Pope Clement VII diesThe Medici pope who lived through the Sack of Rome and the break with England dies after a long illness, days after backing Michelangelo's Last Judgment.September 25 in history
A Medici pope dies, the League of Nations defines slavery, Chicago runs again, Will Smith is born, and a $15,000 horror film finds its audience.
September 25 stretches from Renaissance Rome to American college towns. In 1534, Pope Clement VII died after a reign scarred by the Sack of Rome and England’s break with the Church, though not before backing Michelangelo’s Last Judgment. Nearly four centuries later, in 1926, members of the League of Nations signed the Slavery Convention, a treaty that gave international law its definition of slavery and outlived the League itself.
The later events share a taste for modest beginnings. In 1968, Will Smith was born in Philadelphia, years before a house party turned him into the Fresh Prince and a long film career led to an Oscar. In 1977, about 4,200 runners set off in a self-funded race that grew into the Chicago Marathon. And in 2009, Paranormal Activity, a horror film shot in one week for about $15,000, opened in 12 college towns and rode fan demand to a worldwide hit.
Pope Clement VII diesThe Medici pope who lived through the Sack of Rome and the break with England dies after a long illness, days after backing Michelangelo's Last Judgment.
The Slavery Convention is signedLeague of Nations members sign a treaty to suppress the slave trade and end slavery, setting out a legal definition of slavery still cited today.
Will Smith is bornThe Philadelphia rapper who became the Fresh Prince, and later an Oscar-winning film star with more than $10 billion in box office, is born.
The first Chicago Marathon is runAbout 4,200 runners start the Mayor Daley Marathon, the race that grew into the Chicago Marathon, one of the largest marathons in the world.
Paranormal Activity opensA haunted-house film shot for $15,000 reaches theaters in 12 college towns, starting a fan-driven run to a worldwide gross near $194 million.