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On This Day in History — August 24

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Highlights of August 24

2006 — The International Astronomical Union passed a resolution redefining the term planet and classifying Pluto as a dwarf planet. Read more
1992 — Hurricane Andrew, the third-most intense Category 5 cyclone to impact the United States in the 20th century, made landfall in southern Florida. Read more
1966 — Cultural Revolution: Red Guards vandalised the Jokhang (depicted), the holiest Buddhist temple in Tibet. Read more
1963 — Buddhist crisis: The U.S. State Department ordered Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (pictured) to encourage South Vietnamese Army officers to oust Ngo Dinh Diem if he did not willingly remove Ngo Dinh Nhu from his unofficial position of power. Read more
1954 — In the midst of a political crisis, Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas fatally shot himself in the Catete Palace in Rio de Janeiro. Read more
1942 — World War II: At the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, bombers from the U.S. aircraft carrier Saratoga sank the Japanese aircraft carrier Ryūjō near Santa Isabel Island, contributing to an Allied victory. Read more
1941 — Adolf Hitler ordered the suspension of the T4 euthanasia program of the mentally ill and disabled, although killings continued in secret for the remainder of World War II. Read more
1921 — The Royal Navy's R.38, the world's largest airship at the time, was destroyed by a structural failure over Hull, killing 44 of the 49 crew aboard. Read more
1914 — The Battle of Cer ended with the first Allied victory of World War I. Read more
1889 — The New Zealand Native football team, predominantly comprising Māori players, concluded their 107-game tour, the longest in rugby union history. Read more
1888 — 89 New Zealand Native football team
1857 — The New York City branch of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Co. collapsed following widespread embezzlement, leading to a severe recession that caused about 5,000 businesses to fail. Read more
1814 — War of 1812: British forces invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to various U.S. government buildings, including the White House. Read more
1781 — American Revolutionary War: Near present-day Aurora, Indiana, American Indians led by Joseph Brant killed or captured all members of a Pennsylvania militia. Read more
1704 — War of the Spanish Succession: An Anglo-Dutch fleet engaged a French naval force at the Battle of Málaga in the Mediterranean Sea. Read more
1662 — The 1662 Book of Common Prayer was legally enforced as the liturgy of the Church of England, precipitating the Great Ejection of Dissenter ministers from their benefices. Read more
1643 — A Dutch expedition (depicted) arrived at the mouth of the Valdivia River, in present-day Chile, to establish a new colony in the ruins of the abandoned Spanish settlement of Valdivia. Read more
1456 — The oldest known version of the Gutenberg Bible, the first major book produced on a printing press, was completed. Read more
410 — Rome was sacked for the first time in approximately 800 years by the Visigoths under Alaric I. Read more
49 BC — Caesar's Civil War: Forces loyal to Julius Caesar led by Gaius Scribonius Curio were defeated by Pompeian Republicans under Publius Attius Varus and King Juba I of Numidia. Read more

