Today in History: Daniel Defoe's Famous Novel, Robinson Crusoe, is Published

April 25 is the 115st day of the year (116nd in leap years) according to the Gregorian calendar. There are 250 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

  • 1719 - Daniel Defoe's famous novel, Robinson Crusoe published.
  • 1859 – The excavation of the Suez Canal, which will connect the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, begins in Port Said, Egypt.
  • 1901 - New York became the first state to make license plates mandatory for cars.
  • 1915 – Anglo-French forces launched a landing operation in Çanakkale. Land wars have begun.
  • 1915 – Battle of Seddülbahir started.
  • 1915 – Battle of Arıburnu started.
  • 1925 - Field Marshal Hindenburg becomes Germany's first President to be elected by popular vote.
  • 1926 - Reza Khan Pahlavi proclaimed himself "Shah" in Iran.
  • 1939 – A contract was signed with Lufthansa for regular flights between Istanbul and Berlin, starting from June 1.
  • 1945 – Delegates from 46 countries met in San Francisco to establish the United Nations, which would replace the League of Nations.
  • 1946 – Sleeper train services started on the Istanbul - Ankara line.
  • 1946 – Garanti Bank of Turkey was established.
  • 1952 – Prime Minister Adnan Menderes and Foreign Minister Fuad Köprülü made an official visit to Greece.
  • 1953 - Two scientists at the University of Cambridge discovered the molecular structure they called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which carries inherited traits from parent to child.
  • 1957 – An earthquake with a magnitude of 7,1 occurred in the Fethiye district of Muğla: 67 people died.
  • 1962 – The Constitutional Court was established.
  • 1968 – Andre Malraux's book “Hope” translated into Turkish was confiscated on the grounds of “communist propaganda”.
  • 1974 – Carnation Revolution in Portugal: Salazar's fascist dictatorship is overthrown by a military uprising led by General Antonio Spinola.
  • 1975 – In Portugal, the Socialist Party, led by Mario Soares, wins the elections to the Constituent Assembly.
  • 1976 – The Socialist Party led by Mario Soares won the first parliamentary elections in Portugal after the fascist dictatorship.
  • 1980 – The Process Leading to the 12 September 1980 Coup in Turkey (1979 - 12 September 1980): Left-wing militants Seyit Konuk, İbrahim Ethem Coşkun and Necati Vardar killed the contractor Nuri Yapıcı in İzmir. 15 people were killed across the country.
  • 1983 - Pioneer 10 crossed the orbit of Pluto.
  • 1990 - The crew of the US space shuttle Discovery succeeds in putting the first space telescope, Hubble, into orbit around the earth.
  • 2001 – Former President of the Philippines, Joseph Estrada, is arrested at his home in Manila on charges of siphoning his country's $80 million.
  • 2001 – The law bringing autonomy to the Central Bank was passed in the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
  • 2005 – Negotiations for Bulgaria and Romania's entry into the European Union started.
  • 2005 – Train crash in Japan: 107 dead.
  • 2015 – An earthquake with a magnitude of 7,8 or 8,1 occurred in Nepal, killing more than 8.000 people. 19.000 people were injured.
  • 2022 – Osman Kavala was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment.

