What happened on May 24? There are more than 288 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

Interesting Facts & Myths About May 24

May 24 In HistoryMay 24 is the 145th day of the year 2024. There are 221 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday. This day falls under the 21st week of the year 2024.

On this day in East Ryegate, Vermont 05042 sunrise will occur at 05:10 AM and sunset will occur at 08:19 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Gemini. The modern birthstone for this month is Emerald while the mystical birthstone is Sapphire.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 250 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

Birthday curiousity Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the March 30 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)

Historical Events For May 24

  • 1218
    The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
  • 1276
    Magnus Ladulås is crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral.
  • 1487
    The ten-year-old Lambert Simnel is crowned in Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland with the name of Edward VI in a bid to threaten King Henry VII’s reign.
  • 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 and a church service is generally held on the preceding Sunday.
  • 1798
    The 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 Railroad between Baltimore, Maryland and Ellicott’s Mills, Maryland.
  • 1832
    The First Kingdom of Greece is declared in the London Conference.
  • 1844
    Samuel Morse sends the message “What hath God wrought” (a biblical quotation, Numbers 23:23) from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland to inaugurate the first telegraph line.
  • 1846
    Mexican-American War: General Zachary Taylor captures Monterrey.
  • 1856
    John Brown and his men kill five slavery supporters at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas.
  • 1861
    American Civil War: Union troops occupy Alexandria, Virginia.
  • 1883
    The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction.
  • 1895
    Henry Irving becomes the first person 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 solo from England to Australia (she left on May 5 for the 11,000 mile flight).
  • 1935
    The first night game in Major League Baseball history is played in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the Cincinnati Reds beating the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 at Crosley Field.
  • 1940
    Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight.
  • 1941
    World War II: In the Battle of the Atlantic, the German Battleship Bismarck sinks the then pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood, killing all but three crewmen.
  • 1943
    Holocaust: Josef Mengele becomes chief medical officer of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
  • 1948
    Arab–Israeli War: Egypt captures the Israeli kibbutz of Yad Mordechai, but the five-day effort gives Israeli forces time to prepare enough to stop the Egyptian advance a week later.
  • 1956
    Conclusion of the Sixth Buddhist Council on Vesak Day, marking the 2,500 year anniversary after the Lord Buddha’s Parinibbāna.
  • 1956
    The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland
  • 1958
    United Press International is formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.
  • 1960
    Following the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, the largest ever recorded earthquake, Cordón Caulle begins to erupt.
  • 1961
    American civil rights movement: Freedom Riders are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi for “disturbing the peace” after disembarking from their bus.
  • 1961
    Cyprus joins the Council of Europe.
  • 1962
    Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbits the Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.
  • 1967
    Egypt imposes a blockade and siege of the Red Sea coast of Israel.
  • 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 House of Lords.
  • 1976
    The Judgement of Paris takes place in France, launching California as a worldwide force in the production of quality wine.
  • 1976
    The London to Washington, D.C. Concorde service begins.
  • 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.
  • 1981
    Ecuadorian president Jaime Roldós Aguilera, his wife and his presidential committee died in an aircraft accident while travelling from Quito to Zapotillo minutes after the president famous speech regarding the 24 de mayo anniversary of the Battle of Pichincha.
  • 1982
    Liberation of Khorramshahr: Iranians recapture of the port city of Khorramshahr from the Iraqis during the Iran–Iraq War.
  • 1988
    Section 28 of the United Kingdom’s Local Government Act 1988, a controversial amendment stating that a local authority cannot intentionally promote homosexuality, is enacted.
  • 1988
    The fourth game of the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and the Boston Bruins had to end in a tie because of a power failure. The Oilers went on to win the Stanley Cup with a 6-3 victory in game 5.
  • 1989
    Sonia Sutcliffe, wife of the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, 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
    Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia.
  • 1991
    Israel conducts Operation Solomon, evacuating Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
  • 1992
    The last Thai dictator, General Suchinda Kraprayoon, resigns following pro-democracy protests.
  • 1994
    Four men convicted of bombing the World Trade Center in New York in 1993 are each sentenced to 240 years in prison.
  • 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
  • 2002
    Russia and the United States sign the Moscow Treaty.
  • 2004
    Communications in North Korea: North Korea bans mobile phones.

