From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

January 24 is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 341 days remaining until the end of the year (342 in leap years).

[edit] Events

• 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula), known for his eccentricity and cruel despotism, is assassinated by his disgruntled Praetorian Guards. Claudius succeeds his nephew.
• 1438 - The Council of Basel suspends Pope Eugene IV as Prelate of Ethiopia, arrives at Massawa from Goa.
• 1679 - King Charles II of England disbands Parliament.
• 1742 - Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1776 - Henry Knox arrives at Cambridge, Massachusetts with the artillery that he has transported from Fort Ticonderoga.
• 1826 - Mississippi College is founded in Clinton, becoming the first college in the state of Mississippi.
• 1848 - California Gold Rush: James W. Marshall finds gold at Sutter's Mill near Sacramento.
• 1857 - The University of Calcutta is formally founded as the first full-fledged university in south Asia.
• 1859 - Political union of Moldavia and Wallachia; Alexandru Ioan Cuza is elected as ruler.
• 1862 - Bucharest proclaimed capital of Romania.
• 1878 - The revolutionary Vera Zasulich shoots at Fyodor Trepov, the Governor of Saint Petersburg.
• 1887 - Battle of Dogali: Abyssinian troops defeat Italians.
• 1907 - Robert Baden-Powell founds the Boy Scout movement.
• 1916 - In Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad, the Supreme Court of the United States declares the federal income tax constitutional.
• 1918 - The Gregorian calendar introduced in Russia by decree of the Council of People's Commissars effective from February 14(NS)
• 1924 - Petrograd, formerly Saint Petersburg, Russia, is renamed Leningrad.
• 1927 - Director Alfred Hitchcock releases his first film, The Pleasure Garden, in England.
• 1936 - Albert Sarraut becomes Prime Minister of France
• 1943 - World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill conclude a conference in Casablanca.
• 1952 - Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor-General of Canada.
• 1966 - An Air India Boeing 707 jet crashes on Mont Blanc, on the border between France and Italy, killing 117.
• 1972 - Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi is found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II.
• 1977 - Massacre of Atocha in Madrid, during the Spanish transition to democracy.
• 1978 - Soviet satellite Cosmos 954 burns up in Earth's atmosphere, scattering debris over Canada's Northwest Territories.
• 1978 - Rose Dugdale and Eddie Gallagher become the first convicted prisoners to marry in prison in the history of the Republic of Ireland.
• 1984 - The first Apple Macintosh goes on sale.
• 1986 - Voyager 2 passes within 81,500 km (50,680 miles) of Uranus.
• 1993 - Turkish journalist and writer Uğur Mumcu is assassinated by a car bomb in Ankara.
• 1994 - Turkey's First Satellite Turksat 1A falls into the ocean with Eutelsat II F5 .
• 1996 - Polish Premier Jozef Oleksy resigns amid charges that he spied for Moscow.
• 2003 - The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.

