (died 1995) Howard William Cosell was an American sports journalist, broadcaster and author. Cosell became prominent and influential during his tenure with ABC Sports from 1953 until 1985. Read more
25 Mar 1916: S. M. Pandit, Indian painter and educator (died 1993) Sambanand Monappa Pandit was an Indian painter from Karnataka, popular in the school of Realism in contrast to the contemporaneous net-traditionalist Bengal Renaissance and other Indian modern art movements of his time. Most of his subjects oscillated between events from classical Indian literature including the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Puranas, and the contemporary cinema of his times. He infused a rare blend of artistic virtuosity and filmi glamour to his portrayal of romantic characters like Radha-Krishna, Nala-Damayanti, and Viswamitra-Menaka as also the many heroes and heroines of Hindi cinema. In addition to his critically acclaimed masterpieces he also illustrated many popular film posters, film magazines and various other publications in what can collectively be termed as calendar art. His works remain hugely popular even today. His mythological paintings and calendar art have been collected widely. He is also widely celebrated in the Indian calendar industry for his "realistic" depiction of themes from Hindu mythology. In these paintings he emphasised the physical forms of the heroes, heroines, gods and goddesses in marked contrast to traditional and classical styles of Indian painting. In his paintings, Pandit depicted his subjects as handsome, muscular, valorous men and sensuously beautiful, voluptuous women set in surroundings suggestive of cinema settings and sceneries. Read more
25 Mar 1915: Dorothy Squires, Welsh singer (died 1998) Dorothy Squires was a Welsh singer. Her early successes were achieved with "The Gypsy", "A Tree in the Meadow" and "I'm Walking Behind You" by her partner Billy Reid, and "Say It with Flowers" written by Squires with piano accompaniment by Russ Conway. Among her later well-known recordings were versions of "Till", "My Way", and "For Once in My Life". Other notable cover songs included "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening", "I'm in the Mood for Love", "Anytime", "If You Love Me " and "And So to Sleep Again". Read more
25 Mar 1914: Norman Borlaug, American agronomist and humanitarian, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2009) Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist who led initiatives worldwide that contributed to the extensive increases in agricultural production termed the Green Revolution. Borlaug was awarded multiple honors for his work, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal, one of only seven people to have received all three awards. Read more
25 Mar 1914: Tassos, Greek engraver, etcher and sculptor (died 1985) Anastasios Alevizos was a Greek engraver, etcher and sculptor, who became famous under the name Tassos for his works on significant milestones of the 20th century history of Greece. Read more
25 Mar 1913: Reo Stakis, Cypriot-Scottish businessman, founded Stakis Hotels (died 2001)
Sir Reo Stakis was a Cypriot hotel magnate, longtime head of Stakis Hotels. Read more
25 Mar 1912: Melita Norwood, English civil servant and spy (died 2005) Melita Stedman Norwood was a British civil servant, Communist Party of Great Britain member and KGB spy. Read more
25 Mar 1912: Jean Vilar, French actor and director (died 1971) Jean Vilar was a French actor and theatre director. He was the founder of the Festival d'Avignon and the Théâtre National Populaire. Read more
25 Mar 1910: Magda Olivero, Italian soprano (died 2014) Magda Olivero, was an Italian operatic soprano. Her career started in 1932 when she was 22, and spanned five decades, establishing her "as an important link between the era of the verismo composers and the modern opera stage". She has been regarded as "one of the greatest singers of the twentieth century". Read more
25 Mar 1910: Benzion Netanyahu, Polish-Israeli historian and academic (died 2012) Benzion Netanyahu was a Polish-born Israeli encyclopedist, historian, and medievalist. Born in Warsaw, he served as a professor of history at Cornell University. A scholar of Judaic history, he was also an activist in the Revisionist Zionism movement, who lobbied in the United States to support the creation of the Jewish state. His field of expertise was the history of the Jews in Spain. He was an editor of the Hebrew Encyclopedia and assistant to Benjamin Azkin, Ze'ev Jabotinsky's personal secretary. Read more
25 Mar 1908: David Lean, English director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1991) Sir David Lean was an English filmmaker and editor, widely considered one of the most important figures of British cinema. He directed the large-scale epics The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), Ryan's Daughter (1970), and A Passage to India (1984). He also directed the film adaptations of Charles Dickens novels Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948), as well as the romantic drama Brief Encounter (1945). Read more
25 Mar 1906: Jean Sablon, French singer and actor (died 1994) Jean Sablon was a French singer, songwriter, composer and actor. He was one of the first French singers to immerse himself in jazz. The man behind several songs by big French and American names, he was the first to use a microphone on a French stage in 1936. Star of vinyl records and the radio, he left France in 1937 to take a contract with NBC in the United States. His radio and later televised shows made him a huge star in America. Henceforth the most international of French singers among his contemporaries, he became an ambassador of French songwriting and dedicated his career to touring internationally, occasionally returning to France to appear on stage. His sixty-one year career came to an end in 1984. Read more
25 Mar 1906: A. J. P. Taylor, English historian and academic (died 1990) Alan John Percivale Taylor was an English historian who specialised in 19th- and 20th-century European diplomacy. Both a journalist and a broadcaster, he became well known to millions through his television lectures. His combination of academic rigour and popular appeal led the historian Richard Overy to describe him as "the Macaulay of our age". In a 2011 poll by History Today magazine, he was named the fourth most important historian of the previous 60 years. Read more
25 Mar 1905: Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim, German colonel (died 1944) Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim was a German Army colonel and a resistance fighter in Nazi Germany involved in the 20 July plot against Adolf Hitler. Read more
25 Mar 1904: Pete Johnson, American boogie-woogie and jazz pianist (died 1967) Kermit Holden "Pete" Johnson was an American boogie-woogie and jazz pianist. Read more
25 Mar 1903: Binnie Barnes, English-American actress (died 1998) Gertrude Maud Barnes, known professionally as Binnie Barnes, was an English actress whose career in films spanned from 1923 to 1973. She was known as a leading lady in films such as The Private Life of Henry VIII, The Last of the Mohicans, and In Old California. Read more
25 Mar 1903: Frankie Carle, American pianist and bandleader (died 2001) Frankie Carle was an American pianist and bandleader. As a very popular bandleader in the 1940s and 1950s, Carle was nicknamed "The Wizard of the Keyboard" for his piano skills. "Sunrise Serenade" was Carle's best-known composition, rising to No. 1 in the US in 1938 and selling more than one million copies. Read more
25 Mar 1903: Nahum Norbert Glatzer, Ukrainian-American theologian and scholar (died 1990) Nahum Norbert Glatzer was an Austrian and American scholar of Jewish history and philosophy from antiquity to mid 20th century. Read more
25 Mar 1901: Ed Begley, American actor (died 1970) Edward James Begley Sr. was an American actor of theatre, radio, film, and television. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film Sweet Bird of Youth (1962) and appeared in such classics as 12 Angry Men (1957), Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) and The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964). He was twice nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, including for his portrayal of Matthew Harrison Brady in a television adaptation of Inherit the Wind, a role which, ten years before, had earned earned him the Tony Award. Additionally, he was a one-time Golden Globe, two-time Laurel Award, and three-time Grammy Award nominee. He is the father of the actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. Read more
25 Mar 1900: George Carstairs, Australian rugby league player (died 1966) George James Carstairs (1900–1966) was an Australian rugby league player who played in the 1920s and represented Australia. Read more
25 Mar 1899: François Rozet, French-Canadian actor (died 1994) François Rozet, was a French-born Canadian actor. Read more
25 Mar 1897: Leslie Averill, New Zealand doctor and soldier (died 1981) Leslie Cecil Lloyd Averill was a New Zealand soldier who served during the First World War on the Western Front. After the war, he became a doctor and established a private practice in his hometown of Christchurch. He also served as a medical administrator and community leader. Read more
25 Mar 1895: Siegfried Handloser, German general and physician (died 1954) Siegfried Adolf Handloser was a German physician and war criminal, convicted for overseeing medical atrocities at concentration camps. Read more
25 Mar 1893: Johannes Villemson, Estonian runner (died 1971) Johannes Leopold Villemson was an Estonian runner who competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics. He was eliminated in the first round of the 800 m and 1500 m events. Read more
25 Mar 1885: Jimmy Seed, English international footballer and manager (died 1966) James Marshall Seed was an English footballer and football manager. Read more
25 Mar 1881: Béla Bartók, Hungarian pianist and composer (died 1945) Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hungary's greatest composers. Among his notable works are the opera Bluebeard's Castle, the ballet The Miraculous Mandarin, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, the Concerto for Orchestra and six string quartets. Through his collection and analytical study of folk music, he was one of the founders of comparative musicology, which later became known as ethnomusicology. Per Anthony Tommasini, Bartók "has empowered generations of subsequent composers to incorporate folk music and classical traditions from whatever culture into their works," and was "a formidable modernist who in the face of Schoenberg’s breathtaking formulations showed another way, forging a language that was an amalgam of tonality, unorthodox scales and atonal wanderings." His work is often described as being a combination of traditional peasants' folk music and avant-garde music. Read more
25 Mar 1881: Patrick Henry Bruce, American painter and educator (died 1936) Patrick Henry Bruce was an American cubist painter. Read more
25 Mar 1881: Mary Webb, English author and poet (died 1927) Mary Gladys Webb was an English romance novelist and poet of the early 20th century, whose work is set chiefly in the Shropshire countryside and among Shropshire characters and people whom she knew. Her novels have been successfully dramatized, most notably the film Gone to Earth in 1950 by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger based on the novel of the same title. Read more
25 Mar 1879: Amedee Reyburn, American swimmer and water polo player (died 1920) Amedee Valle Reyburn Jr. was an American freestyle swimmer and water polo player who won two bronze medals in the 1904 Summer Olympics in his native St. Louis. He played football for Washington University, and by 1905 served as an executive and part owner of the Westminster Automobile Company of St. Louis. A flying enthusiast in the early years of aviation, he participated in a North American coast-to-coast trans-continental flight competition in 1911 that ended in Los Angeles. Read more
25 Mar 1878: František Janda-Suk, Czech discus thrower and shot putter (died 1955) František Janda-Suk was a Czech athlete who competed for Bohemia in the 1900 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics and Czechoslovakia at the 1924 Summer Olympics. Read more
25 Mar 1877: Walter Little, Canadian politician (died 1961)
Walter Little was a Canadian politician. He represented the riding of Timiskaming in the House of Commons of Canada from 1935 to 1953. He was a member of the Liberal Party until his death in 1961. Read more
25 Mar 1876: Irving Baxter, American high jumper and pole vaulter (died 1957) Irving Knott Baxter was an American athlete, who won the gold medal in both the men's high jump and the pole vault at the 1900 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France. Read more
25 Mar 1874: Selim Sırrı Tarcan, Turkish educator and politician (died 1957) Selim Sırrı Tarcan was a Turkish educator, sports official and politician. He is best remembered for his contribution to the establishment of the National Olympic Committee of Turkey and the introduction of the sport of volleyball in Turkey. Read more
25 Mar 1873: Rudolf Rocker, German-American author and activist (died 1958) Johann Rudolf Rocker was a German anarchist writer and activist. He was born in Mainz to an artisan family. Read more
