July 24 facts for kids

July 24 is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 160 days remain until the end of the year. Every day holds a special place in history, and July 24th is no exception! From ancient battles to space missions and the birthdays of famous people, this date has seen many exciting and important moments. Let's explore some of the key events and notable figures connected to this day throughout history.

Historical Events on July 24th

Important Moments Before 1600

• 1148 – During the Second Crusade, Louis VII of France began a siege on the city of Damascus.
• 1304 – In the Wars of Scottish Independence, Stirling Castle was captured by King Edward I of England. He used a huge siege engine called the "War Wolf" to break through its defenses.
• 1411 – The Battle of Harlaw took place in Scotland, known as one of the most intense and bloody battles in the country's history.
• 1487 – Citizens in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, went on strike because foreign beer was banned. They really loved their beer!
• 1534 – French explorer Jacques Cartier placed a cross on the Gaspé Peninsula in Canada. He claimed the land for Francis I of France.
• 1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots, was forced to give up her throne. Her one-year-old son, James VI, became the new king.

Key Events from 1601 to 1900

• 1701 – Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac started a trading post called Fort Pontchartrain. This place later grew into the big city of Detroit in the USA.
• 1847 – After traveling for 17 months, Brigham Young led 148 Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley. This led to the founding of Salt Lake City.
• 1847 – Richard March Hoe, an American inventor, received a patent for his rotary printing press. This invention made printing much faster!
• 1864 – During the American Civil War, Confederate General Jubal Early defeated Union troops at the Battle of Kernstown.
• 1866 – Tennessee became the first U.S. state to rejoin the United States Congress after the American Civil War.

Modern History: 1901 to Today

• 1911 – Explorer Hiram Bingham III re-discovered Machu Picchu, often called "the Lost City of the Incas" in Peru.
• 1915 – The passenger ship SS Eastland tragically capsized while docked in the Chicago River. This accident killed 844 people, making it the worst single shipwreck disaster on the Great Lakes.
• 1923 – The Treaty of Lausanne was signed in Switzerland. This important agreement set the borders for modern Turkey after World War I.
• 1927 – The Menin Gate war memorial was officially opened in Ypres, Belgium, honoring soldiers lost in World War I.
• 1929 – The Kellogg–Briand Pact officially began. This agreement, signed by many world powers, aimed to prevent war as a way to solve international problems.
• 1935 – The Dust Bowl heat wave reached its highest point. Temperatures soared to 109°F (43°C) in Chicago and 104°F (40°C) in Milwaukee.
• 1943 – During World War II, Operation Gomorrah began. British, Canadian, and American planes bombed Hamburg, Germany, causing massive destruction and loss of life.
• 1950 – Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida began its operations with the launch of a Bumper rocket. This was a big step for space exploration!
• 1959 – At an exhibition in Moscow, U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev had a famous "Kitchen Debate" about their countries' ways of life.
• 1963 – The ship Bluenose II was launched in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. This schooner is a very important symbol for Canada.
• 1967 – French President Charles de Gaulle visited Canada and famously declared Vive le Québec libre! ("Long live free Quebec!") in Montreal. This statement caused a lot of discussion.
• 1969 – The Apollo 11 spacecraft, carrying the first humans to walk on the Moon, safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
• 1974 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Richard Nixon had to hand over White House tapes for the Watergate scandal investigation.
• 1980 – Australia's "Quietly Confident Quartet" won the men's 4x100 meter medley relay in swimming at the Moscow Olympics. This was the only time the United States had not won this event at the Olympics.
• 1983 – A conflict known as Black July began in Sri Lanka, leading to a civil war.
• 1983 – In a famous baseball game, George Brett of the Kansas City Royals had a game-winning home run taken away due to too much pine tar on his bat. This was called the "Pine Tar Incident".
• 1987 – Hulda Crooks, at 91 years old, climbed Mount Fuji in Japan, becoming the oldest person to reach the top of Japan's highest mountain.
• 2013 – A high-speed train derailed in Spain while going too fast around a curve. This tragic accident killed 78 passengers.
• 2019 – Boris Johnson became the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Famous Birthdays on July 24th

Born Before 1600

• 1468 – Catherine of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria, a royal figure.
• 1574 – Thomas Platter the Younger, a Swiss physician and writer.