Events

2023 — Japan officially begins discharging treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean, sparking international concerns and condemnation. Read more
2020 — Erin O'Toole is elected leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Read more
2017 — The National Space Agency of Taiwan successfully launches the observation satellite Formosat-5 into space. Read more
2016 — An earthquake strikes Central Italy with a magnitude of 6.2, with aftershocks felt as far as Rome and Florence. Around 300 people are killed. Read more
2016 — Proxima Centauri b, the closest exoplanet to Earth, is discovered by the European Southern Observatory. Read more
2014 — A magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes the San Francisco Bay Area; it is the largest in that area since 1989. Read more
2012 — Anders Behring Breivik, perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, is sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention. Read more
2010 — In San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico, 72 illegal immigrants are killed by Los Zetas and eventually found dead by Mexican authorities. Read more
2010 — Henan Airlines Flight 8387 crashes at Yichun Lindu Airport in Yichun, Heilongjiang, China, killing 44 out of the 96 people on board. Read more
2010 — Agni Air Flight 101 crashes near Shikharpur, Makwanpur, Nepal, killing all 14 people on board. Read more
2008 — Sixty-five passengers are killed when Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 6895 crashes during an emergency landing at Manas International Airport in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Read more
2008 — A Cessna 208 Caravan crashes in Cabañas, Zacapa, Guatemala, killing 11 people. Read more
2006 — The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term "planet" such that Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet. Read more
2004 — Ninety passengers die after two airliners explode after flying out of Domodedovo International Airport, near Moscow. The explosions are caused by suicide bombers from Chechnya. Read more
2001 — Air Transat Flight 236 loses all engine power over the Atlantic Ocean, forcing the pilots to conduct an emergency landing in the Azores. Read more
1998 — First radio-frequency identification (RFID) human implantation tested in the United Kingdom. Read more
1995 — Microsoft releases Windows 95 to the public in North America. Read more
1992 — Hurricane Andrew makes landfall in Homestead, Florida as a Category 5 hurricane, causing up to $25 billion (1992 USD) in damages. Read more
1991 — Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as head of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Read more
1991 — Ukraine declares itself independent from the Soviet Union. Read more
1989 — Colombian drug barons declare "total war" on the Colombian government. Read more
1989 — Tadeusz Mazowiecki is chosen as the first non-communist prime minister in Central and Eastern Europe. Read more
1981 — Mark David Chapman is sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for murdering John Lennon. Read more
1970 — Vietnam War protesters bomb Sterling Hall at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, leading to an international manhunt for the perpetrators. Read more
1967 — Led by Abbie Hoffman, the Youth International Party temporarily disrupts trading at the New York Stock Exchange by throwing dollar bills from the viewing gallery, causing trading to cease as brokers scramble to grab them. Read more
1963 — Buddhist crisis: As a result of the Xá Lợi Pagoda raids, the US State Department cables the United States Embassy, Saigon to encourage Army of the Republic of Vietnam generals to launch a coup against President Ngô Đình Diệm if he did not remove his brother Ngô Đình Nhu. Read more
1954 — The Communist Control Act goes into effect, outlawing the Communist Party in the United States. Read more
1954 — Vice president João Café Filho takes office as president of Brazil, following the suicide of Getúlio Vargas. Read more
1951 — United Air Lines Flight 615 crashes near Decoto, California, killing 50 people. Read more
1950 — Edith Sampson becomes the first black U.S. delegate to the United Nations. Read more
1949 — The treaty creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization goes into effect. Read more
1944 — World War II: Allied troops begin the attack on Paris. Read more
1942 — World War II: The Battle of the Eastern Solomons. Japanese aircraft carrier Ryūjō is sunk, with the loss of seven officers and 113 crewmen. The US carrier USS Enterprise is heavily damaged. Read more
1941 — The Holocaust: Adolf Hitler orders the cessation of Nazi Germany's systematic T4 euthanasia program of the mentally ill and the handicapped due to protests, although killings continue for the remainder of the war. Read more
1938 — Kweilin incident: A Japanese warplane shoots down the Kweilin, a Chinese civilian airliner, killing 14. It is the first recorded instance of a civilian airliner being shot down. Read more
1937 — Spanish Civil War: the Basque Army surrenders to the Italian Corpo Truppe Volontarie following the Santoña Agreement. Read more
1937 — Spanish Civil War: Sovereign Council of Asturias and León is proclaimed in Gijón. Read more
1936 — The Australian Antarctic Territory is created. Read more
1933 — The Crescent Limited train derails in Washington, D.C., after the bridge it is crossing is washed out by the 1933 Chesapeake–Potomac hurricane. Read more
1932 — Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the United States non-stop (from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey). Read more
1931 — Resignation of the United Kingdom's Second Labour Government. Formation of the UK National Government. Read more
1929 — Second day of two-day Hebron massacre during the 1929 Palestine riots: Arab attacks on the Jewish community in Hebron in the British Mandate of Palestine, result in the death of 65–68 Jews; the remaining Jews are forced to flee the city. Read more
1914 — World War I: German troops capture Namur. Read more
1914 — World War I: The Battle of Cer ends as the first Allied victory in the war. Read more
1911 — Manuel de Arriaga is elected and sworn in as the first President of Portugal. Read more
1909 — Workers start pouring concrete for the Panama Canal. Read more
1898 — Count Muravyov, Foreign Minister of Russia presents a rescript that convoked the First Hague Peace Conference. Read more
1870 — The Wolseley expedition reaches Manitoba to end the Red River Rebellion. Read more
1857 — The Panic of 1857 begins, setting off one of the most severe economic crises in United States history. Read more
1821 — The Treaty of Córdoba is signed in Córdoba, now in Veracruz, Mexico, concluding the Mexican War of Independence from Spain. Read more
1820 — Constitutionalist insurrection at Oporto, Portugal. Read more
1816 — The Treaty of St. Louis is signed in St. Louis, Missouri. Read more
1815 — The modern Constitution of the Netherlands is signed. Read more
1814 — British troops capture Washington, D.C. and set the Presidential Mansion, Capitol, Navy Yard and many other public buildings ablaze. Read more
1812 — Peninsular War: A coalition of Spanish, British, and Portuguese forces succeed in lifting the two-and-a-half-year-long Siege of Cádiz. Read more
1789 — The first naval battle of the Svensksund begins in the Gulf of Finland. Read more
1781 — American Revolutionary War: A small force of Pennsylvania militia is ambushed and overwhelmed by an American Indian group, which forces George Rogers Clark to abandon his attempt to attack Detroit. Read more
1743 — The War of the Hats: The Swedish army surrenders to the Russians in Helsinki, ending the war and starting Lesser Wrath. Read more
1690 — Job Charnock of the East India Company establishes a factory in Calcutta, an event formerly considered the founding of the city (in 2003 the Calcutta High Court ruled that the city's foundation date is unknown). Read more
1682 — William Penn receives the area that is now the state of Delaware, and adds it to his colony of Pennsylvania. Read more

