January 24

January 24 in recent years

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).

Events

41 – Roman Emperor Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel despotism, is assassinated by his disgruntled Praetorian Guards. The Guard then proclaims Caligula's uncle Claudius as Emperor
1438 – The Council of Basel suspends Pope Eugene IV.
1458 – Matthias I Corvinus becomes king of Hungary.
1624 – Afonso Mendes, appointed by Pope Gregory XV as Prelate of Ethiopia, arrives at Massawa from Goa.
1679 – King Charles II of England dissolves the Cavalier Parliament.
1742 – Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
1758 – During the Seven Years' War the leading burghers of Königsberg submit to Elizabeth I of Russia, thus forming Russian Prussia (until 1763)
1817 – Crossing of the Andes: Many soldiers of Juan Gregorio de las Heras are captured during the Action of Picheuta.
1835 – Slaves in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, stage a revolt, which is instrumental in ending slavery there 50 years later.
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 fully-fledged university in south Asia.
1859 – Political and state union of Moldavia and Wallachia; Alexandru Ioan Cuza is elected as Domnitor in both Principalities.
1862 – Bucharest is proclaimed capital of Romania.
1878 – The revolutionary Vera Zasulich shoots at Fyodor Trepov, the Governor of Saint Petersburg.
1900 – Second Boer War: Boers stop a British attempt to break the Siege of Ladysmith in the Battle of Spion Kop.
1908 – The first Boy Scout troop is organized in England by Robert Baden-Powell.
1911 – Japanese anarchist Shūsui Kōtoku is hanged for treason in a case now considered a miscarriage of justice.
1916 – In Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad, the Supreme Court of the United States declares the federal income tax constitutional.
1918 – The Gregorian calendar is introduced in Russia by decree of the Council of People's Commissars effective February 14(NS)
1933 – The 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, changing the beginning and end of terms for all elected federal offices.
1939 – The deadliest earthquake in Chilean history strikes Chillán.
1942 – World War II: The Allies bombard Bangkok, leading Thailand, then under Japanese control, to declare war against the United States and United Kingdom.
1943 – World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill conclude a conference in Casablanca.
1946 – The United Nations General Assembly passes its first resolution to establish the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission.
1947 – Greek banker Dimitrios Maximos becomes Prime Minister of Greece.
1960 – Algerian War: Some units of European volunteers in Algiers stage an insurrection known as the "barricades week", during which they seize government buildings and clash with local police.
1961 – 1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash: A bomber carrying two H-bombs breaks up in mid-air over North Carolina. The uranium core of one weapon remains lost.
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, with a nuclear reactor on board, burns up in Earth's atmosphere, scattering radioactive debris over Canada's Northwest Territories. Only 1% is recovered.
1984 – The first Apple Macintosh goes on sale.
1986 – Voyager 2 passes within 81,500 kilometres (50,600 mi) of Uranus.
1990 – Japan launches Hiten, the country's first lunar probe, the first robotic lunar probe since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976, and the first lunar probe launched by a country other than Soviet Union or the United States.
1993 – Turkish journalist and writer Uğur Mumcu is assassinated by a car bomb in Ankara.
1996 – Polish Prime Minister Józef Oleksy resigns amid charges that he spied for Moscow.
2003 – The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
2009 – The storm Klaus makes landfall near Bordeaux, France. It subsequently would cause 26 deaths as well as extensive disruptions to public transport and power supplies.
2011 – At least 35 died and 180 injured in a bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo airport.

