June 24 facts for kids

June 24 is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from ancient battles to modern scientific discoveries and important cultural moments. People around the world celebrate different holidays and remember famous people who were born or passed away on this date.

Events

Early History (Before 1600)

• 109 – Roman Emperor Trajan opened the Aqua Traiana, a huge aqueduct that brought water to Rome from Lake Bracciano, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) away.
• 474 – Julius Nepos became the Emperor of the Western Roman Empire, taking over from Glycerius.
• 637 – The Battle of Moira happened in Ireland. It was a very large battle between the High King of Ireland and other local kings.
• 843 – Viking warriors attacked and took over the French city of Nantes.
• 972 – The Battle of Cedynia took place, which was the first recorded victory for Polish forces.
• 1128 – The Battle of São Mamede occurred near Guimarães, where forces led by Afonso I won against his mother's army.
• 1314 – The First War of Scottish Independence ended with the Battle of Bannockburn. Scottish forces, led by Robert the Bruce, won a major victory.
• 1340 – During the Hundred Years' War, the Battle of Sluys saw the English fleet, led by King Edward III, almost completely destroy the French fleet.
• 1374 – A strange event called St. John's Dance happened in Aachen, Germany. People started dancing and twitching without control until they were too tired to continue.
• 1497 – John Cabot landed in North America, likely in Newfoundland. This was the first European exploration of the area since the Vikings.
• 1509 – Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon were crowned King and Queen of England.
• 1571 – Miguel López de Legazpi established Manila, which is now the capital city of the Philippines.

Modern History (1601–1900)

• 1604 – Samuel de Champlain discovered the mouth of the Saint John River in what is now Canada.
• 1717 – The Premier Grand Lodge of England was founded in London. It was the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the world.
• 1779 – The American Revolutionary War saw the start of the Great Siege of Gibraltar.
• 1793 – France adopted its first Republican constitution.
• 1812 – During the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon's army, the Grande Armée, crossed the Neman River to begin their invasion of Russia.
• 1821 – The Battle of Carabobo was a key battle that helped Venezuela gain independence from Spain.
• 1859 – The Battle of Solferino took place in northern Italy, where forces from Sardinia and France defeated Austria.
• 1880 – The song O Canada was performed for the first time. It later became the national anthem of Canada.
• 1894 – Marie François Sadi Carnot, who was the President of France, was killed.

Recent History (1901–Present)

• 1916 – Mary Pickford became the first female movie star to sign a contract worth a million dollars.
• 1918 – The first airmail service in Canada started, flying between Montreal and Toronto.
• 1922 – The American Professional Football Association changed its name to the National Football League (NFL).
• 1932 – A peaceful revolution in Siam (now Thailand) ended the absolute power of King Prajadhipok.
• 1939 – Siam officially changed its name to Thailand.
• 1945 – The first Victory Day Parade was held in Red Square in Moscow, celebrating the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany.
• 1947 – Kenneth Arnold reported seeing what many believe was the first widely known UFO near Mount Rainier, Washington.
• 1948 – The Cold War began the Berlin Blockade, where the Soviet Union stopped all land travel between West Germany and West Berlin.
• 1949 – The first television western show, Hopalong Cassidy, aired on NBC.
• 1950 – In South Africa, the Group Areas Act was passed as part of Apartheid, which officially separated people by race.
• 1963 – The United Kingdom gave Zanzibar the right to govern itself.
• 1973 – A fire at the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans, Louisiana, caused the deaths of thirty-two people.
• 1975 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 crashed while landing at JFK Airport in New York, killing 113 people. This accident led to much research into how wind affects aircraft.
• 1981 – The Humber Bridge opened in England. It was the world's longest bridge span for 17 years.
• 1982 – British Airways Flight 009 flew into a cloud of volcanic ash from Mount Galunggung, causing all four engines to fail. The pilots managed to restart them and land safely.
• 1995 – In the Rugby World Cup, South Africa defeated New Zealand. Nelson Mandela presented the trophy, a powerful moment after apartheid.
• 2002 – The Igandu train disaster in Tanzania killed 281 people, making it the worst train accident in African history.
• 2004 – In New York, capital punishment (the death penalty) was declared against the state's constitution.
• 2010 – At Wimbledon, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played the longest tennis match in professional history.
• 2010 – Julia Gillard became the first female Prime Minister of Australia.
• 2012 – Lonesome George, the last known Pinta Island tortoise, passed away.
• 2021 – The Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, Florida suddenly collapsed, killing 98 people.
• 2023 – The Wagner Group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin started an insurrection against the Russian government.

