📅 Today in HistoryFebruary 25

Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.

Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.

George Frideric Handel's opera Nero premiered in Hamburg.

Samuel Colt is granted a United States patent for his revolver firearm.

Lord George Paulet occupies the Kingdom of Hawaii in the name of Great Britain in the Paulet affair.

Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the United States Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in Congress.

Guangxu Emperor of Qing dynasty China begins his reign, under Empress Dowager Cixi's regency.

Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of Guillaume IV, becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

World War I: In the Battle of Verdun, a German unit captures Fort Douaumont, keystone of the French defences, without a fight.

World War I: German forces capture Tallinn to virtually complete the occupation of Estonia.