Today in History

April 25

1809 - Britain concludes treaty of friendship with Sikhs at Amritsar in India.

1859 - Construction of the Suez Canal begins in Egypt.

1881 - French troops occupy Algeria and Tunisia. 1898 - US declares war on Spain. 1920 - Poland launches offensive against Soviets in the Ukraine.

1942 - A coal mine disaster in Benxi, Japanese-occupied China, kills 1,549 workers.

1950 - Chuck Cooper becomes first black to play in the NBA.

1957 - US Sixth Fleet sails for eastern Mediterranean as King Hussain proclaims martial law in Jordan and seals frontiers after a Palestinian coup attempt.

1982 - Egypt regains Sinai from Israel after 15 years.

1993 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin wins vote of confidence in Russia’s referendum.

1996 - Pakistan cricket hero Imran Khan launches political front of Tehreek-e-Insaf.

1998 - Millions of Nigerians boycott legislative elections billed by the ruling junta as a first step toward democracy.

2001 - Former Philippines President Joseph Estrada is arrested in Manila in plunder case.

2005 - A crowded Japanese commuter train derails and slams into an apartment building, killing at least 57 people.

2006 - A suicide bomber blows herself up in front of a car carrying Sri Lanka’s top ranking general, killing eight people and wounding the officer.

2010 - Two tourists are killed as hot air balloon crash lands in Al Ain.

2011 - More than 100 prisoners escape from a south Afghanistan prison through a 1,000-foot long tunnel dug by Taliban insurgents.

2012 - Pakistan successfully launches an intermediate-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile.