January 24 facts for kids

January 24th is a special day in history, filled with many important events, famous birthdays, and notable passings. From ancient Roman times to modern space exploration, this date has seen moments that changed the world and shaped our lives. Let's explore some of the most interesting things that happened on January 24th!

Events

Early History (Before 1600)

• 41 AD – Claudius became the Roman emperor after the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula, was sadly assassinated.
• 1458 – Matthias Corvinus was chosen to be the King of Hungary.
• 1536 – King Henry VIII of England had a serious accident while jousting. Historians believe this brain injury might have affected his behavior later in life.

Later History (1601–1900)

• 1651 – During the Arauco War, Spanish and Mapuche leaders met in Chile to try and keep the peace.
• 1758 – In the Seven Years' War, the city of Königsberg became part of Russian Prussia until 1763.
• 1835 – Enslaved people in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, started a brave uprising known as the Malê Revolt. This event helped lead to the end of slavery there about 50 years later.
• 1848 – The California Gold Rush began! James W. Marshall found gold at Sutter's Mill near Sacramento, sparking a huge rush of people hoping to get rich.
• 1857 – The University of Calcutta was officially opened in South Asia. It was the first full university in that region.
• 1859 – The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (which later became Romania) were formed.

Modern History (1901–Present)

• 1908 – The very first Boy Scout troop was started in England by Robert Baden-Powell. This marked the beginning of the worldwide Scouting movement!
• 1915 – During World War I, British and German battle cruisers fought in the Battle of Dogger Bank at sea.
• 1918 – Russia officially started using the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar most of the world uses today.
• 1933 – The 20th Amendment was added to the United States Constitution. This changed when elected officials in the US start and end their jobs.
• 1935 – The first ever canned beer was sold by Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company.
• 1939 – The deadliest earthquake in Chilean history hit Chillán, causing about 28,000 deaths.
• 1942 – In World War II, the Allies bombed Bangkok, which led Thailand to declare war on the United States and United Kingdom.
• 1943 – Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill finished an important meeting in Casablanca during World War II.
• 1946 – The United Nations General Assembly passed its first resolution. It decided to create the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission to deal with atomic energy safely.
• 1961 – The Goldsboro B-52 crash happened when a bomber carrying two H-bombs broke apart over North Carolina. One of the bomb's parts was never found.
• 1966 – Air India Flight 101 crashed into Mont Blanc, a very tall mountain.
• 1972 – Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi was found hiding in a Guam jungle. He had been there since the end of World War II because he didn't know the war was over.
• 1978 – A Soviet satellite called Kosmos 954, which had a nuclear reactor, burned up in Earth's atmosphere. It scattered radioactive pieces over Canada.
• 1984 – Apple Computer started selling the first Macintosh personal computer in the United States.
• 1986 – The Voyager 2 space probe flew closest to the planet Uranus, sending back amazing pictures and data.
• 1990 – Japan launched Hiten, its first lunar probe. This was the first robotic probe to the Moon since 1976 and the first from a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States.
• 2003 – The United States Department of Homeland Security officially started its work.
• 2009 – Cyclone Klaus hit France, causing many deaths and big problems for transportation and power.

Births

Famous People Born Before 1900

• 76 AD – Hadrian, a powerful Roman emperor.
• 1712 – Frederick the Great, a famous Prussian king.
• 1732 – Pierre Beaumarchais, a French playwright who wrote "The Marriage of Figaro."
• 1776 – E. T. A. Hoffmann, a German writer and composer.
• 1850 – Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist known for his work on memory.
• 1862 – Edith Wharton, an American novelist and short story writer who won a Pulitzer Prize.
• 1888 – Ernst Heinkel, a German engineer who founded a famous aircraft company.
• 1899 – Hoyt Vandenberg, a U.S. Air Force general.

Famous People Born After 1900

• 1906 – Wilfred Jackson, an American animator who worked on many classic Disney films.
• 1917 – Ernest Borgnine, a well-known American actor.
• 1925 – Maria Tallchief, a famous American ballerina.
• 1928 – Desmond Morris, an English zoologist and writer.
• 1930 – John Romita Sr., a legendary American comic book artist.
• 1941 – Neil Diamond, a very popular American singer-songwriter.
• 1941 – Aaron Neville, an American singer with a unique voice.
• 1943 – Sharon Tate, an American model and actress.
• 1947 – Michio Kaku, an American physicist and popular science writer.
• 1949 – John Belushi, a hilarious American actor and comedian.
• 1953 – Moon Jae-in, a former President of South Korea.
• 1957 – Ade Edmondson, a funny English comedian and musician.
• 1958 – Jools Holland, an English singer, songwriter, and pianist.
• 1961 – Nastassja Kinski, a German-American actress.
• 1967 – Phil LaMarr, an American actor and voice artist.
• 1968 – Mary Lou Retton, an American gymnast who won an Olympic gold medal.
• 1974 – Ed Helms, an American actor and comedian known for "The Office."
• 1979 – Tatyana Ali, an American actress and singer.
• 1986 – Mischa Barton, an English-American actress.
• 1987 – Luis Suárez, a famous Uruguayan footballer.
• 1992 – Phiwa Nkambule, a young South African entrepreneur.
• 2003 – Johnny Orlando, a Canadian singer and songwriter.
• 2012 – Princess Athena of Denmark, a member of the Danish royal family.

Deaths

Notable People Who Passed Away Before 1900

• 41 AD – Caligula, a Roman emperor.
• 817 – Pope Stephen IV, a leader of the Catholic Church.
• 1125 – David IV of Georgia, a king of Georgia.
• 1877 – Johann Christian Poggendorff, a German physicist.
• 1895 – Lord Randolph Churchill, an English politician and father of Winston Churchill.

Notable People Who Passed Away After 1900

• 1920 – Amedeo Modigliani, a famous Italian painter and sculptor.
• 1939 – Maximilian Bircher-Benner, a Swiss physician who created Muesli.
• 1965 – Winston Churchill, a very important English statesman and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. He also won a Nobel Prize.
• 1971 – Bill W., who helped start Alcoholics Anonymous.
• 1975 – Larry Fine, a member of the famous comedy group "The Three Stooges."
• 1986 – L. Ron Hubbard, who founded the Church of Scientology.
• 1993 – Thurgood Marshall, the first African American justice on the US Supreme Court.
• 2003 – Gianni Agnelli, a powerful Italian businessman who led Fiat.
• 2016 – Marvin Minsky, an American computer scientist who was a pioneer in artificial intelligence.

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Francis de Sales
• Day of the Unification of the Romanian Principalities (Romania)
• Feast of Our Lady of Peace (Roman Catholic Church)
• Uttar Pradesh Day (Uttar Pradesh, India)
• National Girl Child Day (India)

See also

In Spanish: 24 de enero para niños