September 24
September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 98 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
- 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina.
- 1180 - Manuel I Komnenos, last Emperor of the Komnenian restoration dies. The Byzantine Empire slips into terminal decline.
- 1664 - The Netherlands surrenders New Amsterdam to England.
- 1789 - The office of the Attorney General of the United States of America, and the United States Post Office Department, are established.
- 1841 - The Sultan of Brunei cedes Sarawak to Britain.
- 1852 - The first airship powered by (a steam) engine, created by Henri Giffard, travels 17 miles (27 km) from Paris to Trappes.
- 1869 - "Black Friday": Gold prices plummet after Ulysses S. Grant orders the Treasury to sell large quantities of gold after Jay Gould and James Fisk plot to control the market.
- 1877 - Battle of Shiroyama, decisive victory of the Imperial Japanese Army over the Satsuma Rebellion
- 1890 - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially renounces polygamy.
- 1903 - Edmund Barton steps down as Prime Minister of Australia and is succeeded by Alfred Deakin.
- 1906 - U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaims Devils Tower the nation's first National Monument.
- 1935 - Earl Bascom and Weldon Bascom produce the first rodeo ever held outdoors under electric lights at Columbia, Mississippi
- 1946 - Cathay Pacific Airways is founded in Hong Kong
- 1947 - Majestic 12 is allegedly established by secret executive order of President Harry Truman
- 1948 - The Honda Motor Company is founded.
- 1950 - Forest fires black out the sun over portions of Canada and New England. A Blue moon (in the astronomical sense) is seen as far away as Europe.
- 1957 - Camp Nou, the largest stadium in Europe, is opened in Barcelona.
- 1957 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends 101st Airborne Division troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce desegregation.
- 1962 - United States court of appeals orders the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith.
- 1973 - Guinea-Bissau declares its independence from Portugal.
- 1990 - Periodic Great White Spot observed on Saturn
- 1994 - National League for Democracy is formed by Aung San Suu Kyi and various others to help fight against dictatorship in Myanmar.
- 1996 - U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty at the United Nations.
- 2005 - Hurricane Rita makes landfall in the United States, devastating Beaumont, Texas and portions of southwestern Louisiana.
Births
- 15 - Vitellius, Roman Emperor (d. 69)
- 1301 - Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford, English soldier (d. 1372)
- 1501 - Gerolamo Cardano, Italian mathematician (d. 1576)
- 1513 - Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Sweden (d. 1535)
- 1534 - Guru Ram Das, fourth Sikh Guru (d. 1581)
- 1564 - William Adams, British navigator (d. 1620)
- 1583 - Albrecht von Wallenstein, Austrian general (d. 1634)
- 1625 - Johan de Witt, Dutch politician (d. 1672)
- 1705 - Leopold Josef Graf Daun, Austrian field marshal (d. 1766)
- 1717 - Horace Walpole, British novelist and politician (d. 1797)
- 1725 - Sir Arthur Guinness, Irish brewer (d. 1803)
- 1739 - Grigori Alexandrovich Potemkin, Russian statesman (d. 1791)
- 1755 - John Marshall, 4th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1835)
- 1801 - Mikhail Vasilievich Ostrogradsky, Ukrainian scientist (d. 1862)
