July 25

What happened on July 25 in aviation and space history.

• July 25, 1909

  Blériot crosses the English Channel

  Record — On 25 July 1909 Louis Blériot flew the first Blériot XI across the English Channel, the first such crossing by a heavier-than-air aircraft. The feat made him a world figure overnight and secured the future of his aircraft manufacturing business. Its impact was captured by the British press headline declaring that Britain was no longer an island: the aeroplane had just erased a natural frontier.

• July 25, 2024

  Greece joins the F-35 programme with an order for 20 aircraft

  Institutional — Greece signed the letter of offer and acceptance for twenty F-35As, with an option on twenty more, becoming the programme's nineteenth global alliance member. Athens had submitted its formal request in 2020, amid tension with Turkey in the Aegean and after Ankara had been shut out of the programme.