1. In 1785, the preliminary peace treaty ending the American Revolutionary War was signed in Paris on May 25, and the news reached the District of Columbia two months later. The Treaty of Paris marked the official end of hostilities between Great Britain and the United States, and recognized American independence.

2. In 1801, the U.S. House of Representatives met in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. for the first time on May 25. The Capitol, which had been under construction since 1793, was not yet complete, but the House moved in early to begin its legislative work.

3. In 1925, the Scopes Monkey Trial began in Dayton, Tennessee, on May 25. The trial pitted science against religion, as a high school teacher named John Scopes was charged with teaching evolution in violation of state law.

4. In 1954, the Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education on May 17, but it was on May 25 that the Court issued its formal order to desegregate schools across the country. The decision was a major victory for the civil rights movement and paved the way for further legal challenges to segregation.

5. In 1977, one of the most powerful political figures in D.C. history, Mayor Walter Washington, resigned on May 25 after serving for 12 years. Washington was the first black mayor of a major U.S. city, and oversaw the city's transition from a predominantly white to a predominantly black population during his tenure.