On This Day: 25 July

25 July in Indian history

• 2007Pratibha Patil was sworn in as the first female president of India.India
• 2001Phoolan Devi, a serving Indian member of Parliament, was shot outside her house in New Delhi, India.India
• 1983Black July: Thirty-seven Tamil political prisoners at the Welikada high security prison in Colombo are massacred by the fellow Sinhalese prisoners.India
• 1759French and Indian War: In Western New York, British forces capture Fort Niagara from the French, who subsequently abandon Fort Rouillé.India

25 July in world history

• 2022The Duffield Memorial in Great Baddow, an "unusual example of Art Nouveau design in metal work", was designated a listed building by Historic England.
• 2010WikiLeaks published 75,000 classified documents about the War in Afghanistan in one of the largest leaks in U.S. military history.
• 1969Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon declares the Nixon Doctrine, stating that the United States now expects its Asian allies to take care of their own military defense. This is the start of the "Vietnamization" of the war.
• 1961Cold War: In a speech John F. Kennedy emphasizes that any attack on Berlin is an attack on NATO.
• 1943The Grand Council of Fascism voted a motion of no confidence against Benito Mussolini, who was arrested the same day by King Victor Emmanuel III and replaced by Pietro Badoglio.
• 1915The British capture Nasiriyah from the Ottomans during the Mesopotamian campaign.
• 1915RFC Captain Lanoe Hawker becomes the first British pursuit aviator to earn the Victoria Cross.
• 1909Louis Blériot makes the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air machine from Calais to Dover, England, United Kingdom in 37 minutes.
• 1908Ajinomoto is founded. Kikunae Ikeda of the Tokyo Imperial University discovers that a key ingredient in kombu soup stock is monosodium glutamate (MSG), and patents a process for manufacturing it.
• 1898Spanish–American War: After more than two months of sea-based bombardment, the United States invaded Puerto Rico.
• 1893The Corinth Canal was formally opened, bisecting the narrow Isthmus of Corinth in Greece to connect the Ionian Sea's Gulf of Corinth with the Aegean Sea's Saronic Gulf.
• 1866The United States Congress passes legislation authorizing the rank of General of the Army. Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant becomes the first to be promoted to this rank.
• 1861American Civil War: The United States Congress passes the Crittenden–Johnson Resolution, stating that the war is being fought to preserve the Union and not to end slavery, in the wake of the defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run.
• 1261Struggle for Constantinople: Alexios Strategopoulos led Nicaean forces to recapture Constantinople, leading to the reestablishment of the Byzantine Empire and the end of the Latin Empire.

Born on 25 July

• 1979Juan Pablo Di Pace, Argentine actor
• 1939S. Ramadoss, Indian politicianIndia
• 1929Somnath Chatterjee, Indian lawyer and politician, 14th Speaker of the Lok Sabha (died 2018)India
• 1927Sadiq Hussain Qureshi, Pakistani politician, 10th Governor of Punjab (died 2000)India
• 1901Mohammed Helmy, Egyptian physician and Righteous Among the Nations (died 1982)
• 1394James I, king of Scotland (died 1437)

Died on 25 July

• 2020Lou Henson, American college basketball coach (born 1932)
• 2015R. S. Gavai, Indian lawyer and politician, 18th Governor of Kerala (born 1929)India
• 2012B. R. Ishara, Indian director and screenwriter (born 1934)India
• 1934Engelbert Dollfuss, Austrian politician, 14th Chancellor of Austria (born 1892)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 25 July in history?

2022: The Duffield Memorial in Great Baddow, an "unusual example of Art Nouveau design in metal work", was designated a listed building by Historic England. 2010: WikiLeaks published 75,000 classified documents about the War in Afghanistan in one of the largest leaks in U.S. military history. 2007: Pratibha Patil was sworn in as the first female president of India. 2001: Phoolan Devi, a serving Indian member of Parliament, was shot outside her house in New Delhi, India.

What happened on 25 July in Indian history?

2007: Pratibha Patil was sworn in as the first female president of India. 2001: Phoolan Devi, a serving Indian member of Parliament, was shot outside her house in New Delhi, India. 1983: Black July: Thirty-seven Tamil political prisoners at the Welikada high security prison in Colombo are massacred by the fellow Sinhalese prisoners.

Which famous people were born on 25 July?

Juan Pablo Di Pace, Argentine actor (1979); S. Ramadoss, Indian politician (1939); Somnath Chatterjee, Indian lawyer and politician, 14th Speaker of the Lok Sabha (died 2018) (1929); Sadiq Hussain Qureshi, Pakistani politician, 10th Governor of Punjab (died 2000) (1927).

Which day is observed on 25 July?

Guanacaste Day (Costa Rica); National Baha'i Day (Jamaica); National Day of Galicia (Galicia, Spain); Puerto Rico Constitution Day (Puerto Rico); International Afro-descendant Women's Day.