March 24 Explained
was the 365th and last day of the year in many European implementations of the Julian calendar.
Events
- 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus.
- 1603 - James VI of Scotland also becomes James I King of England.
- 1731 - Naturalization of Hieronimus de Salis Parliamentary Act is passed.
- 1765 - American Revolutionary War: The Kingdom of Great Britain passes the Quartering Act that requires the Thirteen Colonies to house British troops.
- 1832 - In Hiram, Ohio a group of men beat, tar and feather Mormon leader Joseph Smith, Jr..
- 1837 - Canada gives African men the right to vote.
- 1868 - Metropolitan Life Insurance Company is formed.
- 1878 - The British frigate sinks, killing more than 300.
- 1882 - Robert Koch announces the discovery of the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis (mycobacterium tuberculosis).
- 1900 - New York City Mayor Robert Anderson Van Wyck breaks ground for a new underground "Rapid Transit Railroad" that would link Manhattan and Brooklyn.
- 1907 - The first issue of the Georgian Bolshevik newspaper Dro is published.
- 1923 - Greece becomes a republic.
- 1934 - U.S. Congress passes the Tydings-McDuffie Act allowing the Philippines to become a self-governing commonwealth.
- 1936 - The longest game in NHL history was played between Detroit and Montreal. Detroit scored at 16:30 of the sixth overtime and won the game 1-0.
- 1944 - Ardeatine Massacre: German troops kill 335 Italian civilians in Rome.
- 1944 - World War II: In an event later dramatized in the movie The Great Escape, 76 prisoners begin breaking out of Stalag Luft III.
- 1958 - Elvis Presley is officially inducted into the U.S.Army.
- 1959 - The Party of the African Federation (PFA) is launched by Léopold Sédar Senghor and Modibo Keita.
- 1965 - NASA spacecraft Ranger 9, equipped to convert its signals into a form suitable for showing on domestic television, brings images of the Moon into ordinary homes before crash landing.
- 1972 - The United Kingdom imposes "Direct Rule" over Northern Ireland.
- 1973 - Kenyan track runner Kip Keino defeats Jim Ryun at the first-ever professional track meet in Los Angeles, California.
- 1976 - Argentina's military forces depose president Isabel Perón and start the National Reorganization Process.
- 1980 - Archbishop Óscar Romero is killed by right-wing terrorists while celebrating Mass in San Salvador.
- 1986 - Loscoe gas explosion- started UK law on landfill gas migration and gas protection on landfill sites.
- 1989 - Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Prince William Sound in Alaska, the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (42,000 m³) of petroleum after running aground.
- 1998 - Jonesboro massacre: Two students, ages 11 and 13, fire upon teachers and students at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas; five people are dead and ten are wounded.
- 1998 - A tornado sweeps through Dantan in India killing 250 people and injuring 3000 others.
- 1999 - Kosovo War: NATO commences air bombardment against Yugoslavia, marking the first time NATO has attacked a sovereign country.
- 1999 - Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire: 39 people die when a Belgian transport truck carrying flour and margarine caught fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel.
- 2003 - The Arab League votes 21-1 in favor of a resolution demanding the immediate and unconditional removal of U.S. and British soldiers from Iraq.
- 2006 - Long-term protests in Belarus are broken by police.
- 2006 - Pope Benedict XVI adds 15 men to the College of Cardinals, in the first consistory of his Pontificate.
- 2007 - The Australian Labor Party is reinstated after the New South Wales state elections.
- 2008 - Bhutan officially becomes a democracy, with its first ever general election.
