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On This Day in History — October 24
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Highlights of October 24
- 2015 — Lam Wing-kee, the owner of Causeway Bay Books in Hong Kong, known for publishing political books banned in mainland China, was abducted by Chinese authorities. Read more
- 2004 — English football club Manchester United defeated rivals Arsenal 2–0 in the Battle of the Buffet, ending the latter's record-breaking unbeaten run. Read more
- 2003 — The inaugural Afro-Asian Games opened in Hyderabad, with 2,040 athletes from 96 nations competing. Read more
- 1975 — In protest against wage discrepancy and unfair employment practices, 90 percent of Iceland's female population went on strike for a day. Read more
- 1972 — Three people were killed when falsework collapsed during the construction of the Loddon Bridge in Berkshire, leading to reform of construction practices in the UK. Read more
- 1964 — Charges in a military court against generals Dương Văn Đức and Lâm Văn Phát of leading a coup attempt against South Vietnamese leader Nguyễn Khánh, were dropped.. Read more
- 1949 — The cornerstone of the United Nations headquarters was laid in New York City. Read more
- 1945 — The Charter of the United Nations entered into force after being ratified by the five permanent members of the Security Council and a majority of the other signatories. Read more
- 1944 — World War II: The Japanese battleship Musashi, one of the heaviest and most powerfully armed ever constructed, was sunk by American aircraft during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Read more
- 1931 — The George Washington Bridge (pictured), connecting New York City to Fort Lee, New Jersey, and today the world's busiest motor-vehicle bridge, was dedicated. Read more
- 1930 — The Pacification Junta deposed Brazillian president Washington Luís, ending the Brazilian Revolution of 1930. Read more
- 1929 — On "Black Thursday", the New York Stock Exchange lost 11 percent of its value at the opening bell on very heavy trading, marking the beginning of the Great Depression. Read more
- 1889 — Sir Henry Parkes, Premier of the Colony of New South Wales, gave a speech in which he called for the federation of the six Australian colonies. Read more
- 1885 — The Russian ship Dmitry ran aground in Whitby, an incident that inspired the arrival of Count Dracula to England in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel (cover pictured). Read more
- 1851 — William Lassell found Umbriel and Ariel, the third and fourth Uranian moons to be discovered. Read more
- 1796 — War of the First Coalition: The Battle of Schliengen was fought between the French and Austrian armies, who both claimed victory. Read more
- 1789 — The Brabant Revolution, sometimes considered to be the first expression of Belgian nationalism, began with the invasion of the Austrian Netherlands by an émigré army from the Dutch Republic. Read more
- 1260 — Qutuz (bust pictured), the sultan of Egypt, was assassinated and replaced by fellow Mamluk leader Baybars. Read more
Events
- 2024 — A 14 year old resident from Bosanska Krupa, Bosnia and Herzegovina initiated a terrorist attack on the local police station, killing one police officer and injuring another. Read more
- 2018 — The world's longest sea crossing, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, opens for public traffic. Read more
- 2016 — A French surveillance aircraft flying to Libya crashes on takeoff in Malta, killing all five people on board. Read more
- 2016 — Three heavily armed terrorists from the Islamic State – Khorasan Province open fire on and eventually suicide bomb a police training centre in Balochistan, Pakistan, killing at least 59 cadets and injuring more than 165 others. Read more
- 2015 — A driver deliberately crashes into the Oklahoma State Homecoming parade, killing four people and injuring 34. Read more
- 2014 — The China National Space Administration launches an experimental lunar mission, Chang'e 5-T1, which will loop behind the Moon and return to Earth. Read more
- 2008 — "Bloody Friday" saw many of the world's stock exchanges experience the worst declines in their history, with drops of around 10% in most indices. Read more
- 2007 — Chang'e 1, the first satellite in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, is launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Read more