Who Were Born On May 24?

  • 15 BC
    Julius Caesar Germanicus, Roman commander (d. 19)
  • 1084
    King David I of Scotland (d. 1153)
  • 1494
    Pontormo, Italian painter (d. 1557)
  • 1522
    John Jewel, English Bishop of Salisbury (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, German 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
    Abraham Geiger, German rabbi and scholar (d. 1874)
  • 1810
    Charles Clark, 24th Governor of Mississippi (d. 1877)
  • 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
    Charlie Taylor, American mechanic, associate with the Wright brothers (d. 1956)
  • 1870
    Benjamin Cardozo, American jurist (d. 1938)
  • 1870
    Jan Christiaan Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 1950)
  • 1874
    Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (d. 1878)
  • 1878
    Lillian Moller Gilbreth, American engineer (d. 1972)
  • 1879
    H. B. Reese, American inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and founder of H. B. Reese Candy Co. (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 World War I pilot (d. 1918)
  • 1891
    William F. Albright, American archeologist and Biblical scholar (d. 1971)
  • 1895
    Samuel Irving Newhouse, American publisher (d. 1979)
  • 1899
    Henri Michaux, French poet (d. 1984)
  • 1899
    Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bangladeshi National poet. (d. 1976)
  • 1899
    Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (d. 1938)
  • 1900
    Eduardo De Filippo, Italian actor and screenwriter (d. 1984)
  • 1900
    Lionel Conacher, Canadian athlete and politician (d. 1954)
  • 1901
    José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer (d. 1968)
  • 1903
    Milo Burcham, American aviator (d. 1944)
  • 1905
    Michail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
  • 1909
    Wilbur Mills, U.S. House of Representative from Arkansas (d. 1992)
  • 1911
    Barbara West, English survivor of the Titanic sinking (d. 2007)
  • 1913
    Joe Abreu, Portuguese American Major League Baseball infielder (d. 1993)
  • 1913
    Peter Ellenshaw, American matte designer (d. 2007)
  • 1914
    Giuseppe Valdengo, Italian baritone (d. 2007)
  • 1914
    Lilli Palmer, German-born actress (d. 1986)
  • 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, French-born American Orthodox Jewish rabbi and rosh yeshiva
  • 1934
    Barry Rose, English choir-trainer and organist
  • 1934
    Jane Byrne, 50th Mayor of Chicago
  • 1935
    Joan Micklin Silver, American director
  • 1936
    Harold Budd, American composer and poet
  • 1937
    Archie Shepp, American jazz saxophonist
  • 1937
    Roger Peterson, pilot who flew the plane on The Day the Music Died (d. 1959)
  • 1938
    David Viscott, American psychiatrist (d. 1996)
  • 1938
    Tommy Chong, Canadian-born actor and comedian
  • 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
  • 1942
    Ali Bacher, South African cricketer and administrator
  • 1942
    Ichirō Ozawa, Japanese politician
  • 1943
    Gary Burghoff, American actor
  • 1944
    Patti LaBelle, American R&B singer, songwriter and actress
  • 1945
    Priscilla Presley, American actress
  • 1946
    Irena Szewińska, Russian-born Polish sprinter
  • 1947
    Martin Winterkorn, German automotive executive (Volkswagen Group)
  • 1949
    Jim Broadbent, English actor
  • 1949
    Sybil Danning, Austrian actress
  • 1949
    Tomaž Pisanski, Slovenian mathematician
  • 1950
    Larry Seidlin, American judge
  • 1953
    Alfred Molina, London-born Spanish-Italian actor
  • 1953
    Klaus-Günter Stade, German footballer
  • 1953
    Nell Campbell, American actress and singer
  • 1955
    David Leonard, American guitarist, singer and songwriter
  • 1955
    Rosanne Cash, American singer
  • 1956
    Larry Blackmon, American singer (Cameo)
