Today In History, 24 February
Historical Events On This Day
- In 1525, the forces of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V defeated the French army of King Francis I in the Battle of Pavia.
- In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII announced the Gregorian calendar.
- In 1739, the Battle of Karnal took place between Iranian ruler Nader Shah and Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah. Nader Shah inflicted a crushing defeat and plundered Delhi, severely weakening the Mughal Empire and paving the way for the British invasion.
- In 1821, Mexico declared independence from Spain.
- In 1917, the Zimmerman telegram was published in the US, exposing Germany’s plans to get help from Mexico in World War I.
- In 1920, the Nazi Party was founded by Adolf Hitler in Munich, Germany.
- in 1946, General Juan Peron was elected the first President of Argentina.
- In 1989, the oldest dinosaur fossil egg (150 million years) was found in Utah, USA.
- In 1991, the ground phase of the Gulf War began with troops crossing the Saudi Arabian border and entering Iran.
- In 2008, Fidel Castro, the revolutionary leader of Cuba, resigned as President after almost 50 years.
- In 2022, Russia invaded its neighbour Ukraine, citing several false claims that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was a neo-Nazi.
Sports Events Today
- In 1980, the US ice hockey team clinched the gold medal with a 4-2 win over Finland at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics following the “Miracle on Ice” victory against the Soviet Union.
- In 2010, Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar scored the first double century (200*) in One Day International cricket while playing against South Africa.
Art and Culture Events Today
- In 1999, “My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From Titanic)” won Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 41st Grammy Awards.
- In 2013, Jennifer Lawrence and Daniel Day-Lewis won the Oscars for Best actor female and male respectively, at the 85th Academy Awards.
- In 2020, American film producer Harvey Weinstein, who was accused by numerous Hollywood celebrities of sexual harassment and assault during the #MeToo movement, was convicted of rape.
Notable Deaths On This Day
| Sr No | Death Year | Personality |
| 1 | 1810 | Henry Cavendish, English natural philosopher and chemist known for his discovery of hydrogen, which he called “inflammable air” |
| 2 | 1815 | Robert Fulton, American inventor and engineer credited with developing the first commercially successful steamboat |
| 3 | 1967 | Osman Ali, the last official Nizam of Hyderabad who seceded to India after Independence |
| 4 | 1986 | Rukmini Devi Arundale, Indian dancer, choreographer, and a pioneer of the classical dance form Bharatanatyam |
| 5 | 2001 | Claude Shannon, American mathematician and electrical engineer regarded as the father of digital circuit design theory and information theory |
| 6 | 2018 | Sridevi, Indian actress who worked in the Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films like English Vinglish and Mr. India |
Famous Birthdays On This Day
| Sr No | Birth Year | Personality |
| 1 | 1304 | Ibn Battuta, Muslim scholar and explorer best known for his extensive travels throughout Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe in the 14th century |
| 2 | 1500 | Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1519 – 1556) and King of Spain (1516 to 1556) |
| 3 | 1786 | Wilhelm Grimm, German author and one of the Brothers Grimm who collected and published fairy tales. |
| 4 | 1938 | Phil Knight, American entrepreneur and co-founder of Nike, Inc., one of the world’s largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel |
| 5 | 1942 | Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Indian scholar, literary theorist, and feminist critic who is known for her work on postcolonialism, Marxism, feminism, and deconstruction |
| 6 | 1948 | Jayalalitha, Indian actress-turned-politician who served as the leader of the AIADMK party and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years |
| 7 | 1955 | Steve Jobs, American visionary, entrepreneur and business magnate who co-founded the technology giant Apple Inc. and oversaw the launch of the iPod and iPhone |
| 8 | 1971 | Gillian Flynn, American author and screenwriter best known for her mystery novels Sharp Object and Gone Girl |
| 9 | 1976 | Jan Koum, Ukrainian-American entrepreneur and computer programmer who is the co-founder of popular messaging application WhatsApp |
| 10 | 1977 | Floyd Mayweather Jr., retired American professional boxer who holds a record of 50 wins and 0 losses and is considered one of the richest and greatest athletes ever |
| 11 | 1989 | Daniel Kaluuya, English actor known for his breakout performance in Get Out |