- 2005 — Hurricane Wilma makes landfall in Florida, resulting in 35 direct and 26 indirect fatalities and causing $20.6B USD in damage. Read more
- 2004 — Arsenal Football Club loses to Manchester United, ending a row of unbeaten matches at 49 matches, which is the record in the Premier League. Read more
- 2003 — Concorde makes its last commercial flight. Read more
- 1998 — Deep Space 1 is launched to explore the asteroid belt and test new spacecraft technologies. Read more
- 1992 — The Toronto Blue Jays become the first Major League Baseball team based outside the United States to win the World Series. Read more
- 1990 — Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti reveals to the Italian parliament the existence of Gladio, the Italian NATO force formed in 1956, intended to be activated in the event of a Warsaw Pact invasion. Read more
- 1986 — Nezar Hindawi is sentenced to 45 years in prison, the longest sentence handed down by a British court, for the attempted bombing of an El Al flight at Heathrow Airport. Read more
- 1980 — The government of Poland legalizes the Solidarity trade union. Read more
- 1975 — In Iceland, 90% of women take part in a national strike, refusing to work in protest of gender inequality. Read more
- 1964 — Northern Rhodesia gains independence from the United Kingdom and becomes Zambia. Read more
- 1963 — An oxygen leak from an R-9 Desna missile at the Baikonur Cosmodrome triggers a fire that kills seven people. Read more
- 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 people, including Field Marshal Mitrofan Nedelin. Read more
- 1957 — The United States Air Force starts the X-20 Dyna-Soar crewed space program. Read more
- 1954 — US President Dwight D. Eisenhower pledges United States support to South Vietnam. Read more
- 1950 — Annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China: The People's Liberation Army ceases all military operations in Tibet, ending the Battle of Chamdo. Read more
- 1949 — The cornerstone of the United Nations Headquarters is laid. Read more
- 1947 — Famed animator Walt Disney testifies before the House Un-American Activities Committee, naming Disney employees he believes to be communists. Read more
- 1947 — United Air Lines Flight 608 crashes in the Bryce Canyon National Park in Garfield County, Utah, while attempting an emergency landing at Bryce Canyon Airport, killing 52 people. Read more
- 1946 — A camera on board the V-2 No. 13 rocket takes the first photograph of earth from outer space. Read more
- 1945 — The United Nations Charter comes into effect. Read more
- 1944 — World War II: Japan's center force is temporarily repulsed in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Read more
- 1944 — World War II: The USS Shark (SS-314) was lost with all 87 hands in the Bashi Straits after torpedoing the Japanese freighter Arisan Maru. Read more
- 1944 — World War II: The USS Tang (SS-306) sank in the Formosa Strait after being struck by its own torpedo, with 78 of its crew lost. Read more
- 1931 — The George Washington Bridge opens to public traffic over the Hudson River. Read more
- 1930 — A bloodless coup d'état in Brazil ends the First Republic, replacing it with the Vargas Era. Read more
- 1929 — "Black Thursday" on the New York Stock Exchange, the first day of the panic in the markets that contributes to the Great Depression. Read more
- 1926 — Harry Houdini's last performance takes place at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit. Read more
- 1918 — World War I: Italian victory in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto. Read more
- 1917 — World War I: Italy suffers a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Caporetto on the Austro-Italian front. Read more
- 1912 — First Balkan War: The Battle of Kirk Kilisse concludes with a Bulgarian victory against the Ottoman Empire. Read more
- 1912 — First Balkan War: The Battle of Kumanovo concludes with the Serbian victory against the Ottoman Empire. Read more
- 1911 — Orville Wright remains in the air for nine minutes and 45 seconds in a glider at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Read more
- 1902 — Guatemala's Santa María volcano begins to erupt, becoming the third-largest eruption of the 20th century. Read more
- 1901 — Annie Edson Taylor becomes the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Read more
- 1900 — U.S. Government announces plans to buy Danish West Indies for $7 million. Read more