  • 1956
    Michael Jackson, Northern Irish clergyman
  • 1956
    Richard B. Bernstein, American constitutional and legal historian
  • 1959
    Pelle Lindbergh, Swedish hockey player (d. 1985)
  • 1960
    Doug Jones, American actor
  • 1960
    Guy Fletcher, British keyboardist (Dire Straits)
  • 1960
    Kristin Scott Thomas, English actress
  • 1962
    Gene Anthony Ray, American actor (d. 2003)
  • 1962
    Héctor Camacho, Puerto Rican boxer
  • 1963
    Ivan Capelli, Italian racing driver
  • 1963
    Joe Dumars, American basketball player
  • 1963
    Kathy Leander, Swiss singer
  • 1963
    Michael Chabon, American author
  • 1963
    Rich Rodriguez, American football coach
  • 1964
    Adrian Moorhouse, British swimmer
  • 1964
    Liz McColgan, British runner
  • 1964
    Pat Verbeek, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1965
    Jens Becker, German bassist (Grave Digger)
  • 1965
    John C. Reilly, American actor
  • 1965
    Shinichiro Watanabe, Japanese anime director
  • 1966
    Eric Cantona, French footballer
  • 1966
    Ricky Craven, American NASCAR driver
  • 1966
    Russell Kun, Nauruan politician
  • 1967
    Bruno Putzulu, French actor
  • 1967
    Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1967
    Dana Ashbrook, American actor
  • 1967
    Eric Close, American actor
  • 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
  • 1972
    Joanna Wiśniewska, Polish discus thrower
  • 1973
    Bartolo Colón, Dominican baseball player
  • 1973
    Dermot O'Leary, English television presenter
  • 1973
    Ruslana, Ukrainian singer
  • 1973
    Vladimír Šmicer, Czech footballer
  • 1974
    Masahide Kobayashi, Japanese baseball player
  • 1974
    Sébastien Foucan, French actor and free-runner
  • 1974
    Will Sasso, Canadian actor and comedian
  • 1975
    Marc Gagnon, Canadian short track speed skater
  • 1975
    Maria Lawson, British singer
  • 1975
    Yannis Goumas, Greek footballer
  • 1976
    Alessandro Cortini, Italian multi-instrumentalist (Nine Inch Nails)
  • 1976
    Bob Maesen, Belgian flatwater canoer
  • 1976
    Catherine Cox, Australian netballer
  • 1977
    Kym Valentine, Australian actress
  • 1978
    Brad Penny, American baseball player
  • 1978
    Brian Ching, American footballer
  • 1978
    Bryan Greenberg, American actor
  • 1978
    Elijah Burke, American wrestler
  • 1978
    Johan Holmqvist, Swedish hockey player
  • 1979
    Frank Mir, American UFC fighter
  • 1979
    Kareem McKenzie, American football player
  • 1979
    Tracy McGrady, American basketball player
  • 1980
    Cecilia Cheung, Hong Kong actress and singer
  • 1981
    Marketa Janska, Czech model
  • 1982
    DaMarcus Beasley, American footballer
  • 1982
    Issah Ahmed, Ghanaian football player
  • 1983
    Woo Seung-yeon, South Korean model and actress (d. 2009)
  • 1984
    Brodney Pool, American football player
  • 1984
    Ryan Wieber, American visual effects compositor and amateur filmmaker
  • 1984
    Sarah Hagan, American actress
  • 1985
    Giannis Kondoes, Greek footballer
  • 1985
    Tim Bridgman, British racing driver
  • 1986
    Jordan Metcalfe, English actor
  • 1986
    Mark Ballas, American professional dancer
  • 1987
    Guillaume Latendresse, Canadian hockey player
  • 1988
    Artem Anisimov, Russian hockey player
  • 1988
    Billy Gilman, American singer
  • 1988
    Monica Lin Brown, American soldier
  • 1989
    Adel Taarabt, Moroccan footballer
  • 1989
    Andrew Jordan, British racing driver
  • 1990
    Joey Logano, American racing driver
  • 1991
    Erika Umeda, Japanese singer
  • 1992
    Travis T. Flory, American actor
  • 1993
    Oliver Davis, American actor
  • 1994
    Cayden Boyd, American actor
  • 1995
    Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein

Who Died On May 24?

