October 24
October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 68 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
- 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus, the commander of the Danube armies, loyal to Vespasian, defeat the forces of Emperor Vitellius.
- 1260 - The spectacular Cathedral of Chartres is dedicated in the presence of King Louis IX of France; the cathedral is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- 1260 - Saif ad-Din Qutuz, Mamluk sultan of Egypt, is assassinated by Baibars, who seizes power for himself.
- 1360 - The Treaty of Brétigny is ratified at Calais, marking the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years' War.
- 1593 - Alleged teleportation of Gil Perez.
- 1648 - The Peace of Westphalia is signed, marking the end of the Thirty Years' War.
- 1795 - Partitions of Poland: The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is completely divided between Austria, Prussia and Russia
- 1812 - Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Maloyaroslavets takes place near Moscow.
- 1857 - Sheffield F.C., the world's first football club, is founded in Sheffield, England.
- 1861 - The First Transcontinental Telegraph line across the United States is completed, spelling the end for the 18-month-old Pony Express.
- 1901 - Annie Edson Taylor becomes the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.
- 1911 - Orville Wright remained in the air 9 minutes and 45 seconds in a glider at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina setting a new world record that stood for 10 years.
- 1912 - First Balkan War: The Battle of Kumanovo concludes with the Serbian victory.
- 1917 - Battle of Caporetto starts on the Austro-Italian front of World War I
- 1917 - The day of the October revolution, The Red Revolution.
- 1926 - Harry Houdini's last performance, which was at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.
- 1929 - "Black Thursday" stock market crash on the New York Stock Exchange.
- 1930 - A bloodless coup d'état in Brazil ousts Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa, the last President of the First Republic. Getúlio Dornelles Vargas is then installed as "provisional president."
- 1931 - The George Washington Bridge opens to public traffic.
- 1935 - Italy invades Ethiopia
- 1944 - World War II: The Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku, and the battleship Musashi are sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
- 1945 - Founding of the United Nations
- 1946 - A camera on board the V-2 No. 13 rocket takes the first photograph of earth from outer space.
- 1947 - Walt Disney testifies to the House Un-American Activities Committee, naming Disney employees he believes to be communists.
- 1954 - Dwight D. Eisenhower pledges United States support to South Vietnam
- 1957 - The USAF starts the X-20 Dyna-Soar program.
- 1960 - Nedelin catastrophe: An R-16 ballistic missile explodes on the launch pad at the Soviet Union's Baikonur Cosmodrome space facility, killing over 100. Among the dead is Field Marshall Mitrofan Nedelin, whose death is reported to have occurred in a plane crash
- 1964 - Northern Rhodesia gains independence from the United Kingdom and becomes the Republic of Zambia (Southern Rhodesia remained a colony)
- 1973 - Yom Kippur War ends
- 1977 - Veterans Day is observed on the fourth Monday in October for the seventh and last time. (The holiday is once again observed on November 11 beginning the following year.)
- 1980 - Government of Poland legalizes Solidarity trade union
- 1986 - Nezar Hindawi is sentenced to 45 years in prison, the longest sentence handed down by a British court, for the attempted bombing on an El Al flight at Heathrow. After the verdict, the United Kingdom breaks diplomatic relations with Syria, claiming that Hindawi was helped by Syrian officials.
- 1990 - Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti reveals to the Italian parliament the existence of Gladio, the Italian "stay-behind" clandestine paramilitary NATO army.
- 1995 - A total solar eclipse is visible from Iran, India, Thailand, and SE Asia.
- 1998 - Launch of Deep Space 1 comet/asteroid mission
- 2002 - Police arrest spree killers John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, ending the Beltway sniper attacks in the area around Washington, DC.
- 2003 - Concorde makes its last commercial flight.
- 2004 - 10 people, including 4 family members of Rick Hendrick, are killed in a plane crash near Martinsville Speedway. The plane was owned by NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports.
- 2006 - Justice Rutherford of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice struck down the "motive clause", an important part of the Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act.