[edit] Births

• 76 - Hadrian, Roman Emperor (d. 138)
• 1287 - Richard Aungerville, English bishop (d. 1345)
• 1444 - Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan (d. 1476)
• 1540 - Edmund Campion, English Jesuit (d. 1581)
• 1638 - Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, English poet (d. 1706)
• 1670 - William Congreve, English playwright (d. 1729)
• 1674 - Thomas Tanner, English bishop (d. 1735)
• 1679 - Christian Wolff, German philosopher (d. 1754)
• 1705 - Farinelli, Italian castrato (d. 1782)
• 1712 - King Frederick II of Prussia (d. 1786)
• 1724 - Frances Brooke, English writer (d. 1789)
• 1732 - Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, French playwright (d. 1799)
• 1742 - Anne, Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn (d. 1808)
• 1752 - Muzio Clementi, Italian composer (d. 1832)
• 1754 - Andrew Ellicott, American surveyor (d. 1820)
• 1763 - Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron, Russian general (d. 1831)
• 1776 - E.T.A. Hoffmann, German writer (d. 1822)
• 1779 - Elizabeth Alexeievna (Louise of Baden), Russian tsarina (d. 1826)
• 1848 - Vasily Surikov, Russian painter (d. 1916)
• 1862 - Edith Wharton, American writer (d. 1937)
• 1864 - Marguerite Durand, French feminist leader (d. 1936)
• 1872 - Konstantin Bogaevsky, Russian painter (d. 1943)
• 1872 - Ethel Turner, Australian author (d. 1958)
• 1873 - Leon Czolgosz, American anarchist, assassin of U.S. President William McKinley (d. 1901)
• 1886 - Henry King, American film director (d. 1982)
• 1888 - Vicki Baum, Austrian writer (d. 1960)
• 1888 - Ernst Heinkel, German aircraft designer (d. 1958)
• 1891 - Walter Model, German field marshal (d. 1945)
• 1895 - Eugen Roth, German writer (d. 1976)
• 1898 - Cliff Heathcote, American baseball player (d. 1939)
• 1901 - Harry Calder, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
• 1902 - E. A. Speiser, American Bible scholar (d. 1965)
• 1905 - J. Howard Marshall, American billionaire (d. 1995)
• 1907 - Maurice Couve de Murville, French politician (d. 1999)
• 1909 - Martin Lings, English Islamic scholar (d. 2005)
• 1909 - Ann Todd, English actress (d. 1993)
• 1910 - Granny D, Doris Haddock, American activist
• 1913 - Norman Dello Joio, American composer
• 1915 - Robert Motherwell, American painter (d. 1991)
• 1916 - Jack Brickhouse, American sports broadcaster (d. 1998)
• 1917 - Ernest Borgnine, American actor
• 1918 - Oral Roberts, American evangelist
• 1919 - Coleman Francis, American film director
• 1920 - Jerry Maren, American actor
• 1922 - Charles Socarides, American psychiatrist (d. 2005)
• 1925 - Maria Tallchief, American ballerina
• 1926 - Georges Lautner, French director and screenwriter
• 1927 - Sir Patrick Macnaghten, 11th Baronet, British aristocrat (d. 2007)
• 1928 - Desmond Morris, British anthropologist
• 1928 - Michel Serrault, French actor (d. 2007)
• 1934 - Stanisław Grochowiak, Polish poet (d. 1976)
• 1935 - Eric Ashton, English rugby league footballer (d. 2008)
• 1936 - Doug Kershaw, American musician
• 1939 - Ray Stevens, American musician
• 1941 - Neil Diamond, American singer
• 1941 - Aaron Neville, American singer
• 1942 - Gary Hart, American professional wrestling manager and wrestler (d. 2008)
• 1943 - Subhash Ghai, Indian film director
• 1943 - Sharon Tate, American actress and Manson murder victim (d. 1969)
• 1944 - Klaus Nomi, German singer (d. 1983)
• 1945 - D. Todd Christofferson, LDS apostle
• 1945 - John Garamendi, American politician
• 1946 - Michael Ontkean, Canadian actor
• 1947 - Masashi Ozaki, Japanese golfer
• 1947 - Warren Zevon, American musician (d. 2003)
• 1948 - Michael Des Barres, British actor and rock singer
• 1949 - John Belushi, American actor (d. 1982)
• 1950 - Daniel Auteuil, French actor
• 1950 - Benjamin Urrutia, Ecuadorian-born American writer
• 1951 - Yakov Smirnoff, Ukrainian-born American comedian
• 1954 - Jo Gartner, Austrian racing driver (d. 1986)
• 1956 - Hanne Krogh, Norwegian singer (Bobbysocks)
• 1956 - Lounès Matoub, a famous Berber Kabyle singer (d. 1998)
• 1957 - Adrian Edmondson, British comedian
• 1958 - Neil Allen, American baseball player
• 1958 - Jools Holland, British musician
• 1959 - David Mills, American author
• 1959 - Vic Reeves, English comedian
• 1961 - Nastassja Kinski, German-born actress
• 1961 - Vince Russo, American writer
• 1961 - William Van Dijck, Belgian athlete
• 1963 - Martyn Grimley, English field hockey player
• 1963 - Arnold Vanderlyde, Dutch boxer
• 1965 - Mike Awesome, American professional wrestler (d. 2007)
• 1965 - Carlos Saldanha, Brazilian film director
• 1966 - Jimeoin, Northern Irish comedian
• 1967 - Mark Kozelek, American singer/songwriter (Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon)
• 1967 - Phil LaMarr, American voice actor
• 1967 - John Myung, American musician (Dream Theater)
• 1968 - Michael Kiske, German musician
• 1968 - Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast
• 1969 - Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Icelandic actor
• 1970 - Matthew Lillard, American actor
• 1971 - Cory Bailey, American baseball player
• 1971 - Andrea Mackris, American television producer
• 1972 - Naoshi Mizuta, Japanese composer
• 1972 - Ulla Werbrouck, Belgian judoka and politician
• 1974 - Ed Helms, American actor
• 1974 - Shii Ann Huang, American game show contestant
• 1975 - Rónald Gómez, Costa Rican footballer
• 1976 - Shae-Lynn Bourne, Canadian ice dancer with Victor Kraatz
• 1976 - Cindy Pieters, Belgian cyclist
• 1979 - Tatyana Ali, American actress and singer
• 1979 - Tom Kostopoulos, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 - Rocky Boiman, American football player
• 1980 - Nicole Marie Lenz, American actress
• 1981 - Travis Hanson, American baseball player
• 1983 - Shaun Maloney, Scottish footballer
• 1983 - Scott Speed, American race car driver
• 1984 - Scott Kazmir, American baseball player
• 1984 - Witold Kiełtyka, Polish drummer (Decapitated) (d. 2007)
• 1986 - Mischa Barton, English-born American actress
• 1986 - Raviv Ullman, Israeli-born American actor

