April 24
April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years ). There are 251 days remaining.
Events
1184 BC - Greeks enter Troy using the Trojan Horse (traditional).
1066 - Halley's Comet spotted.
1704 - The first regular newspaper in the United States , the Boston, Massachusetts New-Letter , is published.
1800 - The United States Library of Congress is established when President John Adams signs legislation to appropriate $5,000 to purchase "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress".
1846 - The beginning of the Mexican-American War .
1862 - American Civil War : A flotilla commanded by Union Admiral David Farragut pases two Confederate forts on the Mississippi River on its way to capture New Orleans, Louisiana .
1863 - The Keyesville Massacre : a massacre of 53 Native American men from the Tehachapi tribe in Keyesville, California .
1898 - Spanish-American War : Spain declares war on the United States .
1908 - Ralph DePalma makes his racing debut at the Briarcliff Trophy Race in Westchester, New York .
1913 - Woolworth Building opening ceremony.
1915 - The Ottoman Government began their genocidal campaign to annihilate the Armenians of Anatolia.
1916 - Easter Uprising begins: The Irish Republican Brotherhood led by nationalist Patrick Pearse start a rebellion in Ireland .
1922 - In Australia , Colin Ross is hanged for the rape and murder of 13-year-old Alma Tirtsche .
1925 - John Scopes taught Darwin 's theory of evolution , leading to the Scopes monkey trial .
1940 - World War II : Operation Demon - The United Kingdom begins evacuating Greece .
1953 - Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom .
1955 - Bandung Conference ends: 29 "non-aligned" nations finish a meeting that condemned colonialism , racism , and the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union .
1961 - The salvage of the famous Swedish ship HMS Wasa .
1963 - Marriage of Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Kent to Angus James Bruce Ogilvy at Westminster Abbey in London .
1967 - Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies in Soyuz 1 .
1967 - Vietnam War : American General William Westmoreland says in a news conference that the enemy had "gained support in the United States that gives him hope that he can win politically that which he cannot win militarily."
1968 - Mauritius becomes a member state of the United Nations .
1970 - The first Chinese satellite is launched.
1970 - The Gambia becomes a republic .
1975 - The Baader-Meinhof Gang blow up the West German embassy in Stockholm .
1980 - An American attempt to rescue the American hostages held in Tehran ends with eight American servicemen dead and no hostages freed.
1981 - Introduction of the first IBM PC .
1982 - In Harrogate , United Kingdom , Nicole wins the twenty-seventh Eurovision Song Contest for Germany singing "Ein bißchen Frieden" (A little bit of peace).
1984 - Apple Computer unveils its Apple IIc portable computer .
1990 - The Hubble Space Telescope is launched by Space Shuttle Discovery .
1990 - Gruinard island is officially declared free of anthrax after 48 years of quarantine .
1993 - An IRA bomb devastates Bishopsgate area of City of London .
1994 - The world's largest lollipop weighing 3,011 pounds (1,366 kg) is made in Denmark
1995 - The last Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 rolls off the assembly line .
1996 - In the United States , the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 is introduced.
2004 - US lifts economic sanctions imposed on Libya 18 years ago as a 'reward' for its cooperation in eliminating weapons of mass destruction .
2005 - Cardinal Joseph Alois Ratzinger of Germany becomes Pope of the Roman Catholic Church , taking on the name Benedict XVI .
Births
1533 - William I of Orange , Dutch national "father" (d. 1584 )
1718 - Nathaniel Hone , Irish -born painter (d. 1784 )
1815 - Anthony Trollope , English novelist (d. 1882 )
1856 - Henri Philippe Pétain , French soldier and statesman (d. 1951 )
1873 - Theodor Körner , general and politician (d. 1957 )
1876 - Erich Raeder , commander in chief of the German navy (d. 1960 )
1878 - Jean Crotti , Swiss artist (d. 1958 )
1882 - Hugh Dowding , Scottish fighter pilot (d. 1970 )
1889 - Sir Stafford Cripps , British politician (d. 1952 )
1896 - Benjamin Whorf , American linguist (d. 1941 )
1897 - Manuel Ávila Camacho , President of Mexico (d. 1955 )
1899 - Oscar Zariski , mathematician (d. 1986 )
1904 - Willem de Kooning , Dutch painter (d. 1997 )
1905 - Robert Penn Warren , writer, Pulitzer Prize winner, first American Poet Laureate (d. 1989 )
1906 - William Joyce , Irish -British fascist propagandist , writer and traitor (d. 1946 )
1914 - Justin Wilson , Cajun humorist, celebrity chef , writer (d. 2001 )
1914 - William Castle , director, producer (d. 1977 )
1924 - Sir Clement Freud , British writer , radio personality and politician
1926 - Thorbjörn Fälldin , Prime Minister of Sweden
1930 - Jerome Callet , musician
1930 - Richard Donner , director, producer
1934 - Shirley MacLaine , actress and author
1940 - Sue Grafton , author
1941 - John Williams , Australian guitarist
1942 - Richard M. Daley , politician
1942 - Barbra Streisand , singer, actress, director
1952 - Jean-Paul Gaultier , fashion designer
1953 - Eric Bogosian , actor, writer
1954 - Mumia Abu-Jamal , journalist and political activist
1962 - Jeff Minter , computer games programmer
1964 - Cedric the Entertainer , comedian, actor
1964 - Djimon Hounsou , actor
1968 - Stacy Haiduk , actress
1972 - Chipper Jones , baseball player
1973 - Sachin Tendulkar , Indian cricket player
1977 - Carlos Beltran , baseball player
1982 - Kelly Clarkson , singer, winner of the first American Idol competition
Deaths
624 - Mellitus , third Archbishop of Canterbury
1342 - Pope Benedict XII (b. 1285 )
1731 - Daniel Defoe , English writer (b. c. 1660 )
1736 - Eugene of Savoy , French-Austrian general (b. 1663 )
1924 - G. Stanley Hall , psychologist (b. 1844 )
1938 - George Grey Barnard , sculptor (b. 1863 )
1942 - Lucy Maude Montgomery , Canadian author (b. 1874 )
1947 - Willa Cather , writer (b. 1873 )
1965 - Louise Dresser , actress (b. 1878 )
1967 - Vladimir Komarov , cosmonaut on Soyuz 1 (b. 1927 )
1974 - Bud Abbott , actor, comedian (b. 1895 )
1982 - Ville Ritola , Finnish athlete (b. 1896 )
1986 - Wallis Simpson , mistress and wife of The Duke of Windsor (b. 1896 )
2004 - Estée Lauder , cosmetics pioneer (b. 1906 )
Holidays and observances
External links
April 23 - April 25 - March 24 - May 24 -- listing of all days