- 1894 — First Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Jiuliancheng: Under the command of General Yamagata Aritomo, the Imperial Japanese Army covertly crosses the Yalu River into Qing territory and launches an assault on the fortifications at Hushan. Read more
- 1889 — Henry Parkes delivers the Tenterfield Oration, effectively starting the federation process in Australia. Read more
- 1886 — Normanton incident: As the British merchant vessel Normanton sinks off the coast of Japan, her European officers appear to commandeer the ship's lifeboats for themselves, leaving her Asian crew and passengers to die and conjuring significant political outrage in Japan. Read more
- 1876 — Shinpūren rebellion: Upset at the Westernisation of Meiji Japan and the abolition of the Tokugawa feudal hierarchy, the Keishintō, a group of extremist Shinto former samurai, launch a surprise attack against the Meiji government in Kumamoto Prefecture. Read more
- 1871 — An estimated 17 to 22 Chinese immigrants are lynched in Los Angeles, California. Read more
- 1861 — The first transcontinental telegraph line across the United States is completed. Read more
- 1860 — Convention of Peking: The Second Opium War formally comes to a close, with Qing China ceding Kowloon in perpetuity to the victorious British Empire. Read more
- 1857 — Sheffield F.C., the world's oldest association football club still in operation, is founded in England. Read more
- 1851 — William Lassell discovers the moons Umbriel and Ariel orbiting Uranus. Read more
- 1813 — Treaty of Gulistan: The Russo-Persian War of 1804-1813 comes to a close with the signing of the Treaty of Gulistan, under which terms Qajar Iran agrees to cede the bulk of its Caucasian territories, which comprise much of modern Dagestan, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, to the Russian Empire. Read more
- 1812 — Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Maloyaroslavets takes place near Moscow. Read more
- 1795 — Poland is completely consumed by Russia, Prussia and Austria. Read more
- 1648 — The Peace of Westphalia is signed, marking the end of the Thirty Years' War and the Eighty Years' War. Read more
- 1641 — Felim O'Neill of Kinard, the leader of the Irish Rebellion, issues his Proclamation of Dungannon, justifying the uprising and declaring continued loyalty to King Charles I of England. Read more
- 1596 — The second Spanish armada sets sail to strike against England, but is smashed by storms off Cape Finisterre forcing a retreat to port. Read more
- 1590 — John White, the governor of the second Roanoke Colony, returns to England after an unsuccessful search for the "lost" colonists. Read more
- 1360 — The Treaty of Brétigny is ratified, marking the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years' War. Read more
Born on October 24
- 1999 — Amon-Ra St. Brown, American football player Read more
- 1998 — Daya, American singer Read more
- 1997 — Bron Breakker, American wrestler Read more
- 1997 — Claudia Fragapane, English gymnast Read more
- 1997 — Raye, British singer-songwriter Read more
- 1996 — Jaylen Brown, American basketball player Read more
- 1996 — Rafael Devers, Dominican baseball player Read more
- 1996 — Océane Dodin, French tennis player Read more
- 1996 — Garrison Mathews, American basketball player Read more
- 1996 — Kyla Ross, American gymnast Read more
- 1995 — Vincent Leuluai, Australian rugby league player Read more
- 1995 — Ashton Sanders, American actor Read more
- 1994 — Krystal Jung, American-South Korean singer, dancer, and actress Read more
- 1994 — Tereza Martincová, Czech tennis player Read more
- 1994 — Sean O'Malley, American mixed martial artist Read more
- 1994 — Jalen Ramsey, American football player Read more
- 1993 — R. J. Hunter, American basketball player Read more
- 1992 — Marrion Gopez, Filipino actor, singer, and dancer Read more
- 1992 — Ding Liren, Chinese chess grandmaster Read more
- 1991 — Torstein Andersen Aase, Norwegian footballer Read more
- 1991 — Bojan Dubljević, Montenegrin basketball player Read more
- 1990 — Elijah Greer, American middle-distance runner Read more
- 1990 — İlkay Gündoğan, German footballer Read more
- 1990 — Mohammed Jahfali, Saudi Arabia international footballer Read more
- 1990 — Danilo Petrucci, Italian motorcycle racer Read more
- 1990 — Nikola Vučević, Montenegrin basketball player Read more
- 1989 — David Castañeda, American actor Read more
- 1989 — Anderson Conceição, Brazilian footballer Read more
- 1989 — Shenae Grimes, Canadian actress Read more
