This Day in History
October 24

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/
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What happened in history on this day: October 24?

On October 24 in ...

  • 1273 - Rudolf I is crowned in Aachen as the German King.
  • 1537 - Jane Seymour third wife of Henry VIII, dies.
  • 1601 - Tycho Brahe astronomer, dies in Prague at age 54.
  • 1632 - Birth of Antony van Leeuwenhoek Hol, naturalist (Philosophical Transactions).
  • 1648 - (1400 hours) At Münster, the final peace treaties of Westphalia are signed, ending the Thirty Years War in Europe. Sweden gains territory controlling mouths of three German rivers: Oder, Elbe, and Weser. The King of Sweden adds the titles of duke of Bremen-Verden, duke of Pomerania, prince of Rügen, and lord of Wismar.
  • 1655 - Pierre Gassendi French philosopher, dies at age 63.
  • 1695 - Friedrich Wilhelm III orders the construction of a palace for his wife Sophie Charlotte.
  • 1788 - Birth of Sarah Josepha Hale; author (Mary Had a Little Lamb).
  • 1795 - Third partition of Poland, between Austria, Prussia, and Russia.
  • 1812 - Battle of Maloyaroslavets, small victory for Napoleon's forces.
  • 1821 - Death of Elias Boudinot in Burlington, New Jersey, USA; US Mint Director (1795-1805), member of New Jersey Provincial Congress (1775), President of Continental Congress (1782-1783), signed peace treaty with Great Britain, member of House of Representatives (1789-1795), co-founded American Bible Society (1816), President of American Bible Society.
  • 1836 - The match is patented.
  • 1851 - William Lassell discovers Ariel and Umbriel, satellites of Uranus.
  • 1852 - Death of Daniel Webster in Marshfield, Massachusetts, USA; lawyer, Representative (1813-17, 1823-27), US Senator (1827-41, 1843-50), Secretary of State (1841-43, 1850-52), presidential candidate (1852).
  • 1856 - Constitution of South Australia is adopted.
  • 1857 - World's first soccer club, Sheffield F.C., is founded in England.
  • 1861 - First transcontinental telegram is sent.
  • 1871 - Mob in Los Angeles, California, hangs 18 Chinese.
  • 1882 - Birth of Sybil Thorndike in England; actress (Saint Joan).
  • 1889 - Softball rules adopted by Mid Winter Indoor Baseball League.
  • 1890 - Birth of Chicago Mainbocher; uniform designer (Red Cross, Girl Scouts, Waves).
  • 1897 - First comic strip in a newspaper, "The Yellow Kid" by Richard Outcault in New York Journal.
  • 1901 - Annie Edson Taylor, a 63-year-old schoolteacher, becomes the first person to take the plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Taylor reaches the shore alive, about 20 minutes after being let loose in her barrel from a small boat.
  • 1903 - First trotter to run a mile under two minutes (Lou Dillon 1:58.1).
  • 1903 - George Sutton becomes billiard champ.
  • 1904 - Birth of Moss Hart in Bronx, New York, USA; playwright (You can't Take it With You, Act 1).
  • 1911 - Birth of Clarence M Kelley; FBI head.
  • 1911 - Robert Scott's expedition leaves Cape Evans for South Pole.
  • 1916 - French forces re-capture Fort Douaumont from the Germans.
  • 1923 - Birth of Denise Levertov; American poet/essayist (Joy Beneath the Skin).
  • 1925 - Birth of Teri Keane in New York City, New York, USA; radio actor (CBS Radio Mystery Theater (1974-82), Life Can be Beautiful, The Second Mrs. Burton), TV actor (Loving, Ryan's Hope, All My Children, One Life to Live, The Edge of Night, Guiding Light, Young Dr. Malone, The Road of Life, As the World Turns, Search for Tomorrow, Kitty Foyle).
  • 1925 - Birth of Luciano Berio in Oneglia, Italy; composer (Chemins).
  • 1926 - Magician Harry Houdini performs in Detroit, Michigan, but collapses during intermissions from stomach pain.
  • 1929 - Birth of George Crumb in Charleston, West Virginia, USA; composer (Pulitzer Prize 1968 - Echoes of Time).
  • 1929 - Birth of James Brosnan; baseball player/writer (The Long Season).
  • 1929 - First day of New York stock market crash, Black Thursday.
  • 1929 - Song "Happy Days are Here Again" is published in the USA.
  • 1930 - Birth of Jiles Perry Richardson AKA The Big Bopper in Texas, USA; singer-songwriter, disc jockey.
  • 1931 - The George Washington Bridge connecting New York to New Jersey is dedicated.
  • 1936 - Birth of Bill Wyman in England; rocker (Rolling Stones - "Under My Thumb").
  • 1936 - Birth of David Nelson in New York City, New York, USA; actor/producer (Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Peyton Place).
  • 1938 - Birth of Fred E Finn in San Francisco, California, USA; pianist (Mickie Finn's).
