February 25th

1999
A jury in Jasper, Texas, sentenced white supremacist John William King to death for the dragging death of James Byrd Jr., an African-American man.
Murder of James Byrd Jr.
1994
An Israeli doctor kills 30 unarmed Palestinians in the Mosque of Abraham. The massacre by right-wing extremist Baruch Goldstein was widely condemned, also in Israel.
Cave of the Patriarchs massacre
1991
An Iraqi Scud missile hit a U.S. barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 28 Americans during the Persian Gulf War.
Gulf War
1990
Violeta Chamorro was elected president of Nicaragua, a victory for opponents of the Sandinistas.
Violeta Chamorro
1986
President Ferdinand E. Marcos fled the Philippines after 20 years of rule in the wake of a tainted election. Corazon Aquino assumed the presidency.
1983
Playwright Tennessee Williams was found dead at age 71.
Tennessee Williams
1964
Cassius Clay (who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali) became the world heavyweight boxing champion by defeating Sonny Liston in Miami Beach.
Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston
1956
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev harshly criticized the late Josef Stalin in a speech before a Communist Party congress in Moscow.
History of the Soviet Union (1927–1953)
1948
Communists took control of the government in Czechoslovakia.
History of Czechoslovakia (1948–89)
1947
The state of Prussia is dissolved. At its peak, the most important state of the German empire encompassed parts of modern-day Germany, Poland, and Russia.
Free State of Prussia
1913
The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving Congress the power to levy and collect income taxes, was declared in effect.
Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
1910
Dalai Lama flees Tibet for British India to escape Chinese troops.
13th Dalai Lama
1901
J.P. Morgan formed U.S. Steel Corporation, the first billion-dollar corporation in the world.
U.S. Steel
1870
Hiram Revels became the first black United States senator, taking over the term of Jefferson Davis.
James L. Alcorn
1862
Paper currency (greenbacks) introduced in US by President Abraham Lincoln.
Greenback (1860s money)
1836
Samuel Colt patented the first revolving barrel multishot firearm.
Samuel Colt
1793
1st US cabinet meeting, held at George Washington's home.
Presidency of George Washington
1570
Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth I of England and absolves her subjects from allegiance to the crown.
Regnans in Excelsis
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