October 24 facts for kids

October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 68 days remain until the end of the year. October 24th is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from ancient battles to modern space missions. It's also a day when many famous people were born and passed away. Let's explore some of the most important happenings on this date!

Historical Events

Early History (Before 1600)

• AD 69 – In the Second Battle of Bedriacum, soldiers loyal to Vespasian won against those of Emperor Vitellius.
• 1260 – The famous Chartres Cathedral in France was officially opened with King Louis IX of France present.
• 1260 – After defeating the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut and the death of the previous sultan, Baybars became the fourth sultan of the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt.
• 1360 – The Treaty of Brétigny was signed, bringing an end to the first part of the Hundred Years' War.
• 1590 – John White, the governor of the second Roanoke Colony, went back to England after he couldn't find the "lost" colonists.
• 1596 – The second Spanish fleet sailed to attack England, but strong storms near Cape Finisterre forced them to turn back.

From 1601 to 1900

• 1648 – The Peace of Westphalia was signed. This important agreement ended both the Thirty Years' War and the Eighty Years' War in Europe.
• 1795 – Poland was divided up by Russia, Prussia, and Austria.
• 1813 – The Russo-Persian War ended with the Treaty of Gulistan. This treaty meant that Qajar Iran gave up a large part of its lands in the Caucasus region to the Russian Empire.
• 1851 – Astronomer William Lassell discovered two moons orbiting Uranus, which he named Umbriel and Ariel.
• 1857 – Sheffield F.C., the oldest football club still playing today, was started in England.
• 1860 – The Second Opium War officially ended with the Convention of Peking. As a result, Qing China gave Kowloon to the British Empire forever.
• 1861 – The first transcontinental telegraph line across the United States was finished, making communication much faster.
• 1889 – Henry Parkes gave the Tenterfield Oration, which was a big step towards Australia becoming a united country.
• 1894 – During the First Sino-Japanese War, the Imperial Japanese Army secretly crossed the Yalu River and attacked the forts at Hushan.

Modern History (1901–Present)

• 1901 – Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to go over Niagara Falls inside a barrel and survive!
• 1902 – Guatemala's Santa María Volcano began to erupt. It became the third-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.
• 1911 – Orville Wright stayed in the air for nine minutes and 45 seconds in a glider in North Carolina, setting a new record.
• 1917 – During World War I, Italy faced a big defeat at the Battle of Caporetto.
• 1918 – Also in World War I, Italy won an important victory in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto.
• 1926 – The famous magician Harry Houdini performed his last show in Detroit.
• 1929 – "Black Thursday" happened on the New York Stock Exchange, marking the start of a major economic downturn.
• 1931 – The George Washington Bridge opened to traffic over the Hudson River, connecting New York and New Jersey.
• 1945 – The United Nations Charter officially started, creating the international organization we know today.
• 1946 – A camera on the V-2 No. 13 rocket took the first photograph of Earth from outer space.
• 1949 – The first stone was laid for the United Nations Headquarters building in New York City.
• 1964 – Northern Rhodesia gained its independence from the United Kingdom and became the country of Zambia.
• 1975 – In Iceland, 90% of women went on a national strike to protest against gender inequality. They refused to work that day.
• 1980 – The government of Poland made the Solidarity trade union legal. This was an important step for workers' rights.
• 1992 – The Toronto Blue Jays became the first baseball team from outside the United States to win the World Series.
• 1998 – Deep Space 1 was launched to explore the asteroid belt and test new space technologies.
• 2003 – The Concorde airplane made its very last commercial flight.
• 2005 – Hurricane Wilma hit Florida, causing a lot of damage and sadly, many deaths.
• 2007 – Chang'e 1, China's first satellite for exploring the Moon, was launched.
• 2018 – The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, the world's longest sea crossing, opened for public use.

Famous Births

Born Before 1900

• AD 51 – Domitian, who later became a Roman emperor.
• 1503 – Isabella of Portugal, who became Queen of Spain.
• 1632 – Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch scientist who is known as the "Father of Microbiology" for his work with microscopes.
• 1788 – Sarah Josepha Hale, an American author and poet who wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
• 1830 – Marianne North, an English biologist and painter known for her detailed plant paintings.
• 1838 – Annie Edson Taylor, the American stuntwoman who was the first to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.
• 1855 – James S. Sherman, who became the 27th Vice President of the United States.
• 1868 – Alexandra David-Néel, a Belgian-French explorer and author who traveled extensively in Asia.
• 1882 – Sybil Thorndike, a famous English actress.
• 1885 – Alice Perry, an Irish engineer and poet. She was the first woman in Europe to get a degree in engineering.
• 1895 – Jack Warner, a well-known English actor.

