From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
April 24 is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 251 days remaining until the end of the year.
[edit] Events
- 1479 BC – Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty).
- 1547 – Battle of Mühlberg. Duke of Alba, commanding Spanish-Imperial forces of Charles I of Spain, defeats the troops of Schmalkaldic League.
- 1558 – Mary, Queen of Scots, marries the Dauphin of France, François, at Notre Dame de Paris.
- 1704 – The first regular newspaper in the United States, the News-Letter, is published in Boston, Massachusetts.
- 1800 – The United States Library of Congress is established when President John Adams signs legislation to appropriate $5,000 USD to purchase "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress".
- 1862 – American Civil War: A flotilla commanded by Union Admiral David Farragut passes two Confederate forts on the Mississippi River on its way to capture New Orleans, Louisiana.
- 1877 – Russo-Turkish War: Russian Empire declares war on Ottoman Empire.
- 1898 – The Spanish-American War: The United States declares war on Spain.
- 1904 – The Lithuanian press ban is lifted after almost 40 years.
- 1907 – Hersheypark, founded by Milton S. Hershey for the exclusive use of his employees, is opened.
- 1907 – Al Ahly was founded.
- 1913 – The Woolworth Building skyscraper in New York City is opened.
- 1915 – The arrest of 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Istanbul marks the beginning of the Armenian Genocide.
- 1916 – Easter Rising: The Irish Republican Brotherhood led by nationalists Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, and Joseph Plunkett starts a rebellion in Ireland.
- 1916 – Ernest Shackleton and five men of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition launch a lifeboat from uninhabited Elephant Island in the Southern Ocean to organise a rescue for the ice-trapped ship Endurance.
- 1918 – First tank-to-tank combat, at Villers-Bretonneux, France, when three British Mark IVs met three German A7Vs.
- 1922 – The first segment of the Imperial Wireless Chain providing wireless telegraphy between Leafield in Oxfordshire, England, and Cairo, Egypt, comes into operation.
- 1926 – The Treaty of Berlin is signed. Germany and the Soviet Union each pledge neutrality in the event of an attack on the other by a third party for the next five years.
- 1932 – Benny Rothman leads the mass trespass of Kinder Scout, leading to substantial legal reforms in the United Kingdom.
- 1953 – Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
- 1955 – The Bandung Conference ends: 29 non-aligned nations of Asia and Africa finish a meeting that condemns colonialism, racism, and the Cold War.
- 1957 – Suez Crisis: The Suez Canal is reopened following the introduction of UNEF peacekeepers to the region.
- 1963 – Marriage of HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent to the Hon Angus Ogilvy at Westminster Abbey in London.
- 1965 – Civil war breaks out in the Dominican Republic when Colonel Francisco Caamaño, overthrows the triumvirate that had been in power since the coup d'état against Juan Bosch.
- 1967 – Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies in Soyuz 1 when its parachute fails to open. He is the first human to die during a space mission.
- 1967 – Vietnam War: American General William Westmoreland says in a news conference that the enemy had "gained support in the United States that gives him hope that he can win politically that which he cannot win militarily."
- 1968 – Mauritius becomes a member state of the United Nations.
- 1970 – The first Chinese satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, is launched.
- 1970 – The Gambia becomes a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Dawda Jawara as the first President.
- 1971 – Soyuz 10 docks with Salyut 1.
- 1980 – Eight U.S. servicemen die in Operation Eagle Claw as they attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis.
- 1990 – STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched from the Space Shuttle Discovery.
Shuttle mission
STS-31 lifts off, carrying
Hubble into orbit.
