April 24 facts for kids

2025 Calendar

April 24 in recent years

April 24 is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 251 days remain until the end of the year.

April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 251 days left until the end of the year. Many interesting events have happened on this day throughout history, and many famous people were born or passed away.

Important Events in History
Famous Births
- Born Before 1900
- Born After 1900
Notable Deaths
- Passed Away Before 1900
- Passed Away After 1900
Holidays and Observances
See also

Important Events in History

Ancient Times and Early History

1479 BC – Thutmose III became the new ruler of Egypt. However, a powerful queen named Hatshepsut actually held most of the power.
1183 BC – People traditionally believe this was the day the city of Troy fell, ending the famous Trojan War. This date was suggested by Eratosthenes, a chief librarian from the Library of Alexandria.

Events from the 1500s to the 1800s

1547 – The Battle of Mühlberg took place. The Spanish-Imperial army, led by the Duke of Alba and Charles I of Spain, defeated the forces of the Schmalkaldic League.
1558 – Mary, Queen of Scots, married François, the future King of France, at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
1704 – The first regular newspaper in British Colonial America, called The Boston News-Letter, was published.
1793 – French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat was found innocent by a special court in Paris.
1800 – The Library of Congress was created in the United States. President John Adams signed a law to spend $5,000 on books for the Congress.
1837 – A huge fire in the city of Surat, India, killed over 500 people and destroyed more than 9,000 homes.
1877 – The Russian Empire declared war on the Ottoman Empire, starting the Russo-Turkish War.
1885 – American sharpshooter Annie Oakley joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.
1895 – Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail alone around the world, began his journey from Boston, Massachusetts, on his boat "Spray."

Events from the 1900s to Today

1913 – The Woolworth Building, a very tall building in New York City, officially opened.
1914 – The Franck–Hertz experiment, an important discovery in quantum mechanics, was shown to the German Physical Society.
1916 – The Easter Rising began in Dublin, Ireland. Irish rebels, led by Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, started an uprising against British rule and declared an Irish Republic.
1916 – Ernest Shackleton and five of his men launched a lifeboat from Elephant Island in the Southern Ocean. They were trying to rescue the crew of their ship, the Endurance, which had sunk.
1918 – During World War I, the first tank-to-tank battle happened near Villers-Bretonneux. Three British Mark IV tanks fought against three German A7V tanks.
1922 – The first part of the Imperial Wireless Chain started working. It allowed wireless telegraphy between Leafield, England, and Cairo, Egypt.
1926 – The Treaty of Berlin was signed. Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to stay neutral if either country was attacked by another nation for the next five years.
1932 – Benny Rothman led a large group of people on the mass trespass of Kinder Scout. This event helped lead to important legal changes in the United Kingdom about public access to land.
1933 – Nazi Germany began to target Jehovah's Witnesses by closing their office in Magdeburg.
1953 – Winston Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
1955 – The Bandung Conference ended. Twenty-nine nations from Asia and Africa met and spoke out against colonialism (when one country controls another), racism, and the Cold War.
1957 – The Suez Canal reopened after UNEF peacekeepers arrived in the area.
1967 – Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov died when his Soyuz 1 spacecraft's parachute failed to open. He was the first person to die during a space mission.
1970 – China launched its first satellite, Dong Fang Hong I. This made China the fifth country to send an object into orbit using its own rocket.
1970 – The Gambia became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Dawda Jawara as its first President.
1980 – Eight U.S. servicemen died during Operation Eagle Claw, an attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis.
1990 – STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope was launched from the Space Shuttle Discovery.
1990 – Gruinard Island in Scotland was officially declared free of the anthrax disease after 48 years of quarantine.
1993 – An IRA bomb caused a lot of damage in the Bishopsgate area of London.
1994 – A Douglas DC-3 plane landed in Botany Bay after taking off from Sydney Airport. All 25 people on board survived.
2004 – The United States removed economic sanctions against Libya. This was a reward for Libya's help in getting rid of weapons of mass destruction.
2005 – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became the 265th Pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Benedict XVI.
2013 – A building collapsed near Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing 1,129 people and injuring 2,500 others.

Famous Births

Born Before 1900

1533 – William I of Orange, known as the founding father of the Netherlands.
1581 – Vincent de Paul, a French priest and saint.
1620 – John Graunt, an English expert in population studies and statistics.
1743 – Edmund Cartwright, an English clergyman and engineer who invented the power loom.
1815 – Anthony Trollope, a famous English novelist and writer.
1845 – Carl Spitteler, a Swiss poet and author who won the Nobel Prize.
1856 – Philippe Pétain, a French general and politician who became Prime Minister of France.
1860 – Queen Marau, the last Queen of Tahiti.
1880 – Gideon Sundback, a Swedish-American engineer who developed the zipper.
1882 – Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, a Scottish-English air marshal.
1889 – Stafford Cripps, an English politician who was Chancellor of the Exchequer.
1897 – Manuel Ávila Camacho, a Mexican colonel and politician who became President of Mexico.

