• 1792  -  Thief, Nicolas J. Pelletier, is the first person to be executed by the guillotine.

Guillotine

In 1790, Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotine proposed that the death penalty should be administered fairly and humanely despite social rank or nature of the crime.  He said it should be carried out by a machine that could do the job quickly and as painlessly as possible.  The answer to this proposal was the guillotine.  Officially signed into law in 1792, the French ministry of justice charged Dr. Antoine Louis, secretary of the National Academy of Surgery, with the design and construction of such a machine.  Dr. Louis designed the guillotine and hired Tobias Schmidt, a German harpsichord maker, to build it from his design.  The prototype was tested on cadavers and animals and then put in to service.  Nicolas J. Pelletier was a common thief and the very first official victim of the guillotine in the capacity of capital punishment. 

• 1846  -  A conflict known as the Thornton Affair starts the Mexican-American war.

Mexican-American War

On April 25, 1846, Captain Seth Thornton and his 70 U.S. Dragoons, were sent to scout an area northwest of what is now Brownsville, Texas.  They investigated a hacienda to find 2,000 Mexican soldiers encamped there.  The Thornton Affair ensued and 16 U.S. soldiers were killed, five were wounded and the rest were taken prisoner.  It was this event that gave President James K. Polk his reason for war.  When taking the proposal for declaration of war against Mexico to the U.S. Congress he said, “The cup of forbearance had been exhausted even before the recent information from the frontier of the Del Norte [Rio Grande]. But now, after reiterated menaces, Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon the American soil. She has proclaimed that hostilities have commenced, and that the two nations are now at war.”

• 1859  -  British and French engineers begin work on the Suez Canal. 

Google Earth / Suez Canal Construction

Since 1878 BCE, an indirect route existed linking the Mediterranean and Red seas by way of the Nile river.  It was modified and re-constructed throughout history to provide for better trade routes for the surrounding nations.  Until 1860, it was never constructed to the extent of being able to accommodate large ships forcing them to sail around the entire African continent to establish trade and commerce between Europe and Asia.  In 1856, a French developer, Ferdinand de Lesseps, petitioned the viceroy of Egypt, Said Pasha, for a concession to establish a company to re-construct the canal allowing for ships of all nations and sizes to utilize the passage.  The viceroy conceded and the Suez Canal Company was formed in December, 1858.  Following the design of Austrian engineer, Luigi Negrelli, construction on the Suez Canal began on April 25, 1859.  It took over 30,000 forced Egyptian laborers and almost 11 years to complete.  Despite several setbacks and doubling the initial budget, the Suez Canal opened to international shipping on November 17, 1869.

• 1898  -  The United States declares war on Spain starting the Spanish-American War.

Spanish-American War / War Map

It seems as though April 25th is a popular day for the United States to begin a war.  Historically, the United States had always supported Cuban independence from Spain.  Cubans began resisting Spanish rule around 1868.  At this time, there was strong sentiment building in the United States to annex the remaining Spanish territories to include Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.  In 1895, a small uprising in Havana prompted General Valeriano Weyler to vow suppression of the Cuban rebels by isolating them and cutting off their outside support.  This effort led to over 300,000 Cubans being placed into concentration camps where, by the end of 1897, over 100,000 had died from hunger, disease and abuse.  Due to outrage from the American people over these concentration camps, a massive media propaganda campaign was launched further garnering support of a prospectful war effort against Spain.  A riot broke out in Havana in January 1898 and the United State was concerned about the safety of Americans living in Havana.  The decision was made to dispatch the USS Maine to Cuba to provide support to “protect American interests.”  The USS Maine was destroyed and it was theorized that it was the Spanish that were responsible, although it was never proved to be the fact.  The United States then demanded that Spain relinquish control of Cuba to the Cubans, Spain declined.  The war lasted until August and on December 10, 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed giving the United States control of Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

• 1939  -  On a lighter note, DC Comics introduces Batman to the public in Detective Comics no. 27.

Detective Comics no. 27 / Batman

Created by artist Bob Kane, Batman first appeared in DC Comics issue no. 27.  Since then, Batman has become one of the most popular superheroes of all time.  Deriving his image from his phobia of bats, Bruce Wayne assumes the identity of the Batman to fight crime seeking vengeance for his parents murder as a child.  What makes him unique from all other superheroes is that he does not have super powers.  He is simply a man with a lot of rage and a lot of money to buy really cool “toys.”  He is the truest realistic superhero role-model. 

April 25 Births

• 32 AD

Marcus Salvius Otho, Roman Emperor

• 1214

King Louis IX of France

• 1599

Oliver Cromwell, English Statesman

• 1917

Ella Fitzgerald, American Singer

• 1940

Al Pacino, American Actor