April 25 is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 250 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events[link]

• 404 BC – Peloponnesian War: Lysander's Spartan Armies defeated the Athenians and the war ends.
• 1134 – The name Zagreb was mentioned for the first time in the Felician Charter relating to the establishment of the Zagreb Bishopric around 1094.
• 1607 – Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar.
• 1644 – The Chongzhen Emperor, the last Emperor of Ming Dynasty China, commits suicide during a peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng.
• 1707 – The Habsburg army is defeated by Bourbon army at Almansa (Spain) in the War of the Spanish Succession.
• 1792 – Highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier becomes the first person executed by guillotine.
• 1792 – La Marseillaise (the French national anthem) is composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
• 1804 – The western Georgian kingdom of Imereti accepts the suzerainty of the Russian Empire
• 1829 – Charles Fremantle arrives in HMS Challenger off the coast of modern-day Western Australia prior to declaring the Swan River Colony for the United Kingdom.
• 1846 – Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican-American War.
• 1847 – The last survivors of the Donner Party are out of the wilderness.
• 1849 – The Governor General of Canada, Lord Elgin, signs the Rebellion Losses Bill, outraging Montreal's English population and triggering the Montreal Riots.
• 1859 – British and French engineers break ground for the Suez Canal.
• 1861 – American Civil War: The Union Army arrives in Washington, D.C.
• 1862 – American Civil War: Forces under Union Admiral David Farragut demand the surrender of the Confederate city of New Orleans, Louisiana.
• 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Marks' Mills.
• 1898 – Spanish-American War: The United States declares war on Spain.
• 1901 – New York becomes the first U.S. state to require automobile license plates.
  
  

  

  Anzac Beach – Australian and New Zealand forces invade Turkey
• 1915 – World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli begins—The invasion of the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula by Australian, British, French and New Zealand troops begins with landings at Anzac Cove and Cape Helles.
• 1916 – Easter Rebellion: The United Kingdom declares martial law in Ireland.
• 1916 – Anzac Day is commemorated for the first time on the first anniversary of the landing at Anzac Cove.
• 1920 – At the San Remo conference, the principal Allied Powers of World War I adopt a resolution to determine the allocation of Class "A" League of Nations mandates for administration of the former Ottoman-ruled lands of the Middle East.
• 1938 – U.S. Supreme Court delivers its opinion in Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins and overturns a century of federal common law.
• 1939 – DC Comics publishes its second major superhero in Detective Comics #27; he is Batman, one of the most popular comic book superheroes of all time.
• 1943 – The Demyansk Shield for German troops in commemoration of Demyansk Pocket is instituted.
• 1944 – The United Negro College Fund is incorporated.
• 1945 – Elbe Day: United States and Soviet troops meet in Torgau along the River Elbe, cutting the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany in two, a milestone in the approaching end of World War II in Europe.
• 1945 – The Nazi occupation army surrenders and leaves Northern Italy after a general partisan insurrection by the Italian resistance movement; the puppet fascist regime dissolves and Benito Mussolini tries to escape. This day is taken as symbolic of the Liberation of Italy.
• 1945 – Fifty nations gather in San Francisco, California to begin the United Nations Conference on International Organizations.
• 1945 – The last German troops retreat from Finland's soil in Lapland, ending the Lapland War. Military acts of Second World War end in Finland.
• 1953 – Francis Crick and James D. Watson publish "Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid" describing the double helix structure of DNA.
• 1959 – The St. Lawrence Seaway, linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, officially opens to shipping.
• 1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton completes the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
• 1961 – Robert Noyce is granted a patent for an integrated circuit.
• 1965 – Teenage sniper Michael Andrew Clark kills three and wounds six others shooting from a hilltop along Highway 101 just south of Santa Maria, California.
• 1966 – The city of Tashkent is destroyed by a huge earthquake.
• 1972 – Vietnam War: Nguyen Hue Offensive – The North Vietnamese 320th Division forces 5,000 South Vietnamese troops to retreat and traps about 2,500 others northwest of Kontum.
• 1974 – Carnation Revolution: A leftist military coup in Portugal overthrows the fascist Estado Novo regime and establishes a democratic government.
• 1975 – As North Vietnamese forces close in on the South Vietnamese capital Saigon, the Australian Embassy is closed and evacuated, almost ten years to the day since the first Australian troop commitment to South Vietnam.
• 1981 – More than 100 workers are exposed to radiation during repairs of a nuclear power plant in Tsuruga, Japan.
• 1982 – Israel completes its withdrawal from the Sinai peninsula per the Camp David Accords.
• 1983 – American schoolgirl Samantha Smith is invited to visit the Soviet Union by its leader Yuri Andropov after he read her letter in which she expressed fears about nuclear war.
• 1983 – Pioneer 10 travels beyond Pluto's orbit.
• 1986 – Mswati III is crowned King of Swaziland, succeeding his father Sobhuza II.
• 1988 – In Israel, John Demjanuk is sentenced to death for war crimes committed in World War II.
• 2003 – The Human Genome Project comes to an end two and a half years earlier than expected.
• 2005 – The final piece of the Obelisk of Axum is returned to Ethiopia after being stolen by the invading Italian army in 1937.
• 2005 – Bulgaria and Romania sign accession treaties to join the European Union.
• 2005 – 107 die in Amagasaki rail crash in Japan.
• 2007 – Boris Yeltsin's funeral – the first to be sanctioned by the Russian Orthodox Church for a head of state since the funeral of Emperor Alexander III in 1894.
• 2011 – At least 300 people killed in deadliest tornado outbreak in the Southern United States since the 1974 Super Outbreak.