Births
- 51 - Domitian, Roman Emperor (d. 96)
- 1378 - David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay, heir to the throne of Scotland (d. 1402)
- 1632 - Anton van Leeuwenhoek, Dutch microbiologist (d. 1723)
- 1675 - Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham, English soldier and politician (d. 1749)
- 1710 - Alban Butler, English Catholic priest and writer (d. 1773)
- 1763 - Dorothea von Schlegel, German novelist (d. 1839)
- 1788 - Sarah Josepha Hale, American poet (d. 1879)
- 1804 - Wilhelm Eduard Weber, German physicist (d. 1891)
- 1811 - Ferdinand Hiller, German composer (d. 1885)
- 1854 - Hendrik Willem Bakhuis Roozeboom, Dutch chemist (d. 1907)
- 1855 - James S. Sherman, Vice President of the United States (d. 1912)
- 1857 - Ned Williamson, American baseball player (d. 1894)
- 1868 - Alexandra David-Néel, French explorer and writer (d. 1969)
- 1872 - Peter O'Connor, Irish athlete (d. 1957)
- 1875 - Konstantin Yuon, Russian painter (d. 1958)
- 1882 - Dame Sybil Thorndike, British actress (d. 1976)
- 1887 - Octave Lapize, French cyclist (d. 1917)
- 1887 - Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, Queen of Spain (d. 1969)
- 1891 - Rafael Molina-Trujillo, President of the Dominican Republic (d. 1961)
- 1894 - Bibhutibhushan Mukhopadhyay, Bengali author (d. 1987)
- 1896 - Jack Warner, English actor (d. 1981)
- 1901 - Gilda Gray, Polish-born American actress and dancer (d. 1959)
- 1903 - Melvin Purvis, American FBI agent (d. 1960)
- 1904 - Moss Hart, American dramatist (d. 1961)
- 1906 - Alexander Gelfond, Russian mathematician (d. 1968)
- 1909 - Bill Carr, American athlete (d. 1966)
- 1911 - Sonny Terry, American blues musician (d. 1986)
- 1911 - Paul Grégoire, French Canadian archbishop of Montreal (d. 1993)
- 1913 - Tito Gobbi, Italian baritone (d. 1984)
- 1915 - Bob Kane, American cartoonist (d. 1998)
- 1915 - Roger Milliken, American millionaire
- 1915 - Marghanita Laski, British Journalist and Novelist(d. 1988)
- 1919 - Frank Piasecki, American aeronautical engineer (d. 2008)
- 1920 - Marcel-Paul Schützenberger, French mathematician (d. 1996)
- 1923 - Denise Levertov, English-born poet (d. 1997)
- 1925 - Luciano Berio, Italian composer (d. 2003)
- 1926 - Y. A. Tittle, American football player
- 1926 - Rafael Azcona, Spanish screenwriter (d. 2008)
- 1927 - Jean-Claude Pascal, French singer and actor (d. 1992)
- 1927 - Gilbert Bécaud, French composer and actor (d. 2001)
- 1929 - George Crumb, American composer
- 1929 - Yordan Radichkov, Bulgarian writer (d. 2004)
- 1929 - Hubert Aquin, French-Canadian novelist and activist (d. 1977)
- 1930 - J.P. Richardson, The Big Bopper, American singer (d. 1959)
- 1930 - Johan Galtung, Norwegian peace researcher
- 1930 - Sultan Ahmad Shah, King of Malaysia
- 1931 - Sofia Gubaidulina, Russian composer
- 1932 - Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
- 1932 - Robert Mundell, Canadian economist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1933 - Ronald and Reginald Kray, British gangsters (Ronald d. 1995; Reginald d. 2000)
- 1933 - Norman Rush, American writer
- 1935 - Malcolm Bilson, American pianist and music professor
- 1936 - Bill Wyman, English musician (The Rolling Stones)
- 1937 - Santo Farina, American musician and composer (Santo & Johnny)
- 1939 - F. Murray Abraham, American actor
- 1940 - Martin Campbell, New Zealand film director
- 1941 - William H. Dobelle, American biomedical engineer
- 1943 - Bill Dundee, American professional wrestler
- 1944 - Viktor Prokopenko, Ukranian footballer and coach (d. 2007)
