16 historically significant individuals born on May 25. May 25 is the birthdate of several notable figures in history. Vietnamese emperor Minh Mạng was born in 1791. American transcendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in 1803. Dutch physicist Pieter Zeeman, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics, was born in 1865. Additionally, this date is the birth anniversary of significant political leaders like Burmese Prime Minister U Nu in 1907 and Cambodian politician Heng Samrin in 1934.
Total Born
16
Countries
14
Top Century
20th· 8
Top Field
politician
3 individuals
Headline Figures
scientist
John R. Mott
1865 – 1955Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Peace (1946)
scientist
Jack Steinberger
1921 – 2020Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physics (1988)
film actor
Mike Myers
1963 – PresentCanadian comedian and actor who created and starred in "Austin Powers" and "Wayne's World" while on "Saturday Night Live".
Birth Distribution by Century
20th (8)
19th (3)
18th (4)
13th C.20th C.
20th Century
8Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Jack Steinberger
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physics (1988)
Mike Myers
film actorfilm director
Canadian comedian and actor who created and starred in "Austin Powers" and "Wayne's World" while on "Saturday Night Live".
Jón Daði Böðvarsson
association football player
Icelandic striker who played for Millwall FC and represented Iceland's national football team at the 2016 European Championship and 2018 World Cup.
U Nu
politicianwriter
Burma's first Prime Minister after independence who led the country from 1948-1962 and championed Buddhist socialism and non-alignment during the Cold War.
Ezekiel Kemboi
athletics competitorsteeplechase runner
Kenyan steeplechase runner who won four World Championship gold medals and Olympic gold in 2004 and 2012.
Heng Samrin
military personnelpolitician
Cambodian politician who served as head of state from 1979-1992 after the Vietnamese invasion that ended Khmer Rouge rule.
Demba Ba
association football player
Striker who played for Chelsea and Newcastle United in the Premier League and scored crucial goals for Senegal in international competitions.
Keiko Fujimori
politician
Peruvian politician and daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori who has run for president three times, losing in runoff elections in 2011, 2016, and 2021.
19th Century
3Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
John R. Mott
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Peace (1946)
Pieter Zeeman
photographerphysicist
Dutch physicist who discovered the Zeeman effect (splitting of spectral lines in magnetic fields) and won the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
abolitionistdiarist
American philosopher (1803–1882)
18th Century
4Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
José María Bocanegra
diplomateconomist
Mexican politician (1787-1862)
Pierre-Jacques Willermoz
chemistencyclopédistes
French chemist
Minh Mạng
monarch
Vietnamese emperor (1791–1841)
Gregorio Funes
diplomathistorian
Argentine clergyman and academic (1749-1829)
13th Century
1Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Charles IV of France
monarch
King of France and Navarre from 1322 to 1328 (1294–1328)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the most famous person born on May 25?
Ralph Waldo Emerson is probably the most famous person born on May 25, 1803. He was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement in the mid-19th century. His works like 'Nature' and 'Self-Reliance' are still widely read and studied.
What notable scientists were born on May 25?
Pieter Zeeman, a Dutch physicist born on May 25, 1865, is the most recognized scientist born on this date. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1902 for discovering the Zeeman effect, which involves the splitting of spectral lines in a magnetic field.
Which political leaders were born on May 25?
Notable political figures born on May 25 include Minh Mạng (1791), the second emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty in Vietnam, U Nu (1907), Burma's first Prime Minister after independence, and Heng Samrin (1934), a Cambodian politician who led the People's Republic of Kampuchea.