25 Mar 1872: Horatio Nelson Jackson, American race car driver and physician (died 1955) Horatio Nelson Jackson was a Canadian-American physician, Army medical officer, businessman, and automobile pioneer. In 1903, he and his hired mechanic and driving partner Sewall K. Crocker became the first people to drive an automobile across the United States, a road trip from San Francisco to New York City, with additional miles travelled to his home in Vermont. Read more
25 Mar 1871: Louis Perrée, French fencer (died 1924) Louis Léonce Théophile Perrée was a French fencer who competed in the late 19th century and early 20th century. He participated in Fencing at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris and won the silver medal in the epee. He was defeated by Ramón Fonst in the final. Read more
25 Mar 1868: Bill Lockwood, English cricketer (died 1932) William Henry Lockwood was an English Test cricketer, best known as a fast bowler and the unpredictable, occasionally devastating counterpart to the amazingly hard-working Tom Richardson for Surrey in the early County Championship. A capable enough batsman against weaker bowling sides who scored over 10,000 runs in first-class cricket, stronger bowling tended to show flaws in his technique. Read more
25 Mar 1867: Gutzon Borglum, American sculptor, designed Mount Rushmore (died 1941) John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum was an American sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including Stone Mountain in Georgia, statues of Union General Philip Sheridan in Washington, D.C., and in Chicago, as well as a bust of Abraham Lincoln exhibited in the White House by Theodore Roosevelt and now held in the United States Capitol crypt in Washington, D.C. Read more
25 Mar 1867: Arturo Toscanini, Italian-American cellist and conductor (died 1957) Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his eidetic memory. He was at various times the music director of La Scala in Milan and the New York Philharmonic. Later in his career, he was appointed the first music director of the NBC Symphony Orchestra (1937–1954), and this led to his becoming a household name, especially in the United States, through his radio and television broadcasts and many recordings of the operatic and symphonic repertoire. Read more
25 Mar 1863: Simon Flexner, American physician and academic (died 1946) Simon Flexner was an American physician, scientist, administrator, and professor of experimental pathology at the University of Pennsylvania (1899–1903). He served as the first director of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (1901–1935) and a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation. He was also a friend and adviser to John D. Rockefeller Jr. Read more
25 Mar 1859: Hendrik Wortman, Dutch civil engineer (died 1939) Hendrik Wortman was a Dutch civil engineer. Born in Amersfoort, Utrecht, he graduated from Delft Polytechnic in 1880 and joined the Rijkswaterstaat. He took offices throughout the country, focusing particularly on questions of water management and hydraulic engineering, until he was seconded to the Ministry of Public Works, Trade, and Industry in 1894. In this capacity, he developed several infrastructure projects, including a harbour in Scheveningen, while preparing exploratory studies for damming of the Zuiderzee. Read more
25 Mar 1840: Myles Keogh, Irish-American colonel (died 1876) Myles Walter Keogh was an Irish soldier. He served in the armies of the Papal States during the war for Italian unification in 1860, and was recruited into the Union Army during the American Civil War, serving as a cavalry officer, particularly under Brig. Gen. John Buford during the Gettysburg campaign and the three-day Battle of Gettysburg. After the war, Keogh remained in the regular United States Army as commander of I Troop of the 7th Cavalry Regiment under George Armstrong Custer during the Indian Wars, until he was killed along with Custer and all five of the companies directly under Custer's command at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. Read more
25 Mar 1828: George Montgomery White, American politician (died 1860) George Montgomery White was an American politician in North Carolina who was a two-term member of the North Carolina House of Commons from Bladen County. Read more
25 Mar 1824: Clinton L. Merriam, American banker and politician (died 1900) Clinton Levi Merriam was a United States representative from New York. Read more
25 Mar 1808: José de Espronceda, Spanish poet and author (died 1842) José Ignacio Javier Oriol Encarnación de Espronceda y Delgado was a Romantic Spanish poet, one of the most representative authors of the 19th century. He was influenced by Eugenio de Ochoa, Federico Madrazo, Alfred Tennyson, Richard Chenevix Trench and Diego de Alvear. Read more
25 Mar 1800: Ernst Heinrich Karl von Dechen, German geologist and academic (died 1889) Ernst Heinrich Karl von Dechen was a German geologist. Read more
🕊️ Important Deaths on 25 March in World History
25 Mar 2025: Tapani Kansa, Finnish singer (born 1949) Aarne Tapani Kansa was a Finnish singer. Read more
25 Mar 2025: Terry Manning, American musician and recording engineer (born 1947) Terry Don Manning was an American recording engineer, record producer, musician and photographer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, he worked with Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Bryan Adams, ZZ Top, the Tragically Hip, Zeno, Booker T. & the MG's, Shakira, Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, Rhino Bucket, Johnny Winter, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Big Star, Johnny Taylor, Jason and the Scorchers, the Staple Singers, Molly Hatchet, George Thorogood, Al Green, Widespread Panic, Shania Twain, Joe Cocker, Joe Walsh, and Lenny Kravitz, among others. Read more
25 Mar 2022: Taylor Hawkins, American drummer and singer (born 1972) Oliver Taylor Hawkins was an American musician who was the drummer and a vocalist of the rock band Foo Fighters, sharing vocals with Dave Grohl. He joined the band in 1997, and remained the band's drummer until his death in March 2022. He recorded eight studio albums with Foo Fighters between 1999 and 2021. Before joining the band, he was a touring drummer for Sass Jordan and Alanis Morissette, as well as the drummer of the progressive experimental band Sylvia. Read more
25 Mar 2021: Beverly Cleary, American author (born 1916) Beverly Atlee Cleary was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction. One of America's most successful authors, 91 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide since her first book was published in 1950. Some of her best known characters are Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse. Read more