Births[link]

• 1214 – Louis IX of France (d. 1270)
• 1228 – Conrad IV of Germany (d. 1254)
• 1284 – Edward II of England (d. 1327)
• 1287 – Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March (d. 1330)
• 1502 – Georg Major, German theologian (d. 1574)
• 1599 – Oliver Cromwell, English military and political leader, 1st Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland (d. 1658)
• 1608 – Gaston, Duke of Orléans (d. 1660)
• 1621 – Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery, English soldier, statesman, and dramatist (d. 1679)
• 1666 – Johann Heinrich Buttstett, German organist and composer (d. 1727)
• 1694 – Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, English architect (d. 1753)
• 1710 – James Ferguson, Scottish astronomer (d. 1776)
• 1723 – Giovanni Marco Rutini, Italian composer (d. 1797)
• 1725 – Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel, English admiral (d. 1786)
• 1767 – Nicolas Oudinot, French marshal (d. 1847)
• 1770 – Georg Sverdrup, Norwegian philologist (d. 1850)
• 1775 – Charlotte of Spain (d. 1830)
• 1776 – Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh (d. 1857)
• 1843 – Alice of the United Kingdom (d. 1878)
• 1849 – Felix Klein, German mathematician (d. 1925)
• 1850 – Luise Adolpha Le Beau, German composer (d. 1927)
• 1851 – Leopoldo Alas, Spanish novelist (d. 1901)
• 1862 – Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, English statesman and politician (d. 1933)
• 1868 – John Bevins Moisant, American aviator (d. 1910)
• 1873 – Walter de la Mare, English poet (d. 1956)
• 1874 – Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor and developed Marconi's law, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics (d. 1937)
• 1876 – Jacob Nicol, Canadian publisher and politician (d. 1958)
• 1897 – Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (d. 1965)
• 1898 – Fred Haney, American baseball player, manager, and coach (d. 1977)
• 1900 – Wolfgang Ernst Pauli, Austrian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1958)
• 1902 – Werner Heyde, German psychiatrist (d. 1964)
• 1903 – Andrey Nikolayevich Kolmogorov, Russian mathematician (d. 1987)
• 1905 – George Nepia, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1986)
• 1906 – William J. Brennan, American Supreme Court Justice (d. 1997)
• 1908 – Edward R. Murrow, American journalist (d. 1965)
• 1909 – William Pereira, American architect (d. 1985)
• 1913 – Nikolaos Roussen, Greek naval officer (d. 1944)
• 1913 – Earl Bostic, American jazz musician (d. 1965)
• 1914 – Ross Lockridge, Jr., American writer (d. 1948)
• 1917 – Ella Fitzgerald, American singer (d. 1996)
• 1918 – Gerard Henri de Vaucouleurs, French astronomer (d. 1995)
• 1918 – Astrid Varnay, Swedish soprano (d. 2006)
• 1919 – Finn Helgesen, Norwegian speed skater (d. 2011)
• 1920 – Jean Carmet, French actor (d. 1994)
• 1921 – Karel Appel, Dutch painter (d. 2006)
• 1923 – Melissa Hayden, American ballerina (d. 2006)
• 1923 – Albert King, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer (d. 1992)
• 1924 – Franco Mannino, Italian composer, playwright, and novelist (d. 2005)
• 1925 – Sammy Drechsel, German journalist, director, and cabaret performer (d. 1986)
• 1925 – Kay E. Kuter, American actor (d. 2003)
• 1925 – Louis O'Neil, Canadian professor and politician
• 1926 – Gertrude Fröhlich-Sandner, Austrian politician (d. 2008)
• 1927 – Albert Uderzo, French cartoonist
• 1927 – Corín Tellado, Spanish novelist (d. 2009)
• 1928 – Vassar Clements, American musician (Old and in the Way) (d. 2005)
• 1929 – Yvette Williams, New Zealand athlete
• 1930 – Paul Mazursky, American director and writer
• 1931 – Felix Berezin, Russian mathematician (d. 1980)
• 1932 – Meadowlark Lemon, American basketball player
• 1932 – William Roache, English actor
• 1933 – Jerry Leiber, American songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
• 1933 – Joyce Ricketts, American baseball player (d. 1992)
• 1934 – Peter McParland, Irish footballer
• 1935 – April Ashley, English model
• 1935 – Reinier Kreijermaat, Dutch footballer
• 1938 – Ton Schulten, Dutch artist
• 1939 – Ted Kooser, American poet
• 1940 – Jochen Borchert, German politician
• 1940 – Al Pacino, American actor
• 1941 – Bertrand Tavernier, French director, screenwriter, and actor
• 1941 – Princess Muna al-Hussein
• 1942 – Jon Kyl, American politician
• 1942 – Katsuji Adachi, Japanese wrestler
• 1944 – Len Goodman, English dancer
• 1945 – Stu Cook, American singer and musician (Creedence Clearwater Revival, Southern Pacific, and Creedence Clearwater Revisited)
• 1945 – Richard C. Hoagland, American conspiracy theorist and author
• 1945 – Björn Ulvaeus, Swedish singer-songwriter, musician, and producer (ABBA and Hootenanny Singers)
• 1946 – Talia Shire, American actress
• 1946 – Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian politician
• 1947 – Johan Cruijff, Dutch footballer
• 1947 – Jeffrey DeMunn, American actor
• 1948 – Yu Shyi-kun, Taiwanese politician
• 1949 – Michael Brown, American musician and songwriter (The Left Banke and Stories)
• 1949 – James Fenton, English poet
• 1949 – Vicente Pernía, Argentine footballer
• 1949 – Dominique Strauss-Kahn, French economist, lawyer, and politician
• 1950 – Steve Ferrone, English drummer (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Average White Band
• 1950 – Peter Jurasik, American actor
• 1951 – Ian McCartney, British politician
• 1952 – Ketil Bjørnstad, Norwegian pianist and composer
• 1952 – Vladislav Tretiak, Soviet ice hockey player
• 1953 – Ron Clements, American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1954 – Randy Cross, American football player
• 1955 – Américo Gallego, Argentine footballer
• 1955 – Parviz Parastui, Iranian actor
• 1955 – Christopher Tyng, American composer
• 1956 – Dominique Blanc, French actress
• 1956 – Jaroslava Schallerová, Czech actress
• 1957 – Theo de Rooij, Dutch bicycle racer
• 1958 – Fish, Scottish singer-songwriter, musician, and actor (Marillion)
• 1959 – Tony Phillips, American baseball player
• 1960 – Bruce Redman, Australian director, critic and radio personality
• 1961 – Dinesh D'Souza, American author
• 1962 – Foeke Booy, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1963 – Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, French actress
• 1963 – David Moyes, Scottish footballer
• 1963 – Bernd Müller, German footballer
• 1964 – Hank Azaria, American actor, director, and comedian
• 1964 – Andy Bell, English singer-songwriter and DJ (Erasure)
• 1965 – Eric Avery, American musician and songwriter (Jane's Addiction, Deconstruction, and Polar Bear)
• 1965 – Mark Bryant, American basketball player
• 1965 – Simon Fowler, English singer and musician (Ocean Colour Scene)
• 1966 – Man Arenas, Spanish comic creator
• 1966 – James Stacy Barbour, American actor and singer
• 1966 – Diego Domínguez, Argentine-Italian rugby player
• 1966 – Femke Halsema, Dutch politician
• 1966 – Erik Pappas, Greek-American baseball player
• 1966 – Darren Holmes, American baseball player
• 1966 – Rubén Sosa, Uruguayan footballer
• 1969 – Joe Buck, American broadcaster
• 1969 – Martin Koolhoven, Dutch film director and screenwriter
• 1969 – Gina Torres, American actress
• 1969 – Darren Woodson, American football player
• 1969 – Renée Zellweger, American actress
• 1970 – Jason Lee, American actor
• 1970 – Jason Wiles, American actor
• 1970 – Tomoko Kawakami, Japanese voice actress (d. 2011)
• 1970 – Steve Tovar, American football player
• 1971 – Sara Baras, Spanish dancer
• 1971 – Brad Clontz American baseball player
• 1973 – Fredrik Larzon, Swedish drummer (Millencolin)
• 1974 – Dean Phoenix American porn actor
• 1974 – Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou
• 1975 – Emily Bergl, British-American actress
• 1975 – Jacque Jones, American baseball player
• 1976 – Tim Duncan, American basketball player
• 1976 – Gilberto da Silva Melo, Brazilian footballer
• 1976 – Rainer Schüttler, German tennis player
• 1976 – Kim Jong Kook, South Korean singer (Turbo)
• 1977 – Constantinos Christoforou, Cypriot singer-songwriter (One)
• 1977 – Ilias Kotsios, Greek footballer
• 1977 – Marguerite Moreau, American actress
• 1977 – Paavo Siljamäki, Finnish musician and producer (Above & Beyond)
• 1977 – Matthew West, American singer-songwriter and musician
• 1978 – Letícia Birkheuer, Brazilian model
• 1978 – Matt Walker, British swimmer
• 1980 – Daniel MacPherson, Australian actor
• 1980 – Bruce Martin, New Zealand cricketer
• 1980 – Kazuhito Tadano, Japanese baseball player
• 1980 – Alejandro Valverde, Spanish cyclist
• 1981 – Dwone Hicks, American football player
• 1981 – Felipe Massa, Brazilian race car driver
• 1981 – John McFall, English sprinter
• 1981 – Anja Pärson, Swedish skier
• 1982 – Brian Barton, American baseball player
• 1982 – Monty Panesar, English cricketer
• 1982 – Marco Russo, Italian footballer
• 1983 – DeAngelo Williams, American football player
• 1983 – J.P. Howell, American baseball player
• 1983 – Joanne Peh, Singaporean actress
• 1984 – Robert Andino, American baseball player
• 1984 – Melonie Diaz, American actress
• 1984 – Andre' Woodson, American football player
• 1985 – Giedo van der Garde, Dutch race car driver
• 1985 – Jadyn Maria, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter
• 1986 – Alexei Emelin, Russian ice hockey player
• 1987 – Jay Park, Korean-American singer-songwriter, dancer, producer, and actor (2PM)
• 1987 – Johann Smith, American soccer player
• 1988 – James Sheppard, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1989 – Marie-Michèle Gagnon, Canadian alpine ski racer
• 1989 – Michael van Gerwen, Dutch darts player
• 1989 – Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, 11th Panchen Lama
• 1990 – Taylor Walker, Australian rules footballer
• 1996 – Allisyn Ashley Arm, American actress

