March 24

Linked-title was the 365th and last day of the year in many European implementations of the Julian calendar.

Events

*1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus.
*1603 - James VI of Scotland also becomes James I King of England.
*1731 - "Naturalization of Hieronimus de Salis" Parliamentary Act is passed.
*1765 - American Revolutionary War: The Kingdom of Great Britain passes the Quartering Act that requires the Thirteen Colonies to house British troops.
*1832 - In Hiram, Ohio a group of men beat, tar and feather Mormon leader Joseph Smith, Jr..
*1837 - Canada gives African men the right to vote.
*1844 - After a month of its independence, Dominican Republic fights against the Haitian army led by Charles Herard and General Pierrot
*1868 - Metropolitan Life Insurance Company is formed.
*1878 - The British frigate "HMS Eurydice" sinks, killing more than 300.
*1882 - Robert Koch announces the discovery of the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis (mycobacterium tuberculosis).
*1900 - New York City Mayor Robert Anderson Van Wyck breaks ground for a new underground "Rapid Transit Railroad" that would link Manhattan and Brooklyn.
*1907 - The first issue of the Georgian Bolshevik newspaper "Dro" is published.
*1923 - Greece becomes a republic.
*1934 - U.S. Congress passes the Tydings-McDuffie Act.
*1936 - The longest game in NHL history was played between Detroit and Montreal. Detroit scored at 16:30 of the sixth overtime and won the game 1-0.
*1944 - Ardeatine Massacre: German troops kill 335 Italian civilians in Rome.
* 1944 - World War II: In an event later dramatized in the movie "The Great Escape", 76 prisoners begin breaking out of Stalag Luft III.
*1958 - Elvis Presley is officially inducted into the U.S.Army.
*1959 - The Party of the African Federation (PFA) is launched by Léopold Sédar Senghor and Modibo Keita.
*1965 - NASA spacecraft Ranger 9, equipped to convert its signals into a form suitable for showing on domestic television, brings images of the Moon into ordinary homes before crash landing.
*1972 - The United Kingdom imposes "Direct Rule" over Northern Ireland.
*1973 - Kenyan track runner Kip Keino defeats Jim Ryun at the first-ever professional track meet in Los Angeles, California.
*1976 - Argentina's military forces depose president Isabel Perón and start the National Reorganization Process.
*1980 - Archbishop Óscar Romero is killed by right-wing terrorists while celebrating Mass in San Salvador.
*1989 - Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Prince William Sound in Alaska, the "Exxon Valdez" spills 240,000 barrels (42,000 m³) of petroleum after running aground.
*1998 - Jonesboro massacre: Two students, ages 11 and 13, fire upon teachers and students at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas; five people are dead and ten are wounded.
* 1998 - A tornado sweeps through Dantan in India killing 250 people and injuring 3000 others.
*1999 - Kosovo War: NATO commences air bombardment against Yugoslavia, marking the first time NATO has attacked a sovereign country.
* 1999 - Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire: 39 people die when a Belgian transport truck carrying flour and margarine caught fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel.
*2003 - The Arab League votes 21-1 in favor of a resolution demanding the immediate and unconditional removal of U.S. and British soldiers from Iraq.
*2006 - Long-term protests in Belarus are broken by police.
* 2006 - Pope Benedict XVI adds 15 men to the College of Cardinals, in the first consistory of his Pontificate.
*2007 - The Australian Labor Party is reinstated after the New South Wales state elections.
*2008 - Bhutan officially becomes a democracy, with its first ever general election.

