April 24

Events

*1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty).
*1184 BC - Greeks enter Troy using the Trojan Horse (traditional).
*1558 - Mary Queen of Scots marries the Dauphin of France, François, at Notre Dame de Paris.
*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 USD to purchase "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress".
*1862 - American Civil War: A flotilla commanded by Union Admiral David Farragut passes two Confederate forts on the Mississippi River on its way to capture New Orleans, Louisiana.
*1877 - Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878: Russia declares war on Ottoman Empire.
* 1898 - The Spanish-American War: The United States declare war on Spain.
*1907 - Hersheypark, founded by Milton S. Hershey for the exclusive use of his employees, is opened.
*1913 - The skyscraper Woolworth Building in New York City is opened.
*1915 - The Armenian Genocide begins with a massacre of hundreds of prominent Armenians in Constantinople (now Istanbul).
*1916 - Easter Rising begins: The Irish Republican Brotherhood led by nationalists Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, and Joseph Plunkett start a rebellion in Ireland.
*1916 - Ernest Shackleton and five men of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition launch a lifeboat from uninhabited Elephant Island in the Southern Ocean to organise a rescue for ice-trapped ship "Endurance".
*1918 - First tank-to-tank combat, at Villers-Bretonneux, France, when three British Mark IVs met three German A7Vs.
*1926 - The Treaty of Berlin under which Germany and the Soviet Union each pledged neutrality in the event of an attack on the other by a third party for the next five years.
*1953 - Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
*1955 - The Bandung Conference ends: Twenty-nine non-aligned nations of Asia and Africa finish a meeting that condemns colonialism, racism, and the Cold War.
*1961 - The 17th century Swedish ship Vasa is salvaged.
*1963 - Marriage of Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Kent to Angus Ogilvy at Westminster Abbey in London.
*1964 - Mexico becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
*1965 - Civil war breaks out in the Dominican Republic when Colonel Francisco Caamaño, overthrows the triumvirate that was in power since the coup d'état against Juan Bosch.
*1967 - Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies in Soyuz 1, when the parachute fails to open. He is the first human to die during a space mission.
* 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, Dong Fang Hong I, is launched.
* 1970 - The Gambia becomes a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Dawda Jawara as the first President.
*1975 - The Baader-Meinhof Gang takes 13 hostages at theWest German embassy in Stockholm.
*1980 - Eight U.S. servicemen die in Operation Eagle Claw as they attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis.
*1990 - STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched by the Space Shuttle "Discovery".
* 1990 - Gruinard Island, Scotland, is officially declared free of the anthrax disease after 48 years of quarantine.
*1991 - Freddie Stowers is awarded the posthumous Medal of Honor for which he had been recommended in 1918.
*1993 - The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act comes into force establishing Panchayati Raj system in India.
* 1993 - An IRA bomb devastates the Bishopsgate area of London.
*1996 - In the United States, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 is introduced.
*2004 - The United States lifts economic sanctions imposed on Libya 18 years previously, as a reward for its cooperation in eliminating weapons of mass destruction.
*2005 - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is inaugurated as the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church taking the name Pope Benedict XVI.
*2006 - King Gyanendra of Nepal gives into the demands of protesters and restores the parliament that he dissolved in 2002.
*2007 - Iceland announces that Norway will shoulder the defense of Iceland during peacetime.