[edit] Births
- 1533 – William I of Orange (d. 1584)
- 1581 – Vincent de Paul, French saint (d. 1660)
- 1620 – John Graunt, English statistician and founder of the science of demography (d. 1674)
- 1706 – Giovanni Battista Martini, Italian musician (d. 1780)
- 1718 – Nathaniel Hone, Irish-born painter (d. 1784)
- 1743 – Edmund Cartwright, British inventor (d. 1823)
- 1784 – Peter Vivian Daniel, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1860)
- 1815 – Anthony Trollope, English novelist (d. 1882)
- 1845 – Carl Spitteler, Nobel laureate (d. 1924)
- 1856 – Henri Philippe Pétain, French soldier and statesman (d. 1951)
- 1872 – Susanna Bokoyni, Hungarian centenarian and Circus performer
- 1876 – Erich Raeder, German naval commander (d. 1960)
- 1876 – Ioannis Georgiadis, Greek fencer (d. 1960)
- 1878 – Jean Crotti, Swiss artist (d. 1958)
- 1879 – Susanna Bokoyni, Hungarian centenarian and Circus performer d. 1984
- 1882 – Sir Hugh Dowding, commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain (d. 1970)
- 1887 – Denys Finch Hatton, English big-game hunter (d. 1931)
- 1889 – Stafford Cripps, British politician (d. 1952)
- 1889 – Lyubov Popova, Russian painter (d. 1924)
- 1897 – Benjamin Lee Whorf, American linguist (d. 1941)
- 1897 – Manuel Ávila Camacho, President of Mexico (d. 1955)
- 1899 – Oscar Zariski, Russian-born mathematician (d. 1986)
- 1900 – Elizabeth Goudge, English writer (d. 1984)
- 1903 – José Antonio Primo de Rivera, founder of the Falange (d. 1936)
- 1904 – Willem de Kooning, Dutch painter (d. 1997)
- 1905 – Robert Penn Warren, American poet (d. 1989)
- 1906 – William Joyce, Irish fascist (d. 1946)
- 1906 – Mimi Smith, maternal aunt and guardian of John Lennon (d. 1991)
- 1907 – William Sargant, British psychiatrist (d. 1988)
- 1908 – Marceline Day, American actor (d. 2000)
- 1908 – Józef Gosławski, Polish sculptor and medallic artist (d. 1963)
- 1914 – William Castle, American film director and producer (d. 1977)
- 1914 – Justin Wilson, American Cajun chef and humorist (d. 2001)
- 1916 – Lou Thesz, American professional wrestler (d. 2002)
- 1919 – Glafcos Clerides, President of Cyprus
- 1922 – J. D. Cannon, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1923 – Doris Burn, American children's books author and illustrator (d. 2011)
- 1924 – Sir Clement Freud, British writer, radio personality, and politician (d. 2009)
- 1924 – Ruth Kobart, American actor and singer (d. 2002)
- 1926 – Thorbjörn Fälldin, Prime Minister of Sweden
- 1929 – Rajkumar, Kannada actor (d. 2006)
- 1930 – Jerome Callet, American musician
- 1930 – Richard Donner, American film director and producer
- 1930 – José Sarney, President of Brazil
- 1933 – Patricia Bosworth, American actress, journalist, writer and biographer
- 1933 – Claire Davenport, British actress (d. 2002)
- 1933 – Alan Eagleson, Canadian ice hockey agent and promoter
- 1933 – Helmuth Lohner, Austrian actor
- 1933 – Freddie Scott, American singer (d. 2007)
- 1934 – Shirley MacLaine, American actor and author
- 1935 – Tucker Smith, American actor, dancer, and singer (d. 1988)
- 1936 – Glen Hobbie, American baseball player
- 1936 – Jill Ireland, British actress (d. 1990)
- 1937 – Joe Henderson, American jazz saxophonist (d. 2001)
- 1940 – Sue Grafton, American author
- 1941 – Richard Holbrooke, American diplomat (d. 2010)
- 1941 – John Williams, Australian guitarist
- 1942 – Richard M. Daley, American politician
- 1942 – Barbra Streisand, American singer and actor
- 1943 – Richard Sterban, American singer
- 1944 – Tony Visconti, American record producer
- 1945 – Doug Clifford, American drummer
- 1945 – Robert Knight, American singer
- 1945 – Doug Riley, Canadian musician (d. 2007)
- 1945 – Dick Rivers, French singer and actor
- 1947 – Claude Dubois, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1947 – Josep Borrell, Spanish politician
- 1947 – Roger D. Kornberg, American chemist and Nobel Prize laureate
