What Happened Today in History on April 25

Charlemagne is crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo III in Rome.

Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV for a second time.

Alfonso VI of Castile and León captures Toledo, Spain, from the Moors.

The Treaty of Łęczyca is signed, ending a war between Casimir II the Just of Poland and Mieszko III the Old.

Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, grants the Golden Bull of Sicily, establishing constitutional reforms in Sicily.

The Battle of Montecatini takes place between the forces of Florence and Siena, ending in a Florentine victory.

The University of Basel is founded in Switzerland.

Vasco da Gama arrives at Calicut, India, opening the sea route from Europe to the East by circumnavigating Africa.

Pope Pius V issues the papal bull "Regnans in Excelsis," excommunicating Queen Elizabeth I of England.

The Convention Parliament meets in England, beginning the Restoration of the monarchy under Charles II.

Queen Anne's War (War of the Spanish Succession) begins between England and Spain.

Robinson Crusoe, the novel by Daniel Defoe is published in London quickly becoming a major success, having four editions printed in the first year of publication. The book tells the story of Robinson Crusoe, who defies his family's wishes and goes to sea, only to be shipwrecked on a deserted island. He survives for many years by his own ingenuity, adapting to his environment, learning to farm, and eventually befriending a native man he names Friday. The novel explores themes of survival, resilience, and the human spirit's resilience. The book went on to become the second-most translated book in the world. More

On Easter Sunday, Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen makes the first-recorded European contact with Easter island and names the Island "Easter" He visited for a week and estimated there were 2,000 to 3,000 inhabitants on the island. The island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant, monumental stone statues, called moai, which were created by the early Rapa Nui people. The island had rich soil and a good climate and mostly under cultivation". Later Fossil-pollen analysis shows that the main trees on the island had gone 72 years earlier in 1650.

Voltaire's French version of "Philosophical Letters" is banned in Paris. The book was considered a scandalous attack on the French political and religious systems and was publicly burned by the state executioner. Expand +

The Groundbreaking of the Suez Canal takes place and the Digging Process begins. Ten years later, on August 18th, after digging out 74 million m3 of soil and spending 433 million Francs, double the original estimate, the water of the the Red Sea and the Mediterranean seas meet and a new world navigation path is established. More 

The United States declares war on Spain, beginning the Spanish-American War.

American and Soviet troops meet on the Elbe in the vicinity of Torgau signaling that the end of the Second World War in Europe was within reach. More

U.S. President Harry S. learns of the Manhattan Project after the death of President Roosevelt in April of 1945, when he relinquished his role as Vice President and took the oath of office as the next president of the United States. Truman went on to became in charge of the most difficult moral and tactical decision of World War II: whether or not to drop the atomic bomb. His ultimate decision led to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. More

Dan-Air Flight 1008,was a fatal accident involving A Boeing 727-46 jet aircraft operated by Dan Air Services Limited a charter flight from Manchester to Tenerife on the Canary Islands crashes on La Esperanza Mountain killing all 146 on board. More

1990, April 25 - The Hubble Space Telescope, launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on the STS-31 mission. is placed in orbit. More

Nepal is hit by a devastating 7.8 earthquake, resulting in widespread destruction and more than eight thousand deaths. More