25 Mar 2020: Floyd Cardoz, Indian-born American chef (born 1960) Floyd Cardoz was an Indian-American chef. He owned the New York City eatery Paowalla and was executive chef at Tabla, as well as victor on Top Chef Masters Season 3 in 2011. His New York restaurants were known for food melding Indian flavours and spices with western cuisine. Read more
25 Mar 2019: Barrie Hole, Welsh footballer (born 1942) Barrington Gerard Hole was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a midfielder. A Wales international, he began his career with Cardiff City and made his professional debut as a teenager. Read more
25 Mar 2017: Cuthbert Sebastian, St. Kitts and Nevis politician (born 1921) Sir Cuthbert Montraville Sebastian was the second governor-general of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 1996 to 2013. He was appointed Governor-General in 1995 and was sworn in on 1 January 1996. While in office, he was the world's oldest serving de facto head of state. His retirement was announced on 25 December 2012 and became effective on 1 January 2013. Read more
25 Mar 2016: Shannon Bolin, American actress and singer (born 1917) Shannon Bolin was an American actress and singer. A March 10, 1941, article in The Mason City Globe-Gazette said that she was "known as 'The Lady with the Dark Blue Voice'". Read more
25 Mar 2015: George Fischbeck, American journalist and educator (born 1922) George Richard Fischbeck was an American television weatherman on KOB-TV in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from the early 1960s to early 1970s. In 1972 he moved to KABC-TV in Los Angeles, replacing Alan Sloane, where he became a staple on the station's Eyewitness News broadcasts. He would retire from KABC-TV in 1992, but returned to television with a brief stint at KCBS-TV from 1994 to 1997. Read more
25 Mar 2014: Lorna Arnold, English historian and author (born 1915) Lorna Margaret Arnold was a British historian who wrote several books connected with the British nuclear weapons programmes. Read more
25 Mar 2014: Hank Lauricella, American football player and politician (born 1930) Francis Edward Lauricella, known as Hank Lauricella, was an American real estate developer from suburban New Orleans, Louisiana, a college football player, and a member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature. Read more
25 Mar 2014: Jon Lord, Canadian businessman and politician (born 1956) Jonathan Joseph Lord was a Canadian politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from Alberta, Canada. Read more
25 Mar 2014: Sonny Ruberto, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1946) John Edward Ruberto [Sonny] was an American backup catcher and pinch runner in Major League Baseball who played over parts of two seasons for the San Diego Padres (1969) and the Cincinnati Reds (1972). Listed at 5' 11", 175 lb., he batted and threw right handed. Read more
25 Mar 2014: Jonathan Schell, American journalist and author (born 1943) Jonathan Edward Schell was an American reporter and writer whose work primarily dealt with American foreign policy from the Vietnam War to the war on terror, as well as the threat posed by nuclear weapons and support for nuclear disarmament. Read more
25 Mar 2014: Ralph Wilson, American businessman, founded the Buffalo Bills (born 1918) Ralph Cookerly Wilson Jr. was an American businessman and sports executive. He was best known as the founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills, a team in the National Football League (NFL). He was one of the founding owners of the American Football League (AFL), the league with which the NFL merged in 1970, and was the last of the original AFL owners to own his team. At the time of his death he was the oldest owner in the NFL, at age 95. His 54 years of ownership was the third longest tenure by one owner in league history behind George Halas and Art Rooney. Wilson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. Read more
25 Mar 2013: Léonce Bernard, Canadian politician, 26th Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (born 1943) Joseph Gérard Léonce Bernard, was an Acadian-Canadian politician, who was the 26th Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, the third Island Acadian to hold this position. Read more
25 Mar 2013: Ben Goldfaden, American basketball player and educator (born 1913) Benjamin Paul Goldfaden was an American professional basketball player. He played two games in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) as a member of the Washington Capitols during the 1946–47 season. Goldfaden spent most of his professional career playing in the American Basketball League. Read more
25 Mar 2013: Anthony Lewis, American journalist and academic (born 1927) Joseph Anthony Lewis was an American public intellectual and journalist. He was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and was a columnist for The New York Times. He is credited with creating the field of legal journalism in the United States. Read more
25 Mar 2013: Jean Pickering, English runner and long jumper (born 1929) Jean Catherine Pickering was a female track and field athlete from Great Britain, who competed mainly in the 80 metres hurdles and long jump. Read more
25 Mar 2013: Jean-Marc Roberts, French author and screenwriter (born 1954)
Jean-Marc Roberts was a French editor, novelist, and screenwriter. Read more
25 Mar 2013: John F. Wiley, American lieutenant, football player, and coach (born 1920) John Franklin "Smiling Jack" Wiley was an American football player and coach. He played professionally a tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1950. Willey served as the head football coach at his alma mater, Waynesburg College—now known as Waynesburg University—in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, from 1951 to 1954, compiling a record of 22–9–1. Read more
25 Mar 2012: Priscilla Buckley, American journalist and author (born 1921) Priscilla Langford Buckley was an American journalist and author who was the longtime managing editor of National Review. Read more
25 Mar 2012: Hal E. Chester, American actor, director, and producer (born 1921) Hal E. Chester was an American film producer, writer, director and actor. Read more
25 Mar 2012: John Crosfield, English businessman, founded Crosfield Electronics (born 1915) John Fothergill Crosfield CBE DSc MA was an English inventor and entrepreneur. He was a pioneer in the application of electronics to all aspects of colour printing and the inventor of the acoustic and subsonic mines during the World War II. Read more
25 Mar 2012: Edd Gould, English animator and voice actor, founded Eddsworld (born 1988) Edward Duncan Ernest Gould was a British animator, cartoonist, artist, and voice actor. He created Eddsworld, a flash animation and web comic franchise featuring fictionalised versions of himself and longtime collaborators Tom Ridgewell, Matt Hargreaves, Tord Larsson and others. Read more