- 1945 - Anthony Christian, English artist
- 1945 - Gérald Larose, Quebec labour union executive
- 1946 - Jerry Edmonton, Canadian drummer (d. 1993) (Steppenwolf)
- 1947 - Kevin Kline, American actor
- 1948 - Paul and Barry Ryan, British composers-singers
- 1948 - Kweisi Mfume, American politician and activist
- 1949 - Robert Pickton, Canadian charged with the first degree murder of twenty-six women
- 1950 - Steven Greenberg, American composer
- 1950 - Rawly Eastwick, American baseball player
- 1954 - Brad Sherman, American politician
- 1954 - Thomas J. Mulcair, Quebec politician
- 1954 - Mike Rounds, American politician
- 1954 - Jozef Ráž, Slovak musician
- 1956 - Dale Maharidge, American author
- 1957 - Ron Gardenhire, German-born American baseball manager
- 1957 - John Kassir, American actor and comedian
- 1960 - Ian Baker-Finch, Australian golfer
- 1960 - B.D. Wong, American actor
- 1960 - Jaime Garzón, Colombian journalist and comedian (d. 1999)
- 1960 - Joachim "Jo" Winkelhock, German race car driver
- 1961 - Mary Bono, American politician
- 1961 - Dave Meltzer, American wrestling journalist
- 1962 - Dave Blaney, American race car driver
- 1962 - Jay Novacek, American football player
- 1963 - John Hendrie, Scottish footballer
- 1965 - Kyriakos Velopoulos, Greek politician
- 1966 - Roman Abramovich, Russian oil magnate
- 1967 - Jacqueline McKenzie, Australian actress
- 1968 - Robert Wilonsky, American journalist
- 1969 - Adela Noriega, Mexican actress
- 1970 - Rob Leslie-Carter, British Engineer and Project Manager
- 1971 - Dervla Kirwan, Irish actress
- 1971 - Caprice Bourret, American model and actress
- 1972 - Kim Ji-soo, South Korean actress
- 1972 - Scott Peterson, American murderer
- 1972 - Pat Williams, American football player
- 1973 - Levi Leipheimer, American cyclist
- 1973 - Madlib, American musician and rapper
- 1973 - Mike Matthews, American baseball player
- 1973 - Jackie McNamara, Scottish footballer
- 1973 - Jeff Wilson, New Zealand rugby player/Cricketer
- 1974 - Wilton Guerrero, Dominican baseball player
- 1974 - Corey Dillon, American football player
- 1974 - Jamal Mayers, Professional Hockey Player
- 1975 - Juan Pablo Ángel, Colombian footballer
- 1976 - Petar Stoychev, Bulgarian swimmer
- 1977 - Iván Kaviedes, Ecuadoran footballer
- 1978 - Carlos Edwards, Trinidadian footballer
- 1978 - Justin Lee Brannan, American musician
- 1979 - Ben Gillies, Australian musician (Silverchair)
- 1980 - James Killian, American football player
- 1980 - Monica, American singer
- 1980 - Matthew Amoah, Ghanaian footballer
- 1980 - Zac Posen, American fashion designer
- 1981 - Mallika Sherawat, Indian actress
- 1981 - Tila Tequila, American model
- 1982 - Mohamed Fairuz Fauzy, Malaysian racing driver
- 1982 - Macay McBride, American baseball player
- 1983 - Brian Vickers, American race car driver
- 1983 - Adrienne Bailon, American actress and singer
- 1983 - Keyshia Cole, American singer
- 1984 - Kaela Kimura, Japanese model and singer
- 1985 - Wayne Rooney, English footballer
- 1986 - Aubrey Graham, Canadian actor and rapper
- 1986 - John Ruddy, English footballer
- 1987 - Charlie White, American ice dancer
- 1987 - Anthony Vanden Borre, Belgian footballer
- 1987 - Lincoln Lewis, Australian actor
- 1989 - Eliza Taylor-Cotter, Australian actress
- 1992 - Dominic Luciano, American Pop Rock Artist/Pianist
Deaths
- 996 - King Hugh Capet of France (b. 938)
- 1260 - Saif ad-Din Qutuz, Mamluk sultan of Egypt
- 1375 - King Valdemar IV of Denmark (bc. 1320)