  • 1939 - Nylon stockings go on sale for first time (Wilmington, Delaware, USA).
  • 1939 - Birth of F. Murray Abraham; actor (Dead Man's Walk, Marco Polo, How to Survive a Marriage, Amadeus, Mad Man).
  • 1940 - Adolf Hitler meets with Marshal Pétain at Montoire, France. Pétain agrees to collaborate against Britain, in return for compensation in Africa and a high place in the New Europe.
  • 1940 - 40 hour work week goes into effect in US (Fair Labor Standards of 1938).
  • 1940 - Japan eliminates US terms (strike, play ball) from baseball.
  • 1943 - Anti-Nazi Clandestine Radio Soldatsender Calais begins transmitting.
  • 1945 - United Nations Charter becomes effective.
  • 1945 - In Akershus, Norway, Vidkun Quisling is executed.
  • 1946 - Birth of Jerry Edmonton in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada; drummer (Sparrow, Steppenwolf - "Born to Be Wild", "Magic Carpet Ride").
  • 1947 - Birth of Kevin Kline in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; actor (Sophie's Choice, The Big Chill, Search for Tomorrow).
  • 1947 - Series of forest fires burn US$30 million of timber (New England States).
  • 1948 - Birth of James Whitmore Junior; director (NCIS, Cold Case, 24).
  • 1951 - Birth of Todd Crespi in Frankfurt, Germany; actor (The Magician).
  • 1951 - United Nations Postal Administration issues its first postage stamps.
  • 1952 - Arab Liberation Movement becomes the only party of Syria.
  • 1953 - Birth of James di Donato; twin who swam the butterfly 406 miles.
  • 1953 - Birth of Jonathan di Donato; twin who swam the butterfly 406 miles.
  • 1953 - Birth of Billy Thomas; country musician (Terry McBride and the Ride).
  • 1954 - Birth of Karen Austin; actress (Night Court, Murder One).
  • 1954 - Birth of Doug Davidson; actor/TV host (The Young and the Restless, The New Price is Right).
  • 1956 - Soviet troops invade Hungary.
  • 1957 - Christian Dior, French designer, dies at age 52 in Italy.
  • 1960 - Birth of B.D. Wong; actor (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit).
  • 1960 - Disaster on USSR launch pad, kills missile expert Nedelin and team (unconfirmed); USSR claims he was killed in plane crash.
  • 1961 - Dr Milan Stoyadinovich, Fascist Yugoslavia Prime Minister (1935-39), dies at age 73.
  • 1962 - During the American blockade of Cuba, Soviet tanker Bucharest approaches the quarantine zone. U.S. military forces go to DEFCON 2, preparing for full-scale war with the Soviet Union.
  • 1963 - Death of Beverly Wills at age 29 in a house fire at Palm Springs, California, USA; actress (Beverly Grossman - I Married Joan).
  • 1964 - Northern Rhodesia, renamed Zambia, gains independence.
  • 1966 - British crown colony of Basutoland becomes independent state of Lesotho.
  • 1970 - Salvador Allende Gossens elected president of Chile.
  • 1971 - Chuck Hughes, Detroit Lions' player, collapses during game and later dies.
  • 1971 - Harry Drake sets longest arrow flight by a footbow (1 mile 268 yards).
  • 1971 - Texas Stadium opens - Dallas Cowboys beat New England Patriots 44-21.
  • 1972 - Birth of Louis Michael Anthony in Sassin, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; rocker (4 Fun - "Unbelievable Fun").
  • 1972 - Jackie Robinson, major league baseball player (Brooklyn Dodgers 1947, Hall of Fame), dies of heart disease at age 53 at his home in Stamford, Connecticut.
  • 1973 - Allan "Rocky" Lane, actor (voice of Mr Ed, Red Ryder), dies at age 72.
  • 1973 - Heavy fog causes 65-car collision killing nine on New Jersey Turnpike.
  • 1973 - Yom Kippur War ends, Israel 65 miles from Cairo, Egypt, 26 miles from Damascus, Syria.
  • 1973 - CBS premieres the TV program Kojak, starring Telly Savalas.
  • 1974 - Billy Martin named American League Manager of the Year (Texas Rangers).
  • 1975 - Ismail Erez, Turkish ambassador, killed by car bomb in Paris, France.
  • 1978 - NHL Toronto Maple Leafs set own team record of 28 points versus New York Islanders.
  • 1979 - Guinness Book of Records presents Paul McCartney with a rhodium disc.
  • 1979 - Birth of Ben Gillies; rock musician (Silverchair).
  • 1980 - In central Mexico, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurs. At least 300 people killed, many injured, approximately 150,000 homeless and extensive damage in central Mexico.
  • 1980 - Polish government legalizes independent labor union Solidarity.
  • 1980 - Paul McCartney is honored by the Guinness Book of World Records for being the best-selling songwriter and recording artist in music history.