Deaths[link]

• 68 – Mark the Evangelist, the first Pope of Alexandria and the founder of Church of Alexandria
• 1077 – Géza I of Hungary (b. 1040)
• 1265 – Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester, English crusader (b. 1195)
• 1295 – Sancho IV of Castile (b. 1258)
• 1472 – Leon Battista Alberti, Italian artist, poet, and philosopher (b. 1404)
• 1516 – John Yonge, English diplomat (b. 1467)
• 1566 – Diane de Poitiers,French noblewoman, mistress of King Henry II of France (b. 1499)
• 1566 – Louise Labé, French poet (b. 1520s)
• 1595 – Torquato Tasso, Italian poet (b. 1544)
• 1605 – Naresuan, King of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (b. 1555)
• 1644 – Chongzhen Emperor of China (b. 1611)
• 1660 – Henry Hammond, English churchman (b. 1605)
• 1690 – David Teniers the Younger, Flemish artist (b. 1610)
• 1744 – Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer (b. 1701)
• 1770 – Jean-Antoine Nollet, French abbot and physicist (b. 1700)
• 1800 – William Cowper, English poet (b. 1731)
• 1840 – Siméon Denis Poisson, French mathematician (b. 1781)
• 1875 – Trinley Gyatso, 12th Dalai Lama (b. 1857)
• 1878 – Anna Sewell, English author (b. 1820)
• 1891 – Nathaniel Woodard, English priest and educator (b. 1811)
• 1892 – Henri Duveyrier, French explorer (b. 1840)
• 1906 – John Knowles Paine, American composer (b. 1839)
• 1911 – Emilio Salgari, Italian novelist (b. 1862)
• 1915 – Frederick W. Seward, American lawyer, writer, editor, and politician, United States Assistant Secretary of State (b. 1830)
• 1919 – Augustus D. Juilliard, American businessman (b. 1836)
• 1923 – Louis-Olivier Taillon, Canadian politician (b. 1840)
• 1928 – Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel, Russian army officer (b. 1878)
• 1937 – Michał Drzymała, Polish rebel (b. 1857)
• 1943 – Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Russian director (b. 1858)
• 1944 – George Herriman, American author (b. 1880)
• 1944 – Tony Mullane, Irish-American baseball player (b. 1859)
• 1968 – Walter Tewksbury, American athlete (b. 1876)
• 1972 – George Sanders, English actor (b. 1906)
• 1973 – Olga Grey, Hungarian-American actress (b. 1896)
• 1975 – Mike Brant, Israeli singer (b. 1947)
• 1976 – Carol Reed, English producer and director (b. 1906)
• 1976 – Markus Reiner, Israeli scientist (b. 1886)
• 1978 – Lee Kim Lai, Singaporean police officer (b. 1960)
• 1980 – Katia Mann, German socialite, wife of Thomas Mann (b. 1883)
• 1982 – John Cody, American cardinal (b. 1907)
• 1983 – William S. Bowdern, American Jesuit Roman Catholic priest and author (b. 1897)
• 1988 – Valerie Solanas, American writer, attempted assassin of Andy Warhol (b. 1936)
• 1990 – Dexter Gordon, American saxophonist and actor (b. 1923)
• 1992 – Yutaka Ozaki, Japanese singer and musician (b. 1965)
• 1995 – Andria Balanchivadze, Georgian composer (b. 1906)
• 1995 – Art Fleming, American game show host (b. 1925)
• 1995 – Ginger Rogers, American actress and dancer (b. 1911)
• 1996 – Saul Bass, American graphics designer (b. 1920)
• 1998 – Wright Morris, American writer (b. 1910)
• 1998 – Christian Mortensen, Danish-American supercentenarian (b. 1882)
• 1999 – Larry Troutman, American musician (Zapp) (b. 1944)
• 1999 – Roger Troutman, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer (Zapp) (b. 1951)
• 1999 – Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin, Irish journalist, author, and sports official (b. 1914)
• 2000 – David Merrick, American producer (b. 1911)
• 2000 – Lucien le Cam, French mathematician (b. 1924)
• 2001 – Michele Alboreto, Italian race car driver (b. 1956)
• 2002 – Indra Devi, Russian yoga teacher and actress (b. 1899)
• 2002 – Lisa Lopes, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (TLC) (b. 1971)
• 2002 – Athanasios Papoulis, Greek-American engineer and mathematician (b. 1921)
• 2003 – Samson Kitur, Kenyan athlete (b. 1966)
• 2004 – Thom Gunn, English poet (b. 1929)
• 2005 – Hasil Adkins, American singer-songwriter and musician (b. 1937)
• 2005 – Swami Ranganathananda, Indian monk (b. 1908)
• 2006 – Jane Jacobs, American-Canadian writer and activist (b. 1916)
• 2007 – Alan Ball, English footballer (b. 1945)
• 2007 – Arthur Milton, English footballer and cricketer (b. 1928)
• 2007 – Bobby Pickett, American singer and songwriter (b. 1938)
• 2008 – Humphrey Lyttelton, English jazz musician and broadcaster (b. 1921)
• 2009 – Bea Arthur, American comedienne, actress, and singer (b. 1922)
• 2010 – Dorothy Provine, American singer, dancer, actress, and comedienne (b. 1935)
• 2012 – Louis le Brocquy, Irish painter (b. 1916)