- 1948 – Paul Cellucci, 69th Governor of Massachusetts and former United States Ambassador to Canada
- 1948 – David Ingram, studio session musician, songwriter and arranger (AnExchange, Love Song) (d. 2005)
- 1949 – Véronique Sanson, French singer-songwriter
- 1951 – Enda Kenny, Taoiseach of Ireland
- 1952 – Jean-Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer
- 1953 – Eric Bogosian, American actor and writer
- 1954 – Mumia Abu-Jamal, American Civil Rights activist, journalist of The Black Panthers
- 1954 – Jack Blades, American musician, bassist for Night Ranger, Rubicon (1970s band) and others
- 1954 – Captain Sensible, British guitarist (The Damned)
- 1955 – Marion Caspers-Merk, German politician
- 1955 – Eamon Gilmore, Tánaiste of Ireland
- 1955 – John de Mol, Dutch media businessman
- 1955 – Michael O'Keefe, American actor
- 1957 – David J, British musician
- 1957 – Boris Williams, British musician (The Cure)
- 1958 – Valery Lantratov, Russian ballet dancer
- 1958 – Brian Paddick, British former deputy assistant commissioner and most senior openly gay police officer
- 1959 – Glenn Morshower, American actor
- 1959 – Malcolm Oastler, Australian engineer
- 1959 – Dave Ridgway, Canadian football player
- 1959 – Paula Yates, British television presenter (d. 2000)
- 1959 – Eren Keskin, Turkish lawyer and activist
- 1962 – Clemens Binninger, German politician
- 1962 – Stuart Pearce, English footballer and manager
- 1962 – Steve Roach, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1963 – Paula Frazer, American singer-songwriter
- 1963 – Billy Gould, American musician (Faith No More)
- 1963 – Mano Solo, French singer
- 1963 – Tõnu Trubetsky, Estonian musician
- 1964 – Witold Smorawiński, Polish musician
- 1964 – Cedric the Entertainer, American comedian and actor
- 1964 – Djimon Hounsou, Beninese actor
- 1965 – Son Chang Min, South Korean actor
- 1966 – Pierre Brassard, Canadian humorist and actor
- 1966 – Alessandro Costacurta, Italian footballer
- 1967 – Omar Vizquel, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1968 – Aidan Gillen, Irish actor
- 1968 – Stacy Haiduk, American actress
- 1968 – Todd Jones, American baseball player
- 1968 – Yuji Nagata, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1968 – Hashim Thaci, Kosovan politician
- 1968 – Mark Vanderloo, Dutch model
- 1969 – Elias Atmatsidis, Greek footballer
- 1969 – Melinda Clarke, American actress
- 1969 – Viveca Paulin, Swedish actress
- 1970 – Damien Fleming, Australian cricketer
- 1971 – Alejandro Fernández, Mexican singer
- 1971 – Mauro Pawlowski, Belgian guitarist and singer
- 1972 – Rab Douglas, Scottish footballer
- 1972 – Nicolas Gill, Canadian judoka
- 1972 – Chipper Jones, American baseball player
- 1972 – Jure Košir, Slovenian skier
- 1973 – Eric Snow, American basketball player
- 1973 – Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricketer
- 1973 – Gabby Logan, British television presenter
- 1973 – Damon Lindelof, American television writer
- 1973 – Lee Westwood, British golfer
- 1974 – Eric Kripke, American television writer, director and producer
- 1974 – Derek Luke, American actor
- 1974 – Dave Vitty, British radio personality
- 1974 – Stephen Wiltshire, British artist, autistic savant
- 1975 – Sam Doumit, American actress
- 1975 – Thad Luckinbill, American actor
- 1976 – Steve Finnan, Irish footballer
- 1977 – Siarhey Balakhonau, Belarusian writer
- 1977 – Carlos Beltrán, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1978 – Eric Balfour, American actor
- 1978 – Kim Hyun-ju, Korean actress
- 1978 – Stella Damasus Aboderin, Nigerian actress
- 1979 – Laurentia Tan, Singaporean Paralympic equestrienne
- 1980 – Fernando Arce, Mexican footballer
- 1980 – Karen Asrian, Armenian chess Grandmaster (d. 2008)
- 1980 – Danny Gokey, American singer
- 1980 – Austin Nichols, American actor
- 1981 – Taylor Dent, American tennis player
- 1981 – Dusty Anderson, American pro wrestler
- 1981 – Yuko Nakanishi, Japanese swimmer
- 1982 – Kelly Clarkson, American singer