  • 1981 - Death of Deborah Baltzell of a heart attack at age 25; actress (Karen Hawks - "I'm a Big Girl Now" TV show).
  • 1982 - James Philbrook, actor (Islanders, Investigators), dies at age 58.
  • 1984 - German tennis star Steffi Graf plays her first professional tennis match.
  • 1984 - Eleven members of the Colombo crime family arrested.
  • 1984 - Intelsat 5 re-enters Earth's atmosphere five months after it failed.
  • 1984 - Walter Woolf King, actor/TV host (Lights Cameras Action), dies at age 85.
  • 1985 - Death of Virginia Culver; American Numismatic Association President.
  • 1987 - NBC technicians accept pact, end 118 day strike.
  • 1988 - New York Islanders' and NHL high scorer, Mike Bossy retires.
  • 1988 - Typhoon Ruby sinks Philippine ferry; hundreds drown.
  • 1989 - After a week's delay due to earthquake, World Series game three is played (World Series #86).
  • 1989 - Disgraced TV evangelist Jim Bakker is sentenced to 45 years in prison and fined $500,000 on 24 counts of fraud.
  • 1989 - Birth of Shenae Grimes; actress (Beverly Hills 90210 TV show).
  • 1991 - Death of Gene Roddenberry of a heart attack at age 70; American television producer (Star Trek).
  • 1992 - The Toronto Blue Jays win the World Series of baseball in six games, making them the first Canadian team to win.
  • 1994 - The animated TV series Gargoyles first airs.
  • 1994 - Death of Raul Julia of a cancer-related stroke at age 54; actor (The Addams Family movie, Raphael - Sesame Street TV show).
  • 1995 - A total solar eclipse is visible from Iran, India, Thailand, and Southeast Asia.
  • 1996 - Motown Records founder Berry Gordy receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
  • 1997 - Death of Don Messick of a stroke at age 62; voice actor (Astro - The Jetsons, Bamm Bamm - The Flintstones).
  • 2002 - Death of Tom Dowd of emphysema; American record producer (Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Cream, Lulu, Chicago, The Allman Brothers Band, The J. Geils Band, Meat Loaf, Sonny and Cher, Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, Kenny Loggins, Dusty Springfield, The Drifters, Otis Redding).
  • 2003 - The Concorde makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of airliner supersonic travel to a close.
  • 2004 - The bodies of 49 Iraqi soldiers are discovered after being ambushed by insurgents.
  • 2004 - Michael Schumacher wins his 7th Formula One World Drivers Championship, his 5th consecutive win, making him the most successful driver in the history of Formula One.
  • 2005 - Hurricane Wilma makes landfall in southwestern Florida as a category 3 hurricane.
  • 2005 - Death of José Azcona del Hoyo, President of Honduras (born 1926).
  • 2006 - Birth of world's youngest premature baby (22 weeks in the womb).
  • 2006 - Major League Baseball officials and the Players' Association announce a five-year collective bargaining agreement has been reached.
  • 2006 - Death of Enolia McMillan, first female president of the NAACP (born 1904).
  • 2007 - In the space of a few hours, Comet Holmes develops a coma and flares up to half a million times its former brightness, becoming visible to the naked eye. Its coma later becomes larger in volume than the Sun, making it the second comet to do so in 2007 after Comet McNaught.
  • 2007 - The Chinese National Space Administration launches its first space probe to the Moon, Chang'e-1, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
  • 2007 - The inaugural Caesars Palace Classic poker tournament is held at Caesars Palace casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. David Singer wins, collecting US$1 million.
  • 2007 - Merrill Lynch publishes its third quarter financial results, including a US$8.4 billion write-down resulting from bad mortgage loans. This is the company's first quarterly loss in six years.
  • 2008 - The International Monetary Fund reaches an agreement with Iceland for a US$2.1-billion loan package to help the country.
  • 2009 - A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hits deep under the sea off Indonesia's coast.
  • 2009 - The number of US bank failures this year has topped more than 100 after US federal regulators shut down three small Florida banks. More US banks have now failed this year than in any year since 1992.
  • 2012 - (to October 30) Hurricane Sandy kills at least 209 people in the Caribbean, Bahamas, United States and Canada. Considerable storm surge damage causes major disruption to the eastern seaboard of the United States.
  • 2017 - Death of Robert Guillaume, American actor (born 1927).
  • 2019 - General election in Canada. Liberal party wins 157 seats in parliament with prime minister Justin Trudeau, Conservatives get 121 seats, Bloc Québécois gets 32, New Democrats get 24.
  • 2022 - In Bangladesh, cyclone Sitrang makes landfall, killing 28 people, destroying thousands of homes, and leaving millions of people without electricity.
  • 2022 - Death of Leslie Jordan at age 67 after a car crash; actor (Will & Grace TV show).
  • 2022 - Death of Ash Carter at age 68; US Defence Secretary.
  • 2023 - Death of Richard Roundtree at age 81; actor (Shaft movie (1971)).

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