Holidays and observances[link]

• ANZAC Day (Australia, New Zealand)
• Administrative Professional's Day
• Arbor Day (Germany)
• Army Day (North Korea)
• Christian Feast Day:
  • The latest possible date for Easter Sunday, last in 1943.
  • Mark the Evangelist
  • Philo and Agathopodes
  • Pope Anianus of Alexandria
  • April 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• DNA Day
• Flag Day (Faroe Islands)
• Freedom Day (Portugal)
• Malaria Awareness Day (International)
• Military Foundation Day (North Korea)
• Red Hat Society Day
• Robigalia, celebrated on 25 Aprilis. (Roman Empire)
• Sinai's Liberation Day (Egypt)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: April 25

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2011)

Devra Lee Davis is an American epidemiologist and writer. She was born on June 7th, 1946, in Washington, DC^[1], the daughter of Harry B. and Jean Langer Davis, and was raised in Donora and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Her career has spanned all areas of academia, public policy, and scientific research^[2]. While Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, she counseled leading officials in the United States, United Nations, European Environment Agency, Pan American Health Organization, World Health Organization, and World Bank^[2].

She has also authored more than 190 publications in books and journals ranging from the Lancet and Journal of the American Medical Association to Scientific American and the New York Times and blogs in Freakonomics for the New York Times, Huffington Post and elsewhere^[2].

Education[link]

Davis graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School and later received a B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1967^[1]. A former Scholar in Residence at the National Academy of Sciences, she completed her Ph.D. in science studies at the University of Chicago as a Danforth Fellow, and an M.P.H. at Johns Hopkins University as a National Cancer Institute post-doctoral fellow^[1].

Professional life[link]

From 1970 to 1976 she was assistant professor of sociology at Queens College of the City University of New York. Beginning in 1982 she was a faculty associate at Johns Hopkins University, Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Hygiene and Public Health^[1].

She served as a visiting professor at University of Missouri in 1983; Municipal Institute, Barcelona, Spain, in 1985^[1]; Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, Department of Community Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, in 1988^[1]; and visiting scholar at Hebrew University, School of Public Health, Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 1989^[1].

She is formerly the director of the Center for Environmental Oncology of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute^[2]; the multidisciplinary center includes experts in medicine, basic research, engineering and public policy, who developed cutting-edge studies to identify the causes of cancer and propose policies to reduce the risks of the disease.

Other professional activities[link]

A member of both the American Colleges of Toxicology and of Epidemiology^[2], Dr. Davis is also a Visiting Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City^[1]. In addition, she was a Visiting Scientist of the Strang Cornell Cancer Prevention Center of the Rockefeller University in 1994^[1].

She served as a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the U.S. National Toxicology Program, 1983-86^[2].

Female health[link]

Davis was Scientific Advisor to the Women's Environment and Development Organization in 1995^[1]. Davis was also a founding member of the International Breast Cancer Prevention Collaborative Research Group^[1], an organization dedicated to exploring the causes of breast cancer.

Environment[link]

She currently serves on the Board of the Climate Institute^[1], and the Coalition of Organizations on the Environment and Jewish Life^[1], and the Earthfire Institute, and is a scientific adviser to the UK registered charity MobileWise.^[3] She occasionally discusses avoidable environmental health hazards on national and local programming with NPR, Fox News, CNN, ABC, PBS, BBC^[2]. She also served as a Lead Author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—the group awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 with the Honorable Al Gore^[2].

President Clinton appointed the Honorable Dr. Davis to the newly established Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, an independent executive branch agency that investigates, prevents, and mitigates chemical accidents, where she served from 1994–99^[2].

Awards[link]

She was honored by the Betty Ford Comprehensive Cancer Center and the American Cancer Society with the Breast Cancer Awareness Award, commended by the Director of the National Cancer Institute for Outstanding Service, and appointed a Global Environmental advisor to Newsweek Magazine^[2].

The recipient of a Women’s Leadership Exchange Compass Award, presented by OPEN: The Small Business Network from American Express, for breaking the paradigms of how women are perceived, Dr. Davis received the first Lisa Zhang Environmental Award from the United Nations in July 2008^[2].

In June 2009, Dr. Davis was honored with the Artemis Award presented by the Euro-American Women's Council and the Greek Foreign Ministry in recognition of her outstanding contributions to science and public health policy^[2].

