May 24

Events

*1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
*1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral.
*1487 - Lambert Simnel is crowned as "King Edward VI" at Dublin, Ireland.
*1595 - "Nomenclator" of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library.
*1621 - The Protestant Union is formally dissolved.
*1626 - Peter Minuit buys Manhattan.
*1689 - The English Parliament passes the Act of Toleration protecting Protestants. Roman Catholics are intentionally excluded.
*1738 - John Wesley is converted, essentially launching the Methodist movement; the day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day.
*1798 - Irish Rebellion of 1798 led by the United Irishmen against British rule begins.
*1822 - Battle of Pichincha: Antonio José de Sucre secures the independence of the Presidency of Quito.
*1830 - "Mary Had a Little Lamb" by Sarah Josepha Hale is published.
* 1830 - The first revenue trains in the United States begin service on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road between Baltimore, Maryland and Ellicott's Mills, Maryland.
*1832 - The First Kingdom of Greece is declared in the London Conference.
*1844 - Samuel F. B. Morse sends the message "What hath God wrought" (a Bible quotation, Numbers 23:23) from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland.
*1846 - Mexican-American War: General Zachary Taylor captures Monterrey.
*1856 - John Brown and his men murder five slavery supporters at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas.
*1861 - American Civil War: Union troops occupy Alexandria, Virginia.
*1881 - Turkey cedes Thessaly and Arta back to Greece.
*1883 - The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction.
*1895 - Henry Irving becomes the first personage from the theatre to be knighted.
*1900 - Second Boer War: The United Kingdom annexes the Orange Free State.
*1901 - Seventy-eight miners die in the Caerphilly pit disaster in South Wales.
*1915 - World War I: Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary.
*1921 - The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti opens.
*1930 - Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, Northern Territory, becoming the first woman to fly from England to Australia (she left on May 5 for the 11,000 mile flight).
*1940 - Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight.
*1941 - World War II: In the North Atlantic, the German Battleship "Bismarck" sinks the HMS "Hood" killing all but three crewmen on what was the pride of the Royal Navy.
*1943 - Holocaust: Josef Mengele becomes chief medical officer of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
*1949 - The Soviet Union ends the 11-month Berlin Blockade.
*1956 - Conclusion of the Sixth Buddhist Council on Vesak Day, marking the 2,500 year anniversary after the Lord Buddha's Parinibbāna.
*1958 - United Press International is formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.
*1961 - American civil rights movement: Freedom Riders are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi for "disturbing the peace" after disembarking from their bus.
* 1961 - Cyprus enters the Council of Europe.
*1962 - Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbits the Earth three times in the "Aurora 7" space capsule.
*1968 - FLQ separatists bomb the U.S. consulate in Quebec City.
*1970 - The drilling of the Kola Superdeep Borehole begins in the Soviet Union.
*1973 - Earl Jellicoe resigns as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the Lords.
*1976 - The London to Washington, D.C. Concorde service begins.
*1976 - In the Judgment of Paris, wine testers rate wines from California higher than their French counterparts, challenging the notion of France being the foremost producer of the world's best wines.
*1980 - The International Court of Justice calls for the release of United States embassy hostages in Tehran, Iran. The hostages would not be freed until the following January.
*1982 - Liberation of Khorramshahr, Iranians recapture of the port city of Khorramshahr from the Iraqis during the Iran–Iraq War.
*1988 - Section 28 is passed as law by Parliament in the United Kingdom.
*1989 - Sonia Sutcliffe, wife of the Yorkshire Ripper, is awarded £600,000 in damages (later reduced to £60,000 on appeal) after winning a libel action against "Private Eye".
*1990 - A car carrying American Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney explodes in Oakland, California, critically injuring both.
*1991 - Israel conducts Operation Solomon, evacuating Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
*1992 - The last Thai dictator, General Suchinda Kraprayoon, resigns following pro-democracy protests.
*1993 - Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia.
*1994 - Four men convicted of bombing the World Trade Center in New York in 1993 are each sentenced to 240 years in prison.
*1999 - Venezuela enters the Antarctic Treaty System.
*2000 - Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation.
*2001 - Mountain climbing: 15-year-old Sherpa Temba Tsheri becomes the youngest person to climb to the top of Mount Everest.
* 2001 - The Versailles wedding hall disaster in Jerusalem, Israel, kills 23 and injures over 200 in Israel's worst-ever civil disaster.
* 2001 - The Democrats gain control of the U.S. Senate for the first time since 1994 when Senator James Jeffords of Vermont abandons the Republican Party and declares himself an independent.
*2002 - Russia and the United States sign the Moscow Treaty.
*2004 - Communications in North Korea: North Korea bans mobile phones.