Births

  • 32 – Otho, Roman Emperor (d. 69)
  • 1599 – Oliver Cromwell, English politician and soldier (leader of the rebellion against absolutism in England) (d.
  • 1657 – Tökeli İmre, Hungarian King (d. 1705) who took refuge in the Ottoman Empire
  • 1725 – Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller, German zoologist (d. 1776)
  • 1767 – Nicolas Oudinot, French soldier (d. 1848)
  • 1776 – Mary (duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh), member of the British royal family (d. 1857)
  • 1815 – Mirza Shirazi, Islamic scholar (d. 1895)
  • 1823 – Sultan Abdülmecit, 31st sultan of the Ottoman Empire (d. 1861)
  • 1824 – Gustave Boulanger, French classical figure painter and naturalist (d. 1888)
  • 1843 – Alice (Princess of the United Kingdom), Grand Duchess of Hesse (d. 1878)
  • 1849 – Felix Klein, German mathematician (d. 1925)
  • 1852 – Leopoldo Alas, Spanish writer (d.1901)
  • 1862 – Edward Grey, British liberal politician (d. 1933)
  • 1874 – Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor, physicist, and Nobel Prize laureate in Physics (d. 1937)
  • 1888 – Chojun Miyagi, Japanese athlete and karate (d. 1953)
  • 1897 – Mary (Royal princess and countess of Harewood), British royal (d. 1965)
  • 1900 – Wolfgang Pauli, Austrian physicist and Nobel Prize laureate in Physics (d. 1958)
  • 1903 – Andrey Kolmogorov, Soviet mathematician (d. 1987)
  • 1906 – Frank H. Netter, American painter and medical doctor (d. 1991)
  • 1908 – Edward R. Murrow, American journalist and news anchor (d. 1965)
  • 1909 – William Pereira, Portuguese-American architect (d. 1985)
  • 1915 – Mort Weisinger, American magazine and comic book editor (d. 1978)
  • 1917 – Ella Fitzgerald, American singer (d. 1996)
  • 1920 – Sabahattin Kudret Aksal, Turkish poet, storyteller and playwright (d. 1993)
  • 1921 – Karel Appel, Dutch painter and sculptor (d. 2006)
  • 1927 – Albert Uderzo, French comics artist and screenwriter (d. 2020)
  • 1931 – David Shepherd (artist), English artist and painter (d. 2017)
  • 1932 – Lia Manoliu, Romanian discus thrower (d. 1998)
  • 1932 – Nikolay Kardashev, Russian astrophysicist and inventor (d. 2019)
  • 1934 – Peter McParland, former Northern Ireland international football player and manager
  • 1936 – Leonel Sánchez, Chilean football player
  • 1937 – Marilyn B. Young, American historian and academic (d. 2017)
  • 1939 – Tarcisio Burgnich, Italian football player (d. 2021)
  • 1940 - Al Pacino, American actor and winner of the Academy Award for Best Actor
  • 1941 – Bertrand Tavernier, French film director, producer, screenwriter and actor (b. 2021)
  • 1945 – Björn Ulvaeus, Swedish musician and composer
  • 1945 – Özdemir Özok, Turkish lawyer (d. 2010)
  • 1946 – Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian politician of Jewish origin, turkologist and lawyer (d. 2022)
  • 1946 – Talia Shire, American actress
  • 1947 – Johan Cruyff, Dutch football player and manager (d. 2016)
  • 1947 – Jeffrey DeMunn, American actor
  • 1948 – Péter Andorai, Hungarian actor (d. 2020)
  • 1949 – Dominique Strauss-Kahn, French economist, lawyer and politician
  • 1952 – Jacques Santini, French football player and coach
  • 1952 – Vladislav Tretyak, Soviet-Russian ice hockey player
  • 1956 – Dominique Blanc, French actress
  • 1959 – Burhan Öçal, Turkish percussionist and actor
  • 1960 – Paul Baloff, American singer (d. 2002)
  • 1960 – Ramón Vilalta, architect of Catalan origin
  • 1963 – David Moyes, Scottish football player and manager
  • 1964 – Hank Azaria, American actor and director
  • 1965 – Édouard Ferrand, French politician (d. 2018)
  • 1965 – John Henson, American animator and puppet master (d. 2014)
  • 1966 – Femke Halsema, Dutch politician and mayor of Amsterdam
  • 1968 – Thomas Strunz, German football player
  • 1968 – İdris Bal, Turkish academic and politician
  • 1969 – Renée Zellweger, American actress and winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress, Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
  • 1970 – Jason Lee, American actor and skateboarder
  • 1973 - Charlene Aspen, American former pornographic film actress
  • 1976 – Tim Duncan, American professional basketball player
  • 1976 – Gilberto Da Silva Melo, Brazilian football player
  • 1977 – Marguerite Moreau, American actress
  • 1977 – Konstandinos Hristoforu, Greek Cypriot singer
  • 1980 – Alejandro Valverde, Spanish road bicycle racer
  • 1981 - Felipe Massa, Brazilian Formula 1 driver
  • 1986 – Raïs M'Bolhi, Algerian-French football player
  • 1986 – Daniel Andrew Sharman, English actor
  • 1987 – Jay Park, American rapper
  • 1988 – Laura Lepistö, Finnish figure skater
  • 1988 – Sara Paxton, American actress, model and singer
  • 1989 – Aysel Teymurzade, Azerbaijani singer
  • 1991 – Hüseyin Baş, Turkish politician
  • 1991 – Alex Shibutani, American figure skater
  • 1991 – Jordan Poyer, American football player
  • 1993 – Raphael Varane, French national football player
  • 1994 – Kim Byeong-yeon, South Korean football player
  • 1994 – Pa Konate, Swedish-Guinean football player
  • 1994 – Nikola Radičević, Serbian professional basketball player
  • 1995 – Ellen Benediktson, Swedish singer-songwriter
  • 1995 – Lewis Baker, English football player
  • 1996 – Allisyn Ashley Arm, American actress
  • 1996 – Mack Horton, Australian freestyle swimmer
  • 1997 - Tsukasa Morishima, Japanese football player
  • 1998 – Satou Sabally, Gambian-born German professional basketball player
  • 1999 – Olimpiu Moruţan, Romanian professional football player