Births
- 1494 - Georg Agricola, German scientist (d. 1555)
- 1607 - Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (d. 1667)
- 1628 - Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1685)
- 1657 - Arai Hakuseki, Japanese writer and politician (d. 1725)
- 1693 - John Harrison, British clockmaker (d. 1776)
- 1725 - Samuel Ashe, Governor of North Carolina (d. 1813)
- 1725 - Thomas Cushing, American Continental Congressman and acting Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1788)
- 1755 - Rufus King, American politician (d. 1827)
- 1782 - Orest Kiprensky, Russian painter (d. 1836)
- 1796 - John Corry Wilson Daly, Canadian politician (d. 1878)
- 1808 - Maria Malibran, Spanish-French singer (d. 1836)
- 1809 - Mariano José de Larra, Spanish journalist and writer (d. 1837)
- 1809 - Joseph Liouville, French mathematician (d. 1882)
- 1820 - A. E. Becquerel, French physicist (d. 1891)
- 1820 - Fanny Crosby, American hymnist (d. 1915)
- 1828 - Horace Gray, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1902)
- 1829 - George Francis Train, American businessman (d. 1904)
- 1829 - Ignacio Zaragoza, Mexican general (d. 1862)
- 1830 - Robert Hamerling, Austrian poet (d. 1889)
- 1834 - William Morris, English writer and designer (d. 1896)
- 1834 - John Wesley Powell, American explorer and environmentalist (d. 1902)
- 1835 - Jožef Stefan, Slovenian physicist (d. 1893)
- 1848 - Honoré Beaugrand, Quebec journalist and newspaper publisher (La Patrie) (d. 1906)
- 1850 - Silas Hocking, British novelist and preacher (d. 1935)
- 1855 - Andrew Mellon, American financier (d. 1937)
- 1855 - Olive Schreiner, South African writer (d. 1920)
- 1874 - Harry Houdini, (Weisz Erik), Hungarian-born magician (d. 1926)
- 1884 - Peter Debye, Dutch chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1966)
- 1884 - Eugène Cardinal Tisserant, French Cardinal and Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals
- 1886 - Athenagoras I, Greek Patriarch of Constantinople (d. 1972)
- 1886 - Edward Weston, American photographer (d. 1958)
- 1887 - Roscoe Arbuckle, American actor (d. 1933)
- 1888 - Viktor Kingissepp, Estonian Bolshevik politician (d. 1922)
- 1889 - Albert Hill, British athlete (d. 1969)
- 1891 - Sergey Ivanovich Vavilov, Soviet physicist (d. 1951)
- 1893 - George Sisler, American baseball player (d. 1973)
- 1893 - Walter Baade, German astronomer (d. 1960)
- 1897 - Wilhelm Reich, Austrian-born psychotherapist (d. 1957)
- 1901 - Ub Iwerks, American cartoonist (d. 1971)
- 1902 - Thomas Dewey, American politician (d. 1971)
- 1903 - Adolf Butenandt, German chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1995)
- 1903 - Malcolm Muggeridge, British author and scholar (d. 1990)
- 1905 - Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino writer and diplomat (d. 2007)
- 1906 - Klavdiya Shulzhenko, Soviet singer (d. 1984)
- 1907 - Paul Sauvé, Quebec politician (d. 1960)
- 1909 - Clyde Barrow, American crime figure (d. 1934)
- 1910 - Richard Conte, American actor (d. 1975)
- 1911 - Joseph Barbera, American cartoonist (d. 2006)
- 1915 - Gorgeous George, American professional wrestler (d. 1963)
- 1916 - Donald Hamilton, Swedish-American novelist (d. 2006)
- 1917 - John Kendrew, British molecular biologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1997)
- 1917 - Constantine Andreou, Greek-Brazilian artist (d. 2007)
- 1919 - Lawrence Ferlinghetti, American author and publisher
- 1919 - Robert Heilbroner, American economist (d. 2005)
- 1920 - Gene Nelson, American actor (d. 1996)
- 1921 - Vasily Smyslov, Russian chess player
- 1922 - Onna White, Canadian choreographer (d. 2005)
- 1923 - Murray Hamilton, American actor (d. 1986)
- 1924 - Norman Fell, American actor (d. 1998)