Born on August 24

2001 — Mildred Maldonado, Mexican rhythmic gymnast Read more
2000 — Griffin Gluck, American actor Read more
1998 — Sofia Richie, American model and social media personality Read more
1997 — Alan Walker, British-Norwegian DJ and record producer Read more
1997 — Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary Read more
1995 — Noah Vonleh, American basketball player Read more
1995 — Lady Amelia Windsor, member of the British royal family Read more
1994 — Kelsey Plum, American basketball player Read more
1993 — Maryna Zanevska, Belgian tennis player Read more
1992 — Jemerson, Brazilian footballer Read more
1991 — Enrique Hernández, Puerto Rican baseball player Read more
1991 — Wang Zhen, Chinese race walker Read more
1990 — Juan Pedro Lanzani, Argentinian actor and singer Read more
1990 — Luke Lawrence, American sailor Read more
1989 — Reynaldo, Brazilian footballer Read more
1989 — Rocío Igarzábal, Argentinian actress and singer Read more
1988 — Rupert Grint, English actor Read more
1988 — Brad Hunt, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
1988 — Manu Ma'u, New Zealand rugby league player Read more
1988 — Maya Yoshida, Japanese footballer Read more
1987 — Anže Kopitar, Slovenian ice hockey player Read more
1986 — Joseph Akpala, Nigerian footballer Read more
1986 — Arian Foster, American football player, rapper, and actor Read more
1984 — Erin Molan, Australian journalist and sportscaster Read more
1984 — Charlie Villanueva, Dominican-American basketball player Read more
1984 — Yesung, South Korean singer Read more
1983 — Brett Gardner, American baseball player Read more
1983 — Marcel Goc, German ice hockey player Read more
1982 — José Bosingwa, Portuguese footballer Read more
1982 — Kim Källström, Swedish footballer Read more
1981 — Chad Michael Murray, American actor, model, and author Read more
1979 — Vahur Afanasjev, Estonian author and poet Read more
1979 — Orlando Engelaar, Dutch footballer Read more
1979 — Kaki King, American guitarist, lap steel guitar player and composer Read more
1979 — Michael Redd, American basketball player Read more
1978 — Derek Morris, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
1977 — Denílson de Oliveira Araújo, Brazilian footballer Read more
1977 — Robert Enke, German footballer (died 2009) Read more
1977 — Per Gade, Danish footballer Read more
1977 — John Green, American author and vlogger Read more