Deaths

  • 1077 – Géza I, 7th King of the Kingdom of Hungary (b. 1040)
  • 1185 – Antoku, 81st Emperor of Japan (b. 1178)
  • 1342 – XII. Benedict, 197th Pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1285)
  • 1472 – Leon Battista Alberti, Italian painter, poet, and philosopher (b. 1404)
  • 1566 – Louise Labé, French poet (b. 1524)
  • 1644 – Chongzhen, 16th and last Emperor of China's Ming Dynasty (b. 1611)
  • 1667 – Pedro de Betancur, Spanish Christian saint and missionary (b. 1626)
  • 1744 – Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer (b. 1701)
  • 1800 – William Cowper, English poet and humanist (b. 1731)
  • 1820 – Constantin François de Chassebœuf, French philosopher, historian, orientalist, and politician (b. 1757)
  • 1840 – Siméon Denis Poisson, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1781)
  • 1878 – Anna Sewell, English novelist (b. 1820)
  • 1914 – Géza Fejérváry, Hungarian soldier and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary (b. 1833)
  • 1928 – Pyotr Wrangel, Russian soldier (leader of the counter-revolutionary White Army) (b. 1878)
  • 1941 – Salih Bozok, Turkish soldier, Atatürk's aide and Deputy (b. 1881)
  • 1956 – Paul Renner, German graphic designer and instructor (b. 1878)
  • 1972 – George Sanders, English actor (b. 1906)
  • 1976 – Sir Carol Reed, English film director and producer (b. 1906)
  • 1982 – WR Burnett, American novelist and screenwriter (b. 1899)
  • 1988 – Clifford D. Simak, American author (b. 1904)
  • 1990 – Dexter Gordon, American jazz saxophonist (b. 1923)
  • 1995 – Ginger Rogers, American actress and dancer (b. 1911)
  • 1996 – Saul Bass, American graphic designer, filmmaker, and Academy Award winner (b. 1920)
  • 2001 – Michele Alboreto, Italian racing driver (b. 1956)
  • 2002 – Lisa Lopes, American singer (b. 1971)
  • 2003 – Lynn Chadwick, British sculptor (b. 1914)
  • 2006 – Jane Jacobs, American-Canadian female journalist, author, and activist (b. 1916)
  • 2007 – Alan Ball Jr., English former international football player and manager (b. 1945)
  • 2009 – Beatrice Arthur, American actress and singer (b. 1922)
  • 2011 – Osman Durali, Turkish-Bulgarian wrestler (b. 1939)
  • 2011 – Güven Sazak, Turkish businessman and President of Fenerbahçe Sports Club (b. 1935)
  • 2012 – Louis le Brocquy, Irish painter (b. 1916)
  • 2012 – Paul L. Smith, American actor, comedian, and voice actor (b. 1936)
  • 2013 – Virginia Gibson, American singer, dancer, and actress (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Tito Vilanova, Spanish football player and manager (b. 1968)
  • 2015 – Dan Fredinburg, American computer scientist and computer engineer (b. 1981)
  • 2015 – Otakar Krámský, Czech speedway driver (b. 1959)
  • 2016 – Samantha Schubert, Malaysian actress and Beauty Queen (b. 1969)
  • 2017 – Philippe Mestre, French politician (b. 1927)
  • 2017 – Yelena Rjevskaya, Soviet writer (b. 1919)
  • 2017 – Munyua Waiyaki, Kenyan politician and physician (b. 1925)
  • 2018 – Şöhret Abbasov, Uzbek actor, film director, screenwriter and film producer (b. 1931)
  • 2018 – Michael Anderson, British film director (b. 1920)
  • 2018 – Abbas Attar, Iranian photographer (b. 1944)
  • 2018 – Edith MacArthur, Scottish actress (b. 1926)
  • 2019 – Robbert de Graaf, Dutch racing cyclist (b. 1991)
  • 2019 – John Havlicek, American professional basketball player (b. 1940)
  • 2019 – Larry Jenkins, American actor, filmmaker, director, and screenwriter (b. 1955)
  • 2019 – Faty Papy, Burundian national football player (b. 1990)
  • 2020 – Alan Abel, American musician, educator, and inventor (b. 1928)
  • 2020 – India Adams, American singer, dubbing artist and actress (b. 1927)
  • 2020 – Erin Babcock, Canadian nurse and politician (b. 1981)
  • 2020 – Ricardo Brennand, Brazilian businessman, engineer, and art collector in the state of Pernambuco (b. 1927)
  • 2020 – Ricardo Divila, Brazilian motorsport designer (b. 1945)
  • 2020 – Henri Kichka, Belgian writer (b. 1926)
  • 2020 – Robert Mandell, American-born British conductor (b. 1929)
  • 2020 – Gunnar Seijbold, Swedish photographer and musician (b. 1955)
  • 2021 – Hamid Casimiyan, Iranian football player (b. 1936)
  • 2022 – Beta Berk Bayındır Turkish rap artist (b.1989)
  • 2022 – Susan Jacks, Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer (b. 1948)
  • 2022 – Ursula Lehr, German academic, age researcher, and politician (b. 1930)
  • 2023 – François Léotard, French politician (b. 1942)
  • 2023 – Harry Belafonte, American singer (b. 1927)

Holidays and special occasions

  • Carnation Revolution (Portugal)
  • World Penguin Day