Private Life[link]

Davis married Richard D. Morgenstern on October 19, 1975. They have two children.

Publications[link]

Her book When Smoke Ran Like Water, which begins with the tale of the Donora Smog of 1948, was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2002^[1][2]. Davis's second book, The Secret History of the War on Cancer was published by Basic Books in October 2007^[1].

Her new book, Disconnect, debuted in September 2010. It discusses the dangers of modern cell phone use and the ways in which the cell phone industry has gone to lengths to cover these up.

Publications include:

• Trends in Cancer Mortality in Industrial Countries (Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences), New York Academy of Sciences, 1990^[1]
• Urban Air Pollution Risks to Children: A Global Environmental Health Indicator, World Resources Institute, 1999^[1]
• When Smoke Ran Like Water: Tales of Environmental Deception And the Battle Against Pollution, Diane Publishing Company, 2002
• The Secret History of the War on Cancer, Basic Books, 2007^[1]
• Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family, Dutton Adult, 2010

Listening[link]

• Fresh Air interview, October 4, 2007
• Writer's Voice interview, January, 2008
• TVO (Ontario) interview, October 3, 2008. Length: 26:54

Mainstream Media References[link]

• "Cell-Phone Safety: What the FCC Didn't Test". Time.com. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2027523,00.html. Retrieved 2011-01-26. 

External links[link]

• http://www.epidemiology.pitt.edu/davis.asp - Devra Davis at the Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh
• http://www.environmentalhealthtrust.org/ - Environmental Health Trust, a web site maintained by the Devra Lee Davis Charitable Foundation

Reading[link]

Source: Contemporary Authors Online. The Gale Group, 2004. PEN (Permanent Entry Number): 0000154775.

References[link]

Peter Aerts
Born	Peter Aerts (1970-10-25) October 25, 1970 (age 41) Eindhoven, Netherlands
Other names	The Dutch Lumberjack, Mr. K-1
Nationality	Dutch
Height	1.92 m (6 ft 3 1⁄2 in)
Weight	108 kg (240 lb; 17.0 st)
Division	Heavyweight Super Heavyweight
Style	Kickboxing
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Team	Team Aerts (2004–present) Mejiro Gym (1997-2004) Chakuriki Gym (1991-1997) The Champs (1989-1991) Judoka-Kickboxing (1984-1987)
Trainer	Thom Harinck (2009–present) Jan Plas (2004-2009) Andre Mannaart (1997-2004) Thom Harinck (1991-1997) Eddy Smulders (1989-1991) Mikki Benazzouz (1984-1987)
Years active	26 (1985–present)
Kickboxing record
Total	132
Wins	103
By knockout	78
Losses	28
By knockout	17
Draws	1
Mixed martial arts record
Total	2
Wins	1
By knockout	1
Losses	1
By submission	1
Draws	0
Other information
Notable students	Mourad Bouzidi, William Diender, Leroy Kaestner, Robin van Roosmalen
Website	http://www.peteraerts.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: December 11, 2011

Peter Aerts (born October 25, 1970) is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer. Known for his devastating high kicks, which earned him the nickname "The Dutch Lumberjack", he is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers ever, along with Remy Bonjasky, Andy Hug, Ernesto Hoost and Semmy Schilt.^[1][2][3]

Born in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Aerts began training in Muay Thai and kickboxing at the age of fourteen. He won his first world title when he was nineteen years old in 1990, taking the International Kick Boxing Federation's Heavyweight Championship. He would also add the Dutch heavyweight title the World Muay Thai Association's heavyweight title to his mantlepiece before going on to compete in the K-1 organization in Japan. He has competed in every K-1 World Grand Prix except one (2009), which has led to him being referred to as "Mr. K-1".^{[4][not in citation given]}

A three-time K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, he debuted at the inaugural K-1 World GP in 1993 where he was eliminated by fellow K-1 legend Ernesto Hoost. He won his first Grand Prix in 1994 by knocking out Rob van Esdonk and Patrick Smith in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively, before taking a unanimous decision over Masaaki Satake in the final.

Aerts also won the GP the following year when he beat Toshiyuki Atokawa by KO, Ernesto Hoost by decision and then stopped Jérôme Le Banner with body shots in the final. He would not win the tournament again until 1998 when he KO'd all three of his opponents in front of 63,800 spectators at the Tokyo Dome. In what is considered to be one of the best Grand Prixs ever, and the pinnacle Aerts' career, he stopped Masaaki Satake with a knee strike in the quarters and forced the referee to stop his semi-final match with long-time rival Mike Bernardo. In one of the most significant moments in K-1 history, he knocked out Andy Hug with one of his famous high kicks in the final. He won this tournament in six minutes and forty-three seconds, which was the quickest K-1 GP win ever at the time. This record stood until 2009 when it was beaten by Semmy Schilt.

Although 1998 was his last Grand Prix win, he continues to compete and reached the final a further three times (in 2006, 2007 and 2010).

Early life[link]

Aerts was born in Eindhoven, North Brabant, Netherlands on October 25, 1970. After playing football in his childhood for seven years, he began practicing martial arts in 1983, beginning with taekwondo. His interest in combat sports came from his grandfather and an uncle; both were active in that field. In 1984, he started kickboxing and began training in "Judoka-Kickboxing" in Best, with Mikki Benazzouz. After a year of training, Aerts fought his first match, and soon one victory succeeded the other. He won his first world championship title when he was nineteen.^[5]

Career[link]

1985–1992: Early career[link]

Aerts debuted as a professional kickboxer in 1985. Some notable fights from his early career include a decision loss to Ernesto Hoost (who he would fight a total of five times) on November 20, 1988, and a knockout loss to Andre Mannaart in 1989 while still a teenager. Aerts switched to "The Champs" gym in Eindhoven, with Eddy Smulders, in 1989 where he won his first world title, taking the IKBF World Heavyweight Championship in 1990.

1991 saw Aerts switch gyms again, this time moving to the famous Chakuriki Gym under Thom Harinck, where he had his greatest successes of his career. On November 18, 1991, Aerts defeated the legendary Frank Lobman via unanimous decision in Rotterdam to win the WMTA World Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship.

In 1992, Aerts truly moved onto the world stage. He beat Maurice Smith by decision after nine rounds in Paris, France on April 9, 1992. Just a month later, on May 16, he knocked out Adam Watt in the second round in Tokyo, Japan.

He rematched Frank Lobman on September 20, 1992 for the MTBN World Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship. Aerts emerged the victor once again as Lobman retired in round three. He ended the year with a draw against karate fighter Masaaki Satake in Japan.

