July 25: Faces on Mars, Mozart's Bangers & a Big Canal

July 25 is one of those dates that doesn't get a lot of hype, and honestly? It's been carrying more history than a library with a bad back. Let's dig in.

The Day Mars Photobombed Us

In 1976, the orbiting spacecraft Viking 1 snapped a photo of an apparent face on Mars — a glorious, textbook case of pareidolia, which is the scientific term for "your brain seeing a face in absolutely everything." It's the same reason you've made eye contact with a slice of toast. The internet spent decades convinced it was aliens. It was, in fact, a hill having a very expressive day.

Meanwhile, back on Earth in 1893, the Corinth Canal in Greece was formally opened, slicing right through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth to connect the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf. It's a stunning feat of engineering and also possibly the world's most dramatic shortcut.

Happy Birthday, Mostly to Athletes (and One Mozart Symphony)

The July 25 birthday club is stacked with sports talent: NFL running back Alvin Kamara (1995), Greek tennis star Maria Sakkari (1995), quarterback Bryce Young (2001), and NHL goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (1994) all blew out candles today. Add actress Meg Donnelly (2000) for a little Hollywood sparkle.

And while it's not technically a birthday, in 1788 Mozart completed his Symphony No. 40 — one of only two of his surviving symphonies in a minor key. Translation: this is the one that sounds dramatic in every movie trailer ever. The man was writing certified bangers before the concept of "banger" even existed.

A Holiday, a President, and a Nice Bit of Metalwork

Puerto Rico celebrates Constitution Day today, marking a genuinely festive occasion worth raising a glass to. Costa Rica, not to be outdone, throws Guanacaste Day, and Galicia in Spain celebrates its National Day. July 25 is basically an international group chat that all decided to party on the same date.

In 2007, Pratibha Patil was sworn in as the first female president of India — a milestone that took its sweet time but arrived with authority. And in a delightfully niche footnote, in 2022 the Duffield Memorial in Great Baddow was designated a listed building for being an "unusual example of Art Nouveau design in metal work." Somewhere, a very passionate historian pumped their fist. And you know what? Good for them.

So there you have it: faces in the sky, canals in Greece, and a symphony you've definitely hummed. July 25 has been quietly overachieving this whole time.