On This Day: 25 May

First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet		240 BC
The Diet of Worms ends when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, issues the Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw		1521
Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England following the restoration of the Long Parliament, beginning a second brief period of the Commonwealth		1659
Charles II lands at Dover, at the invitation of Parliament, after nine years in exile		1660
Captain Cook sails on his first voyage		1768
After a delay of 11 days, the US Constitutional Convention formally convenes in Philadelphia (to draft a constitution), after a quorum of seven states is secured		1787
A popular uprising against the Spanish Empire begins in Chuquisaca (modern day Sucre), sparking the Latin American wars of independence		1809
Citizens of Buenos Aires expel the Spanish Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros during the May week, starting the Argentine War of Independence		1810
The Chilean Constitution of 1833 is promulgated (replaced in 1925)		1833
Britain's first flower show is held at the Royal Horticultural Society, Chiswick		1833
The Rebels of Lower Canada (Quebec) rebel against the British for governmental reforms		1837
Britain's first hippopotamus, destined for London Zoo, arrives		1850
A team of 11 Australian Aboriginals, from the colony of Victoria, plays the first of 47 cricket matches on a tour of England – nine years before the first Test match		1868
Lloyd's Insurance society receives its Royal Charter		1871
House of Commons passes the Bank Holiday Act		1871
Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore first performed		1878
The first cargo of New Zealand mutton arrives in Britain		1882
Oscar Wilde is convicted of "committing acts of gross indecency with other male persons" and sentenced to serve two years in prison		1895
USA declares war on Spain		1898
Oscar Slater, later proved innocent, sentenced to life imprisonment for murder		1909
The British House of Commons passes the Irish Home Rule Act		1914
Second Battle of Ypres ends		1915
Transjordan becomes independent		1923
John T. Scopes goes on trial in Dayton, Tennessee, for teaching Darwinian evolution		1925
Jesse Owens breaks 5 world records and equals a sixth, in 45 minutes, in Michigan		1935
France's air force bombs Alicante		1938
The German 2nd Panzer Division captures the port of Boulogne–sur–Mer; the last French and British troops surrender, marking the end of the Battle of Boulogne		1940
Battle of Anzio ends		1944
Transjordan declares its independence from Britain		1946
French troops clash with Viet Cong in Vietnam		1950
Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean disappear from London		1951
George Band and Joe Brown reach the summit of Kangchenjunga		1955
US Supreme Court rules Alabama's ban on black v. white boxing matches unconstitutional		1959
John F. Kennedy announces before a special joint session of the Congress his goal to initiate a project to put a man on the Moon before the end of the decade		1961
Ku Klux Klan clashes with 'freedom riders' in Montgomery, Alabama		1961
Coventry Cathedral consecrated		1962
The Organisation of African Unity is established in Addis Ababa		1963
Cassius Clay knocks out Sonny Liston in the first round at Lewiston, Maine		1965
Celtic beat Internazionale Milano 2–1, in Lisbon, becoming the first British side to win the European Cup		1967
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, is dedicated		1968
Thor Heyerdahl sets sail from Morocco in Ra to prove that the ancient Egyptians could have reached America		1969
Bobby Moore appears in court in Bogota, Colombia, charged with stealing a bracelet		1970
Peter Green leaves Fleetwood Mac, and tells his record company to stop sending royalties		1970
The Greek destroyer Velos (formerly USS Charrette), participating in a NATO exercise and anchored at Fiumicino, Italy, refuses to return to Greece in protest against the dictatorship		1973
The Chinese government removes a ten–year ban on the works of William Shakespeare, effectively ending the Cultural Revolution which started in 1966		1977
Star Wars is released to 32 cinema theatres in the USA		1977
The first in a series of bombings orchestrated by the 'Unabomber' (Ted Kaczynski) detonates at Northwestern University in Evanston, a suburb of Chicago, resulting in minor injuries		1978
275 lives are lost when an American Airlines DC–10 crashes on take–off at Chicago		1979
HMS Coventry is sunk by Douglas A–4 Skyhawks of the Argentine Air Force		1982
Approximately 10,000 lives are lost in a tropical cyclone and storm surge in Bangladesh		1985
30 million people worldwide run in the 'race against time' for Sport Aid		1986
'Hands Across America': approximately 6.5 million people hold hands for fifteen minutes in an attempt to form a continuous human chain across the contiguous USA, in aid of charity – with mixed degrees of success		1986
South African troops drive 25,000 blacks out of Crossroads squatter camp		1986
A military coup in Sierra Leone replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koroma		1997
Britain's last working pit ponies, Gremlin (25) and Robbie (7) retire from Pantygasseg mine near Pontypool, Gwent		1999
Israel withdraws its army from Lebanese territory (except for the disputed Shebaa farms zone), 22 years after its invasion		2000
Police arrest a 40–year–old musician known as Barry Bulsara on suspicion of murdering Jill Dando		2000
US adventurer Erik Weihenmayer becomes the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest		2001
All 225 people on board lose their lives when a Chinese Airlines Boeing 747 disintegrates in mid–air and crashes into the Taiwan Strait		2002
Ariel Sharon persuades his reluctant cabinet to accept the international road map for peace in the Middle East, including Palestine's right to statehood		2003
Some of the finest works of British contemporary art, including Tracey Emin'sEveryone I have ever slept with and Damien Hirst's Spot, are feared lost in a fire at a warehouse containing pieces from the collection of Charles Saatchi, and possibly also from those of Buckingham Palace and the Royal Academy		2004
As the Crazy Frog ringtone spin–off conquers the music charts of Britain and the world, Liverpool come from 0–3 down against AC Milan to win the Champion's League final on penalties – their fifth European Champions' Cup win and their first since 1984 (when they also won on penalties, against Roma)		2005
NASA's Phoenix lander lands on Mars to search for environments suitable for water and microbial life		2008
North Korea (allegedly) tests its second nuclear device, following it with several missile tests		2009
The Oprah Winfrey Show airs for the last time, after a 25–year run		2011
The SpaceX Dragon becomes the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous successfully with the International Space Station		2012
At least 28 people die, and 32 others are injured, in an attack by suspected Maoist rebels on a convoy of Indian National Congress politicians in Chhattisgarh		2013
The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) becomes enforceable		2018
Ireland votes in a referendum to remove the constitutional ban on abortion		2018
Prime Minister Theresa May, under pressure over her handling of Brexit, announces her intention to resign with effect from 7 June		2019

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On This Day: 25 May