- 1989 — Eric Hosmer, American baseball player Read more
- 1989 — PewDiePie, Swedish YouTuber Read more
- 1989 — Eliza Taylor, Australian actress Read more
- 1988 — Mitch Inman, Australian rugby player Read more
- 1988 — Christopher Linke, German race walker Read more
- 1988 — Demont Mitchell, Bahamian footballer Read more
- 1988 — Tarek Hamed, Egyptian footballer Read more
- 1987 — Jeremy Evans, American basketball player Read more
- 1987 — Chris Hogan, American football player Read more
- 1987 — Anthony Vanden Borre, Belgian footballer Read more
- 1987 — Charlie White, American figure skater Read more
Died on October 24
- 2025 — Sirikit, Queen Mother of Thailand (born 1932) Read more
- 2024 — Amir Abdur-Rahim, American basketball player and coach (born 1981) Read more
- 2024 — Abdelaziz Barrada, Moroccan footballer (born 1989) Read more
- 2024 — Jeri Taylor, American screenwriter (born 1938) Read more
- 2022 — Leslie Jordan, American actor, writer, and singer (born 1955) Read more
- 2021 — James Michael Tyler, American actor (born 1962) Read more
- 2018 — Tony Joe White, American singer/songwriter (born 1943) Read more
- 2017 — Fats Domino, American pianist and singer-songwriter (born 1928) Read more
- 2017 — Robert Guillaume, American actor (born 1927) Read more
- 2017 — Girija Devi, Indian classical singer (born 1929) Read more
- 2016 — Bobby Vee, American pop singer (born 1943) Read more
- 2016 — Jorge Batlle Ibáñez, Uruguayan politician, former president (2000-2005) (born 1927) Read more
- 2015 — Michael Beetham, English commander and pilot (born 1923) Read more
- 2015 — Alvin Bronstein, American lawyer and academic (born 1928) Read more
- 2015 — Margarita Khemlin, Ukrainian-Russian author and critic (born 1960) Read more
- 2015 — Ján Chryzostom Korec, Slovak cardinal (born 1924) Read more
- 2015 — Maureen O'Hara, Irish-American actress and singer (born 1920) Read more
- 2014 — Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, South African runner (born 1980) Read more
- 2014 — S. S. Rajendran, Indian actor, director, and producer (born 1928) Read more
- 2014 — Marcia Strassman, American actress and singer (born 1948) Read more
- 2013 — Antonia Bird, English director and producer (born 1951) Read more
- 2013 — Brooke Greenberg, American girl with a rare genetic disorder (born 1993) Read more
- 2013 — Ana Bertha Lepe, Mexican model and actress (born 1934) Read more
- 2013 — Lew Mayne, American football player and coach (born 1920) Read more
- 2012 — Peggy Ahern, American actress (born 1917) Read more
- 2012 — Anita Björk, Swedish actress (born 1923) Read more
- 2012 — Jeff Blatnick, American wrestler and sportscaster (born 1957) Read more
- 2012 — Bill Dees, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1939) Read more
- 2012 — Margaret Osborne duPont, American tennis player (born 1918) Read more
- 2011 — Sansan Chien, Taiwanese composer and educator (born 1967) Read more
- 2011 — John McCarthy, American computer scientist and academic, developed the Lisp programming language (born 1927) Read more
- 2010 — Mike Esposito, American author and illustrator (born 1927) Read more
- 2010 — Lamont Johnson, American actor, director, and producer (born 1922) Read more
- 2010 — Joseph Stein, American author and playwright (born 1912) Read more
- 2008 — Moshe Cotel, American pianist and composer (born 1943) Read more
- 2007 — Petr Eben, Czech organist and composer (born 1929) Read more
- 2007 — Ian Middleton, New Zealand author (born 1928) Read more
- 2007 — Alisher Saipov, Kyrgyzstan journalist (born 1981) Read more
- 2007 — Anne Weale, English journalist and author (born 1929) Read more
- 2006 — Enolia McMillan, American educator and activist (born 1904) Read more
Holidays & observances
Christian feast day:
Anthony Mary Claret; Christian feast day:
Arethas of Najran; Christian feast day:
Eberigisil (Evergitus); Christian feast day:
Blessed Giuseppe Baldo; Christian feast day:
Luigi Guanella; Christian feast day:
Magloire of Dol; Christian feast day:
Martin of Vertou; Christian feast day:
Proclus of Constantinople; Christian feast day:
Senoch; Christian feast day:
October 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Food Day (United States); International Day of Diplomats; United Nations Day, the anniversary of the 1945 Charter of the United Nations (International); World Development Information Day; World Polio Day
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “October 24”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.