Births

*1494 - Georg Agricola, German scientist (d. 1555)
*1607 - Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (d. 1667)
*1628 - Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1685)
*1657 - Arai Hakuseki, Japanese writer and politician (d. 1725)
*1693 - John Harrison, British clockmaker (d. 1776)
*1725 - Samuel Ashe, Governor of North Carolina (d. 1813)
* 1725 - Thomas Cushing, American Continental Congressman and acting Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1788)
*1782 - Orest Kiprensky, Russian painter (d. 1836)
*1796 - John Corry Wilson Daly, Canadian politician (d. 1878)
*1808 - Maria Malibran, Spanish-French singer (d. 1836)
*1809 - Mariano José de Larra, Spanish journalist and writer (d. 1837)
* 1809 - Joseph Liouville, French mathematician (d. 1882)
*1820 - A. E. Becquerel, French physicist (d. 1891)
* 1820 - Fanny Crosby, American hymnist (d. 1915)
*1828 - Horace Gray, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1902)
*1829 - George Francis Train, American businessman (d. 1904)
* 1829 - Ignacio Zaragoza, Mexican general (d. 1862)
*1830 - Robert Hamerling, Austrian poet (d. 1889)
*1834 - William Morris, English writer and designer (d. 1896)
* 1834 - John Wesley Powell, American explorer and environmentalist (d. 1902)
*1835 - Jožef Stefan, Slovenian physicist (d. 1893)
*1848 - Honoré Beaugrand, Quebec journalist and newspaper publisher (La Patrie) (d. 1906)
*1850 - Silas Hocking, British novelist and preacher (d. 1935)
*1855 - Andrew Mellon, American financier (d. 1937)
* 1855 - Olive Schreiner, South African writer (d. 1920)
*1874 - Harry Houdini, (Weisz Erik), Hungarian-born magician (d. 1926)
*1884 - Peter Debye, Dutch chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1966)
*1886 - Athenagoras I, Greek Patriarch of Constantinople (d. 1972)
* 1886 - Edward Weston, American photographer (d. 1958)
*1887 - Roscoe Arbuckle, American actor (d. 1933)
*1888 - Viktor Kingissepp, Estonian Bolshevik politician (d. 1922)
*1889 - Albert Hill, British athlete (d. 1969)
*1891 - Sergey Ivanovich Vavilov, Soviet physicist (d. 1951)
*1893 - George Sisler, American baseball player (d. 1973)
* 1893 - Walter Baade, German astronomer (d. 1960)
*1897 - Wilhelm Reich, Austrian-born psychotherapist (d. 1957)
*1901 - Ub Iwerks, American cartoonist (d. 1971)
*1902 - Thomas Dewey, American politician (d. 1971)
*1903 - Adolf Butenandt, German chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1995)
* 1903 - Malcolm Muggeridge, British author and scholar (d. 1990)
*1905 - Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino writer and diplomat (d. 2007)
*1906 - Klavdiya Shulzhenko, Soviet singer (d. 1984)
*1907 - Paul Sauvé, Quebec politician (d. 1960)
*1909 - Clyde Barrow, American crime figure (d. 1934)
*1910 - Richard Conte, American actor (d. 1975)
*1911 - Joseph Barbera, American cartoonist (d. 2006)
*1915 - Gorgeous George, American professional wrestler (d. 1963)
*1916 - Donald Hamilton, Swedish-American novelist (d. 2006)
*1917 - John Kendrew, British molecular biologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1997)
* 1917 - Constantine Andreou, Greek-Brazilian artist (d. 2007)
*1919 - Lawrence Ferlinghetti, American author and publisher
* 1919 - Robert Heilbroner, American economist (d. 2005
*1920 - Gene Nelson, American actor (d. 1996)
*1921 - Vasily Smyslov, Russian chess player
*1922 - Onna White, Canadian choreographer (d. 2005)
*1923 - Murray Hamilton, American actor (d. 1986)
*1924 - Norman Fell, American actor (d. 1998)
*1925 - Puig Aubert, French rugby league footballer (d. 1994)
*1926 - Dario Fo, Italian writer, Nobel laureate
*1927 - Martin Walser, German author