25 Mar 2012: Antonio Tabucchi, Italian author and academic (born 1943) Antonio Tabucchi was an Italian writer and academic who taught Portuguese language and literature at the University of Siena, Italy. Deeply in love with Portugal, he was an expert, critic and translator of the works of Fernando Pessoa from whom he drew the conceptions of saudade, of fiction and of the heteronyms. Tabucchi was first introduced to Pessoa's works in the 1960s when attending the Sorbonne. He was so charmed that when he returned to Italy, he took an introductory course in Portuguese for a better comprehension of the poet. Read more
25 Mar 2009: Johnny Blanchard, American baseball player (born 1933) John Edwin Blanchard was an American professional baseball outfielder and catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, and Milwaukee Braves. Read more
25 Mar 2009: Kosuke Koyama, Japanese-American theologian and academic (born 1929) Kosuke Koyama was a Japanese Protestant Christian theologian. Read more
25 Mar 2009: Dan Seals, American musician (born 1948) Danny Wayland Seals, also known as England Dan, was an American musician. The younger brother of Seals & Crofts member Jim Seals, he first gained fame as one half of the soft rock duo England Dan & John Ford Coley, who charted nine singles between 1976 and 1980, including the No. 2 Billboard Hot 100 hit "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight". Read more
25 Mar 2009: Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, Turkish politician and member of the Parliament of Turkey (born 1954) Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu was a Turkish politician and member of the Parliament of Turkey. He was the leader and founder of the Great Unity Party (BBP), a far-right, nationalist-Islamist political party. Read more
25 Mar 2008: Ben Carnevale, American basketball player and coach (born 1915) Bernard Louis Carnevale was an American basketball coach and college athletic administrator. He served as the head basketball coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1944 to 1946 and the United States Naval Academy from 1946 to 1966, compiling a career college basketball coaching record of 309–171. Carnevale was the athletic director at New York University from 1966 to 1972 and the College of William & Mary from 1972 to 1981. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970. Read more
25 Mar 2008: Thierry Gilardi, French journalist and sportscaster (born 1958) Thierry Gilardi was a French football commentator. Read more
25 Mar 2008: Abby Mann, American screenwriter and producer (born 1927) Abby Mann was an American screenwriter and producer. Read more
25 Mar 2008: Herb Peterson, American businessman, created the McMuffin (born 1919) Herbert Ralph Peterson was an American fast food advertising executive and most known for being the inventor of the McDonald's Egg McMuffin in 1972. The breakfast business that he pioneered with this item had grown to an estimated $4–5 billion in annual revenues for the fast food restaurant chain McDonald's by 1993. Read more
25 Mar 2007: Andranik Margaryan, Armenian engineer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Armenia (born 1951) Andranik Nahapeti Margaryan was an Armenian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Armenia from 12 May 2000, when the President appointed him, until his death on 25 March 2007. He was a member of the Republican Party of Armenia. He succeeded the Sargsyan brothers: Vazgen Sargsyan, who was murdered during the Armenian parliament shooting on 27 October 1999 and Aram Sargsyan, whom the President appointed a week later, but fired on 2 May 2000. Read more
25 Mar 2006: Bob Carlos Clarke, Irish photographer (born 1950) Robert Carlos Clarke was a British-Irish photographer who made erotic images of women as well as documentary, portrait, and commercial photography. Read more
25 Mar 2006: Rocío Dúrcal, Spanish singer and actress (born 1944) María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz, better known as Rocío Dúrcal, was a Spanish singer and actress with a career spanning more than four decades. She performed pop music, bolero, mariachi and romantic ballads and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Spanish singers of all time. Popular across Mexico and Latin America, she earned the sobriquet of Reina de las Rancheras. Read more
25 Mar 2006: Richard Fleischer, American film director (born 1916) Richard Owen Fleischer was an American film director. His career spanned more than four decades, beginning at the height of the Golden Age of Hollywood and lasting through the American New Wave. He was the son of animation pioneer Max Fleischer, and served as chairman of Fleischer Studios. Read more
25 Mar 2006: Buck Owens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1929) Alvis Edgar "Buck" Owens Jr. was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was the frontman for The Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music chart. He pioneered what came to be called the Bakersfield sound, named in honor of Bakersfield, California, Owens's adopted home and the city from which he drew inspiration for what he preferred to call "American music". Read more
25 Mar 2005: Paul Henning, American screenwriter and producer (born 1911) Paul William Henning was an American TV producer and screenwriter. Most famous for creating the television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, he was also crucial in developing the "rural" comedies Petticoat Junction (1963–1970) and Green Acres (1965–1971) for CBS. Read more
25 Mar 2002: Kenneth Wolstenholme, English journalist and sportscaster (born 1920) Kenneth Wolstenholme, DFC & Bar was an English football commentator for BBC television in the 1950s and 1960s. He is best remembered for his commentary during the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final; in the closing minutes, Wolstenholme commented on a series of pitch invaders as Geoff Hurst dribbled down the pitch before scoring, saying "some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over!" The phrase has become deeply embedded in British popular culture. As Hurst proceeded to score, Wolstenholme added: 'It is now!' Read more
25 Mar 2001: Brian Trubshaw, English cricketer and pilot (born 1924) Ernest Brian Trubshaw, CBE, MVO was a leading test pilot, and the first British pilot to fly Concorde, in April 1969. Read more