Died on August 24

2026 — Billy Boston, Welsh rugby player and soldier (born 1934) Read more
2026 — Sliman Mansour, Palestinian painter and sculptor (born 1947) Read more
2026 — Jaye P. Morgan, American singer and actress (born 1931) Read more
2024 — Christoph Daum, German footballer and manager (born 1953) Read more
2023 — Bray Wyatt, American wrestler (born 1987) Read more
2021 — Charlie Watts, English musician (born 1941) Read more
2020 — Gail Sheehy, American author, journalist, and lecturer (born 1936) Read more
2017 — Jay Thomas, American actor, comedian, and radio talk show host (born 1948) Read more
2016 — Walter Scheel, German politician, 4th President of Germany (born 1919) Read more
2015 — Charlie Coffey, American football player and coach (born 1934) Read more
2015 — Joseph F. Traub, German-American computer scientist and academic (born 1932) Read more
2015 — Justin Wilson, English racing driver (born 1978) Read more
2014 — Richard Attenborough, English actor, director, producer, and politician (born 1923) Read more
2014 — Antônio Ermírio de Moraes, Brazilian businessman (born 1928) Read more
2013 — Gerry Baker, American soccer player and manager (born 1938) Read more
2013 — Nílton de Sordi, Brazilian footballer and manager (born 1931) Read more
2013 — Julie Harris, American actress (born 1925) Read more
2013 — Muriel Siebert, American businesswoman and philanthropist (born 1928) Read more
2012 — Dadullah, Pakistani Taliban leader (born 1965) Read more
2012 — Pauli Ellefsen, Faroese surveyor and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (born 1936) Read more
2012 — Steve Franken, American actor (born 1932) Read more
2012 — Félix Miélli Venerando, Brazilian footballer and manager (born 1937) Read more
2011 — Seyhan Erözçelik, Turkish poet and author (born 1962) Read more
2011 — Mike Flanagan, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (born 1951) Read more
2010 — Satoshi Kon, Japanese director and screenwriter (born 1963) Read more
2007 — Andrée Boucher, Canadian educator and politician, 39th Mayor of Quebec City (born 1937) Read more
2007 — Aaron Russo, American director and producer (born 1943) Read more
2006 — Rocco Petrone, American soldier and engineer (born 1926) Read more
2006 — Léopold Simoneau, Canadian tenor and educator (born 1916) Read more
2005 — Jamshed Ansari, Pakistani film, television and radio actor (born 1942) Read more
2004 — Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Swiss-American psychiatrist and academic (born 1926) Read more
2003 — Wilfred Thesiger, Ethiopian-English explorer and author (born 1910) Read more
2002 — Nikolay Guryanov, Russian priest and mystic (born 1909) Read more
2001 — Jane Greer, American actress (born 1924) Read more
2001 — Roman Matsov, Estonian violinist, pianist, and conductor (born 1917) Read more
2000 — Andy Hug, Swiss martial artist and kick-boxer (born 1964) Read more
1999 — Mary Jane Croft, American actress (born 1916) Read more
1999 — Alexandre Lagoya, Egyptian guitarist and composer (born 1929) Read more
1998 — E. G. Marshall, American actor (born 1910) Read more
1997 — Luigi Villoresi, Italian racing driver (born 1907) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Aurea of Ostia; Christian feast day: Bartholomew the Apostle (Roman Catholic, Anglican); Christian feast day: Edward Klinik; Christian feast day: Emily de Vialar; Christian feast day: Jeanne-Antide Thouret; Christian feast day: Maria Micaela Desmaisieres; Christian feast day: Massa Candida (Martyrs of Utica); Christian feast day: Owen (Audoin); Christian feast day: August 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Flag Day (Liberia); Independence Day or Den' Nezalezhnosti, celebrates the independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union in 1991.; International Strange Music Day; National Waffle Day (United States); Nostalgia Night (Uruguay); Willka Raymi (Cusco, Peru)

More from the Almanac

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Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “August 24”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.