- 1802 - Adolphe d'Archiac, French paleontologist and geologist (d. 1868)
- 1817 - Ramón de Campoamor y Campoosorio, Spanish poet and philosopher (d. 1901)
- 1829 - Charles S. West, Texas jurist and politician (d. 1885)
- 1858 - Eugene Foss, 45th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1939)
- 1870 - Georges Claude, French chemist and inventor (d. 1960)
- 1871 - Lottie Dod, English athlete (d. 1960)
- 1878 - C. F. Ramuz, Swiss writer (d. 1947)
- 1884 - Gustave Garrigou, French cyclist (d. 1963)
- 1884 - Hugo Schmeisser, German weapons designer (d. 1953)
- 1890 - Mike González, baseball player (d. 1977)
- 1890 - A. P. Herbert, British humorist, barrister, novelist (d. 1971)
- 1892 - Adélard Godbout, premier of Québec (d. 1956)
- 1894 - Tommy Armour, Anglo-American golfer (d. 1968)
- 1895 - André Frédéric Cournand, French Nobel Laureate (d. 1988)
- 1896 - F. Scott Fitzgerald, American novelist (d. 1940)
- 1898 - Howard Walter Florey, Nobel Laureate (d. 1968)
- 1899 - Sir William Dobell, Australian portrait artist (d. 1970)
- 1900 - Ham Fisher, American cartoonist (d. 1955)
- 1902 - Ruhollah Khomeini, Iranian politician, religious figure, and political leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution (d. 1989)
- 1905 - Severo Ochoa, Nobel Laureate (d. 1993)
- 1909 - Gerard Ciołek, Polish architect (d. 1966)
- 1910 - Jean Servais, Belgian actor (d. 1976)
- 1911 - Konstantin Chernenko, Soviet premier (d. 1985)
- 1912 - Don Porter, American actor (d. 1997)
- 1914 - Sir John Kerr, 18th Governor-General of Australia (d. 1991)
- 1918 - Audra Lindley, American actress (d. 1997)
- 1919 - Dayton Allen, American actor and comedian (d. 2004)
- 1920 - Richard Bong, American ace fighter pilot and Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1945)
- 1921 - Jim McKay, American sportscaster (d. 2008)
- 1922 - Cornell MacNeil, American baritone
- 1923 - Louis Edmonds, American actor (d. 2001)
- 1923 - Fats Navarro, American jazz trumpet player (d. 1950)
- 1924 - Nina Bocharova, Soviet gymnast
- 1924 - Theresa Merritt, American actress (d. 1998)
- 1924 - Sheila MacRae, singer & actress
- 1925 - Autar Singh Paintal, Indian medical scientist (d. 2004)
- 1927 - Alfredo Kraus, Spanish tenor (d. 1999)
- 1929 - Edward M. Lawson, Canadian politician
- 1930 - Józef Krupiński, Polish poet (d. 1998)
- 1930 - Angelo Muscat, Maltese actor (d. 1977)
- 1930 - John W. Young, American astronaut
- 1931 - Anthony Newley, British actor and singer (d. 1999)
- 1931 - Mike Parkes, British Formula One driver (d. 1977)
- 1932 - Dominique Michel, Canadian comedian
- 1934 - Tommy Anderson, Scottish footballer
- 1934 - John Brunner, British author (d. 1995)
- 1934 - Manfred Wörner, German politician and diplomat (d. 1994)
- 1935 - Sean McCann, Canadian actor
- 1936 - Jim Henson, American puppeteer (d. 1990)
- 1940 - Yves Navarre, French writer (d. 1994)
- 1941 - Linda McCartney, American singer (d. 1998)
- 1941 - John Mackey, football player
- 1942 - Ilkka "Danny" Lipsanen, Finnish singer
- 1942 - Gerry Marsden, English singer (Gerry and the Pacemakers)
- 1944 - Diana Körner, German actress
- 1945 - Lou Dobbs, American journalist
- 1946 - "Mean" Joe Greene, American football player
- 1946 - Lars Emil Johansen, Prime Minister of Greenland
- 1947 - Erik Hivju, Norwegian actor
- 1948 - Heinz Chur, German composer
- 1948 - Gordon Clapp, American actor
- 1948 - Phil Hartman, Canadian actor (d. 1998)