Births

76 – Hadrian, Roman emperor (d. 138)
1287 – Richard de Bury, English bishop (d. 1345)
1444 – Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Italian husband of Bona of Savoy (d. 1476)
1540 – Edmund Campion, English priest and martyr (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 singer (d. 1782)
1709 – Dom Bédos de Celles, French monk and organ builder (d. 1779)
1712 – Frederick the Great, Prussian king (d. 1786)
1732 – Pierre Beaumarchais, French playwright (d. 1799)
1742 – Anne, Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn (d. 1808)
1746 – Gustav III of Sweden (d. 1792)
1752 – Muzio Clementi, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (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 jurist and author (d. 1822)
1779 – Elizabeth Alexeievna, German wife of Alexander I of Russia (d. 1826)
1841 – Robert Williams, American archer (d. 1914)
1843 – Josip Stadler, Croatian bishop, first Archbishop of Vrhbosna (d. 1918)
1848 – Vasily Surikov, Russian painter (d. 1916)
1862 – Edith Wharton, American author (d. 1937)
1864 – Marguerite Durand, French actress, journalist, and activist (d. 1936)
1872 – Konstantin Bogaevsky, Russian painter (d. 1943)
1872 – Ethel Turner, Australian author (d. 1958)
1872 – Morris Travers, English chemist (d. 1961)
1883 – Philip Schuster, American gymnast (d. 1926)
1886 – Henry King, American director (d. 1982)
1888 – Vicki Baum, Austrian author (d. 1960)
1888 – Ernst Heinkel, German businessman, founded the Heinkel Aircraft Manufacturing Company (d. 1958)
1891 – Walter Model, German field marshal (d. 1945)
1895 – Eugen Roth, German poet and songwriter (d. 1976)
1898 – Cliff Heathcote, American baseball player (d. 1939)
1900 – Theodosius Dobzhansky, Ukrainian-American geneticist and biologist (d. 1975)
1901 – Harry Calder, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
1901 – Edward Turner, English motorcycle designer (d. 1973)
1902 – E. A. Speiser, American scholar (d. 1965)
1905 – J. Howard Marshall, American lawyer and businessman (d. 1995)
1907 – Maurice Couve de Murville, French politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1999)
1907 – Tuts Washington, American pianist (d. 1984)
1909 – Martin Lings, English author and scholar (d. 2005)
1909 – Ann Todd, English actress (d. 1993)
1910 – Doris Haddock, American activist (d. 2010)
1911 – Muir Mathieson, Scottish conductor and composer (d. 1975)
1912 – Frederick Ashworth, American navy officer (d. 2005)
1913 – Norman Dello Joio, American composer (d. 2008)
1915 – Robert Motherwell, American painter (d. 1991)
1916 – Jack Brickhouse, American sportscaster (d. 1998)
1916 – Rafael Caldera, Venezuelan politician, 65th President of Venezuela (d. 2009)
1916 – Arnoldo Foà, Italian actor and director
1917 – Ernest Borgnine, American actor (d. 2012)
1918 – Oral Roberts, American evangelist, founded Oral Roberts University and Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (d. 2009)
1919 – Coleman Francis, American director (d. 1973)
1920 – Jerry Maren, American actor
1922 – Charles Socarides, American psychiatrist (d. 2005)
1923 – Vlado Kristl, Croatian painter and director (d. 2004)