*1928 - Byron Janis, American pianist
*1930 - David Dacko, 1st President of the Central African Republic (d. 2003)
* 1930 - Agustín González, Spanish actor (d. 2005)
* 1930 - Steve McQueen, American actor (d. 1980)
*1934 - William Smith, American actor
*1935 - Peter Bichsel, Swiss writer
*1936 - David Suzuki, Canadian scientist and environmentalist
*1937 - Billy Stewart, American singer (d. 1970)
*1938 - Holger Czukay, German musician (Can)
* 1938 - David Irving, British historian
*1940 - Bob Mackie, American fashion designer
* 1940 - Don Jardine, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 2006)
*1944 - R. Lee Ermey, American actor
* 1944 - Vojislav Koštunica, Serbian Prime Minister
*1945 - Robert T. Bakker, American paleontologist
* 1945 - Curtis Hanson, American film director
*1946 - Klaus Dinger, German musician (Neu!, Kraftwerk)
*1947 - Christine Gregoire, American politician, current governor of Washington
* 1947 - Meiko Kaji, Japanese singer and actress
* 1947 - Alan Sugar, English businessman
*1949 - Nick Lowe, British musician
*1951 - Pat Bradley, American golfer
* 1951 - Tommy Hilfiger, American fashion designer
* 1951 - Dougie Thomson, British bassist (Supertramp)
*1954 - Robert Carradine, American actor
* 1954 - Donna Pescow, American actress
*1955 - Doug Jarvis, Canadian ice hockey player
*1957 - Pierre Harvey, Canadian cyclist and cross-country skier
*1958 - Mike Woodson, American basketball player and head coach
*1960 - Kelly LeBrock, American actress
* 1960 - Barry Horowitz, American professional wrestler
* 1960 - Nena, German pop singer
* 1960 - Scott Pruett, American race car driver
*1961 - Dean Jones, Australian cricketer
*1962 - Star Jones Reynolds, American television personality
* 1962 - Angèle Dubeau, Canadian violinist
*1964 - Annabella Sciorra, American actress
*1965 - Peter Jacobson, American actor
* 1965 - Gurmit Singh, Singaporean actor
* 1965 - The Undertaker, American professional wrestler
*1969 - Houston, American pornographic actress
*1970 - Lara Flynn Boyle, American actress
* 1970 - Sharon Corr, Irish musician (The Corrs)
* 1970 - Judith Draxler, Austrian swimmer
* 1970 - Mike Vanderjagt, Canadian football player
*1971 - Megyn Price, American actress
*1972 - Steve Karsay, American baseball player
*1973 - Jacek Bąk, Polish footballer
* 1973 - Steve Corica, Australian soccer player
*1974 - Chad Butler, American drummer (Switchfoot)
* 1974 - Alyson Hannigan, American actress
*1975 - Thomas Johansson, Swedish tennis player
* 1975 - Krisdayanti, Indonesian singer, actress and diva
*1976 - Aaron Brooks, American football player
* 1976 - Aliou Cissé, Senegalese footballer
* 1976 - Athanasios Kostoulas, Greek footballer
* 1976 - Peyton Manning, American football player
*1977 - Corneille, Canadian-Rwandan singer
* 1977 - Darren Lockyer, Australian rugby league footballer
*1978 - Michael Braun, Australian rules footballer
*1979 - Lake Bell, American actress
* 1979 - Emraan Hashmi, Indian actor
* 1979 - Norris Hopper, American baseball player
* 1979 - Periklis Iakovakis, Greek athlete
* 1979 - Graeme Swann, English cricketer
*1980 - Tassos Venetis, Greek footballer
*1981 - Ron Hainsey, American ice hockey player
*1982 - Corey Hart, American baseball player
* 1982 - Dustin McGowan, American baseball player
* 1982 - Nivea, American singer
*1983 - T. J. Ford, American basketball player
*1984 - Chris Bosh, American basketball player
*1985 - Haruka Ayase, Japanese actress and model
*1986 - Kohei Hirate, Japanese racing driver
* 1986 - Anthony McMahon, English footballer
*1988 - Ryan Higgins, Zimbabwean cricketer
*1990 - Keisha Castle-Hughes, Australian-born New Zealand actress

