May 25 1910
French troops occupied the Bilad al-siba, an under-populated desert region in southern Morocco.
May 25 1915: Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary
On this day in 1915, Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary, entering World War I on the side of the Allies—Britain, France and Russia.
When World War I broke out in the summer of 1914, Italy declared itself neutral in the conflict, despite its membership in the so-called Triple Alliance alongside Germany and Austria-Hungary since 1882.
Over the course of the months that followed, Italy and its leaders weighed their options; wooed by both sides, they carefully considered how to gain the greatest benefit from participation in the war. The decision to join the fray on the side of the Allies was based largely on the assurances Italy received in the Treaty of London, signed in April 1915. By its terms, Italy would receive the fulfillment of its national dream: control over territory on its border with Austria-Hungary stretching from Trentino through the South Tyrol to Trieste. In addition, the Allies promised the Italians parts of Dalmatia and numerous islands along Austria-Hungary’s Adriatic coast; the Albanian port city of Vlore (Italian: Valona) and a central protectorate in Albania; and territory from the Ottoman Empire.
On May 23, 1915, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary. The Italian declaration opened up a new front in World War I, stretching 600 kilometers—most of them mountainous—along Italy’s border with Austria-Hungary. Italy—which had become a unified nation only as recently as 1859—was, like Russia, not yet a fully industrialized power. It was certainly not prepared for large-scale warfare, and although it managed to mobilize 1.2 million men in the spring of 1915, it possessed equipment for just 732,000. Upon declaring war, the Italian army immediately advanced into the South Tyrol region and to the Isonzo River, where Austro-Hungarian troops met them with a stiff defense. The snowy and treacherous terrain made the region poorly suited to offensive operations, and after several quick Italian successes, combat settled into a stalemate.
By late 1917, the Austrians and Italians had fought no fewer than 11 battles along the Isonzo River, with negligible progress and heavy losses on both sides. In late October 1917, German intervention to help Austria-Hungary resulted in a spectacular victory over the Italians in the Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo), during which Italian forces suffered some 300,000 casualties (90 percent of which were prisoners) and were forced to retreat. The defeat sparked a crisis in Italy, prompting the dismissal of the army’s chief of staff, Luigi Cadorna, his replacement with Armando Diaz, and the formation of a coalition government under Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando. After Caporetto, Italy’s allies jumped in to offer increased assistance, as British and French—and later American—troops soon arrived in the region, and the Allies began to take back the initiative.
May 25 1950: Flash floods in Nebraska killed 23
In Nebraska on this day in 1950, a flood caused by 14 inches of rain kills 23 people. Most of the victims drowned after being trapped in their vehicles by flash flooding.
In southeastern Nebraska, cornfields dominate the landscape. It is the rainiest region of the state, getting approximately 35 inches annually. The spring and summer of 1950 far exceeded that total. The deadly flash flooding was part of a series of floods to hit the area near Lincoln, Nebraska, where the Big Blue River feeds into the Kansas River, between May and July of that year because of a spate of thunderstorm activity.
Despite the deadly floods, the rain totals in Nebraska that day did not approach national or world records for most rainfall in one day. The 14 inches that fell in southeastern Nebraska on May 8 paled next to the 43 inches that fell in Alvin, Texas, on a single day in 1979, the United States record, and the 73 inches received by Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean in 1952. Reunion Island is the notorious owner of several rain records, including getting doused by a whopping 155 inches in only 5 days in 1980.
The world record for most yearly rainfall was set in 1986 by the town of Lloro, Colombia, where rainfall exceeded 1,000 inches. However, it is intense short-term rain—like that which fell in southeastern Nebraska—that is more deadly, especially in areas that are ordinarily arid. Hard, dry ground cannot absorb water quickly, allowing a sudden and heavy storm to easily cause flash flooding. The vast majority of deaths from flooding are from flash floods—most of the fatalities are among people who become trapped in their vehicles and drown.
May 25 1963
The leaders of 30 African nations form the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
May 25 1969
This day in Sudan Ja'far Muhammad an-Numeiry, the Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, overthrows the government of Ismail al-Azhari, the Chairman of the Council of Sovereignty, in a military coup.
May 25 1977
US raised concern over the presence of Cuban military advisers in Ethiopia.
May 25 1986
At the Crossroads squatter camp near Cape Town, 30,000 blacks were forcibly removed from their homes.
May 25 1991
Jews were airlifted out of Ethiopia by Israeli aircraft.
May 25 1994
The UN arms embargo on South Africa was finally lifted following the election of Nelson Mandela as president of the government of National Unity.