- 1925 - Puig Aubert, French rugby league footballer (d. 1994)
- 1926 - Dario Fo, Italian writer, Nobel laureate
- 1926 - Desmond Cardinal Connell, Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of Dublin
- 1927 - Martin Walser, German author
- 1928 - Byron Janis, American pianist
- 1930 - David Dacko, 1st President of the Central African Republic (d. 2003)
- 1930 - Agustín González, Spanish actor (d. 2005)
- 1930 - Steve McQueen, American actor (d. 1980)
- 1934 - William Smith, American actor
- 1935 - Peter Bichsel, Swiss writer
- 1936 - David Suzuki, Canadian scientist and environmentalist
- 1937 - Billy Stewart, American singer (d. 1970)
- 1938 - Holger Czukay, German musician (Can)
- 1938 - David Irving, British historian
- 1940 - Bob Mackie, American fashion designer
- 1940 - Don Jardine, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 2006)
- 1944 - R. Lee Ermey, American actor
- 1944 - Vojislav Koštunica, Serbian Prime Minister
- 1945 - Robert T. Bakker, American paleontologist
- 1945 - Curtis Hanson, American film director
- 1946 - Klaus Dinger, German musician (Neu!, Kraftwerk)
- 1947 - Christine Gregoire, American politician, current governor of Washington
- 1947 - Meiko Kaji, Japanese singer and actress
- 1947 - Alan Sugar, English businessman
- 1948 - Jerzy Kukuczka, Polish mountaineer, second person to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders (d. 1989)
- 1949 - Nick Lowe, British musician
- 1949 - Ruud Krol, Dutch footballer
- 1951 - Pat Bradley, American golfer
- 1951 - Tommy Hilfiger, American fashion designer
- 1951 - Dougie Thomson, British bassist (Supertramp)
- 1954 - Robert Carradine, American actor
- 1954 - Donna Pescow, American actress
- 1955 - Doug Jarvis, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1957 - Pierre Harvey, Canadian cyclist and cross-country skier
- 1958 - Mike Woodson, American basketball player and head coach
- 1960 - Kelly LeBrock, American actress
- 1960 - Barry Horowitz, American professional wrestler
- 1960 - Nena, German pop singer
- 1960 - Scott Pruett, American race car driver
- 1961 - Dean Jones, Australian cricketer
- 1962 - Star Jones Reynolds, American television personality
- 1962 - Angèle Dubeau, Canadian violinist
- 1964 - Annabella Sciorra, American actress
- 1965 - Peter Jacobson, American actor
- 1965 - Gurmit Singh, Singaporean actor
- 1965 - The Undertaker, American professional wrestler
- 1969 - Houston, American pornographic actress
- 1970 - Lara Flynn Boyle, American actress
- 1970 - Sharon Corr, Irish musician (The Corrs)
- 1970 - Judith Draxler, Austrian swimmer
- 1970 - Mike Vanderjagt, Canadian football player
- 1971 - Megyn Price, American actress
- 1972 - Steve Karsay, American baseball player
- 1973 - Jacek Bąk, Polish footballer
- 1973 - Philippe Boucher, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1973 - Steve Corica, Australian soccer player
- 1974 - Chad Butler, American drummer (Switchfoot)
- 1974 - Alyson Hannigan, American actress
- 1975 - Thomas Johansson, Swedish tennis player
- 1975 - Krisdayanti, Indonesian singer, actress and diva
- 1976 - Aaron Brooks, American football player
- 1976 - Aliou Cissé, Senegalese footballer
- 1976 - Athanasios Kostoulas, Greek footballer
- 1976 - Peyton Manning, American football player
- 1977 - Corneille, Canadian-Rwandan singer
- 1977 - Darren Lockyer, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1978 - Michael Braun, Australian rules footballer
- 1979 - Lake Bell, American actress
- 1979 - Emraan Hashmi, Indian actor
- 1979 - Norris Hopper, American baseball player
- 1979 - Periklis Iakovakis, Greek athlete
- 1979 - Graeme Swann, English cricketer
- 1980 - Tassos Venetis, Greek footballer