Births

*15 BC - Julius Caesar Germanicus, Roman commander (d. 19)
*1494 - Pontormo, Italian painter (d. 1557)
*1522 - John Jewel, English bishop (d. 1571)
*1544 - William Gilbert, English natural philosopher (d. 1603)
*1616 - John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale (d. 1682)
*1671 - Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1737)
*1686 - Gabriel Fahrenheit, inventor and thermometer maker (d. 1736)
*1689 - Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea, English politician (d. 1769)
*1743 - Jean-Paul Marat, French revolutionary (d. 1793)
*1794 - William Whewell, English scientist and philosopher (d. 1866)
*1803 - Alexander von Nordmann, Finnish zoologist (d. 1866)
*1810 - Charles Clark, Governor of Mississippi (d. 1877)
* 1810 - Abraham Geiger, German rabbi and scholar (d. 1874)
*1816 - Emanuel Leutze, German-born painter (d. 1868)
*1819 - Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (d. 1901)
*1830 - Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter (d. 1897)
*1836 - Joseph Rowntree, British social reformer (d. 1925)
*1854 - John Riley Banister, American law officer and cowboy (d. 1918)
*1855 - Arthur Wing Pinero, English playwright (d. 1934)
*1863 - George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (d. 1938)
*1868 - Charles E. Taylor, First aircraft maintenance professional (d. 1956)
*1870 - Benjamin Cardozo, American jurist (d. 1938)
* 1870 - Jan Christiaan Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 1950)
*1878 - Lillian Moller Gilbreth, American engineer (d. 1972)
*1879 - H. B. Reese, American inventor of Reese's and founder (d. 1956)
*1885 - Susan Sutherland Isaacs, English educational psychologist (d. 1948).
*1886 - Paul Paray, French conductor and composer (d. 1979)
*1887 - Edward "Mick" Mannock, Irish WWI flying ace (d. 1918)
*1891 - William F. Albright, American archeologist and Biblical scholar (d. 1971)
*1895 - Samuel Irving Newhouse, American publisher (d. 1979)
*1899 - Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (d. 1938)
* 1899 - Henri Michaux, French poet (d. 1984)
*1900 - Lionel Conacher, Canadian athlete and politician (d. 1954)
* 1900 - Eduardo De Filippo, Italian actor and screenwriter (d. 1984)
*1901 - José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer (d. 1968)
*1905 - Michail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
*1909 - Wilbur Mills, American politician (d. 1992)
*1911 - Barbara West, English survivor of the Titanic sinking (d. 2007)
*1914 - Lilli Palmer, German-born actress (d. 1986)
* 1914 - Giuseppe Valdengo, Italian baritone (d. 2007)
*1916 - Roden Cutler, Australian diplomat (d. 2002)
*1923 - Siobhán McKenna, Irish actress (d. 1986)
*1925 - Mai Zetterling, Swedish-born entertainer (d. 1994)
*1926 - Stanley Baxter, Scottish actor
*1928 - William Trevor, Irish writer
*1930 - Hans-Martin Linde, German conductor
*1931 - Michael Lonsdale, French actor
*1932 - Arnold Wesker, English dramatist
*1933 - Aharon Lichtenstein, Orthodox Jewish rabbi
*1934 - Jane Byrne, American politician
* 1934 - Barry Rose, English choir-trainer and organist
*1935 - Joan Micklin Silver, American director
*1936 - Harold Budd, American musician
*1938 - Tommy Chong, Canadian-born actor and comedian
* 1938 - David Viscott, American psychiatrist (d. 1996)
*1940 - Joseph Brodsky, Russian-born poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