1993: K-1 debut[link]

On January 29, 1993, Aerts defeated Peter Selkthorpe of England by first-round knockout with a knee strike to win the European Muay Thai title in Best, Netherlands. He then rematched Maurice Smith in Amsterdam on March 7, 1993 and knocked him out with a right high kick, a technique that would become Aerts' signature move.

These wins gave Aerts the reputation as a top-level kickboxer and he was invited to take part in the K-1 Grand Prix '93, an eight-man, one-night tournament made up of the world's best heavyweights and light heavyweights held in Tokyo, Japan. He faced Ernesto Hoost in the quarter-finals, and after a close three rounds, Hoost was named the winner by majority decision (29-28, 30-28, 30-30).^[6]

He returned to K-1 on September 4, 1993 against Dino Homsey at K-1 Illusion and KO'd the American with a left high kick in round one.^[7] Fifteen days later in Amsterdam, Aerts made the first defence of his WMTA World Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship against Rob van Esdonk, knocking him out with a right hook less than a minute into round four.

1994–1995: Successive K-1 World Grand Prix Championships[link]

Aerts knocked out Markus Fuckner of Germany on February 20, 1994 in Amsterdam to retain the WMTA Heavyweight Muay Thai title before heading out to Japan to take part in the K-1 Grand Prix '94 which was held in Tokyo on April 30, 1994. In the quarter-finals, Aerts was drawn against Rob van Esdonk whom he had defeated in the Netherlands six months earlier. Van Esdonk knocked Aerts down in round one but Aerts was able to come back and KO him with a right high kick. In the semis, he faced Patrick Smith, an American with a wild, aggressive style. Aerts was still able to handle him, however, and KO'd him just over one minute into the first round. Progressing into the final, he came up against Masaaki Satake for the second time. Aerts simply landed more powerful and a larger amount of strikes on Satake en route to a unanimous decision (27-25, 30-25, 30-29) victory.^[5] This made him the 1994 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion.

He returned to the ring on September 12, 1994 at the Night of the Stars tournament in Rotterdam. At the quarter-final stage, he faced Rob van Esdonk for the third time and Lumberjack'd him with the high kick again. He then knocked out Glenn Wijngaart in the semis and went into the final against Frank Lobman, who was thirty-eight at this point and facing Aerts for the third time. Aerts battered Lobman until his corner threw in the towel in round two.

Aerts then made the third defence of his WMTA World Heavyweight Muay Thai title against Ergin Solmaz in Amsterdam on November 12, 1994, before going back to Japan to fight Glen Parker at K-1 Legend. He knocked Parker out with a knee in round one.^[8]

On March 3, 1995, he defeated Kirkwood Walker via right low kick knockout in round three at the K-1 Grand Prix '95 Opening Battle which qualified him for the K-1 Grand Prix '95 on May 4.^[9] In the quarter-finals, he dispatched Japanese karateka Toshiyuki Atokawa with ease, knocking him out with punches in the first round. He went up against Ernesto Hoost for the third time in the semis in what was another close fight. After three rounds, the judges called it a draw and so it went to an extra round, after which Aerts took the unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9). In the final, Aerts came up against hard-hitting Frenchman Jérôme Le Banner who had knocked out his two opponents in the run-up to the final. The fight did not last long, as Aerts finished Le Banner with a body shot in round one to become the K-1 World Grand Prix Champion for the second year running.^[10]

Aerts then beat Michael Thompson by KO in a superfight at the K-3 Grand Prix '95 in Nagoya on July 16, 1997^[11] before beating Hubert Numrich for the WMTA World Super Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship in Amsterdam on October 28, 1995. He ended the year with a forty second KO win over Mike Bernardo, a mean South African known for his punching power, at K-1 Hercules on December 9, 1995. This would be the first of six meetings between the men from 1995 to 1998, in what became one of the biggest feuds in K-1 history.^[12][13]

1996–1997: Rivalry with Mike Bernardo, and split from Chakuriki[link]

On March 10, 1996, Aerts knocked out Jean-Claude Leuyer with a highlight-reel high kick at the K-1 Grand Prix '96 Opening Battle in Yokohama to qualify for the 1996 K-1 World Grand Prix.^[14]

At the K-1 Grand Prix '96 on May 6, he came up against Mike Bernardo again at the quarter-final stage. Already a dominant name in K-1 and the reigning Grand Prix champion, Aerts was the favorite to win the 1996 tournament and as he had demolished Bernardo just six months earlier, he was expected to do the same this time. It was not to be, however, and after a slow first round, Bernardo turned the fight into a brawl in the second. The referee gave Aerts a count in round two, and in round three Bernardo knocked Aerts out with a right hook. Bernardo had broken Aerts' nineteen-fight winning run, and became the first man to beat him in since Ernesto Hoost in 1993.^[15][16]

Aerts was given the chance to avenge this loss at K-1 Revenge '96 four months later, on September 1, 1996 when the rubber match was made between the pair. Anticipation was high, but the fight was an anticlimax. In the first round, Aerts caught Bernardo with an inadvertent low blow. When Bernardo was unable to continue, Aerts was disqualified.^[17]

This settled nothing of course, and K-1 quickly booked the rematch to the rematch, this time for October 16 and K-1 Star Wars '96. Aerts knocked Bernardo down in round one and continued to hurt him with low kicks throughout the fight. In round two, the referee gave Aerts a standing eight count but he contested this as he simply stumbled after throwing a kick. By the third round, Aerts had started to take a beating and Bernardo KO'd him with a right hook towards the end of the round. After going undefeated in almost twenty fights over three years, Aerts had now lost three times in-a-row, all to Mike Bernardo.^[17][18]

In 1997, Aerts broke his working relationship with Thom Harinck and the Chakuriki Gym and went to train under former opponent Andre Mannaart at the Mejiro Gym.