25 Mar 2000: Helen Martin, American actress (born 1909) Helen Dorothy Martin was an American actress of stage and television. Martin's career spanned over 60 years, appearing first on stage and later in film and television. Martin is best known for her roles as Wanda Williams on the CBS sitcom Good Times (1974–1979) and as Pearl Shay on the NBC sitcom 227 (1985–1990). Read more
25 Mar 1999: Cal Ripken, Sr., American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1936) Calvin Edwin Ripken was an American baseball player, scout, coach and manager who spent 36 years in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He played in the Orioles' farm system beginning in 1957, and later served as coach and manager of the parent club, on which his sons Cal Jr. and Billy played. Read more
25 Mar 1998: Max Green, Australian lawyer (born 1952) Max Paul Green was an English-born lawyer and alleged conman who practised in Australia. During the 1990s, he became the central figure in a major tax-minimisation scheme that was later found to involve large-scale fraud. In 1998, Green was murdered in Cambodia under circumstances that remain unresolved. Read more
25 Mar 1998: Steven Schiff, American lawyer and politician (born 1947) Steven Harvey Schiff was an American politician and lawyer. A member of the Republican Party, Schiff served as a U.S. Representative from New Mexico's 1st congressional district from 1989 until his death in 1998. Read more
25 Mar 1995: James Samuel Coleman, American sociologist and academic (born 1926) James Samuel Coleman was an American sociologist, theorist, and empirical researcher, based chiefly at the University of Chicago. Read more
25 Mar 1995: John Hugenholtz, Dutch engineer (born 1914) Johannes Bernhardus Theodorus "Hans" Hugenholtz, known in English-speaking countries as John Hugenholtz, was a Dutch designer of race tracks and cars. Read more
25 Mar 1994: Angelines Fernández, Spanish-Mexican actress (born 1922) María de los Ángeles Fernández Abad, known professionally as Angelines Fernández, was a Mexican actress. She is best remembered for playing Doña Clotilde "La Bruja del 71" in the sitcom El Chavo del Ocho. She was an anti-Franco refugee who remained in Mexico from 1947 until the end of her life. Read more
25 Mar 1994: Bernard Kangro, Estonian poet and journalist (born 1910) Bernard Kangro was an Estonian writer and poet. Read more
25 Mar 1994: Max Petitpierre, Swiss jurist and politician (born 1899) Max Petitpierre was a Swiss politician, jurist and member of the Swiss Federal Council, heading the Political Department (1945-1961). Read more
25 Mar 1992: Nancy Walker, American actress, singer, and director (born 1922) Nancy Walker was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. She was also an occasional film and television director. During her five-decade-long career, she had long-running roles as Mildred on McMillan & Wife and as Ida Morgenstern on several episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and on the spinoff series Rhoda as a prominent recurring character. Read more
25 Mar 1991: Marcel Lefebvre, French-Swiss archbishop (born 1905) Marcel François Marie Joseph Lefebvre was a French Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Dakar from 1955 to 1962. He was a major influence in modern traditionalist Catholicism, founding in 1970 the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) to train traditionalist seminarians. In 1988, Pope John Paul II declared that Lefebvre had been automatically excommunicated for consecrating four bishops that year without permission and despite the pope's express prohibition. Read more
25 Mar 1988: Robert Joffrey, American dancer, choreographer, and director, co-founded the Joffrey Ballet (born 1930) Robert Joffrey was an American dancer, teacher, producer, choreographer, and co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet, known for his highly imaginative modern ballets. He was born Anver Bey Abdullah Jaffa Khan in Seattle, Washington to a Pashtun father from Afghanistan and a mother from Italy. Read more
25 Mar 1987: A. W. Mailvaganam, Sri Lankan physicist and academic (born 1906) Vidya Jyothi Arumugam Wisvalingam Mailvaganam, OBE was a leading Ceylon Tamil physicist, academic and the dean of the Faculty of Science, University of Ceylon. Read more
25 Mar 1986: Gloria Blondell, American actress (born 1910) Gloria Blondell was a stage, film, and television actress who was the younger sister of actress Joan Blondell. Read more
25 Mar 1983: Bob Waterfield, American football player and coach (born 1920) Robert Stanton Waterfield was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). A skilled player, he played in the NFL for eight seasons, primarily as a quarterback, but also as a safety, kicker, punter and sometimes return specialist with the Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965. His No. 7 jersey was retired by the Rams in 1952. He was also a motion picture actor and producer. Read more
25 Mar 1982: Goodman Ace, American comedian and writer (born 1899) Goodman Ace, born Goodman Aiskowitz, was an American humorist, radio writer and comedian, television writer, and magazine columnist. Read more
25 Mar 1980: Milton H. Erickson, American psychiatrist and psychologist (born 1901) Milton Hyland Erickson was an American psychiatrist and psychologist specializing in medical hypnosis and family therapy. He was the founding president of the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis. He is noted for his approach to the unconscious mind as creative and solution-generating. He is also noted for influencing brief therapy, strategic family therapy, family systems therapy, solution focused brief therapy, and neuro-linguistic programming. Read more
25 Mar 1980: Walter Susskind, Czech-English conductor and educator (born 1913) Jan Walter Susskind was a Czech-born British conductor, teacher and pianist. He began his career in his native Prague and travelled to London in March 1939 when Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. He worked for substantial periods in Australia, Canada and the United States, as a conductor and teacher. Read more
25 Mar 1979: Robert Madgwick, Australian colonel and academic (born 1905) Sir Robert Bowden Madgwick was an Australian educationist. He was the first Vice-Chancellor of the University of New England and served two terms as Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Madgwick was an influential proponent of adult learning and extension studies in tertiary education. At the University of New England, he directed the development of several degree programs, including rural science, agricultural economics, and educational administration which were the first of their kind in Australia. In recognition of his contributions to education, Madgwick was appointed to the Order of British Empire in 1962 and knighted in 1966. Read more
