Anniversaries and commemorations come and go daily. Most of us, even the best historians, miss most occasions. If we think of history as events then we are faced with a continually showering in the grains of sand. Nevertheless, we do pick out certain patterns in the remembrance of historical dates. The blog here reminds us of some dates where the local, state, national, and global perspectives entwine.
On 25, Sunday May 1919, Estonian War of Independence: Estonian forces capture Pskov from the Red Army, and soon hand it over to the White forces.
On 25, Thursday May 1944, Frank Oz, English puppeteer and film director, born
On 25, Thursday May 1944, Clark Daniel Stearns, 9th Governor of American Samoa, died (b. 1870)
On 25, Monday May 1959, Julian Clary, English comedian, actor and author, born
On 25, Sunday May 1969, Midnight Cowboy, an X-rated, Oscar-winning John Schlesinger film, is released.
On 25, Sunday May 1969, Anne Heche, American actress, born
On 25, Sunday May 1969, Stacy London, American fashion consultant and media personality, born
On 25, Friday May 1979, James William Miller, aged 39, is charged with the murders of four young women (the Truro murders 100 kilometres north-east of Adelaide. A fifth body has been found and police are searching for two more bodies, bringing the number of victims to a total of seven. Miller is charged with murdering Veronica Knight, 18, Sylvia Michelle Pittmann, 16, Vicki May Mowell, 26, and Connie Iordanides, 16.
On 25, Friday May 1979, American Airlines Flight 191: In Chicago, a DC-10 crashes during takeoff at O’Hare International Airport, killing all 271 on board and 2 people on the ground in the deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history.
On 25, Friday May 1979, John Spenkelink is executed in Florida, in the first use of the electric chair in America after the reintroduction of the death penalty in 1976.
On 25, Friday May 1979, Etan Patz, 6 years old, is kidnapped in New York. He is often referred to as the “Boy on the Milk Carton” and the investigation later sprouts into one of the most prolific child abduction cases of all time. This is a cold case until 2010 when it is re-opened. Pedro Hernandez is later charged with strangling him after being sentenced to life in prison for murder and kidnapping in April 2017.
On 25, Friday May 1979, Jonny Wilkinson, English rugby union player, born
On 25, Thursday May 1989, Guillaume Boivin, Canadian racing cyclist, born
On 25, Thursday May 1989, Aliona Moon, Moldovan pop singer, born
On 25, Wednesday May 1994, Aly Raisman, American gymnast, born
On 25, Wednesday May 1994, Kylee, Japanese-American singer, born
On 25, Monday May 2009, North Korea announces that it has conducted a second successful nuclear test in North Hamgyong Province. The United Nations Security Council condemns the reported test.
On 25, Sunday May 2014, Wojciech Jaruzelski, Communist leader of Poland, died (b. 1923)
On 25, Sunday May 2014, Toaripi Lauti, 1st Prime Minister of Tuvalu, died (b. 1928)
Other On This Day days in history
Neville Buch
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