Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on April 25th?

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

Pope Victor II succeeds Leo IX as the 153rd pope.

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 Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton recognizes Scottish independence from England.

The University of Basel is founded in Switzerland.

The Treaty of Tordesillas is signed, dividing the newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal.

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.

The Acts of Union 1707 are signed, merging the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.

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.

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

Water of the two seas met  ten years later on August 18th, creating an invaluable artery for world navigation. 74 million m3 of soil was dug out, and the execution cost reached 433 million Francs (17320000 Egyptian Pounds); which was double the cost calculated initially.

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

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