Holidays
Towel Day
Fans of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy carry a towel with them as described in his books. To know the location of one's towel is symbolic of being in control of one's own life. If you have your towel, "What the strag (non-hitch hiker) will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with."
What Happened On
Photo Credit: Stanleykpatz
Photo Credit: Stanleykpatz
First Missing Child on a Milk Carton
May 25, 1979
Six-year-old Etan Patz goes missing while walking the two blocks from his home to his school bus in Lower Manhattan. Several years later, he became the first missing child featured on a milk carton. His body was never found and the case went unsolved until it was reopened in 2010, ultimately leading to the conviction of Pedro Hernandez in 2016. Hernandez confessed that he had murdered Etan the day he was abducted.
The extensive media coverage of Etan's disappearance has been credited with creating greater attention to missing children.
The May 25th anniversary of Etan Patz's disappearance was designated National Missing Children's Day in the U.S. in memory of Etan.
Star Wars
May 25, 1977
The first film of the Star Wars series premieres. It surpassed Jaws to become the highest grossing film of all time - A record it held until E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). The series is one of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time. This episode would later be retitled Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
Midnight Cowboy - First X-Rated film to win an Oscar
May 25, 1969
The controversial film Midnight Cowboy is released. It was the first X-Rated film to win an Oscar; however, its rating was later changed to "R". It starred Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight.
Constitutional Convention of 1787
May 25, 1787
The delegates that would create the U.S. Constitution convene in Philadelphia. At the time, the convention was not referred to as a Constitutional Convention, nor did most of the delegates know they were going to draft a new Constitution. Many of the delegates assumed the convention was to draft improvements to the existing Articles of Confederation. George Washington presided over the Convention.
Photo Credit: Mysid
Photo Credit: Mysid
Black Hole
May 25, 1994
Astronomers announce that the Hubble Space Telescope has for the first time confirmed the existence of a black hole. It was found in the constellation Virgo.
SpiderDan
May 25, 1981
Dan Goodwin, wearing a Spider-Man costume and using rope and suction cups, climbs the Sears Tower. For his achievement, he was arrested and earned the name "SpiderDan." The reason he made the climb was to call attention to shortcomings in high-rise rescue and firefighting techniques. He would go on to climb other buildings including the Renaissance Tower (Dallas, Texas), and John Hancock Center (Chicago) using rope and suction cups while wearing his Spider-Man costume. He also climbed the North Tower of the World Trade Center (1983, New York City), CN Tower (1986, Toronto, Ontario, Canada), Millennium Tower (2010, San Francisco, California), and Telephonic Building (Santiago, Chile) establishing a new world record for the longest lead climb on a single rope - 433 feet (132 m).
Worst Aviation Accident in U.S. History
May 25, 1979
An American Airlines DC-10 crashes on takeoff killing all 272 persons aboard and three on the ground.
Skylab
May 25, 1973
The crew arrives at the U.S. space station which was launched on May 14th. The space station had suffered damages shortly after take-off when a protective shield and a solar panel broke off, damaging the other solar panel in the process. The crew made the repairs, returning to Earth on June 22nd.
Jesse Owens Sets Multiple World Records
May 25, 1935
In a span of 45 minutes, Jesse Owens ties the world record for the 100-yard dash (9.4 sec.) and sets world records for the broad jump (26 feet, 8¼ inches), 220-yard dash (20.3 sec., also a 200 meter record) and the 220-yard low hurdles (22.6 sec., also a 200 meter record).
Babe Ruth's Last Home Run
May 25, 1935
Babe Ruth, "The Sultan of Swat", hits number 714, his last home run. He also hit numbers 712 and 713 in the same game.
Monkey Trial
May 25, 1925
John Scopes is charged for teaching evolution in Tennessee. The previous March, Tennessee made it a misdemeanor to "teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." High school teacher John Scopes defied this law by teaching evolution in his classroom. The famous lawyer, and three-time U.S. presidential candidate, William Jennings Bryan volunteered for the prosecution. Attorney Clarence Darrow joined the ACLU for the defense. Darrow called as his sole witness for the defense the prosecuting attorney Bryan, in an attempt to discredit his literal interpretation of the Bible. Bryan was ridiculed and forced to make contradictory statements. In an unusual twist, the defense attorney in his closing remarks asked the jury to convict his client. This accomplished two things: It allowed the case to be taken to the Tennessee Supreme Court and it prevented the prosecutor from delivering his closing speech that he had spent weeks preparing. Scopes was found guilty and ordered to pay a fine of $100. Even though Bryan the prosecutor won, he was publicly humiliated and many believe the public ridicule contributed to his death six days later. The conviction was eventually overturned by the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Birthdays
Bennett Alfred Cerf
Born May 25, 1898 d. 1971
American publisher. He was the founder, president, and chairman of Random House publishers. Known for his wit, gags, and puns.
Cerf won "U.S. v. One Book Called Ulysses" (1933), a landmark court case against government censorship, and then published James Joyce's unabridged Ulysses for the first time in the U.S. Up to that time Ulysses had been banned in the U.S. as obscene, with one judge calling it "like the work of a disordered mind".
Cerf was a panelist on the TV show What's My Line? for 16 years.
Writings: Bennett Cerf's Treasury of Atrocious Puns (1968).
Inventor of the Medicine Ball
William Muldoon
Born May 25, 1845 d. 1933
American wrestler, 1880 heavyweight champion, inventor of the medicine ball. He was undefeated for his Greco-Roman Championship. Muldoon got John L. Sullivan back in shape for his famous 75-round win against Jake Kilrain for the world heavyweight bare-knuckle boxing championship (1889).
