An Iraqi Scud missile struck a U.S. Army barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 28 soldiers and wounding 98, the single deadliest attack on American forces during the Gulf War. A Patriot missile battery failed to intercept it.
Samuel Colt received a U.S. patent for his revolving firearm, a weapon that would revolutionize military small arms and play a decisive role in the Mexican-American War, Civil War, and frontier conflicts.
Commander William Barret Travis dispatched his famous letter from the besieged Alamo pledging never to surrender or retreat. The document became one of the most iconic military communications in American history.
Nashville, Tennessee became the first Confederate state capital to fall to Union forces when General Don Carlos Buell's Army of the Ohio occupied the city without resistance after the fall of Fort Donelson.
Fort Douaumont, the strongest fortification in the Verdun defensive ring, fell to a German brandenburg regiment after a token French garrison failed to recognize a small raiding party as the main assault. The loss became one of the war's great tactical shocks.
B-29 Superfortresses escalated incendiary bombing raids on Tokyo, part of the strategic bombing campaign that would kill over 100,000 Japanese civilians and destroy vast areas of Japan's urban centers before the atomic bombs.
A force of 172 B-29 Superfortresses dropped incendiaries on Tokyo in a daylight raid that served as the rehearsal for the March 9 firebombing. The test of area bombing tactics shaped the final strategic campaign against Japan.
The Communist Party seized control of Czechoslovakia in a bloodless coup backed by the threat of Soviet military intervention, extending the Iron Curtain deeper into Central Europe.
An Iraqi Scud missile struck a U.S. Army barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 28 soldiers and wounding 98, the single deadliest attack on American forces during the Gulf War. A Patriot missile battery failed to intercept it.
An Iraqi Scud missile struck a U.S. military barracks in Dhahran, killing 28 American soldiers and wounding over 100. The deadliest single incident for U.S. forces in the Gulf War exposed critical vulnerabilities in the Patriot missile defense system.
A Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 crashed on approach to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, killing 9 people. The investigation involved military aviation safety experts and led to improved pilot training worldwide.
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French Impressionist painter who served in the Franco-Prussian War and whose work documented the military culture and society of late 19th-century France.
Beatles guitarist whose Concert for Bangladesh in 1971 was one of the first major benefit concerts, raising awareness and funds during the military crisis in East Pakistan.
Inventor of the Maxim gun, the world's first portable fully automatic machine gun. His invention revolutionized warfare and was a decisive factor in colonial conflicts and both World Wars.
10 military events occurred on February 25, spanning multiple centuries. Key events include: Iraqi Scud Missile Kills 28 Americans in Dhahran Barracks (1991), Nashville Falls to Union Forces Without a Fight (1862), Communist Coup in Czechoslovakia (1948), Germans Capture Fort Douaumont at Verdun (1916).
The most significant military event on February 25 is Iraqi Scud Missile Kills 28 Americans in Dhahran Barracks (1991). An Iraqi Scud missile struck a U.S. Army barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 28 soldiers and wounding 98, the single deadliest attack on American forces during the Gulf War. A Patriot missile battery failed to intercept it.
Notable military figures born on February 25 include Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919), George Harrison (1943–2001).
Events on February 25 span the Modern Era, the Civil War, World War II, the Cold War, the Interwar Period, World War I, covering 10 events across 3 centuries of military history.
Events on February 25 involve 3 branches of the U.S. and allied armed forces, reflecting the global scope of military operations throughout history.
Explore military history from the day you were born.
June 6
The Allied invasion of Normandy, the largest amphibious assault in history.
December 7
Japan attacks the U.S. Pacific Fleet, bringing America into World War II.
September 11
The deadliest terrorist attack in history transforms U.S. national security.
August 6
The first atomic bomb is dropped on a city, ushering in the nuclear age.
May 8
Nazi Germany surrenders unconditionally, ending World War II in Europe.
November 11
Armistice Day marks the end of World War I and honors all who served.
June 4
The turning point of the Pacific War as the U.S. Navy destroys four Japanese carriers.
July 4
The Declaration of Independence is adopted, sparking the American Revolution.
The FIM-92 Stinger helped win the Cold War by turning Afghan mujahideen into a credible anti-aircraft threat. By 2023, the United States almost ran out of them, because Raytheon stopped making them for 13 years, and the first 10 months of Ukraine support burned through the remaining stockpile.
Amateurs study tactics. Professionals study logistics. The most quoted military truism is also the most ignored. From WWII's industrial avalanche to Russia's 40-mile traffic jam in Ukraine, every major conflict proves the same lesson, and the U.S. military's just-in-time supply model may not survive a real fight.
Eighteen inches. At 400 mph. The margin for error is less than the length of your forearm. How the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds train their pilots to fly in formation so tight that one flinch would be catastrophic, and why the military considers air show teams a combat-relevant mission.
More service members are injured in training than in most deployments. From the simulated POW camps of SERE school to the controlled chaos of a carrier flight deck, these 10 exercises push human limits harder than many actual combat missions.
