Silicon Integrated Circuit

April 25, 1961

Robert Noyce patents his revolutionary device. Jack Kilby had invented the first hybrid integrated circuit in 1958 made of germanium. The following year, Noyce invented the monolithic integrated circuit on silicon. Noyce's was more practical than Kilby's implementation and modern ICs are based on Noyce's design.

License Plates

April 25, 1901

New York becomes the first U.S. state to require automobile license plates. These weren't issued by the state, but were provided by the owner with their initials on them. It wasn't until 1903 that Massachusetts provided the first state-issued license plates. New York didn't start issuing license plates until 1910.

Spanish-American War

April 25, 1898

The U.S. Congress officially declares war against Spain. It decreed that a de facto state of war had existed since April 21. Cuba had been fighting for independence from Spain.
On May 1, U.S. Commodore George Dewey virtually destroyed the Spanish fleet while American losses were minimal during the Battle of Manila Bay. It was one of the most decisive naval battles in history and marked the end of the Spanish colonial period in Philippine history.
The war would end in December with the signing of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 in which Spain renounced all claims to Cuba, gave Guam and Puerto Rico to the U.S., and transferred sovereignty over the Philippines to the U.S. for $20 million.

Suez Canal

April 25, 1859

Construction of the Suez Canal, a North-South waterway connecting the Mediterranean and the Red seas, begins. It was completed in 1869.

First Execution by Guillotine

April 25, 1792

The French execute convicted criminal Nicolas Jacques Pelletier. The use of the guillotine was brought about by French physician Joseph-Ignace Guillotin who sought a way to provide humane executions.

Robinson Crusoe

April 25, 1719

The first volume of Daniel Defoe's classic work, The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, is published. The book follows Crusoe after he is cast away and spends 28 years on a remote tropical desert island.
It was based on the real-life adventures of Alexander Selkirk and is often credited as marking the beginning of realistic fiction as a literary genre.

Al Pacino (Alberto Pacino)

Born April 25, 1940

American Oscar-Tony-Emmy winning actor. Al Pacino started his career as a stand up comedian. He turned down the role of Han Solo in Star Wars. Film: The Godfather (1972), Serpico (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), and Scent of a Woman (1992, Oscar).

Albert King (Albert Nelson)

Born April 25, 1923 d. 1992

American blues musician. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time.
Music: Laundromat Blues (1966) and Born Under a Bad Sign (1967).

Ella Fitzgerald

Born April 25, 1917 d. 1996

American jazz singer. She had an extraordinarily wide vocal range of 2.5 octaves. Music: A-Tisket, A-Tasket (1938) and On The Sunny Side Of The Street (1963).

Jack Ruby (Jacob Leon Rubenstein)

Born April 25, 1911 d. 1967

American night club owner. He died while awaiting a retrial for the murder of U.S. President John F. Kennedy's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.

Edward R. Murrow (Egbert Roscoe Murrow)

Born April 25, 1908 d. 1965

American Emmy-winning journalist. He gained prominence during World War II with live broadcasts from Europe by him and his "Murrow Boys", ending his broadcasts with "Good night, and good luck." He flew with 25 combat missions in Europe during the war.
His reports on his television show See It Now helped bring about the censure of Senator Joseph McCarthy.
He won four Peabody awards, the Medal of Freedom (1964), and was knighted an honorary commander of the Order of the British Empire (1965).

Oliver Cromwell

Born April 25, 1599 d. 1658

English statesman, and soldier. Lord Protector of England (1653-58). He led "the curse of Cromwell," in which he massacred the Irish during an extensive expropriation of their land. He also supported the banning of Christmas celebrations in England, calling them an extreme forgetfulness to Christ. Christmas celebrations had been banned by the Puritan Parliament since 1644.