Births

*1533 - William I of Orange (d. 1584)
*1581 - Vincent de Paul, French saint (d. 1660)
*1620 - John Graunt, English statistician and founder of the science of demography (d. 1674)
*1706 - Giovanni Battista Martini, Italian musician (d. 1780)
*1718 - Nathaniel Hone, Irish-born painter (d. 1784)
*1743 - Edmund Cartwright, British inventor (d. 1823)
*1784 - Peter Vivian Daniel, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1860)
*1815 - Anthony Trollope, English novelist (d. 1882)
*1845 - Carl Spitteler, Nobel laureate (d. 1924)
*1856 - Henri Philippe Pétain, French soldier and statesman (d. 1951)
*1876 - Erich Raeder, German naval commander (d. 1960)
* 1876 - Ioannis Georgiadis, Greek fencer (d. 1960)
*1878 - Jean Crotti, Swiss artist (d. 1958)
*1882 - Hugh Dowding, commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain (d. 1970)
*1887 - Denys Finch Hatton, English big-game hunter (d. 1931)
*1889 - Stafford Cripps, British politician (d. 1952)
* 1889 - Lyubov Popova, Russian painter (d. 1924)
*1896 - Benjamin Whorf, American linguist (d. 1941)
*1897 - Manuel Ávila Camacho, President of Mexico (d. 1955)
*1899 - Oscar Zariski, Russian-born mathematician (d. 1986)
*1903 - José Antonio Primo de Rivera, founder of the Falange (d. 1936)
*1904 - Willem de Kooning, Dutch painter (d. 1997)
*1905 - Robert Penn Warren, American poet (d. 1989)
*1906 - William Joyce, Irish fascist (d. 1946)
*1907 - William Sargant, British psychiatrist (d. 1988)
*1908 - Marceline Day, American actor (d. 2000)
*1914 - William Castle, American film director and producer (d. 1977)
* 1914 - Justin Wilson, American Cajun chef and humorist (d. 2001)
*1916 - Lou Thesz, American professional wrestler (d. 2002)
*1922 - J.D. Cannon, American actor (d. 2005)
*1924 - Sir Clement Freud, British writer, radio personality, and politician
* 1924 - Ruth Kobart, American actor and singer (d. 2002)
*1926 - Thorbjörn Fälldin, Prime Minister of Sweden
*1929 - Dr.Rajkumar, Kannada actor
*1930 - Jerome Callet, American musician
* 1930 - Richard Donner, American film director and producer
*1933 - Patricia Bosworth, American actor, journalist, writer and biographer
* 1933 - Claire Davenport, British actress (d. 2002)
* 1933 - Alan Eagleson, Canadian ice hockey agent and promoter
* 1933 - Helmuth Lohner, Austrian actor
* 1933 - Freddie Scott, American singer (d. 2007)
*1934 - Shirley MacLaine, American actor and author
*1936 - Jill Ireland, British actress (d. 1990)
*1937 - Joe Henderson, American jazz saxophonist (d. 2001)
*1940 - Sue Grafton, American author
*1941 - John Williams, Australian guitarist
*1942 - Richard M. Daley, American politician
* 1942 - Barbra Streisand, American singer and actor
*1943 - Richard Sterban, American singer
*1945 - Doug Clifford, American drummer
* 1945 - Robert Knight, American singer
* 1945 - Doug Riley, Canadian musician (d. 2007)
* 1945 - Dick Rivers, French singer and actor
*1947 - Claude Dubois, Quebec singer and songwriter
* 1947 - Josep Borrell Fontelles, Former President of the European Parliament
* 1947 - Roger D. Kornberg, American chemist, Nobel-prized
*1948 - Paul Cellucci, 69^th Governor of Massachusetts and former United States Ambassador to Canada
*1949 - Véronique Sanson, French singer and songwriter
*1952 - Jean-Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer
*1953 - Eric Bogosian, American actor and writer
*1954 - Mumia Abu-Jamal, American death-row inmate
* 1954 - Captain Sensible, British guitarist
*1955 - John de Mol, Dutch media businessman
*1957 - David J, British musician
* 1957 - Boris Williams, British musician
*1958 - Valery Lantratov, Russian ballet dancer
* 1958 - Brian Paddick, British former deputy assistant commissioner and most senior openly gay police officer
*1959 - Malcolm Oastler, Australian engineer
* 1959 - Dave Ridgway, Canadian football player
*1960 - Paula Yates, British television presenter (d. 2000)
*1962 - Stuart Pearce, English footballer and manager
* 1962 - Steve Roach, Australian rugby league footballer
*1963 - Paula Frazer, American singer/songwriter
* 1963 - Billy Gould, American musician
* 1963 - Mano Solo, French singer
* 1963 - Tõnu Trubetsky, Estonian musician
*1964 - Cedric the Entertainer, American comedian and actor
* 1964 - Djimon Hounsou, Beninese actor
*1965 - Son Chang Min, South Korean actor
*1966 - Pierre Brassard, Quebec humorist and actor
* 1966 - Alessandro Costacurta, Italian footballer
*1967 - Omar Vizquel, Venezuelan baseball player
*1968 - Stacy Haiduk, American actress
* 1968 - Todd Jones, American baseball player
* 1968 - Yuji Nagata, Japanese professional wrestler
* 1968 - Hashim Thaci, Kosovan politician
*1969 - Elias Atmatsidis, Greek footballer
* 1969 - Melinda Clarke, American actress
* 1969 - Viveca Paulin, Swedish actress
*1970 - Damien Fleming, Australian cricketer
*1971 - Mauro Pawlowski, Belgian guitarist and singer
*1972 - Rab Douglas, Scottish footballer
* 1972 - Nicolas Gill, Canadian judoka
* 1972 - Chipper Jones, American baseball player
* 1972 - Jure Košir, Slovenian skier
*1973 - Eric Snow, American basketball player
* 1973 - Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricketer
* 1973 - Gabby Logan, British television presenter
*1974 - Joseph Bruce, American rapper
* 1974 - Kristie Krabe, American stage actress
* 1974 - Derek Luke, American actor
* 1974 - Eric Kripke, American television writer, director and producer
* 1974 - Brian Marshall, American bassist
* 1974 - Dave Vitty, British radio personality
*1975 - Sam Doumit, American actress
*1976 - Steve Finnan, Irish footballer
*1977 - Siarhey Balakhonau, Belarusian writer
* 1977 - Carlos Beltran, Puerto Rican baseball player
*1978 - Eric Balfour, American actor
* 1978 - Kim Hyun-ju, Korean actress
*1978 - Stella Damasus Aboderin, Nigerian actress
*1979 - Laurentia Tan, Singaporean Paralympic equestrienne
*1980 - Fernando Arce, Mexican footballer
* 1980 - Austin Nichols, American actor
*1981 - Taylor Dent, American tennis player
*1982 - Kelly Clarkson, American singer
*1983 - Princess Iman bint Al Hussein of Jordan
*1984 - Tyson Ritter, American musician
*1987 - Kristopher Letang, Canadian hockey player
* 1987 - Jan Vertonghen, Belgian footballer
*1994 - Austin Rogers, American actor
*1998 - Ryan Newman, American actress

