Updated February 24, 2012, 1:28 pm
On Feb. 25, 1870, Hiram R. Revels, R-Miss., became the first black member of the United States Senate as he was sworn in to serve out the unexpired term of Jefferson Davis.
On Feb. 25, 1888, John Foster Dulles, the American Secretary of State from 1953-1959, was born. Following his death on May 24, 1959, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1570 Pope Pius V excommunicated England’s Queen Elizabeth I. 1836 Inventor Samuel Colt patented his revolver. 1870 Hiram Revels, a Mississippi Republican, was sworn in as the first black member of the U.S. Senate. 1901 United States Steel Corp. was incorporated by J.P. Morgan. 1913 The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving Congress the power to levy and collect income taxes, was declared in effect. 1943 Beatles guitarist George Harrison was born in Liverpool, England. 1950 “Your Show of Shows” debuted on NBC. 1956 Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev harshly criticized the late Josef Stalin in a speech before a Communist Party congress in Moscow. 1964 Cassius Clay (who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali) became the world heavyweight boxing champion by defeating Sonny Liston in Miami Beach. 1986 President Ferdinand E. Marcos fled the Philippines after 20 years of rule in the wake of a tainted election. Corazon Aquino assumed the presidency. 1990 Nicaraguans voted in an election that led to victory for opponents of the ruling Sandinistas. 1991 An Iraqi Scud missile hit a U.S. barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 28 Americans during the Persian Gulf War. 1999 A jury in Jasper, Texas, sentenced white supremacist John William King to death for the dragging death of James Byrd Jr., an African-American man. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actress Rashida Jones (“Parks and Recreation,” “The Office”) turns 36 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
Comedian Chelsea Handler turns 37 years old today.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
1919 Monte Irvin, Baseball Hall of Famer, turns 93 1937 Bob Schieffer, Broadcast journalist, turns 75 1942 Karen Grassle, Actress (“Little House on the Prairie”), turns 70 1949 Jack Handey, Author, former TV writer (“Saturday Night Live”), turns 63 1958 Jeff Fisher, Football coach, turns 54 1965 Veronica Webb, Actress, turns 47 1966 Alexis Denisof, Actor (“Angel”), turns 46 1966 Tea Leoni, Actress, turns 46 1967 Carrot Top, Comedian, turns 45 1971 Sean Astin, Actor (“Lord of the Rings” movies), turns 41 1973 Julio Iglesias Jr., Singer, turns 39
Historic Birthdays
John Foster Dulles 2/25/1888 – 5/24/1959 American Secretary Of State (1953-59).Go to obituary »
75 Johann Philipp Krieger 2/25/1649 – 2/7/1725
German composer85 Carlo Goldoni 2/25/1707 – 2/6/1793
Italian dramatist78 Pierre-Auguste Renoir 2/25/1841 – 12/3/1919
French painter86 Benedetto Croce 2/25/1866 – 11/20/1952
Italian historian, humanist, and philosopher48 Enrico Caruso 2/25/1873 – 8/2/1921
Italian operatic tenor96 Vyacheslav M. Molotov 2/25/1890 – 11/8/1986
Russian statesman and foreign minister75 Dame Myra Hess 2/25/1890 – 11/25/1965
English pianist79 Marcel Paul Pagnol 2/25/1895 – 4/18/1974
French writer and film producer/director76 Anthony Burgess 2/25/1917 – 11/22/1993
English novelist and critic78 Barney Ewell 2/25/1918 – 4/4/1996
American Olympic sprinter