1924 – Joe Albany, American pianist (d. 1988)
1925 – Maria Tallchief, American ballerina (d. 2013)
1926 – Georges Lautner, French director and screenwriter
1927 – Sir Patrick Macnaghten, 11th Baronet, Scottish clan chief (d. 2007)
1928 – Desmond Morris, English anthropologist
1928 – Michel Serrault, French actor (d. 2007)
1930 – Mahmoud Farshchian, Iranian-Persian painter
1930 – Bernard Matthews, English businessman, founded Bernard Matthews Farms (d. 2010)
1930 – John Romita, Sr., American illustrator
1931 – Lars Hörmander, Swedish mathematician (d. 2012)
1933 – Claude Préfontaine, Canadian actor (d. 2013)
1934 – Ann Cole, American singer (d. 1986)
1934 – Stanisław Grochowiak, Polish poet (d. 1976)
1935 – Eric Ashton, English rugby player (d. 2008)
1936 – William Bogert, American actor
1936 – Doug Kershaw, American singer-songwriter and fiddler
1936 – Bobby Wellins, Scottish saxophonist
1939 – Ray Stevens, American singer-songwriter
1940 – Joachim Gauck, German politician, 11th President of Germany
1941 – Neil Diamond, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1941 – Aaron Neville, American singer (Neville Brothers)
1941 – Dan Shechtman, Israeli scientist, Nobel Prize laureate
1942 – Gary Hart, American wrestler and manager (d. 2008)
1943 – Subhash Ghai, Indian director, screenwriter, and producer
1943 – Peter Struck, German politician (d. 2012)
1943 – Sharon Tate, American actress (d. 1969)
1943 – Tony Trimmer, English race car driver
1944 – Klaus Nomi, German singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1983)
1945 – D. Todd Christofferson, American religious leader
1945 – John Garamendi, American politician, 46th Lieutenant Governor of California
1946 – Haji, Canadian actress
1946 – Michael Ontkean, Canadian actor
1947 – Michio Kaku, Japanese-American physicist
1947 – Masashi Ozaki, Japanese golfer
1947 – Warren Zevon, American singer-songwriter (Hindu Love Gods and lyme and cybelle) (d. 2003)
1948 – Michael Des Barres, English singer-songwriter and actor (Power Station, Silverhead, and Detective)
1949 – John Belushi, American actor (d. 1982)
1950 – Daniel Auteuil, French actor
1950 – Gennifer Flowers, American actress and model
1950 – Benjamin Urrutia, Ecuadorian-American author and scholar
1951 – Yakov Smirnoff, Ukrainian-American comedian
1953 – Tim Stoddard, American baseball player
1954 – Jo Gartner, Austrian race car driver (d. 1986)
1955 – Jim Montgomery, American swimmer
1956 – Hanne Krogh, Norwegian singer and actress (Bobbysocks)
1956 – Lounès Matoub, Algerian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998)
1956 – Jack Neo, Singaporean actor and director
1957 – Mark Eaton, American basketball player
1957 – Ade Edmondson, English comedian, singer-songwriter, and actor (The Bad Shepherds)
1958 – Neil Allen, American baseball player
1958 – Jools Holland, English singer-songwriter and pianist (Squeeze and Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra)
1959 – Akira Maeda, Japanese wrestler
1959 – David Mills, American author
1959 – Vic Reeves, English comedian, actor, and author
1960 – Rick Leventhal, American journalist
1960 – Mária Bajzek Lukács Hungarian author and educator
