July 25 has seen test-tube babies, channel crossings, and military campaigns that reshaped maps.
Louise Joy Brown, the world's first baby conceived through in vitro fertilization, was born in Oldham, England. The breakthrough by doctors Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards opened new possibilities for treating infertility.
French aviator Louis Blériot made the first airplane crossing of the English Channel, flying from Calais to Dover in 37 minutes. The flight demonstrated that the Channel was no longer a barrier to invasion.
American forces invaded Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War. The island was ceded to the United States by Spain, beginning a territorial relationship that continues to this day.
King Henry IV of France converted from Protestantism to Catholicism to secure the French throne, reportedly saying 'Paris is well worth a Mass.' His pragmatic decision ended decades of religious civil war in France.
Constantine the Great was proclaimed Roman Emperor by his troops at York, England. His reign would transform the Roman Empire through the legalization of Christianity and the founding of Constantinople.
The Italian Grand Council voted to depose Benito Mussolini, ending 21 years of fascist rule in Italy. King Victor Emmanuel III had Mussolini arrested, though the Germans later rescued him.
Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to perform a spacewalk, spending 3 hours and 35 minutes outside the Salyut 7 space station. She preceded the first American woman's spacewalk by several months.