- 1950 - Alan Colmes, American talk show host
- 1950 - Mohinder Amarnath, Indian cricketer
- 1950 - Kristina Wayborn, Swedish actress
- 1951 - Douglas Kmiec, American legal scholar
- 1952 - Mark Sandman, American musician (d. 1999)
- 1955 - Riccardo Illy, Italian politician
- 1956 - Hubie Brooks, American baseball player
- 1957 - Tod Howarth, American rock musician
- 1958 - Kevin Sorbo, American actor
- 1959 - Steve Whitmire, American voice actor
- 1961 - Allen Bestwick, Nascar broadcaster
- 1961 - John Logan, American screenwriter
- 1962 - Jack Dee, British comedian
- 1962 - Rosamund Kwan, Hong Kong actress
- 1962 - Ally McCoist, Scottish footballer
- 1962 - Mike Phelan, English footballer
- 1962 - Nia Vardalos, Canadian actress
- 1964 - Rafael Palmeiro, Cuban-born baseball player
- 1965 - Sean McNabb, American bassist (Quiet Riot, Great White, Rough Cutt, House of Lords)
- 1966 - Stacy Galina, American actress
- 1966 - Bernard Gilkey, Baseball player
- 1966 - Michael J. Varhola, American author
- 1969 - Shawn "Clown" Crahan, American musician (Slipknot)
- 1969 - Shamim Sarif, English novelist and filmmaker
- 1969 - Donald DeGrate, Jr., American music producer
- 1969 - Goya Toledo, Spanish actress and model
- 1969 - Megan Ward, American actress
- 1971 - Michael S. Engel, American paleontologist and entomologist
- 1971 - Kevin Millar, American baseball player
- 1971 - Peter Salisbury, English drummer (The Verve)
- 1973 - Eddie George, American football player
- 1974 - John McDonald, American baseball player
- 1975 - Kyle Turley, football player
- 1975 - Mike Gallay, Canadian comedian and filmmaker
- 1976 - Carlos Almeida, Angolan basketball player
- 1976 - Stephanie McMahon-Levesque, American professional wrestler
- 1977 - Frank Fahrenhorst, German footballer
- 1978 - Wietse van Alten, Dutch archer
- 1978 - Tarek Saab, American TV show contestant
- 1979 - Justin Bruening, American actor
- 1979 - Fábio Aurélio, Brazilian footballer
- 1979 - Katja Kassin, German pornographic actress
- 1979 - Ross Mathews, American television personality and comedian
- 1980 - Daniele Bennati, Italian professional road racing cyclist
- 1980 - Dean Canto, Australian racing driver
- 1980 - Sabrine Maui, Filipino/American pornographic actress
- 1980 - Petri Pasanen, Finnish footballer
- 1980 - John Arne Riise, Norwegian footballer
- 1981 - Drew Gooden, American basketball player
- 1981 - Ryan Briscoe, Australian racing driver
- 1982 - Morgan Hamm, American gymnast
- 1982 - Paul Hamm, American gymnast
- 1982 - Jeff Karstens, American baseball player
- 1983 - Randy Foye, American basketball player
- 1984 - Szilvia Molnar, Swedish writer
- 1986 - Leah Dizon, American model and singer
- 1987 - Spencer Treat Clark, American actor
- 1987 - Matthew Connolly, English footballer
- 1988 - Karl Alzner, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988 - Kyle Sullivan, American actor
- 1988 - Lisa Wang, American gymnast
Deaths
- 366 - Pope Liberius
- 768 - Pippin the Short, King of the Franks (b. 714)
- 1054 - Hermannus Contractus, scholar (b. 1013)
- 1118 - Robert of Knaresborough, hermit (b. 1160)
- 1120 - Welf II, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1072)
- 1143 - Agnes of Germany, daughter of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1072)
- 1143 - Pope Innocent II
- 1180 - Manuel I Comnenus, Greek Byzantine Emperor (b. 1118)
- 1213 - Gertrude of Merania, wife of Andrew II of Hungary (murdered) (b. 1185)