1961 – Guido Buchwald, German footballer
1961 – Nastassja Kinski, German-American actress
1961 – Vince Russo, American journalist, author, and wrestling manager
1961 – William Van Dijck, Belgian horse racer
1962 – Argiris Kambouris, Greek basketball player
1963 – Martyn Grimley, English field hockey player
1963 – Arnold Vanderlyde, Dutch boxer
1965 – Mike Awesome, American wrestler (d. 2007)
1965 – Pagonis Vakalopoulos, Greek footballer
1966 – Jimeoin, Irish comedian and actor
1967 – Mark Kozelek, American singer-songwriter and producer (Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon)
1967 – Phil LaMarr, American actor
1967 – John Myung, American bass player (Dream Theater, Platypus, The Jelly Jam, and Explorers Club)
1968 – Michael Kiske, German singer-songwriter (Helloween, Unisonic, Place Vendome, and Kiske/Somerville)
1968 – Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast
1969 – Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Icelandic actor
1970 – Matthew Lillard, American actor, director, and producer
1971 – Cory Bailey, American baseball player
1972 – Beth Hart, American singer-songwriter
1972 – Naoshi Mizuta, Japanese composer
1972 – Daan Schuurmans, Dutch actor
1972 – Ulla Werbrouck, Belgian martial artist and politician
1974 – Ed Helms, American actor
1975 – Isobel Cooper, English soprano
1975 – Rónald Gómez, Costa Rican footballer
1976 – Shae-Lynn Bourne, Canadian ice dancer
1976 – Cindy Pieters, Belgian cyclist
1976 – Olga Vymetálková, Czech tennis player
1977 – Kensuke Kita, Japanese singer and guitarist (Asian Kung-Fu Generation)
1978 – Kristen Schaal, American actress, author, and comedian
1979 – Tatyana Ali, American actress and singer
1979 – Leandro Desábato, Argentine footballer
1979 – Tom Kostopoulos, Canadian ice hockey player
1980 – Rocky Boiman, American football player
1980 – Yamandu Costa, Brazilian guitarist and composer
1980 – Nicole Marie Lenz, American model and actress
1981 – Travis Hanson, American baseball player
1981 – Michael Wolf, German ice hockey player
1982 – Fiona Xie, Singaporean actress
1983 – Davide Biondini, Italian footballer
1983 – Diane Birch, American singer-songwriter and pianist
1983 – Wyatt Crockett, New Zealand rugby player
1983 – Shaun Maloney, Scottish footballer
1983 – Scott Speed, American race car driver
1984 – Jay Briscoe, American wrestler
1984 – Scott Kazmir, American baseball player
1984 – Witold Kiełtyka, Polish drummer (Decapitated) (d. 2007)
1984 – Paulo Sérgio Moreira Gonçalves, Portuguese footballer
1986 – Vieirinha, Portuguese footballer
1986 – Mischa Barton, English-American actress
1986 – Michael Kightly, English footballer
1986 – Ricky Ullman, Israeli-American actor and singer
1987 – Luis Suárez, Uruguayan footballer
1988 – Jade Ewen, English singer-songwriter and actress (Sugababes)
1989 – Samba Diakité, Malian footballer
1989 – Calvin Goldspink, English singer and actor (S Club 8)
1989 – Ki Sung-Yueng, South Korean footballer
1990 – Mao Abe, Japanese singer-songwriter
1990 – Zuzana Zlochová, Slovak tennis player
1995 – Callan McAuliffe, Australian actor
1997 – Dylan Riley Snyder, American actor, singer, and dancer
2012 – Princess Athena of Denmark