Mike Myers
Born May 25, 1963
Canadian-born actor, comedian. Film: Wayne's World (1992, Wayne for which he won an Oscar. NOT!), and the Austin Powers and Shrek films. TV: Saturday Night Live (1989-95).
Connie Sellecca
Born May 25, 1955
American actress. TV: Hotel (Christine Francis).
Karen Valentine
Born May 25, 1947
American Emmy-winning actress. TV: Room 222 (Alice Johnson).
Frank Oz
Born May 25, 1944
English Emmy-winning puppeteer. TV: Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. He also designed, operated, and provided the voice for Yoda in the Star Wars movies.
Leslie Uggams
Born May 25, 1943
American Emmy-winning actress, singer.
Tom T. Hall
Born May 25, 1936 d. 2021
American country singer, songwriter. Music: wrote Harper Valley PTA (1968).
Beverly Sills (Belle Silverman)
Born May 25, 1929 d. 2007
American opera singer, soprano.
Robert Ludlum
Born May 25, 1927 d. 2001
American author. Writings: The Scarlatti Inheritance (1971), The Osterman Weekend (1972), and the Bourne Supremacy (1986).
Claude Akins
Born May 25, 1926 d. 1994
American actor. TV: Lobo (The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo) (1979-81, title role).
Sikorsky and an R-4 helicopter (1944)
Sikorsky and an R-4 helicopter (1944)
Developed the First Practical Helicopter
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky
Born May 25, 1889 d. 1972
Ukrainian-born American aviation pioneer. He developed the first practical helicopter (1939), the first multi-engine airplane (1913), and the flying boat. He designed the Sikorsky R4 helicopter which was the world's first large-scale mass-produced helicopter and the first helicopter used by the United States Army Air Forces, the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.
Bojangles (Luther Bill Robinson)
Born May 25, 1877 d. 1949
American tap dancer. Known as the Mayor of Harlem.
Carl Emil "Bunny" Schultze
Born May 25, 1866 d. 1939
American cartoonist. Creator of Foxy Grandpa (1900).
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Born May 25, 1803 d. 1882
American poet, philosopher.
Deaths
Photo Credit: Stanleykpatz
Photo Credit: Stanleykpatz
First Missing Child on a Milk Carton
Etan Kalil Patz
Died May 25, 1979 b. 1972
American abduction victim. In 1979, 6-year-old Etan went missing while walking the two blocks from his home to his school bus in Lower Manhattan. Several years later, he became the first missing child featured on a milk carton. His body was never found and the case went unsolved until it was reopened in 2010, ultimately leading to the conviction of Pedro Hernandez in 2016. Hernandez confessed that he had murdered Etan the day he was abducted.
The extensive media coverage of Etan's disappearance has been credited with creating greater attention to missing children.
The May 25th anniversary of Etan Patz's disappearance was designated National Missing Children's Day in the U.S. in memory of Etan.
Happy Birthday to You
Patty Smith Hill
Died May 25, 1946 b. 1868
American schoolteacher. She wrote the words to Happy Birthday to You (1924). Composed by her sister Mildred Hill, it has become the most sung song in the world.
First Self-Made American Woman Millionaire
Madam C. J. Walker (Sarah Breedlove)
Died May 25, 1919 b. 1867
American businesswoman, the first self-made American woman millionaire. A black lady, orphaned at the age of seven, she made her fortune selling her own line of hair products (1905) using a team a door-to-door sales agents.
Charles Nelson Reilly and as Horatio J. Hoodoo
Charles Nelson Reilly and as Horatio J. Hoodoo
Charles Nelson Reilly
Died May 25, 2007 b. 1931
American Tony-winning actor, comedian, game-show celebrity. When he was 13-years-old, he survived the circus disaster known as The Day the Clowns Cried, in which 168 people died when a circus tent caught fire. He could never sit in an audience again after that. But, he was in the 1999 movie The First of May, about a small traveling circus.
Reilly went public with his homosexuality in his theatrical one-man show Save It for the Stage: The Life of Reilly (2000).
Stage: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961, Bud Frump, Tony Award), and Hello, Dolly! (1964, Cornelius Hackl). TV: The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1968-70, Claymore Gregg), Lidsville (1971-72, Horatio J. Hoodoo), and was a regular such shows as The Match Game and The Hollywood Squares.
Hillary Brooke (Beatrice Peterson)
Died May 25, 1999 b. 1914
American actress. TV: My Little Margie (1952-55, Roberta). Film: Sci-fi B-movie classic Invaders from Mars (1953).
Vic Tayback
Died May 25, 1990 b. 1930
American actor. Vic Tayback is best known for playing diner owner Mel Sharples in TVs' Alice (1976-85) and the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974).
He also appeared in the 1968 Star Trek episode A Piece of the Action as 1920s-style gangster-boss Jojo Krako and in 1974 as Archie Bunker's boss in All in the Family.
1919 Eclipse
1919 Eclipse
Sir Frank Watson Dyson
Died May 25, 1939 b. 1868
English astronomer. He proved light is bent by gravity, as predicted by Albert Einstein. He organized expeditions to observe solar eclipses at Brazil and Principe (1919), confirming Einstein's theory of the effect of gravity on light.
Gustav Holst
Died May 25, 1934 b. 1874
English composer. Music: The Planets (1919) and The Perfect Fool (1923).
Alexander IV
Died May 25, 1261 b. 1199
Italian religious leader, 181st Pope (1254-61), established the Inquisition in France.
Saint Gregory VII
Died May 25, 1085 b. ????
religious leader, 157th Pope (1073-85).