March 25
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Featured Event
©Vadzim Mamedau/Dreamstime.com
First passenger railway line begins operations
On this day in 1807, the first fee-paying passenger railway began operating in Wales. It was eventually known as Mumbles Railway, and it became the longest-running locomotive line in the world. Passengers, however, were an afterthought; the train was designed with industry in mind. By 1823 a 16-person horse-drawn carriage made a trip twice a day along the railway line. After electricity arrived in 1928, double-decker trams began running, and millions of passengers were riding the line annually by the 1940s. After World War II, however, plunging passenger demand could no longer justify costs of operating the line. A funeral (featuring an empty coffin) was held for the line on January 4, 1960. [Read today’s edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Amy Sancetta—AP/REX/Shutterstock.com
American singer Aretha Franklin, born this day in 1942, was crowned the “Queen of Soul” and was known for such hits as (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman and Respect, the latter of which became her signature song.
Famous Birthdays
More on March 25
State Library Photograph Collection, 1851–1990, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov
2021
American children’s author Beverly Cleary, whose books included the hugely popular Ramona series, died at age 104. [Take our quiz about classic children’s books.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
2002
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region of northern Afghanistan, causing more than 1,000 deaths. [From earthquakes to pandemics, test your knowledge of historic disasters.]
UIG/REX/Shutterstock
1975
King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot to death by his nephew. [Sort fact from fiction in our Middle East quiz.]
© Home Box Office
1965
American actress Sarah Jessica Parker, who was perhaps best known for her role on the television series Sex and the City (1998–2004), was born. [Test your knowledge of actors.]
Maurice Sorrell—Ebony Collection/AP Images
1965
Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights activists completed their march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama; two previous marches had been halted by local police. [Read about 10 milestones in U.S. civil rights history.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1957
The Treaties of Rome were signed, establishing the European Community and the European Atomic Energy Community. [How much do you know about European history?]
© Kevin Winter/Getty Images
1947
British singer, composer, and pianist Sir Elton John, who was known for both his popular music and his stylistic showmanship, was born. [Take our musicians quiz.]
Scott Applewhite/AP Images
1934
American feminist and activist Gloria Steinem, a leading advocate of the women’s liberation movement who helped found Ms. magazine (1972), was born. [Test your knowledge of female activists.]
© Photos.com/Getty Images
1918
French composer Claude Debussy, whose works were a seminal force in the music of the 20th century, died at age 55. [How much do you know about music?]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
1911
A fire at the Triangle shirtwaist factory in New York City killed 146 people, prompting the creation of health and safety legislation.
Mrs. Fritz Reiner
1881
Hungarian composer Béla Bartók was born in Nagyszentmiklós, Hungary, Austria-Hungary [now Sânnicolau Mare, Romania]. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about music composers.]
© damn designs/Fotolia
1807
The British Parliament abolished the slave trade in the British West Indies. [Take our quiz about abolitionism.]
Goddard Space Flight Center/NASA
1655
Dutch mathematician and astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. [How much do you know about Saturn?]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1306
Robert the Bruce, crowned Scottish king at Scone on this day in 1306, freed Scotland from English rule by winning the Battle of Bannockburn (1314) and confirming Scottish independence in the Treaty of Northampton (1328).
Petrusbarbygere
1305
The Arena (or Scrovegni) Chapel, containing frescoes by Giotto, was consecrated in Padua, Italy. [Take our ultimate art quiz.]
© Shawn McCullars
451
According to tradition, Venice was founded. [Watch an overview of Venice.]