Born After 1900

• 1901 – Gilda Gray, a Polish-American actress and dancer.
• 1908 – John Tuzo Wilson, a Canadian geologist who made important discoveries about plate tectonics.
• 1915 – Bob Kane, the American author and illustrator who co-created the superhero Batman.
• 1921 – R. K. Laxman, a famous Indian illustrator and cartoonist.
• 1925 – Luciano Berio, an Italian composer.
• 1925 – Rosa Parks, an American civil rights activist who played a key role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
• 1927 – Gilbert Bécaud, a popular French singer and actor.
• 1929 – George Crumb, an American composer.
• 1930 – The Big Bopper, an American singer-songwriter.
• 1932 – Stephen Covey, an American author known for his book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."
• 1939 – F. Murray Abraham, an American actor who won an Oscar.
• 1947 – Kevin Kline, a well-known American actor and singer.
• 1954 – Malcolm Turnbull, who became the 29th Prime Minister of Australia.
• 1957 – John Kassir, an American actor and voice actor.
• 1959 – Shenae Grimes, a Canadian actress.
• 1960 – BD Wong, an American actor.
• 1966 – Roman Abramovich, a Russian businessman.
• 1967 – Jacqueline McKenzie, an Australian actress.
• 1969 – Emma Donoghue, an Irish-Canadian author who wrote the book "Room."
• 1973 – Levi Leipheimer, an American cyclist.
• 1973 – Laura Veirs, an American singer-songwriter.
• 1975 – Juan Pablo Ángel, a Colombian footballer.
• 1980 – Monica, an American singer-songwriter.
• 1980 – Zac Posen, an American fashion designer.
• 1983 – Adrienne Bailon, an American singer and actress.
• 1985 – Wayne Rooney, a famous English footballer.
• 1986 – Drake, a Canadian rapper and actor.
• 1989 – PewDiePie, a Swedish YouTuber.
• 1989 – Eliza Taylor, an Australian actress.
• 1994 – Krystal Jung, an American-South Korean singer and actress.
• 1996 – Rafael Devers, a Dominican baseball player.
• 1998 – Daya, an American singer.

Notable Deaths

Passed Away Before 1900

• 996 – Hugh Capet, a French king.
• 1375 – Valdemar IV, a Danish king.
• 1537 – Jane Seymour, an English queen and wife of King Henry VIII.
• 1601 – Tycho Brahe, a Danish astronomer.
• 1655 – Pierre Gassendi, a French priest and astronomer.
• 1725 – Alessandro Scarlatti, an Italian composer.
• 1852 – Daniel Webster, an American lawyer and politician.

Passed Away After 1900

• 1935 – Dutch Schultz, an American mob boss.
• 1944 – Louis Renault, a French engineer who co-founded the Renault Company.
• 1945 – Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian politician.
• 1948 – Franz Lehár, an Austrian-Hungarian composer.
• 1960 – Yevgeny Ostashev, a Soviet rocket test pilot.
• 1972 – Jackie Robinson, a groundbreaking American baseball player who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
• 1974 – David Oistrakh, a Ukrainian violinist.
• 1979 – Carlo Abarth, an Italian automobile designer who founded the Abarth company.
• 1991 – Gene Roddenberry, an American screenwriter and producer who created Star Trek.
• 1994 – Raul Julia, a Puerto Rican-American actor.
• 1997 – Don Messick, an American voice actor, known for voices like Scooby-Doo and Papa Smurf.
• 2005 – Rosa Parks, an American civil rights activist.
• 2011 – John McCarthy, an American computer scientist who developed the Lisp programming language.
• 2015 – Maureen O'Hara, an Irish-American actress and singer.
• 2016 – Bobby Vee, an American pop singer.
• 2017 – Fats Domino, an American pianist and singer-songwriter.
• 2022 – Leslie Jordan, an American actor and writer.

Holidays and Observances

• Christian feast day:

* Anthony Mary Claret * Eberigisil (Evergitus) * Five Martyrs of Carthage (Felix and Companions) * Luigi Guanella * Magloire of Dol * Martin of Vertou * Proclus of Constantinople * Rafael Guízar y Valencia * Senoch * October 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Day of Special Forces of the Armed Forces (Russia)
• Food Day (United States)
• Independence Day (Zambia)
• International Day of Diplomats
• Suez Day (Egypt)
• United Nations Day, the anniversary of the 1945 Charter of the United Nations (International)
• World Development Information Day
• World Polio Day

See also

In Spanish: 24 de octubre para niños