1900 – The United Kingdom annexes Transvaal to what will later be called South Africa. The Transvaal Colony was the most commonly used name to refer to the South African region during the period of British rule and military occupation between the end of the Second Boer War in 1902. The physical boundaries of the Transvaal Colony were not identical. with the defeated Republic of South Africa (which had existed from 1856 to 1902), but was larger. In 1910 the whole territory was returned to the Transvaal Province within the Union of South Africa.
1917 – The National Lyceum of Korça or the French Lyceum in Korça was opened. It was a high school in the city of Korça, funded by the Albanian government, but which spread French culture and European values. The school was fully operational in the years 1917-1939. In 1921 he was renamed the National Lice. It was a secular school, where all subjects were in French except for the Albanian language subject. Well-known graduates Enver Hoxha, Pandi Geço, Pandi Cici, Mahir Domi, Vedat Kokona, Selman Riza, Ptoleme Xhuvani, Dhimitër Shuteriqi, Nonda Bulka, Anton Mazreku, Kole Paparisto, Misto Treska, Niko Qafzezi, Fahredin Nuri, Sotir Kuri.
1927 – The luxury Italian transoceanic SS Principessa Mafalda sinks off the Brazilian coast. On October 25, 1927, while off the coast of Brazil, a propeller shaft exploded and severely damaged its hull. The ship sank slowly in the presence of lifeboats, but confusion and panic, caused 314 casualties out of 1,252 passengers and crew on board. The sinking of the SS Principessa Mafalda resulted in the largest loss of life on an Italian shipping carrier, and the largest ever in the peacetime Southern Hemisphere.
1940 – Benjamin O. Davies becomes the first colored General in the United States Armed Forces. Davis became commander-in-chief of the 4th Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas, in January 1941. About six months later, he was assigned to Washington, DC as an assistant in the Office of the Inspector General. . While serving in the Office of the Inspector General, Davis also served on the Negro Troops Policy Advisory Committee. From 1941 to 1945, Davis conducted inspection tours of African-American soldiers stationed in the United States and Europe.
1945 – After 50 years under Japanese colonial rule, the island of Taiwan announces unification with the Republic of China. Taiwan, until then known to the western world as “Formosa”, became a colony of the Empire of Japan when the Qing Kingdom lost the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894. After this defeat the island was ceded to Japan, with the signing of Shimonoseki Treaty in 1895. Japanese rule in Taiwan lasted until the end of World War II. But after the victory of Mao’s communists in 1949, Taiwan officially seceded from China, declaring itself a separate state.
1973 – World-famous Ethiopian athlete Abebe Bikila dies in Addis Ababa at the age of 41. Bikila, was a marathon runner and also, an Olympic champion. He won his first gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome while running barefoot. He won his second gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Abebe Bikila is the first gold medalist in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Tokyo in 1964, he became the first athlete to successfully defend a title in the Olympic marathon. To his credit Bikila was assigned to serve in the Ethiopian Imperial Guard.
1983 – Occupation of Grenada takes place in the Caribbean. The invasion of Grenada by the United States began on October 25, 1983, otherwise known as Operation Urgent Fury. It resulted in a victory for American troops within days. This military intervention was sparked by strife within the People’s Revolutionary Government which ordered the arrest and execution of leader Maurice Bishop. After his execution, Hudson Austin, who was a pro-Soviet leftist, took power. The US intervention resulted in the appointment of an interim government, followed by democratic elections in 1984.
1995 – A collision between a school bus and a Northwest train in Fox River Grove, Illinois, USA. As a result of this collision, 7 students would lose their lives, and 22 others would be injured. This collision would be, one of the most serious accidents in the history of civilian transportation in the state of Illinois in the very US. At the crash site, the signaling system was upgraded after the accident and, now protects passing trains and motor vehicle traffic. Nearby is a small memorial to the seven high school students killed in the crash.
2001 – Born in Brussels, the heiress to the Belgian royal throne, Princess Elisabeth. Also known as Elisabeth Theresia Maria Helena, she is the eldest child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. Elisabeth gained the legitimate right to become the next heiress to the royal throne after her grandfather, King Albert II, abdicated in 2013 in favor of her son. The Belgian royal dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe, and has played an important role in the development of the country’s economic and social policies.