[edit] Deaths

• 41 - Caligula, Emperor of Rome (b. 12)
• 772 - Pope Stephen III (b. 720)
• 1002 - Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 980)
• 1125 - David IV of Georgia (b. 1073)
• 1366 - Alfonso IV of Aragon (b. 1299)
• 1376 - Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, English military leader
• 1473 - Conrad Paumann, German composer
• 1595 - Ferdinand II of Austria (b. 1529)
• 1626 - Samuel Argall, English adventurer and naval officer (b. 1580)
• 1639 - Georg Jenatsch, Swiss politician (b. 1596)
• 1666 - Johann Andreas Herbst, German composer (b. 1588)
• 1709 - George Rooke, English admiral (b. 1650)
• 1769 - François de Chevert, French general (b. 1695)
• 1856 - Rabbi Yechezkel of Kuzmir, Polish Hasidic leader (b. 1775)
• 1877 - Johann Christian Poggendorff, German physicist (b. 1796)
• 1882 - Levi Boone, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1808)
• 1883 - Friedrich von Flotow, German composer (b. 1812)
• 1895 - Lord Randolph Churchill, British politician (b. 1849)
• 1911 - David Graham Phillips, American journalist and novelist (b. 1867)
• 1918 - George Arthur Crump, Founder of the Pine Valley Golf Club in Clementon NJ (b. 1871)
• 1920 - Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1884)
• 1924 - Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (b. 1894)
• 1932 - Alfred Yarrow, English shipbuilder (b. 1842)
• 1939 - Maximilian Bircher-Benner, Swiss physician and nutritionist (b. 1867)
• 1943 - John Burns, English politician (b. 1858)
• 1948 - Maria Mandel, Camp Leader at Auschwitz (b. 1912)
• 1948 - Arthur Liebehenschel, Commandant at Auschwitz concentration camp (b. 1901)
• 1955 - Ira Hayes, American World War II hero (b. 1923)
• 1960 - Edwin Fischer, Swiss pianist and conductor (b. 1886)
• 1961 - Alfred Carlton Gilbert, American swimmer and inventor (b. 1884)
• 1962 - Stanley Lord, captain of the SS Californian the night of the Titanic disaster (b. 1877)
• 1962 - André Lhote, french painter.
• 1965 - Winston Churchill, soldier, politician, historian, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Nobel laureate (b. 1874)
• 1966 - Homi J. Bhabha, Indian physicist (b. 1909)
• 1970 - Caresse Crosby, American poet (b. 1891)
• 1971 - Bill W., American co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (b. 1895)
• 1973 - J. Carrol Naish, American actor (b. 1897)
• 1973 - Masao Ohba, world champion Japanese boxer (b. 1949)
• 1975 - Larry Fine, American actor and comedian (b. 1902)
• 1978 - Herta Oberheuser, German doctor (b. 1911)
• 1980 - Lil Dagover, Dutch-born German actress, (b. 1887)
• 1982 - Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian president and dictator (b. 1918)
• 1983 - George Cukor, American film director (b. 1899)
• 1986 - L. Ron Hubbard, American writer and founder of Scientology (b. 1911)
• 1986 - Flo Hyman, American volleyball player (b. 1954)
• 1986 - Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (b. 1921)
• 1988 - Werner Fenchel, German mathematician (b. 1905)
• 1989 - Ted Bundy, American serial killer (b. 1946)
• 1989 - George Knudson, Canadian golfer (b. 1937)
• 1990 - Madge Bellamy, American actress (b. 1899)
• 1991 - John M. Kelly, Irish politician and academic (b. 1931)
• 1992 - Ken Darby, American composer, arranger and conductor (b. 1909)
• 1992 - Ricky Ray Rector, American murderer (b. 1950)
• 1993 - Thurgood Marshall, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1908)
• 1993 - Uğur Mumcu, Turkish journalist and writer (b. 1942)
• 1994 - Yves Navarre, French writer (b. 1940)

• 1998 - Walter D. Edmonds, American author (b. 1903)
• 2000 - Bobby Duncum, Jr., American professional wrestler (b. 1965)
• 2002 - Peter Gzowski, Canadian broadcaster, writer and reporter (b. 1934)
• 2002 - Elie Hobeika, Lebanese Forces militia commander (b. 1956)
• 2003 - Gianni Agnelli, Italian auto executive (b. 1921)
• 2004 - Leônidas da Silva, Brazilian footballer (b. 1913)
• 2005 - June Bronhill, Australian singer (b. 1929)
• 2005 - Vladimir Savchenko, Ukrainian writer (b. 1933)
• 2005 - Chalkie White, English rugby union coach (b. 1929)
• 2006 - Fayard Nicholas, American tap dancer, one-half of The Nicholas Brothers (b. 1914)
• 2006 - Schafik Handal, Salvadoran politician
• 2006 - Chris Penn, American actor (b. 1965)
• 2007 - Krystyna Feldman, Polish actress (b. 1916)
• 2007 - Guadalupe Larriva, Ecuadorian politician (b. 1956)
• 2007 - Emiliano Mercado del Toro, World's Oldest Military Veteran (b. 1891)
• 2008 - Randy Salerno, co-anchor of Chicago's CBS 2 News (b. 1963)

[edit] Holidays and observances

• Roman Empire - first day of the Sementivae in honor of Ceres and Terra
• Roman Catholic Church - Feasts of St. Francis de Sales and Our Lady of Peace
• January 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Wales - Saint Cadoc

[edit] External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On this day in Canada