*1941 - Bob Dylan, American singer and songwriter
* 1941 - George Lakoff, American linguist and political activist
*1943 - Gary Burghoff, American actor
*1944 - Patti LaBelle, American singer
*1945 - Priscilla Presley, American actress
*1946 - Irena Kirszenstein-Szewinska, Russian-born Polish athlete
*1947 - Martin Winterkorn, German automotive executive
*1949 - Jim Broadbent, English actor
*1950 - Larry Seidlin, American judge
*1953 - Alfred Molina, London-born Spanish-Italian actor
*1955 - Rosanne Cash, American singer
*1956 - Michael Jackson, Northern Irish clergyman
*1959 - Pelle Lindbergh, Swedish hockey player (d. 1985)
*1960 - Kristin Scott Thomas, English actress
* 1960 - Guy Fletcher, British keyboardist (Dire Straits)
*1962 - Gene Anthony Ray, American actor (d. 2003)
*1963 - Ivan Capelli, Italian racing driver
* 1963 - Michael Chabon, American author
* 1963 - Joe Dumars, American basketball player
* 1963 - Kathy Leander, Swiss singer
* 1963 - Rich Rodriguez, American football coach
*1964 - Adrian Moorhouse, British swimmer
* 1964 - Pat Verbeek, Canadian ice hockey player
*1965 - John C. Reilly, American actor
* 1965 - Shinichiro Watanabe, Japanese anime director
*1966 - Eric Cantona, French footballer
* 1966 - Ricky Craven, American NASCAR driver
*1967 - Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
* 1967 - Steve McDonald, American bassist (Redd Kross)
*1968 - Mo Willems, American author and screenwriter
*1969 - Rich Robinson, American musician (Black Crowes)
*1970 - Tommy Page, American singer
*1971 - Kris Draper, Canadian ice hockey player (Detroit Red Wings)
*1972 - Greg Berlanti, American television writer and producer
*1973 - Bartolo Colón, Dominican baseball player
* 1973 - Dermot O'Leary, English television presenter
* 1973 - Ruslana, Ukrainian singer
*1974 - Will Sasso, Canadian actor and comedian
* 1974 - Masahide Kobayashi, Japanese baseball player
* 1974 - Sébastien Foucan, French actor and free-runner
*1975 - Marc Gagnon, Canadian short track speed skater
* 1975 - Maria Lawson, British Singer
* 1975 - Yannis Goumas, Greek footballer
*1976 - Alessandro Cortini, Italian musician
* 1976 - Catherine Cox, Australian netballer
* 1976 - Bob Maesen, Belgian flatwater canoer
*1977 - Kym Valentine. Australian actress
*1978 - Brian Ching, American footballer
* 1978 - Bryan Greenberg, American actor
* 1978 - Brad Penny, American baseball player
* 1978 - Johan Holmqvist, Swedish hockey player
*1979 - Tracy McGrady, American basketball player
* 1979 - Frank Mir, American UFC fighter
*1980 - Cecilia Cheung, Hong Kong actress and singer
*1981 - Marketa Janska, Czech model and Playboy Playmate
*1982 - Issah Ahmed, Ghana football player
* 1982 - DaMarcus Beasley, American footballer
*1983 - Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, Anglo-Australian videogame creator and critic
*1984 - Sarah Hagan, American actress
* 1984 - Brodney Pool, American football player
*1985 - Tim Bridgman, British racing driver
*1986 - Jordan Metcalfe, English actor
* 1986 - Mark Ballas, professional dancer
*1987 - Dominika Kasprzycka, Polish singer
* 1987 - Guillaume Latendresse, French-Canadian hockey player
*1988 - Billy Gilman, American singer
*1989 - Tara Correa-McMullen, American actress (d. 2005)
*1990 - Joey Logano, American racecar driver
*1991 - Erika Umeda, Japanese singer
*1992 - Travis T. Flory, American actor
*1995 - Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein

Deaths

*1153 - King David I of Scotland (b. 1084)
*1351 - Abu al-Hasan 'Ali, Sultan of Morocco (b. circa 1297)
*1408 - Taejo of Joseon, ruler of Korea (b. 1335)
*1425 - Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, Scottish politician (b. 1362)
*1456 - Ambroise de Loré, French military commander (b. 1396)
*1543 - Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish astronomer (b. 1473)
*1612 - Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, English statesman (b. 1563)
*1627 - Luis de Góngora, Spanish poet (b. 1561)
*1725 - Jonathan Wild, English criminal (b. 1682)
*1734 - Georg Ernst Stahl, German physician and chemist (b. 1660)
*1749 - Graf Valentin Potocki, Polish nobleman
*1792 - George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, British naval officer (b. 1718)
*1806 - John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, British field marshal (b. 1723)
*1843 - Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician (b. 1765)
*1861 - Elmer E. Ellsworth, American Civil War officer (b. 1837)
*1872 - Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, German painter (b. 1794)
*1876 - Georgi Benkovski, Bulgarian revolutionary (b. 1843)
*1879 - William Lloyd Garrison, American abolitionist and publisher (b. 1805)
*1881 - Samuel Palmer, English artist (b. 1805)
*1883 - Abdel Kadir, Algerian leader (b. 1808)
*1908 - Old Tom Morris, Scottish golfer (b. 1821)
*1919 - Amado Nervo, Mexican poet (b. 1870)
*1941 - Lancelot Holland, British admiral, died in sinking of the HMS Hood (51) (b. 1887)
*1945 - Robert Ritter von Greim, German field marshal (b. 1892)
*1947 - C. F. Ramuz, Swiss writer (b. 1878)
*1948 - Jacques Feyder, Belgian director and screenwriter (b. 1885)
*1949 - Aleksey Shchusev, Russian architect (b. 1873)
*1950 - Archibald Wavell, British general (b. 1883)
*1959 - John Foster Dulles, United States Secretary of State (b. 1888)
*1963 - Elmore James, American musician (b. 1918)
*1969 - Willy Ley, German-born rocket scientist (b. 1906)
*1972 - Ismail Yasin, Egyptian comedian and actor (b. 1915)
*1974 - Duke Ellington, American composer and musician (b. 1899)
*1984 - Vincent J. McMahon, American pro wrestling promoter (b. 1914)
*1991 - Gene Clark, American singer and songwriter (The Byrds) (b. 1944)
* 1991 - Miriam di San Servolo, Italian actress (b. 1912)
*1992 - Hitoshi Ogawa, Japanese racing driver (b. 1956)
*1995 - Harold Wilson, British politician (b. 1916)
*1997 - Edward Mulhare, Irish actor (b. 1923)
*2000 - Kurt Schork, American reporter (b. 1947)
*2002 - Wallace Markfield, American writer (b. 1926)
*2003 - Rachel Kempson, English actress (b. 1910)
*2004 - Henry Ries, American photographer (b. 1917)
* 2004 - Milton Shulman, Canadian author and critic (b. 1913)
* 2004 - Edward Wagenknecht, American literary critic (b. 1900)
*2005 - Carl Amery, German writer (b. 1922)
* 2005 - Arthur Haulot, Belgian journalist (b. 1913)
* 2005 - Vivian Liberto, first wife of Johnny Cash (b. 1934)
*2006 - Henry Bumstead, American art director (b. 1915)
* 2006 - Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician (b. 1930)
*2007 - Bill Johnston, Australian cricketer (b. 1922)
*2008 - Dick Martin American comedian (b. 1922)

Holidays and observances

* Canada: Victoria Day, on this date if it falls on a Monday or the Monday before it. In Quebec, it is known as National Patriotes Day ("Journée nationale des patriotes").
*Saints Cyril and Methodius Day in Eastern Orthodox tradition. In addition, the following secular observances are recognized, in the association with the works of Cyril and Methodius Day
**Republic of Macedonia: Saints Cyril and Methodius, Slavonic Enlighteners' Day
* Bermuda: Bermuda Day.
* Eritrea: National Day.
* Aldersgate Day (Methodism).
* Saint Sarah is celebrated in Camargue, France by the Roma people (or "Gypsies").

External links

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

----