He returned to the ring for the first time since his trilogy with Mike Bernardo on March 16, 1997 at K-1 Kings '97 where he had the first of his four meetings with legendary Swiss Kyokushin fighter Andy Hug. Hug was the 1996 K-1 Grand Prix Champion, but Aerts was able to overwhelm him and forced the referee to stop the match in round one.^[19] He then continued to get back on track by TKOing Jean-Claude Leuyer at K-1 Braves '97 on April 29, 1997 and KOing Jérôme Le Banner at K-1 Dream '97 on July 20, 1997.^[20][21]

He qualified for the 1997 K-1 GP when he beat James Warring at the K-1 Grand Prix '97 1st Round on September 7, 1997. At the beginning of the fight, Warring pretended that he wanted to sportsmanly touch gloves with Aerts and then attempted to sneakily punch him with a right overhand when he got close to him. Aerts was able to dominate the rest of the fight before knocking him cold with a right high kick in round three.^[22]

At the K-1 Grand Prix '97 Final on November 9, Aerts came up against Mike Bernardo for the fifth time at the first stage. Aerts used his superior speed to pick Bernardo apart with punches before finishing him with a body shot in round three.^[23] This brought their rivalry to 2-2, discounting the disqualification. Marching into the semi-finals, he had his second match against Andy Hug. After three hard-fought rounds, Hug was given the nod via unanimous decision (30-29, 30-28, 30-28) and Aerts was eiminated.^[24]

1998: Third K-1 World Grand Prix title[link]

Aerts kicked off 1998 with a majority decision victory over Ernesto Hoost, their third fight, at K-1 Kings '98 on April 9.^[25] He then travelled to Zurich, Switzerland to fight Andy Hug for his WKA World Super Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship at K-1 Fight Night '98 on June 6, 1998. Hug defeated Aerts via unanimous decision after five rounds to retain his title.^[26]

He also lost his next fight against the Brazilian karateka Francisco Filho at K-1 Dream '98 on July 18, 1998. Aerts knocked Filho down in round one but the match was stopped by the doctor at the end of the round as Aerts had a large cut on his shin, and Filho was awarded the victory.^[27]

He soon returned to form, however, knocking out Sinisa Andrijasevic in round two at the K-1 World Grand Prix '98 Opening Round on September 27, 1998 to qualify for the K-1 Grand Prix '98 Final Round on December 13. Kickboxing had become a mainstream phenomenon in Japan by this time and the event was attended by more that 60,000 spectators at the Tokyo Dome. Drawn against Masaaki Satake at the quarter-final stage, he wrecked the Japanese fans' favourite with knees from the Thai clinch inside the first round. In the semis, he came up against his old nemesis Mike Bernardo. Knowing that Bernardo is a very religious Christian, Aerts came into the ring with "666" written on his lumberjack shirt. Aerts knocked him down twice in round one and forced the referee to stop the bout, sending him into the final against Andy Hug. This brought an end to their rivalry with an overall tally at 3-2 to Aerts, discouning the DQ.^[28] The final between Aerts and Hug lasted just a minute and ten seconds as Aerts knocked him out with a trademark high kick to win his third K-1 World Grand Prix.^[29]

This was the fastest tournament win in K-1 history, as he knocked out all of his opponents in the very first round in a record time of 6:43 minutes, until Semmy Schilt won the World Grand Prix in 2009 in 5:54 minutes.

1999-2002: Poor showings at the Grand Prix[link]

Peter Aerts began 1999 in a rich vein of form, finishing Michael McDonald, Jim Mullen, Matt Skelton, Maurice Smith and Sam Greco, respectively, over the course of five months. At the K-1 World Grand Prix '99 Opening Round, the qualifying round for the 1999 K-1 WGP, on October 5, 1999, he took a unanimous decision victory over Lloyd van Dams. In the quarter-finals of the K-1 Grand Prix '99 Final Round on December 5, 1999, Aerts went up against Jérôme Le Banner for the third time. Just fifteen seconds into the first round, he dropped the big Frenchman with a high kick. Although dazed and cleary hurt, Le Banner was able to make the count and came back to knock Aerts out with a devastating left hook at just over the one minute-mark of round number one, sending the reigning champion crashing out of the tournament.^[30]

Following this loss, he returned to the ring against Japanese star Musashi at K-1 Rising 2000 a little over a month later on January 25, 2000. Aerts won by technical knockout when Musashi's corner stopped the fight at the end of round four.^[31] On April 23, 2000, he defeated Ray Sefo via low kick KO in round three at K-1 The Millennium. This would be the first of three fights between the legends.^[32]

Aerts continued his win-streak when he knocked out Andrew Thomson in fity-six seconds at K-1 King of the Ring 2000 in Bologna, Italy on May 12, 2000.^[33] This run came to an end, however, when he came up against Cyril Abidi, a promising young French fighter, at K-1 Spirits 2000 on July 7, 2000. Abidi managed to drag Aerts into a brawl and caused a huge upset by KOing him in round one.^[34] Aerts was then given the chance to prove this loss was simply a fluke when he rematched Abidi in the quarter-finals of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Yokohama, a qualifying tournament for the 2000 World Grand Prix. He was unable to do so, however, and Abidi stopped him en route to the final.^[35]

Despite having lost his last two fights and failing to win a K-1 qualifying tournament, Aerts was still invited to the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Final at the Tokyo Dome on December 10, 2000 due to his status as one of the world's top kickboxers. At the quarter-final stage, he was given his rubber match with Cyrl Abidi. Aerts dominated the fight this time, and knocked Abidi down with a two-punch combination just seconds after the opening bell. He took a unanimous decision (29-26, 29-28, 29-26) after three rounds. However, during the fight, Abidi headbutted Aerts numerous times which caused a cut on his forehead. Due to this cut, Aerts could not advance in the tournament and was replaced by Abidi in the semis.^[36]

Aerts would then KO Stuart Green in round one in a superfight at the K-1 Holland GP 2001 in Arnhem on February 4, 2001, his first fight in the Netherlands in almost six years.^[37] After a decision loss to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović at K-1 Gladiators 2001^[38] and a TKO win over Nobu Hayashi at K-1 Burning 2001^[39] in early 2001, he entered the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Las Vegas on August 11, 2001. After knocking out Noboru Uchida in the quarter-finals of the tournament, he had his fourth fight with Maurice Smith in the semis and went 4-0 over the American with an extra round unanimous decision. In the final, he was KO'd by Stefan Leko late in the third round.^[40]

At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Final on December 8, 2001, Aerts went up against Francisco Filho at the first stage. Aerts developed a large hemotoma on his left foot when Filho blocked one of his kicks with his knee. Due to this, Aerts' corner stopped the fight at the end of round two and he was eliminated from the tournament.^[41]

He kicked off 2002 with wins over Nicholas Pettas and Andrei Kirsanov in the first half of the year before losing a majority decision to Alexey Ignashov at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Fukuoka on July 14, 2002.^[42] He qualified for the 2002 K-1 World Grand Prix final eight when he won a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) victory over Glaube Feitosa at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Final Elimination on October 5, 2002.^[43] At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 on December 7, 2002, Aerts was eliminated from the Grand Prix at the quarter-final stage for the fourth year running when he was beaten by Ray Sefo via split decision (29-30, 30-28, 30-29).^[44]

2003-2005: Becoming "Mr. K-1"[link]

Although Aerts did not have as much success in the 2000s as he did in his earlier K-1 career, he continued to be a competitive challenger. And while Andy Hug passed away and other old-school legends Branko Cikatić, Mike Bernardo, Sam Greco, Ernesto Hoost and Stan Longinidis all retired, Aerts continued to face the new generation of stars.