Deaths

41 – Caligula, Roman emperor (b. 12)
1125 – David IV of Georgia (b. 1073)
1366 – Alfonso IV of Aragon (b. 1299)
1376 – Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, English military leader (b. 1306)
1473 – Conrad Paumann, German organist and composer (b. 1410)
1595 – Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria (b. 1529)
1626 – Samuel Argall, English navy officer (b. 1572)
1639 – Jörg 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)
1877 – Johann Christian Poggendorff, German physicist (b. 1796)
1882 – Levi Boone, American politician, 17th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1808)
1883 – Friedrich von Flotow, German composer (b. 1812)
1895 – Lord Randolph Churchill, English politician (b. 1849)
1911 – David Graham Phillips, American journalist and author (b. 1867)
1918 – George Arthur Crump, American architect, designed the Pine Valley Golf Club (b. 1871)
1920 – Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1884)
1924 – Anna Bayerová, Czech physician (b. 1853)
1924 – Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (b. 1894)
1932 – Alfred Yarrow, English businessman, founded Yarrow Shipbuilders (b. 1842)
1936 – Harry T. Morey, American actor (b. 1873)
1939 – Maximilian Bircher-Benner, Swiss physician and nutritionist (b. 1867)
1943 – John Burns, English union leader and politician (b. 1858)
1948 – Maria Mandel, Austrian SS officer (b. 1912)
1955 – Ira Hayes, American marine, member of the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima (b. 1923)
1955 – Henry Potter, American golfer (b. 1881)
1960 – Arthur Murray Chisholm, American author (b. 1872)
1960 – Edwin Fischer, Swiss pianist and conductor (b. 1886)
1961 – Alfred Carlton Gilbert, American pole vaulter and businessman, founded the A. C. Gilbert Company (b. 1884)
1962 – André Lhote, French painter (b. 1885)
1962 – Stanley Lord, English captain (b. 1877)
1965 – Winston Churchill, English army officer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
1966 – Homi J. Bhabha, Indian physicist (b. 1909)
1969 – Saud of Saudi Arabia (b. 1902)
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, Japanese boxer (b. 1949)
1975 – Larry Fine, American actor and comedian (b. 1902)
1978 – Herta Oberheuser, German physician (b. 1911)
1980 – Lil Dagover, Dutch-German actress (b. 1887)
1981 – Orville Brown, American wrestler (b. 1908)
1982 – Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian general and politician, 56th President of Bolivia (b. 1918)
1983 – George Cukor, American director (b. 1899)
1986 – L. Ron Hubbard, American religious leader and author, founded the Church 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)
1991 – Jack Schaefer, American author (b. 1907)
1992 – Ken Darby, American composer and conductor (b. 1909)
1992 – Ricky Ray Rector, American murderer (b. 1950)
1993 – Thurgood Marshall, American jurist, 32nd United States Solicitor General (b. 1908)
1993 – Uğur Mumcu, Turkish journalist (b. 1942)
1994 – Yves Navarre, French author (b. 1940)
1997 – Dr. Jerry Graham, American wrestler (b. 1921)
1998 – Walter D. Edmonds, American author (b. 1903)
2000 – Bobby Duncum, Jr., American wrestler (b. 1965)
2002 – Peter Gzowski, Canadian journalist and broadcaster (b. 1934)
2002 – Elie Hobeika, Lebanese military commander (b. 1956)
2003 – Gianni Agnelli, Italian businessman (b. 1921)
2004 – Leônidas da Silva, Brazilian footballer (b. 1913)
2005 – June Bronhill, Australian soprano (b. 1929)
2005 – Volodymyr Ivanovych Savchenko, Ukrainian author (b. 1933)
2005 – Chalkie White, English rugby player and coach (b. 1929)
2006 – Schafik Handal, Salvadoran politician (b. 1930)
2006 – Fayard Nicholas, American dancer, actor, and choreographer (b. 1914)
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, Puerto Rican soldier (b. 1891)
2008 – Lee Embree, American sergeant and photographer (b. 1915)
2008 – Randy Salerno, American journalist (b. 1963)
2009 – Gérard Blanc, French singer and guitarist (b. 1947)
2009 – Reg Gutteridge, English sportscaster (b. 1924)
2009 – Kay Yow, American basketball coach (b. 1942)
2010 – Pernell Roberts, American actor and singer (b. 1928)
2011 – Bernd Eichinger, German director and producer (b. 1949)
2011 – Bhimsen Joshi, Indian singer (b. 1922)
2011 – Gerry Ortega, Filipino journalist, politician, and environmentalist (b. 1963)
2012 – Theodoros Angelopoulos, Greek director and producer (b. 1935)
2012 – James Farentino, American actor (b. 1938)
2013 – José Colomer, Spanish field hockey player (b. 1935)
2013 – Khuseyn Gakayev, Russian military leader (b. 1970)
2013 – Dave Harper, English footballer (b. 1938)
2013 – Miroslav Janů, Czech footballer and manager (b. 1959)
2013 – Gottfried Landwehr, German physicist (b. 1929)
2013 – Barbara Leonard, American politician (b. 1924)
2013 – Jim Line, American basketball player (b. 1926)
2013 – Umashanker Singh, Indian politician (b. 1940)
2013 – Richard G. Stern, American author and educator (b. 1928)
2013 – Harry Taylor, American baseball player (b. 1935)
2013 – Jim Wallwork, English pilot (b. 1919)

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast Day:
- Cadoc (Wales)
- Francis de Sales
- January 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- St. Timothy and St. Titus, Apostolic men, (commemoration, Anglicanism)
Earliest day on which Saturday of Souls can fall, while February 27 (or 28 during Leap Year) is the latest; observed 57 days before Easter. (Eastern Orthodox)
Feast of Our Lady of Peace (Roman Catholic Church), and its related observances:
- Feria de Alasitas (La Paz)
First day of the Sementivae, in honor of Ceres and Terra (Roman Empire)
Unification Day (Romania)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: January 24

January 24 Ultimate Study Guide