This Day in History- June 25

1678- First Award of doctor of philosophy to a woman
Venetian Elena Cornaro Piscopia also known as Helen Cornaro, was a Venetian philosopher of noble descent who on June 25, 1678, became one of the first women to receive an academic degree from a university and the first to receive a Doctor of Philosophy degree.

1788- Virginia ratified US constitution
Virginia became the 10th state to ratify the US constitution. In June, Virginia ratified the Constitution, followed by New York in July. On September 25, 1789, the first Congress of the United States adopted 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution—the Bill of Rights—and sent them to the states for ratification. Ten of these amendments were ratified in 1791.

1929: Building of hoover dam
US President Herbert Hoover authorized the building of Boulder Dam, that is, Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression.

1941- Signing of executive order 8802
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802, which forbade racial discrimination in the defense industry.

1947: Anne Frank published the first version of her diary
The 1st version of Anne Frank’s diary “Het Achterhuis” was published in The Netherlands. The book was published in 1947, just over five years after Anne’s thirteenth birthday, the day she had received her diary. She had come up with the title of the book herself: Het Achterhuis (The Secret Annex).

1950- Invasion of South Korea by North Korea
The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea, which followed clashes along the border and insurrections in the south.

1990: Meeting of interest between Mandela and bush
African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela met with President George H. W. Bush at the White House. 

1991: Independence of Slovenia and Croatia
A Croatian referendum in May 1991 that supported full independence was given. Secretary of State James Baker traveled to Belgrade to meet with Yugoslav leaders and urge a political solution to no avail. Slovenia and Croatia both declared formal independence on June 25, 1991.

1852- Antoni Gaudí
Catalan-Spanish architect was born in Reus, Spain on June 25, 1852.

1900- Louis Mountbatten
British naval officer and statesman, who was the last Viceroy of India (1947), was born in Windsor, England on June 25, 1900.

1903- George Orwell
British author who wrote the famous ‘Animal Farm’ was born in Motihari, British India.

1942- Willis Reed
American NBA hall of fame MVP center/coach of the NY Knicks was born in Hico, Louisiana on June 25, 1942.

1961- Ricky Gervais
English actor and comedian of the show ‘The Office’ was born in Reading, England.

1963- George Michael
English singer-songwriter and the pop superstar was born in London, England on June 25, 1963. 

1974- Karisma Kapoor
Indian actress, who is among one of the most popular and highest-paid Hindi film actresses in the 1990s and early 2000s, was born in Mumbai, India on June 25, 1974.