Born Between 1601 and 1900

• 1689 – Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, son of Queen Anne.
• 1783 – Simón Bolívar, a Venezuelan commander and politician. He was a key leader in the fight for independence in South America.
• 1802 – Alexandre Dumas, a famous French novelist and playwright. He wrote classics like The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo.
• 1803 – Adolphe Adam, a French composer known for his ballets and operas.
• 1857 – Henrik Pontoppidan, a Danish journalist and author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1860 – Alphonse Mucha, a Czech painter and illustrator famous for his Art Nouveau posters.
• 1897 – Amelia Earhart, a brave American pilot and author. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
• 1900 – Zelda Fitzgerald, an American author, artist, and dancer.

Born After 1900

• 1909 – John William Finn, an American lieutenant and Medal of Honor recipient.
• 1914 – Frances Oldham Kelsey, a Canadian pharmacologist and physician who protected public health.
• 1920 – Bella Abzug, an American lawyer and politician known for her work in women's rights.
• 1921 – Giuseppe Di Stefano, a famous Italian tenor (opera singer).
• 1927 – Alex Katz, an American painter and sculptor.
• 1931 – Ermanno Olmi, an Italian film director and screenwriter.
• 1936 – Ruth Buzzi, an American actress and comedian.
• 1937 – Manoj Kumar, a popular Indian actor, director, and producer.
• 1942 – Chris Sarandon, an American actor.
• 1946 – Gallagher, an American comedian known for smashing watermelons.
• 1947 – Lynda Carter, an American actress famous for playing Wonder Woman.
• 1949 – Michael Richards, an American actor and comedian, known for his role in Seinfeld.
• 1952 – Gus Van Sant, an American film director and producer.
• 1963 – Karl Malone, a famous American basketball player.
• 1964 – Barry Bonds, a well-known American baseball player.
• 1968 – Kristin Chenoweth, an American actress and singer.
• 1969 – Jennifer Lopez, a hugely popular American actress, singer, and dancer.
• 1981 – Summer Glau, an American actress.
• 1982 – Elisabeth Moss, an American actress.
• 1982 – Anna Paquin, a Canadian-New Zealand actress.
• 1985 – Patrice Bergeron, a Canadian ice hockey player.
• 1987 – Mara Wilson, an American actress known for her childhood roles.
• 1988 – Nichkhun, a Thai-American singer and actor.
• 1998 – Bindi Irwin, an Australian conservationist and zookeeper, daughter of Steve Irwin.
• 2002 – Nicole Pircio, a Brazilian rhythmic gymnast.

Notable People Who Passed Away on July 24th

Deaths Before 1600

• 759 – Oswulf, a king of Northumbria.
• 1115 – Matilda of Tuscany, a powerful Italian noblewoman.
• 1568 – Carlos, Prince of Asturias, a Spanish prince.

Deaths Between 1601 and 1900

• 1601 – Joris Hoefnagel, a Flemish painter.
• 1739 – Benedetto Marcello, an Italian composer.
• 1862 – Martin Van Buren, the eighth President of the United States.

Deaths After 1900

• 1927 – Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, a Japanese author.
• 1957 – Sacha Guitry, a French actor and director.
• 1965 – Constance Bennett, an American actress.
• 1969 – Witold Gombrowicz, a Polish author and playwright.
• 1974 – James Chadwick, an English physicist who won the Nobel Prize for discovering the neutron.
• 1980 – Peter Sellers, a famous English actor and comedian.
• 1991 – Isaac Bashevis Singer, a Polish-American novelist and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 2005 – Richard Doll, an English scientist who studied diseases and their causes.
• 2010 – Alex Higgins, a famous Northern Irish snooker player.
• 2012 – Sherman Hemsley, an American actor.
• 2012 – Robert Ledley, an American scientist who invented the CT scanner, a very important medical device.
• 2012 – John Atta Mills, the President of Ghana.
• 2013 – Virginia E. Johnson, an American psychologist.
• 2016 – Marni Nixon, an American actress and singer.
• 2020 – Regis Philbin, a popular American television host.
• 2022 – David Warner, an English actor.
• 2023 – George Alagiah, a well-known BBC News journalist.
• 2023 – Trevor Francis, Britain's first "£1 million player" in football.

Holidays and Celebrations Around the World

• Carnival of Awussu (Tunisia)
• Children's Day (Vanuatu)
• Christian feast days for various saints, including:

* Charbel * Christina the Astonishing * Christina of Bolsena * John Boste * Kinga (or Cunegunda) of Poland

• Pioneer Day (Utah) in the USA, celebrating the arrival of Mormon pioneers.
• Police Day (Poland)
• Simón Bolívar Day in several South American countries like Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, and Bolivia.

* This day also includes Navy Day (Venezuela) in Venezuela.

See also

In Spanish: 24 de julio para niños