Roman Emperor Hadrian Adopts Antoninus Pius (+ 10 more historical events on this day!)

A Daily Dose of History (25 Feb 2026) Today's historical events: 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. Four thousand defenders of Pilenai commit mass suicide rather than be taken captive by the Teutonic Knights. 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 (1843). 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. In the Battle of Verdun, a German unit captures Fort Douaumont, keystone of the French defences, without a fight. German forces capture Tallinn to virtually complete the occupation of Estonia. Georgian capital Tbilisi falls to the invading Russian forces after heavy fighting and the Russians declare the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. Information from this episode are sourced from API Ninjas Explanations from OpenAI ChatGPT API with proprietary prompts. This podcast is produced by Klassic Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices