Today in History – September 25th
- 275, In Rome, (after the assassination of Aurelian), the Senate proclaims Marcus Claudius Tacitus Emperor.
- 303, On a voyage preaching the gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France.
- 1066, The Battle of Stamford Bridge marks the end of the Viking invasions of England.
- 1396, Ottoman Emperor Bayezid I defeats a Christian army at the Battle of Nicopolis.
- 1513, Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa reaches what would become known as the Pacific Ocean.
- 1555, The Peace of Augsburg is signed in Augsburg by Charles V and the princes of the Schmalkaldic League.
- 1804, The Teton Sioux demand one of the boats from the Lewis and Clark Expedition as a toll for moving further upriver.
- 1846, US forces led by Zachary Taylor capture the Mexican city of Monterrey.
- 1868, The Imperial Russian steam frigate Alexander Neuski is shipwrecked off Jutland while carrying Grand Duke Alexei of Russia.
- 1890, The US Congress establishes Sequoia National Park.
- 1897, William Faulkner, American writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1962) was born.
- 1911, Ground is broken for Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
- 1912, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is founded in New York, New York.
- 1915, WWI: The Second Battle of Champagne begins.
- 1917, Phil Rizzuto, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2007) was born.
- 1926, The international Convention to Suppress the Slave Trade and Slavery is 1st signed.
- 1929, Jimmy Doolittle performs 1st blind flight from Mitchel Field proving full instrument flying from take off to landing.
- 1930, Shel Silverstein, American humorist, singer-songwriter and author (d. 1999) was born.
- 1932, Glenn Gould, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 1982) was born.
- 1942, WWII: Swiss Police Instruction of September 25, 1942, this instruction denied entry into Switzerland to Jewish refugees.
- 1952, Christopher Reeve, American actor (d. 2004) was born.
- 1955, The Royal Jordanian Air Force is founded.
- 1956, TAT-1, 1st submarine transatlantic telephone cable system, is inaugurated.
- 1957, Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, is integrated by the use of US Army troops.
- 1963, Lord Denning releases the UK government’s official report on the Profumo Affair.
- 1969, The charter establishing the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is signed.
- 1970, Cease-fire between Jordan and the Fedayeen ends fighting triggered by four hijackings on September 6 and 9.
- 1972, In a referendum, the people of Norway reject membership of the European Community.
- 1977, About 4,200 people take part in 1st running of the Chicago Marathon.
- 1984, Walter Pidgeon, Canadian actor (b. 1897) died.
- 1987, Mary Astor, American actress (b. 1906) died.
- 1988, Billy Carter, brother of Jimmy Carter (b. 1937) died.
- 1992, NASA launches the Mars Observer, a $511 million probe to Mars, in 1st US mission to the planet in 17 years.
- 2003, George Plimpton, American writer and actor (b. 1927) died.
- 2005, Don Adams, American actor and comedian (b. 1923) died.
- 2008, China launches the spacecraft Shenzhou 7.







