1878 – The Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore opened at the Opera Comique in London on the 25th May 1878.

1898 – Bennett Cerf the American publisher and co-founder of Random House was born on the 25th May 1898 (died 1971).

1925 – John T. Scopes was indicted for teaching Charles Darwin‘s theory of evolution on the 25th May 1925.

1944 – Frank Oz the English-American puppeteer, voice actor, and director was born on the 25th May 1944.

1953 – KUHT officially began broadcasting as the 1st public television station in the United States, from the campus of the University of Houston, on the 25th May 1953.

1958 – Paul Weller the English singer-songwriter and guitarist from The Jam and The Style Council was born on the 25th May 1958.

1959 – Julian Clary the English comedian, actor, and author was born on the 25th May 1959.

1955 – The 1st ascent of Kangchenjunga (8,586m), the 3rd highest mountain in the world was led by Joe Brown and George Band on the 25th May 1955.

1961 –  U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced his goal to initiate a Apollo program project to put a “man on the Moon” before the end of the decade, on the 25th May 1961.

1963 ~ Valerie Clarke & Werner Kressnig were married on the 25th May 1963. Valerie & Werner  Kressnig are the parents of artist Anton K. Kressnig. Valerie and Werner celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on the 25th May 2013.

1963 – Mike Myers the Canadian-American actor, singer, screenwriter, and producer was born on the 25th May 1963.

1964 – Ray Stevenson the Irish-English actor was born on the 25th May 1964.

1977 – Chinese government removed a decade old ban on William Shakespeare‘s work, which effectively ended the Cultural Revolution started in 1966.

1977 ~ The 1st STAR WARS  film in the series was released on the 25th day of May in 1977. The film series was created by George Lucas under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide phenomenon, followed by 2 sequels. The revenue generated by the Star Wars films totaled $4.49 billion, making it the 3rd highest grossing film series, behind the Harry Potter and James Bond films.

1986 – Hands Across America took place on the 25th May 1986.

2011 – Oprah Winfrey aired her last show, ending her 25 year run of The Oprah Winfrey Show on the 25th May 2011.

2012 – The Dragon spacecraft became the 1st commercial spacecraft to successfully rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) on the 25th May 2012.

Today in History for May 25th ~ video presented by the Associated Press…