Deaths

* 624 - Mellitus, third Archbishop of Canterbury
* 709 - Wilfrid, English archbishop and saint
*1338 - Marquis Theodore I of Montferrat (b. 1291)
*1342 - Pope Benedict XII (b. 1285)
*1622 - Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Swiss friar, martyr, and saint (b. 1577)
*1656 - Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (b. 1561)
*1731 - Daniel Defoe, English writer (b. 1660)
*1736 - Prince Eugene of Savoy, French-born Austrian general (b. 1663)
*1779 - Eleazar Wheelock, American founder of Dartmouth College (b. 1711)
*1852 - Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet (b. 1783)
*1891 - Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Prussian field marshal (b. 1800)*
*1924 - G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist (b. 1844)
*1938 - George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (b. 1863)
*1939 - Louis Trousselier, French cyclist (b. 1881)
*1942 - Karin Boye, Swedish author (b. 1900)
* 1942 - Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canadian author (b. 1874)
*1944 - William Stephens, U.S. political figure (b. 1859)
*1945 - Ernst-Robert Grawitz, German physician (b. 1899)
*1947 - Willa Cather, American writer (b. 1873)
* 1947 - Hans Biebow, German war criminal (by execution; b. 1902)
*1960 - Max von Laue, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
*1964 - Gerhard Domagk, German bacteriologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (declined) (b. 1895)
*1965 - Louise Dresser, American actress (b. 1878)
*1967 - Vladimir Komarov, cosmonaut (b. 1927)
*1974 - Bud Abbott, American actor and comedian (b. 1895)
*1975 - Pete Ham, Welsh musician and frontman of Badfinger (b. 1947)
*1980 - Alejo Carpentier, Cuban writer (b. 1904)
*1982 - Ville Ritola, Finnish athlete (b. 1896)
*1983 - Rolf Stommelen, German race car driver (b. 1943)
*1986 - Wallis Simpson, American wife of Edward, Duke of Windsor (b. 1896)
*1993 - Oliver Tambo, South African activist and politician (b. 1917)
*1997 - Pat Paulsen, American comedian and politician (b. 1927)
* 1997 - Eugene Stoner, American engineer and weapons designer (b. 1922)
*2001 - Al Hibbler, American singer (b. 1915)
* 2001 - Leon Sullivan, African-American civil rights leader and pastor (b. 1922)
*2004 - Estée Lauder, American cosmetics entrepreneur (b. 1906)
*2005 - Ezer Weizman, President of Israel (b. 1924)
* 2005 - Fei Xiaotong, Chinese sociologist (b. 1910)
*2006 - Steve Stavro, Canadian businessman and sports team owner (b. 1927)
* 2006 - Moshe Teitelbaum, Hassidic rabbi (b. 1914)
* 2006 - Brian Labone, English footballer (b. 1940)

Holidays and observances

*Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
*Australia - Kapyong Day a day of remembrance for Korean War veterans, named after the Battle of Kapyong in 1951
*The Gambia - Republic Day in (1970).in the Roman Catholic Church:
*Saint Egbert of Northumbria
*Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen
*Saint Honorius

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/24 BBC: On This Day]
*
* [http://www1.sympatico.ca/cgi-bin/on_this_day?mth=Apr&day=24 On This Day in Canada] ----