MARCH 25 | Birthdays and Events

Notable Birthdays for March 25

John Barry (1745-1803) - Naval officer who is considered the Father of the U.S. Navy.

William Bell Wait (1839-1916) - Educator of the blind who invented the NY Point system (precursor to the braille).

Gutzon Borglum (1867-1941) - Sculptor who designed Mount Rushmore.

Horatio Nelson Jackson (1872-1955) - The first person to drive an automobile across the U.S. (his mechanic rode along).

Pete Johnson (1904-1967) - One of the most prolific boogie-woogie jazz pianist.

Howard Cosell (1918-1995) - One of, if not the most, recognized sports journalist of all time.

Eileen Ford (1922-2014) - Co-founder of the Ford Models agency.

Shirley Jean Rickert (1926-2009) - Child actress known as the "blonde girl" in Our Gang (Little Rascals).

Gene Shalit (1926-Still Living) - Journalist and critic known for his large mustache.

Jim Lovell (1928-2025) - One of the first astronauts to orbit the moon.

Gloria Steinem (1934-Still Living) -Co-founder of the Women's Media Center.

Tom Monaghan (1937-Still Living) - Founder of Domino's Pizza.

Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) - Soul singer referred to as the Queen of Soul.

James McDaniel (1958-Still Living) - Actor who played Arthur Fancy in NYPD Blue.

Mike Aulby (1960-Still Living) - Left-handed professional bowler.

Sarah Jessica Parker (1965-Still Living) - Actress recognized for her role as Carrie Bradshaw on Sex in the City.

Danica Patrick (1982-Still Living) - Most successful female race car driver for open-wheeled car racing and the first woman to win the IndyCar Series.

Memorable Events for March 25

1584 - Sir Walter Raleigh is granted a patent to colonize Virginia.

1634 - The first settlers found the Maryland colony.

1863 - The first Army Medal of Honor award is given to six soldiers.

1882 - The first pancake making demonstration takes place in a NY City department store.

1902 - Irving Colburn patents the first sheet glass drawing machine.

1919 - The League of Nations begins.

1954 - The first color television set is manufactured by RCA, featuring a 12.5-inch screen to be sold for $1,000.

1965 - Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights activists complete their march  march from Selma to Montgomery, AL.

1966 - The Supreme Court rules a "poll tax" (tax per "head" in a household) is unconstitutional.

1987 - The Supreme Court rules that gender-based workplace affirmative action plans do not constitute discrimination.

1996 - The U.S. issues a newly-redesigned $100 bill.

2019 - Apple introduces Apple TV+, Apple News+ and an Apple credit card.

2019 - NASA has to cancel an all-female spacewalk because it didn't have enough space suits to fit the women astronauts.