  • 1351
    Abu al-Hasan 'Ali, Sultan of Morocco (b. c. 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)
  • 1632
    Robert Hues, English mathematician and geographer (b. 1553)
  • 1725
    Jonathan Wild, English criminal (b. 1682)
  • 1734
    Georg Ernst Stahl, German physician and chemist (b. 1660)
  • 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)
  • 1908
    Old Tom Morris, Scottish golfer (b. 1821)
  • 1915
    Private John Condon, English World War I soldier (b. 1896)
  • 1919
    Amado Nervo, Mexican poet (b. 1870)
  • 1941
    Lancelot Holland, British admiral (b. 1887)
  • 1945
    Robert Ritter von Greim, German field marshal (b. 1892)
  • 1947
    Charles-Ferdinand 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 Field Marshal (b. 1883)
  • 1959
    John Foster Dulles, American, 52nd United States Secretary of State (b. 1888)
  • 1960
    Avraham Arnon, Israeli educator and a recipient of the Israel Prize (b. 1887)
  • 1963
    Elmore James, American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter (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)
  • 1979
    Sir Ernest Bullock, English organist and composer (b. 1890)
  • 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, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1964-1970, 1974-1976 (b. 1916)
  • 1996
    Enrique Álvarez Félix, Mexican actor (b. 1934)
  • 1996
    Joseph Mitchell, American journalist (b. 1908)
  • 1997
    Edward Mulhare, Irish actor (b. 1923)
  • 2000
    Kurt Schork, American reporter (b. 1947)
  • 2000
    Majrooh Sultanpuri, Indian poet and lyricist (b. 1919)
  • 2002
    Wallace Markfield, American writer (b. 1926)
  • 2003
    Lady Rachel Kempson, English actress (b. 1910)
  • 2004
    Edward Wagenknecht, American literary critic (b. 1900)
  • 2004
    Henry Ries, American photographer (b. 1917)
  • 2004
    Milton Shulman, Canadian author and critic (b. 1913)
  • 2005
    Arthur Haulot, Belgian journalist (b. 1913)
  • 2005
    Carl Amery, German writer (b. 1922)
  • 2005
    Vivian Liberto, first wife of Johnny Cash (b. 1934)
  • 2006
    Henry Bumstead, American art director (b. 1915)
  • 2006
    Jesus Ledesma Aguilar, Mexican convicted killer (b. 1963)
  • 2006
    Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician (b. 1930)
  • 2007
    Bill Johnston, Australian cricketer (b. 1922)
  • 2008
    Dick Martin, American comedian (b. 1922)
  • 2008
    Rob Knox, British actor (b. 1989)
  • 2009
    Jay Bennett, American guitarist and singer-songwriter (Wilco) (b. 1963)
  • 2010
    Anneliese Rothenberger, German operatic lyric soprano (b. 1926)
  • 2010
    Morrie Martin, Former Major League Baseball (b. 1922)
  • 2010
    Paul Gray, American bassist (Slipknot) (b. 1972)
  • 2010
    Petr Muk, Czech composer, musician, performer, and singer (b. 1965)
  • 2010
    Ray Alan, English ventriloquist & television entertainer (b. 1930)
  • 2010
    Raymond V. Haysbert, African-American business executive and civil rights leader (b. 1920)
  • 2010
    Tapen Chatterjee, Bengali actor from India (b. 1937)
  • 2010
    Virendra Bhatia, Indian politician (b. 1947)
  • 2011
    Hakim Ali Zardari Pakistani politician (b. 1930 Nawabshah)
  • 2011
    Huguette Clark, Heiress of the Clark Copper fortune, life-long reclusion from society (b. 1906)

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