- 1275 - Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford, Constable of England (b. 1208)
- 1435 - Isabeau of Bavaria, wife of Charles VI of France (bc. 1370)
- 1494 - Poliziano, Italian humanist (b. 1454)
- 1541 - Paracelsus, Swiss alchemist (b. 1493)
- 1545 - Albert of Mainz, archbishop and elector of Mainz (b. 1490)
- 1605 - Manuel Mendes, Portuguese composer (bc. 1547)
- 1621 - Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, Polish military commander (b. 1560)
- 1646 - Duarte Lobo, Portuguese composer (bc. 1565)
- 1707 - Vincenzo da Filicaja, Italian poet (b. 1642)
- 1732 - Emperor Reigen of Japan (b. 1654)
- 1742 - Johann Matthias Hase, German scientist (b. 1684)
- 1802 - Alexander Radishchev, Russian writer (b. 1749)
- 1834 - Pedro I of Brazil, Emperor of Brazil (b. 1798)
- 1896 - Louis De Geer, 1st Swedish Prime Minister (b. 1818)
- 1904 - Niels Ryberg Finsen, Danish physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1860)
- 1930 - William A. MacCorkle, Governor of West Virginia (b. 1857)
- 1933 - Mike Donlin, American baseball player (b. 1878)
- 1933 - Alice Muriel Williamson, British novelist (b. 1869)
- 1938 - Lev Schnirelmann, Russian mathematician (b. 1900)
- 1939 - Carl Laemmle, German-born American film producer (b. 1867)
- 1945 - Hans Geiger, German physicist (b. 1882)
- 1948 - Warren William, American actor (b. 1894)
- 1954 - Edward Pilgrim, British suicide hastened by bureaucracy (b. 1904)
- 1962 - Charles Reisner, American silent actor and film director (b. 1887)
- 1975 - Earle Cabell, Texas politician (b. 1906)
- 1978 - Hasso von Manteuffel, German army general and politician (b. 1897)
- 1981 - Patsy Kelly, American actress (b. 1910)
- 1982 - Sarah Churchill, British actress (b. 1914)
- 1984 - Neil Hamilton, American actor (b. 1899)
- 1991 - Dr. Seuss, American children's writer (b. 1904)
- 1991 - Peter Bellamy, British folk singer (b. 1944)
- 1993 - Bruno Pontecorvo, Italian physicist (b. 1913)
- 1993 - Ian Stuart Donaldson, British musician (b. 1957)
- 1996 - Zeki Müren, Turkish musician (b. 1931)
- 2002 - Youssouf Togoïmi, Chadian rebel (b. 1953)
- 2002 - Mike Webster, American football player (b. 1952)
- 2003 - Rosalie Allen, American singer and disc jockey (b. 1924)
- 2003 - Lyle Bettger, American actor (b. 1915)
- 2004 - Françoise Sagan, French writer (b. 1935)
- 2005 - Tommy Bond, American actor (b. 1926)
- 2006 - Michael Ferguson, Irish politician (b. 1953)
- 2008 - Mickey Vernon, American baseball player (b. 1918)
Holidays and observances
- Late Roman Empire - start of the indiction year (at least since the time of Bede).
- In ancient Latvia, the third day of Mikeli, and the only day of the year during which men proposed to their prospective wives.
- Catholic Calendar: Our Lady of Mercy and Our Lady of Walsingham.
- Also see September 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
- Guinea-Bissau - Independence Day (declared, from Portugal, 1973).
- New Caledonia - Territorial Day.
- England - Our Lady of Walsingham.
- South Africa - Heritage Day.
- Barcelona, Spain - La Mercè the festival for Barcelona's patron saint. A lot of art and musical activities.
- Trinidad and Tobago - Republic Day (1976).
- French Republican Calendar - Châtaigne (Chestnut) Day, third day in the Month of Vendémiaire.
- Kings Day - Celebrating Birthday of Rajadhiraja, Sriraj.
- Feast day of Rupert of Salzburg in the Roman Catholic Church, Holiday in Salzburg.