- 1982 – Laura Hamilton, Dancing On Ice 2011 Runner-Up
- 1983 – Princess Iman bint Al Hussein of Jordan
- 1984 – Tyson Ritter, American musician
- 1986 – Aaron Cunningham, American baseball player
- 1987 – Kristopher Letang, Canadian hockey player
- 1987 – Jan Vertonghen, Belgian footballer
- 1989 – David Boudia, American diver
- 1992 – Doc Shaw, American child actor
- 1994 – Austin Rogers, American actor
- 1998 – Ryan Newman, American actress
[edit] Deaths
- 624 – Mellitus, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 709 – Wilfrid, English archbishop and saint
- 1185 – Emperor Antoku of Japan (b. 1178)
- 1338 – Theodore I of Montferrat (b. 1291)
- 1342 – Pope Benedict XII (b. 1285)
- 1622 – Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Swiss friar and saint (b. 1577)
- 1656 – Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (b. 1561)
- 1731 – Daniel Defoe, English writer (b. 1660)
- 1736 – Prince Eugene of Savoy, French-born Austrian general (b. 1663)
- 1779 – Eleazar Wheelock, American founder of Dartmouth College (b. 1711)
- 1794 – Axel von Fersen the Elder, Swedish statesman and soldier; father of Axel von Fersen the Younger (b. 1719)
- 1852 – Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet (b. 1783)
- 1891 – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Prussian field marshal (b. 1800)
- 1924 – G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist (b. 1844)
- 1931 – David Kldiashvili, Georgian writer (b. 1862)
- 1938 – George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (b. 1863)
- 1939 – Louis Trousselier, French cyclist (b. 1881)
- 1942 – Karin Boye, Swedish author (b. 1900)
- 1942 – Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canadian author (b. 1874)
- 1944 – William Stephens, American politician (b. 1859)
- 1944 – Charles Jordan, American magician (b. 1888)
- 1945 – Ernst-Robert Grawitz, German physician (b. 1899)
- 1947 – Willa Cather, American writer (b. 1873)
- 1947 – Hans Biebow, German WWII figure (b. 1902)
- 1957 – Harry McClintock, American country singer and hobo (b. 1882)
- 1960 – Max von Laue, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
- 1962 – Milt Franklyn, American musician (b. 1897)
- 1964 – Gerhard Domagk, German bacteriologist (b. 1895)
- 1965 – Louise Dresser, American actress (b. 1878)
- 1966 – Simon Chikovani, Georgian poet (b. 1902)
- 1967 – Vladimir Komarov, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1927)
- 1970 – Otis Spann, American blues pianist (b. 1930)
- 1974 – Bud Abbott, American actor and comedian (b. 1895)
- 1975 – Pete Ham, Welsh musician (Badfinger) (b. 1947)
- 1980 – Alejo Carpentier, Cuban writer (b. 1904)
- 1982 – Ville Ritola, Finnish athlete (b. 1896)
- 1983 – Rolf Stommelen, German race car driver (b. 1943)
- 1986 – Wallis Simpson, wife of Edward, Duke of Windsor (b. 1896)
- 1993 – Oliver Tambo, South African politician (b. 1917)
- 1993 – Tran Duc Thao, Vietnamese philosopher (b. 1917)
- 1997 – Pat Paulsen, American comedian and politician (b. 1927)
- 1997 – Eugene Stoner, American engineer and weapons designer (b. 1922)
- 2000 – William Moore, English actor (b. 1916)
- 2001 – Al Hibbler, American singer (b. 1915)
- 2001 – Leon Sullivan, African-American civil rights leader and pastor (b. 1922)
- 2002 – Lucien Wercollier, Luxembourgian sculptor (b. 1908)
- 2004 – Estée Lauder, American cosmetics entrepreneur (b. 1906)
- 2005 – Ezer Weizman, Israeli politician (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Fei Xiaotong, Chinese sociologist (b. 1910)
- 2006 – Steve Stavro, Canadian businessman and sports team owner (b. 1927)
- 2006 – Moshe Teitelbaum, Hassidic rabbi (b. 1914)
- 2006 – Brian Labone, English footballer (b. 1940)
- 2007 – Roy Jenson, American actor (b. 1927)
- 2009 – John Michell, British writer (b. 1933)
- 2011 – Sathya Sai Baba, Indian guru, spiritual figure (b. 1926)
- 2011 – Marie-France Pisier, French actress (b. 1944)
[edit] Holidays and observances
[edit] External links
