On this day: 25 May

Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans.

First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.

Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo, Spain, back from the Moors after a siege.

Henry the Navigator is appointed governor of the Order of Christ.

The Diet of Worms ends when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, issues the Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw.

Ming–Qing transition: Ming general Wu Sangui allowed the invading Manchu to cross the Great Wall of China, enabling them to capture Beijing and establish the Qing dynasty.

First issue of Norske Intelligenz-Seddeler, the first regular Norwegian newspaper (1763–1920).

The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia with the intention of revising the Articles of Confederation of the United States.

After a delay of 11 days, the United States Constitutional Convention formally convenes in Philadelphia after a quorum of seven states is secured.

Outbreak of the Kabakçı Mustafa rebellion in response to intentions of sultan Selim III to reform the Ottoman army.

Chuquisaca Revolution: Patriot revolt in Chuquisaca (modern-day Sucre) against the Spanish Empire, sparking the Latin American wars of independence.

The Primera Junta, the first independent government in Argentina, was established in an open cabildo in Buenos Aires, marking the end of the May Revolution.

The Argentine Constitution of 1819 is promulgated.

The Chilean Constitution of 1833 is promulgated.

Oscar Wilde was sentenced by Alfred Wills to two years of hard labor for gross indecency.

The Republic of Formosa is formed, with Tang Jingsong as its president.

Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes is indicted for teaching human evolution in Tennessee.

The Walt Disney Company cartoon Three Little Pigs premieres at Radio City Music Hall, featuring the hit song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?"

Jesse Owens of Ohio State University breaks three world records and ties a fourth at the Big Ten Conference Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Employees of the Remington Rand company began an 11-month strike action, during which time the company executives developed the notorious "Mohawk Valley formula" to intimidate the strikers.

Nuclear weapons testing: At the Nevada Test Site, the United States conducts its first and only nuclear artillery test.

The first public television station in the United States officially begins broadcasting as KUHT from the campus of the University of Houston.

In an address to Congress, U.S. president John F. Kennedy announced his support for the Apollo program, with "the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth".

A fire broke out at a squatter settlement in Bukit Ho Swee, Singapore, rendering approximately 16,000 people homeless.

The Baltimore Steam Packet Company, the last overnight steamboat service in the United States, went out of business.

The Organisation of African Unity is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Explorer program: Explorer 32 launches.

Having purged a group of rivals, Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Il Sung delivered the "May 25 teaching", entrenching his son Kim Jong Il as his designated successor.

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, is dedicated.

Star Wars (retroactively titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is released in US theaters.

In Riyadh, the Gulf Cooperation Council is created between Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Hands Across America event takes place.

A military coup in Sierra Leone replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koroma.

Liberation Day of Lebanon: Israel withdraws its army from Lebanese territory (with the exception of the disputed Shebaa farms zone) 18 years after the invasion of 1982.

Erik Weihenmayer becomes the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, in the Himalayas, with Dr. Sherman Bull.

NASA's Phoenix lander touches down in the Green Valley region of Mars to search for environments suitable for water and microbial life.

North Korea conducted a nuclear test and several other missile tests that were widely condemned internationally and led to sanctions from the United Nations Security Council.

The final episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest-rated daytime talk show in U.S. television history, hosted by Oprah Winfrey (pictured), was broadcast.

In a test flight, SpaceX's Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) becomes enforceable in the European Union.