25 Mar 1979: Akinoumi Setsuo, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 37th Yokozuna (born 1914) Akinoumi Setsuo , born Nagata Setsuo , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Hiroshima. He was the sport's 37th yokozuna. Read more
25 Mar 1976: Josef Albers, German-American painter and educator (born 1888) Josef Albers was a German-born American artist and educator who is considered one of the most influential 20th-century art teachers in the United States. Born in 1888 in Bottrop, Westphalia, Germany, into a Roman Catholic family with a background in craftsmanship, Albers received practical training in diverse skills like engraving glass, plumbing, and wiring during his childhood. He later worked as a schoolteacher from 1908 to 1913 and received his first public commission in 1918 and moved to Munich in 1919. Read more
25 Mar 1976: Benjamin Miessner, American radio engineer and inventor (born 1890) Benjamin Franklin Miessner was an American radio engineer and inventor. He is most known for his electronic organ, electronic piano, and other musical instruments. He was the inventor of the Cat's whisker detector. Read more
25 Mar 1975: Juan Gaudino, Argentinian race car driver (born 1893) Juan Antonio Gaudino was an Argentine racing driver. Read more
25 Mar 1975: Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian king (born 1906) Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 1964 until his assassination in 1975. Before his ascension, he served as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1964, and he was briefly regent to his half-brother King Saud in 1964. He was prime minister from 1954 to 1960 and from 1962 to 1975. Faisal was the third son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia. Read more
25 Mar 1975: Deiva Zivarattinam, Indian lawyer and politician (born 1894)
Deiva Zivarattinam was an Indian politician. He represented Pondicherry in the French Constituent Assembly election in 1945. Read more
25 Mar 1973: Jakob Sildnik, Estonian photographer and director (born 1883) Jakob Sildnik was an Estonian photographer and filmmaker, based in Tartu. Together with Fjodor Ljubovski, he directed one of the first Estonian films, the short drama Must Teemant, released in 1923. Read more
25 Mar 1973: Edward Steichen, Luxembourgian-American photographer, painter, and curator (born 1879) Edward Jean Steichen was a Luxembourgish American photographer, painter and curator and a pioneer of fashion photography. His gown images for the magazine Art et Décoration in 1911 were the first modern fashion photographs to be published. From 1923 to 1938, Steichen served as chief photographer for the Condé Nast magazines Vogue and Vanity Fair, while also working for many advertising agencies, including J. Walter Thompson. During these years, Steichen was regarded as the most popular and highest-paid photographer in the world. Read more
25 Mar 1969: Billy Cotton, English singer, drummer, and bandleader (born 1899) William Edward Cotton was an English band leader and entertainer, one of the few whose orchestras survived the British dance band era. Cotton is now mainly remembered as a 1950s and 1960s radio and television personality, but his musical career had begun in the 1920s. In his younger years, Billy Cotton was also an amateur footballer for Brentford, an accomplished racing driver and the owner of a Gipsy Moth, which he piloted himself. His autobiography, I Did It My Way, was published in 1970, a year after his death. Read more
25 Mar 1969: Max Eastman, American poet and activist (born 1883) Max Forrester Eastman was an American writer on literature, philosophy, and society, a poet, and a prominent political activist. Moving to New York City for graduate school, Eastman became involved with radical circles in Greenwich Village. He supported socialism and became a leading patron of the Harlem Renaissance and an activist for a number of liberal and radical causes. For several years, he edited The Masses. With his sister Crystal Eastman, he co-founded in 1917 The Liberator, a radical magazine of politics and the arts. Read more
25 Mar 1965: Viola Liuzzo, American civil rights activist (born 1925) Viola Fauver Liuzzo was an American civil rights activist. In March 1965 she drove from her home in Detroit, Michigan to Alabama to support the Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights. On March 25 she was shot dead by three Klan members while driving activists between the cities. Read more
25 Mar 1964: Charles Benjamin Howard, Canadian businessman and politician (born 1885) Charles Benjamin Howard was a Liberal party member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was known for his eloquence in English and French. Read more
25 Mar 1958: Tom Brown, American trombonist (born 1888) Tom P. Brown, sometimes known by the nickname Red Brown, was an American dixieland jazz trombonist. He also played string bass professionally. Read more
25 Mar 1956: Lou Moore, American race car driver (born 1904) Lewis Henry Moore was an American racing driver and team owner. He was most known during his racing career for qualifying on the pole position for the 1932 Indianapolis 500. He was a five-time Indianapolis 500 winning owner, a record which stood until 1987. Read more
25 Mar 1956: Robert Newton, English actor (born 1905) Robert Guy Newton was an English actor. Along with Errol Flynn, Newton was one of the more popular actors among the male juvenile audience of the 1940s and early 1950s, especially with British boys. Known for his hard-living life, he was cited as a role model by the actor Oliver Reed and the Who's drummer Keith Moon. Read more
25 Mar 1951: Eddie Collins, American baseball player and manager (born 1887) Edward Trowbridge Collins Sr., nicknamed "Cocky", was an American professional baseball player, manager and executive. He played as a second baseman in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1930 for the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox. A graduate of Columbia University, Collins holds major league career records in several categories and is among the top few players in several other categories. In 1925, Collins became just the sixth person to join the 3,000 hit club – and the last for the next 17 seasons. His 47 career home runs are the fewest of any player with 3,000 hits. Collins is the only non-Yankee to win five or more World Series titles with the same club as a player. He is also the only player to have been a member of all five World Series championships won by the Athletics during the franchise's time in Philadelphia. Read more
25 Mar 1942: William Carr, American rower (born 1876) William John Carr was an American rower who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics. He was part of the American boat Vesper Boat Club, which won the gold medal in the eights. Read more