Deaths

* 809 - Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph (b. 763)
*1284 - King Hugh III of Cyprus
*1381 - Saint Catharine of Sweden, Swedish saint
*1396 - Walter Hilton, English mystic
*1455 - Pope Nicholas V (b. 1397)
*1558 - Anna of Egmond, Countess of Egmond and Buren (b. 1533)
*1563 - Hosokawa Harumoto, Japanese military leader (b. 1514)
*1575 - Yosef Karo, Spanish-born rabbi (b. 1488)
*1603 - Queen Elizabeth I of England (b. 1533)
*1653 - Samuel Scheidt, German composer (b. 1587)
*1773 - Philip Dormer Stanhope, English statesman (b. 1694)
*1776 - John Harrison, English clockmaker (b. 1693)
*1869 - Antoine-Henri Jomini, French general (b. 1779)
*1881 - Joseph Delesse, French geologist (b. 1817)
*1882 - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American author (b. 1807)
*1887 - Ivan Kramskoi, Russian painter and art critic (b. 1837)
*1888 - Vsevolod Garshin, Russian author (b. 1855)
*1905 - Jules Verne, French author (b. 1828)
*1909 - John Millington Synge, Irish playwright (b. 1871)
*1915 - Karol Olszewski, Polish scientist (b. 1846)
*1916 - Enrique Granados, Spanish composer (b. 1867)
*1921 - Larry McLean, Canadian baseball player (b. 1881)
*1944 - Orde Wingate, British soldier (b. 1903)
*1946 - Alexander Alekhine, Russian chess player (b. 1892)
*1948 - Sigrid Hjertén, Swedish modernist painter (b. 1885)
*1950 - James Rudolph Garfield, American politician (b. 1865)
*1953 - Mary of Teck, queen consort to George V of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)
*1962 - Jean Goldkette, Greek-born musician (b. 1899)
* 1962 - Auguste Piccard, Swiss physicist and explorer (b. 1884)
*1968 - Alice Guy-Blaché, American film director (b. 1873)
*1976 - Bernard Montgomery, British field marshal (b. 1887)
*1980 - Óscar Romero, Salvadoran Catholic archbishop (b. 1917)
*1984 - Sam Jaffe, American actor (b. 1891)
*1990 - Ray Goulding, American comedian (b. 1922)
* 1990 - An Wang, Chinese-born computer engineer (b. 1920)
*1991 - Sir John Kerr, Australian politician (b. 1914)
*1993 - John Hersey, American author (b. 1914)
*1997 - Martin Caidin, American aviation writer (b. 1927)
* 1997 - Harold Melvin, American singer (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes) (b. 1939)
*1999 - Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, German women's activist (b. 1902)
* 1999 - Birdie Tebbetts, American baseball player and manager (b. 1912)
*2001 - Muriel Young, English TV entertainer (b. 1928)
*2002 - César Milstein, Argentine scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1927)
*2003 - Hans Hermann Groër, Austrian Catholic archbishop (b. 1919)
*2006 - Lynne Perrie, English actress (b. 1931)
*2008 - Chalmers "Spanky" Alford‎, American guitarist (b. 1955)
* 2008 - Neil Aspinall, British record producer (b. 1941)
* 2008 - Richard Widmark, American actor (b. 1914)
* 2008 - Hal Riney, American advertising executive (b. 1932)

Holidays and observances

*Ancient Latvia - Kazimiras Diena observed.
*World Tuberculosis Day.
*Labour Day Melbourne, Australia
*Saint Macartan
*Saint Simeon (d. 1475)
*Saint Catharine of Sweden (d. 1381)
*Day of Memory for Truth and Justice in Argentina
*Dyngus Day in Poland

External links

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