- 1981 - Ron Hainsey, American ice hockey player
- 1982 - Corey Hart, American baseball player
- 1982 - Dustin McGowan, American baseball player
- 1982 - Nivea, American singer
- 1983 - T. J. Ford, American basketball player
- 1984 - Chris Bosh, American basketball player
- 1984 - Adrian D'Souza, Indian Field Hockey player
- 1985 - Haruka Ayase, Japanese actress and model
- 1986 - Kohei Hirate, Japanese racing driver
- 1986 - Anthony McMahon, English footballer
- 1988 - Ryan Higgins, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1990 - Keisha Castle-Hughes, Australian-born New Zealand actress
Deaths
- 809 - Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph (b. 763)
- 1284 - King Hugh III of Cyprus
- 1381 - Saint Catharine of Sweden, Swedish saint
- 1396 - Walter Hilton, English mystic
- 1455 - Pope Nicholas V (b. 1397)
- 1558 - Anna of Egmond, Countess of Egmond and Buren (b. 1533)
- 1563 - Hosokawa Harumoto, Japanese military leader (b. 1514)
- 1575 - Yosef Karo, Spanish-born rabbi (b. 1488)
- 1603 - Queen Elizabeth I of England (b. 1533)
- 1653 - Samuel Scheidt, German composer (b. 1587)
- 1773 - Philip Dormer Stanhope, English statesman (b. 1694)
- 1776 - John Harrison, English clockmaker (b. 1693)
- 1869 - Antoine-Henri Jomini, French general (b. 1779)
- 1881 - Joseph Delesse, French geologist (b. 1817)
- 1882 - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American author (b. 1807)
- 1887 - Ivan Kramskoi, Russian painter and art critic (b. 1837)
- 1888 - Vsevolod Garshin, Russian author (b. 1855)
- 1905 - Jules Verne, French author (b. 1828)
- 1909 - John Millington Synge, Irish playwright (b. 1871)
- 1915 - Karol Olszewski, Polish scientist (b. 1846)
- 1916 - Enrique Granados, Spanish composer (b. 1867)
- 1921 - Larry McLean, Canadian baseball player (b. 1881)
- 1944 - Orde Wingate, British soldier (b. 1903)
- 1946 - Alexander Alekhine, Russian chess player (b. 1892)
- 1948 - Sigrid Hjertén, Swedish modernist painter (b. 1885)
- 1950 - James Rudolph Garfield, American politician (b. 1865)
- 1953 - Mary of Teck, queen consort to George V of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)
- 1962 - Jean Goldkette, Greek-born musician (b. 1899)
- 1962 - Auguste Piccard, Swiss physicist and explorer (b. 1884)
- 1968 - Alice Guy-Blaché, American film director (b. 1873)
- 1976 - Bernard Montgomery, British field marshal (b. 1887)
- 1980 - Óscar Romero, Salvadoran Catholic archbishop (b. 1917)
- 1984 - Sam Jaffe, American actor (b. 1891)
- 1990 - Ray Goulding, American comedian (b. 1922)
- 1990 - An Wang, Chinese-born computer engineer (b. 1920)
- 1991 - Sir John Kerr, Australian politician (b. 1914)
- 1993 - John Hersey, American author (b. 1914)
- 1995 - Joseph Needham, British academic and sinologist (b. 1900)
- 1997 - Martin Caidin, American aviation writer (b. 1927)
- 1997 - Harold Melvin, American singer (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes) (b. 1939)
- 1999 - Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, German women's activist (b. 1902)
- 1999 - Birdie Tebbetts, American baseball player and manager (b. 1912)
- 2001 - Muriel Young, English TV entertainer (b. 1928)
- 2002 - César Milstein, Argentine scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1927)
- 2003 - Hans Hermann Groër, Austrian Catholic archbishop (b. 1919)
- 2006 - Lynne Perrie, English actress (b. 1931)
- 2008 - Chalmers "Spanky" Alford, American guitarist (b. 1955)
- 2008 - Neil Aspinall, British record producer (b. 1941)
- 2008 - Richard Widmark, American actor (b. 1914)
- 2008 - Hal Riney, American advertising executive (b. 1932)
Holidays and observances
External links
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