Stefan Leko defeated Peter Aerts for the second time on March 30, 2003 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Saitama.^[45] He rebounded from two consecutive defeates, however, and knocked out Tsuyoshi Nakasako with a high kick at K-1 Beast II 2003 on June 29, 2003^[46] before qualifying for the 2003 K-1 WGP by beating Jerrel Venetiaan via unanimous decision (30-29, 30-29, 30-28) at K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 Final Elimination on October 11, 2003.^[47] In the quarter-finals of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 Final on December 6, Aerts went up against Alexey Ignashov. After a close three rounds, the fight was scored a draw and went to an extra round. Aerts was judged the winner unanimously (10-9, 10-9, 10-9) and advanced into the semis for the first time since he won the Grand Prix in 1998. Against Musashi in the second stage was another close decision. This time, however, the judges went in favour of Aerts' opponent and Musashi won a majority decision (30-30, 30-29, 30-29).^[48]

In 2004, Aerts left Mejiro Gym to found Team Aerts, training out of Kops Gym in Amsterdam under Henry Hooft and Jan Plas. After six months out of the ring, he returned against Gary Goodridge at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Nagoya on June 6, 2004. After withstanding the Trinidadian brawler's initial onslaught, Aerts brutalised Goodridge with low kicks over two and a half rounds. Although Goodridge was still game, he could barely stand and the referee stopped the fight in round three.^[49] Aerts then defeated Michael McDonald by unanimous decision (30-29, 30-29, 29-27) at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 Final Elimination on September 25, 2004 to qualify for the K-1 World GP final eight.^[50] The K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 Final, held on December 4, 2004, saw Aerts go up against South African boxer Francois Botha in the quarter-finals. Aerts lost in the first round when he could not continue after injuring his leg while low kicking Botha.^[51]

After a relatively poor 2004, Aerts went into 2005 with an extra round unanimous decision (9.5-8, 10-8.5, 10-8) over American prospect Carter Williams in a superfight at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Seoul on March 19, 2005. Williams' aggressive style had Aerts backtracking for much of the fight, but he was still able to show his class and take victory in the deciding round.^[52] He picked up another win over Mighty Mo at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Osaka - Final Elimination on September 23, 2005 to ensure his place at the 2005 World Grand Prix. Mo showed signs of damage from Aerts' kicks towards the end of the first round, and Aerts was able to finish him with a low kick in round two.^[53] In the quarter-finals of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Tokyo Final on November 19, 2005, he faced Jérôme Le Banner for the fourth time. The fight started slowly, with both men showing respect for each others' power, but went on to be an exciting and close match. The judges scored it a draw after three rounds and it went into an extra round to decide the winner. All three judges agreed that Aerts was the winner (10-9, 10-9, 10-9). Injury would hinder him once again, however, and he was forced to pull out of the Grand Prix as he could not fight again that night.^[54] Having made his debut in mixed martial arts on July 6, 2005 when he knocked out former sumo wrestler Wakashoyo at Hero's 2, Aerts returned for his second and last MMA bout against judoka Shungo Oyama at K-1 PREMIUM 2005 Dynamite!! on December 31, 2005. Aerts was clearly unfamiliar with grappling and was submitted with a heel hook by Oyama as soon as the fight went to the ground at the 0:30 mark of round one.^[55]

2006-2007: So close and yet so far[link]

On March 5, 2006, Aerts went into the ring with the 212 cm (6 ft 11 1⁄2 in) 2005 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion Semmy Schilt in a superfight at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Auckland. After three rounds, Aerts was given the majority decision (28-28, 28-28, 29-28) win over the giant karate fighter. This win proved that, while his performances against top-tier competition had been waining in recent years, he was still a world-class kickboxer.^[56]

In his next fight, Aerts faced fellow K-1 legend Ernesto Hoost (the fifth and final meeting between the pair) at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Amsterdam on May 13, 2006. The circumstances surrounding the match were rather bizarre as Hoost was scheduled to face Bob Sapp that night and Aerts was only there to commentate for television. However, Sapp ran from the Amsterdam ArenA in an act of cowardice and Aerts stepped in to replace him as a late replacement, and had to borrow a pair of fighting shorts from Semmy Schilt (which had Schilt's name written on them and displayed the Golden Glory gym's logo). Despite having not trained for the fight, Aerts was still able to last all three rounds with Hoost and lost a majority decision (30-29, 30-28, 30-30).^[57][58]

Then, following a knockout win over Hiraku Hori at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Seoul in June^[59] and a decision victory against Gary Goodridge at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Sapporo in July,^[60] Aerts faced Musashi in a tournament reserve fight at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Tokyo Final on December 2, 2006. He defeated Musashi by first-round KO, and after Remy Bonjasky was forced to withdraw from the Grand Prix due to an injury, Aerts took his place and met Glaube Feitosa in the semi-finals. After knocking the karate man down with a barrage of strikes in round two, the referee stopped the fight and Aerts went through to the final where a rematch with reigning champion Semmy Schilt awaited. He was unable to reenact his March 2006 performance, however, and Schilt took a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-28) after three rounds. Schilt knocked him down with a knee in round two and dominated the fight overall with his size advantage.^[61]

On June 23, 2007 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Amsterdam, Aerts faced Bob Sapp in a much-anticipated superfight. In what was a rather anti-climactic affair, Aerts struck Sapp with the left knee, Sapp fell down and the fight was over in 0:25 of the first round.^[62] He then KO'd Nicholas Pettas with a sensational high kick at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Hong Kong on August 5, 2007^[63] before going up against Ray Sefo at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Seoul Final 16 on September 29, 2007. He won the fight at the end of the first round by TKO (corner stoppage) when Sefo did not answer the bell and qualified himself for 15th consecutive year to the K-1 World Grand Prix.^[64]