Source: history.com, africanhistory.about.com
French troops occupied the Bilad al-siba, an under-populated desert region in southern Morocco.
May 25 1915: Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary
On this day in 1915, Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary, entering World War I on the side of the Allies—Britain, France and Russia.
When World War I broke out in the summer of 1914, Italy declared itself neutral in the conflict, despite its membership in the so-called Triple Alliance alongside Germany and Austria-Hungary since 1882.
Over the course of the months that followed, Italy and its leaders weighed their options; wooed by both sides, they carefully considered how to gain the greatest benefit from participation in the war. The decision to join the fray on the side of the Allies was based largely on the assurances Italy received in the Treaty of London, signed in April 1915. By its terms, Italy would receive the fulfillment of its national dream: control over territory on its border with Austria-Hungary stretching from Trentino through the South Tyrol to Trieste. In addition, the Allies promised the Italians parts of Dalmatia and numerous islands along Austria-Hungary’s Adriatic coast; the Albanian port city of Vlore (Italian: Valona) and a central protectorate in Albania; and territory from the Ottoman Empire.
On May 23, 1915, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary. The Italian declaration opened up a new front in World War I, stretching 600 kilometers—most of them mountainous—along Italy’s border with Austria-Hungary. Italy—which had become a unified nation only as recently as 1859—was, like Russia, not yet a fully industrialized power. It was certainly not prepared for large-scale warfare, and although it managed to mobilize 1.2 million men in the spring of 1915, it possessed equipment for just 732,000. Upon declaring war, the Italian army immediately advanced into the South Tyrol region and to the Isonzo River, where Austro-Hungarian troops met them with a stiff defense. The snowy and treacherous terrain made the region poorly suited to offensive operations, and after several quick Italian successes, combat settled into a stalemate.
By late 1917, the Austrians and Italians had fought no fewer than 11 battles along the Isonzo River, with negligible progress and heavy losses on both sides. In late October 1917, German intervention to help Austria-Hungary resulted in a spectacular victory over the Italians in the Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo), during which Italian forces suffered some 300,000 casualties (90 percent of which were prisoners) and were forced to retreat. The defeat sparked a crisis in Italy, prompting the dismissal of the army’s chief of staff, Luigi Cadorna, his replacement with Armando Diaz, and the formation of a coalition government under Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando. After Caporetto, Italy’s allies jumped in to offer increased assistance, as British and French—and later American—troops soon arrived in the region, and the Allies began to take back the initiative.
May 25 1950: Flash floods in Nebraska killed 23
In Nebraska on this day in 1950, a flood caused by 14 inches of rain kills 23 people. Most of the victims drowned after being trapped in their vehicles by flash flooding.
In southeastern Nebraska, cornfields dominate the landscape. It is the rainiest region of the state, getting approximately 35 inches annually. The spring and summer of 1950 far exceeded that total. The deadly flash flooding was part of a series of floods to hit the area near Lincoln, Nebraska, where the Big Blue River feeds into the Kansas River, between May and July of that year because of a spate of thunderstorm activity.
Despite the deadly floods, the rain totals in Nebraska that day did not approach national or world records for most rainfall in one day. The 14 inches that fell in southeastern Nebraska on May 8 paled next to the 43 inches that fell in Alvin, Texas, on a single day in 1979, the United States record, and the 73 inches received by Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean in 1952. Reunion Island is the notorious owner of several rain records, including getting doused by a whopping 155 inches in only 5 days in 1980.
The world record for most yearly rainfall was set in 1986 by the town of Lloro, Colombia, where rainfall exceeded 1,000 inches. However, it is intense short-term rain—like that which fell in southeastern Nebraska—that is more deadly, especially in areas that are ordinarily arid. Hard, dry ground cannot absorb water quickly, allowing a sudden and heavy storm to easily cause flash flooding. The vast majority of deaths from flooding are from flash floods—most of the fatalities are among people who become trapped in their vehicles and drown.
May 25 1963
The leaders of 30 African nations form the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
May 25 1969
This day in Sudan Ja'far Muhammad an-Numeiry, the Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, overthrows the government of Ismail al-Azhari, the Chairman of the Council of Sovereignty, in a military coup.
May 25 1977
US raised concern over the presence of Cuban military advisers in Ethiopia.
May 25 1986
At the Crossroads squatter camp near Cape Town, 30,000 blacks were forcibly removed from their homes.
May 25 1991
Jews were airlifted out of Ethiopia by Israeli aircraft.
May 25 1994
The UN arms embargo on South Africa was finally lifted following the election of Nelson Mandela as president of the government of National Unity.
Source: history.com, africanhistory.about.com
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