25 Mar 1932: Harriet Backer, Norwegian painter (born 1845) Harriet Backer was a Norwegian painter who achieved recognition in her own time and was a pioneer among female artists both in the Nordic countries and in Europe generally. She is best known for her detailed interior scenes, communicated with rich colors and the interplay of light and shadow. Read more
25 Mar 1931: Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, Indian journalist and politician (born 1890) Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi was an Indian journalist, a leader of the Indian National Congress and an independence movement activist. He was an important figure in the non-cooperation movement and the freedom movement of India, who once translated Victor Hugo's novel Ninety-Three, and is mostly known as the founder-editor of the Hindi language newspaper, Pratap. Read more
25 Mar 1931: Ida B. Wells, American journalist and activist (born 1862) Ida Bell Wells-Barnett was an American investigative journalist, sociologist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Wells dedicated her career to combating prejudice and violence, and advocating for African-American equality—especially for women. Read more
25 Mar 1927: Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, Palestinian Roman Catholic nun; later canonized (born 1843) Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, OP was a Palestinian Catholic nun who founded the Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of Jerusalem, the first Palestinian religious congregation. She was beatified by Archbishop Angelo Amato on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. On 6 December 2014, Pope Francis recognized a miracle that had been attributed to her intercession, a requirement for her canonization. The date of her canonization was announced on 14 February 2015, and she was canonized on 17 May 2015. Read more
25 Mar 1918: Claude Debussy, French composer (born 1862) Achille Claude Debussy was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Read more
25 Mar 1918: Peter Martin, Australian footballer and soldier (born 1875) Peter James Martin was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood during the early years of the Victorian Football League (VFL), and North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFA). Read more
25 Mar 1917: Elizabeth Storrs Mead, American academic (born 1832) Elizabeth Storrs Mead was an American educator who was the 9th President of Mount Holyoke College from 1890 – 1900. She taught at Andover Seminary and Oberlin College, before becoming the first non-alumna president of Mount Holyoke. Read more
25 Mar 1914: Frédéric Mistral, French lexicographer and poet, 1904 Nobel Prize laureate (born 1830) Joseph Étienne Frédéric Mistral was an Occitan writer and lexicographer of the Provençal form of the language. He received the 1904 Nobel Prize in Literature "in recognition of the fresh originality and true inspiration of his poetic production, which faithfully reflects the natural scenery and native spirit of his people, and, in addition, his significant work as a Provençal philologist". Mistral was a founding member of the Félibrige and member of the Académie de Marseille. Read more
25 Mar 1908: Durham Stevens, American diplomat (born 1851) Durham White Stevens was an American diplomat and later an employee of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working for the Japanese colonial office in Korea, the Resident-General. He was fatally shot by Korean-American activists Jang In-hwan and Jeon Myeong-un in one of the first acts of nationalist rebellion by pro-Korean activists in the United States. Read more
25 Mar 1907: Ernst von Bergmann, Latvian-German surgeon and academic (born 1836) Ernst Gustav Benjamin von Bergmann was a Baltic German surgeon. He was the first physician to introduce heat sterilisation of surgical instruments and is known as a pioneer of aseptic surgery. Read more
25 Mar 1873: Wilhelm Marstrand, Danish painter and illustrator (born 1810) Nicolai Wilhelm Marstrand, painter and illustrator, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Nicolai Jacob Marstrand, instrument maker and inventor, and Petra Othilia Smith. Marstrand is one of the most renowned artists belonging to the Golden Age of Danish Painting. Read more
25 Mar 1869: Edward Bates, American politician and lawyer (born 1793) Edward Bates was an American lawyer, politician and judge. He represented Missouri in the US House of Representatives and served as the U.S. Attorney General under President Abraham Lincoln. A member of the influential Bates family, he was the first US Cabinet appointee from a state west of the Mississippi River. Read more
25 Mar 1860: James Braid, Scottish surgeon (born 1795) James Braid was a Scottish surgeon, natural philosopher, and "gentleman scientist".
He was a significant innovator in the treatment of clubfoot, spinal curvature, knock-knees, bandy legs, and squint; a significant pioneer of hypnotism and hypnotherapy, and an important and influential pioneer in the adoption of both hypnotic anaesthesia and chemical anaesthesia. Read more
25 Mar 1857: William Colgate, English-American businessman and philanthropist, founded Colgate-Palmolive (born 1783) William Colgate was an English-American industrialist who in 1806 founded what became the Colgate-Palmolive company. Read more
25 Mar 1848: Nicolai Wergeland, Norwegian priest, writer and politician (born 1780) Nicolai Wergeland was a Norwegian minister, writer and politician, and a member of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll Manor that wrote the Constitution of Norway on 17 May 1814. He was elected as one of two delegates from Kristiansand to the Eidsvoll Assembly in 1814. He represented the unionist side, and came very well prepared to Eidsvoll, bringing his own constitution draft. Along with him from Kristiansand came wholesaler Ole Clausen Mørch. Read more
25 Mar 1818: Caspar Wessel, Norwegian-Danish mathematician and cartographer (born 1745) Caspar Wessel was a Danish–Norwegian mathematician and cartographer. In 1799, Wessel was the first person to describe the geometrical interpretation of complex numbers as points in the complex plane and vectors. Read more
25 Mar 1801: Novalis, German poet and author (born 1772) Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg, pen name Novalis, was a German aristocrat and polymath, who was a poet, novelist, philosopher and mystic. He is regarded as an influential figure of Jena Romanticism. Read more
Why is 25 March Important in World History?
Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 25 March, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.
