GMT

Today in History: February 25

1570 Pope Pius V issues the bull Regnans in Excelsis which excommunicates Queen Elizabeth of England.

1642 Dutch settlers slaughter lower Hudson Valley Indians in New Netherland, North America, who sought refuge from Mohawk attackers.

1862 First Legal Tender Act 1862 is passed by the US Congress, authorizing the United States note (greenback) into circulation, the first fiat paper money that was legal tender in America



1910 The 13th Dalai Lama flees from the Chinese and takes refuge in India.

1913 The 16th Amendment to the constitution is adopted, setting the legal basis for the income tax.

1919 Oregon introduces the first state tax on gasoline at one cent per gallon, to be used for road construction.

1976 The U.S. Supreme Court rules that states may ban the hiring of illegal aliens.

2014 Hundreds of pro-Russian protesters block the Crimean parliament and demand a referendum on Crimea's independence

2020 Iran emerges as a newCOVID-19 hotspot, recording 95 cases and 11 deaths as a deputy health minister that appeared on TV confirmed as also infected

Born on February 25

1841 Pierre Auguste Renoir, French painter and founder of the French Impressionist movement.

1894 Meher Baba, spiritual leader.


JOTD
Two statues (one nude male, one nude female) sit beside each other at the entrance of Central Park…

One day, very early in the morning, an angel comes down from heaven. He looks the statues up and down, and with a flick of his wrist, *POOF!* he turns the statues into real people.
The man and woman stare at each other in amazement, but their attention soon turns to the angel, who's quite satisfied with himself, grinning from ear to ear.
He says to the couple, "You guys have been staring at each other while locked in stone for the last 100 years, completely unable to do a thing about your urges for each other." He pauses, and then adds: "It's still pretty early, and people don't usually get to the park for another 30 minutes. You two should go into that covered area and…well, just have a good time."
The man caught the eye of the woman, who had a twinkle in her eye and wore a mischievous grin. She bit her lip seductively, and with that the man grabbed her hand and the two ran off to the bushes.
The angel then found himself privy to giggles, laughter, rustling, and squeals of delight. Fifteen minutes later, the couple emerged from the bushes hand-in-hand, out of breath and faces flush.
The angel glanced at his watch. "You still have fifteen minutes, you know. You can have another round if you'd like!"
The woman turned excitedly to the man and exclaimed, "Ok! But this time, *you* have to hold the pigeon while *I* get to shite on its head!!"