Born After 1900

1904 – Willem de Kooning, a Dutch-American painter.
1914 – William Castle, an American director and producer.
1919 – David Blackwell, an American mathematician.
1919 – Glafcos Clerides, a Cypriot lawyer and politician who became President of Cyprus.
1924 – Clement Freud, a German-English radio host and politician.
1926 – Thorbjörn Fälldin, a Swedish farmer and politician who became Prime Minister of Sweden.
1928 – Tommy Docherty, a Scottish footballer and manager.
1930 – Richard Donner, an American director and producer.
1930 – José Sarney, a Brazilian lawyer and politician who became President of Brazil.
1934 – Shirley MacLaine, a famous American actress, singer, and dancer.
1940 – Sue Grafton, an American author.
1941 – John Williams, an Australian-English guitarist and composer.
1942 – Richard M. Daley, an American lawyer and politician who was Mayor of Chicago.
1942 – Barbra Streisand, a famous American singer, actress, and producer.
1947 – Josep Borrell, a Spanish engineer and politician who became President of the European Parliament.
1947 – Roger D. Kornberg, an American biochemist who won the Nobel Prize.
1951 – Enda Kenny, an Irish educator and politician who became Taoiseach of Ireland.
1952 – Jean Paul Gaultier, a famous French fashion designer.
1955 – John de Mol Jr., a Dutch businessman who helped start Endemol.
1955 – Eamon Gilmore, an Irish politician who became Tánaiste of Ireland.
1958 – Brian Paddick, an English police officer and politician.
1962 – Stuart Pearce, an English footballer and coach.
1964 – Cedric the Entertainer, an American comedian and actor.
1964 – Djimon Hounsou, a Beninese-American actor.
1966 – Alessandro Costacurta, an Italian footballer and coach.
1968 – Aidan Gillen, an Irish actor.
1968 – Hashim Thaçi, a Kosovan soldier and politician who became Prime Minister of Kosovo.
1969 – Rory McCann, a Scottish actor.
1972 – Chipper Jones, an American baseball player.
1973 – Gabby Logan, an English television and radio host.
1973 – Sachin Tendulkar, a famous Indian cricketer.
1973 – Lee Westwood, an English golfer.
1974 – Stephen Wiltshire, an English illustrator known for drawing cityscapes from memory.
1976 – Steve Finnan, an Irish international footballer.
1977 – Carlos Beltrán, a Puerto Rican-American baseball player.
1982 – Kelly Clarkson, a famous American singer and talk show host.
1987 – Kris Letang, a Canadian ice hockey player.
1987 – Jan Vertonghen, a Belgian international footballer.
1987 – Varun Dhawan, an Indian actor.
1992 – Laura Kenny, an English cyclist.
1992 – Jack Quaid, an American actor.
1994 – Jordan Fisher, an American singer, dancer, and actor.
1996 – Ashleigh Barty, an Australian tennis player.
1997 – Lydia Ko, a New Zealand golfer.

Notable Deaths

Passed Away Before 1900

624 – Mellitus, a saint and archbishop of Canterbury.
1479 – Jorge Manrique, a Spanish poet.
1617 – Concino Concini, an Italian-French politician who was Prime Minister of France.
1622 – Fidelis of Sigmaringen, a German friar and saint.
1731 – Daniel Defoe, an English journalist and novelist, famous for Robinson Crusoe.
1779 – Eleazar Wheelock, an American minister who founded Dartmouth College.
1891 – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, a German field marshal.

Passed Away After 1900

1924 – G. Stanley Hall, an American psychologist.
1942 – Lucy Maud Montgomery, a Canadian author, famous for Anne of Green Gables.
1947 – Willa Cather, an American novelist and short story writer.
1960 – Max von Laue, a German physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
1967 – Vladimir Komarov, a Russian cosmonaut (mentioned in Events).
1974 – Bud Abbott, an American comedian.
1980 – Alejo Carpentier, a Swiss-Cuban music expert and author.
1982 – Ville Ritola, a Finnish runner.
1986 – Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who became the Duchess of Windsor.
1993 – Oliver Tambo, a South African lawyer and activist.
1997 – Eugene Stoner, an American engineer who designed the AR-15 rifle.
2004 – Estée Lauder, an American businesswoman who co-founded Estée Lauder Companies.
2005 – Ezer Weizman, an Israeli general and politician who became President of Israel.
2011 – Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian spiritual leader.
2014 – Hans Hollein, an Austrian architect.
2017 – Robert Pirsig, an American author and philosopher.

Holidays and Observances

Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (Armenia, France)
Christian feast day:
Concord Day (Niger)
Democracy Day (Nepal)
Fashion Revolution Day
National Panchayati Raj Day (India)
Republic Day (The Gambia)
World Day for Laboratory Animals