Births

Famous People Born Before 1600

• 1314 – Philippa of Hainault, who became Queen of England.
• 1360 – Nuno Álvares Pereira, a famous Portuguese general.
• 1485 – Johannes Bugenhagen, an important German priest and reformer.
• 1519 – Theodore Beza, a French theologian and scholar.
• 1532 – Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, an English politician.

Famous People Born 1601–1900

• 1616 – Ferdinand Bol, a Dutch painter who studied with Rembrandt.
• 1771 – Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, a French chemist who founded the company DuPont.
• 1777 – John Ross, a Scottish commander and explorer.
• 1838 – Jan Matejko, a well-known Polish painter.
• 1842 – Ambrose Bierce, an American writer and journalist.
• 1850 – Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, an Irish field marshal and politician.
• 1883 – Victor Francis Hess, an Austrian-American physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1893 – Roy O. Disney, an American businessman who helped start The Walt Disney Company.
• 1895 – Jack Dempsey, a famous American boxer.

Famous People Born 1901–Present

• 1901 – Chuck Taylor, an American basketball player and salesman, known for the Converse shoes.
• 1911 – Juan Manuel Fangio, a legendary Argentinian race car driver.
• 1915 – Fred Hoyle, an English astronomer and author.
• 1917 – Joan Clarke, an English codebreaker who worked during World War II.
• 1919 – Al Molinaro, an American actor.
• 1927 – Martin Lewis Perl, an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1929 – Carolyn S. Shoemaker, an American astronomer.
• 1930 – Claude Chabrol, a French film director.
• 1933 – Sam Jones, a famous American basketball player.
• 1936 – Robert Downey Sr., an American actor and director.
• 1937 – Anita Desai, an Indian-American author.
• 1944 – Jeff Beck, a famous English guitarist.
• 1947 – Mick Fleetwood, an English-American drummer.
• 1947 – Peter Weller, an American actor and director.
• 1950 – Nancy Allen, an American actress.
• 1953 – William E. Moerner, an American chemist and physicist, also a Nobel Prize laureate.
• 1958 – Jean Charest, a Canadian lawyer and politician.
• 1961 – Iain Glen, a Scottish actor.
• 1979 – Mindy Kaling, an American actress and producer.
• 1980 – Minka Kelly, an American actress.
• 1986 – Solange Knowles, an American singer-songwriter and actress.
• 1987 – Lionel Messi, a world-famous Argentinian footballer.
• 1988 – Micah Richards, an English footballer.
• 1999 – Darwin Núñez, a Uruguayan footballer.

Deaths

Notable People Who Died Before 1600

• 1398 – Hongwu, a Chinese emperor.
• 1503 – Reginald Bray, an English architect and politician.
• 1519 – Lucrezia Borgia, a famous Italian noblewoman.

Notable People Who Died 1601–1900

• 1604 – Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, an English courtier.
• 1643 – John Hampden, an English politician.
• 1817 – Thomas McKean, an American lawyer and politician.
• 1908 – Grover Cleveland, who served as the 22nd and 24th President of the United States.

Notable People Who Died 1901–Present

• 1922 – Walther Rathenau, a German businessman and politician.
• 1969 – Willy Ley, a German-American historian and author.
• 1980 – V. V. Giri, the 4th President of India.
• 1987 – Jackie Gleason, a well-known American actor and comedian.
• 1991 – Rufino Tamayo, a famous Mexican painter.
• 1997 – Brian Keith, an American actor.
• 2000 – David Tomlinson, an English actor.
• 2005 – Paul Winchell, an American actor and voice artist.
• 2007 – Natasja Saad, a Danish rapper and reggae singer.
• 2012 – Lonesome George, the last known Pinta Island tortoise.
• 2013 – Emilio Colombo, an Italian politician and former Prime Minister of Italy.
• 2014 – Eli Wallach, an American actor.
• 2021 – Benigno Aquino III, the 15th President of the Philippines.

Holidays and Observances

• Army Day or Battle of Carabobo Day (Venezuela)
• Bannockburn Day (Scotland)
• Christian feast day:
  • María Guadalupe García Zavala
  • Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
  • June 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Day of the Caboclo (Amazonas, Brazil)
• Inti Raymi, a winter solstice festival and a New Year in the Andes of the Southern Hemisphere (Sacsayhuamán)
• St John's Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (though not the exact summer solstice) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances:
  • Enyovden (Bulgaria)
  • Jaanipäev (Estonia)
  • Jāņi (Latvia)
  • Jónsmessa (Iceland)
  • Midsummer Day (England)
  • Saint Jonas' Festival or Joninės (Lithuania)
  • Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (Quebec)
  • Sânziene (western Carpathian Mountains of Romania)
  • Wattah Wattah Festival (Philippines)
• Fors Fortuna, an ancient Roman festival dedicated to Fortuna.

See also

In Spanish: 24 de junio para niños