- 1537 - Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII of England
- 1572 - Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby, English politician (bc. 1508)
- 1601 - Tycho Brahe, Danish astronomer (b. 1546)
- 1655 - Pierre Gassendi, French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist (b. 1592)
- 1669 - William Prynne, English Puritan leader (b. 1600)
- 1672 - John Webb, English architect (b. 1611)
- 1708 - Kowa Seki, Japanese mathematician
- 1725 - Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer (b. 1660)
- 1799 - Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Austrian composer (b. 1739)
- 1821 - Elias Boudinot, American President of the Continental Congress (b. 1740)
- 1852 - Daniel Webster, American lawyer and politician (b. 1782)
- 1875 - Raffaello Carboni, Italian writer
- 1898 - Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, French painter (b. 1824)
- 1912 - Mykola Lysenko, Ukrainian composer (b. 1842)
- 1915 - Désiré Charnay, French archaeologist (b. 1828)
- 1922 - George Cadbury, British chocolate and cocoa manufacturer (b. 1839)
- 1935 - Dutch Schultz, American gangster (b. 1902)
- 1938 - Ernst Barlach, German sculptor (b. 1870)
- 1943 - Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau, French Canadian poet (b. 1912)
- 1944 - Louis Renault, French automobile manufacturer (b. 1877)
- 1945 - Vidkun Quisling, Norwegian soldier, politician and convicted traitor, by execution (b. 1887)
- 1948 - Franz Lehár, Austrian composer (b. 1870)
- 1966 - Sofya Yanovskaya, Russian mathematician (b. 1896)
- 1971 - Carl Ruggles, American composer (b. 1876)
- 1972 - Jackie Robinson, American baseball player, and the first black player in Major League Baseball (b. 1919)
- 1972 - Claire Windsor, American actress (b. 1897)
- 1974 - David Oistrakh, Ukrainian violinist (b. 1908)
- 1975 - Zdzisław Żygulski, Sr., Polish literary historian (b. 1888)
- 1985 - Richie Evans, American NASCAR driver (b. 1941)
- 1985 - Maurice Roy, Archbishop of Quebec, (b. 1905)
- 1991 - Gene Roddenberry, American television producer (b. 1921)
- 1994 - Raúl Juliá, Puerto Rican actor (b. 1940)
- 1997 - Don Messick, American voice actor (b. 1926)
- 2001 - Wolf Rüdiger Hess, German neo-Nazi (b. 1937)
- 2002 - Herman Gaviria, Colombian football player (b. 1969)
- 2002 - Winton M. Blount, United States Postmaster General (b. 1921)
- 2002 - Harry Hay, American activist (b. 1912)
- 2003 - Rosie Nix Adams, Stepdaughter of Johnny Cash (b. 1958)
- 2004 - Randy Dorton, American race car crew member (b. 1954)
- 2004 - Ricky Hendrick, American race car team owner (b. 1980)
- 2004 - James Cardinal Hickey, American Catholic archbishop (b. 1920)
- 2005 - José Azcona del Hoyo, President of Honduras (b. 1926)
- 2005 - Robert Sloman, writer (b. 1926)
- 2005 - Rosa Parks, American civil rights activist (b. 1913)
- 2005 - Immanuel C.Y. Hsu, scholar of modern Chinese intellectual and diplomatic history (b. 1923)
- 2005 - Mokarrameh Ghanbari, Iranian painter (b. 1928)
- 2006 - Enolia McMillan, American civil rights activist (b. 1904)
- 2006 - William Montgomery Watt, Islamic studies scholar, orientalist and historian (b. 1909)
- 2007 - Petr Eben, Czech organ composer (b. 1929)
- 2007 - Alisher Saipov, Kyrgyz journalist
- 2007 - Ian Middleton, New Zealand novelist (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances
- French Republican Calendar - Poire (Pear) Day, third day in the Month of Brumaire
- Zambia - Independence Day (1964)
- United Nations Day (charter 1945)
- Discordianism - Maladay
- Diwali - 2008