May 24 is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 221 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
- 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral.
- 1487 - Lambert Simnel is crowned as "King Edward VI" at Dublin, Ireland.
- 1595 - Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library.
- 1621 - The Protestant Union is formally dissolved.
- 1626 - Peter Minuit buys Manhattan.
- 1689 - The English Parliament passes the Act of Toleration protecting Protestants. Roman Catholics are intentionally excluded.
- 1738 - John Wesley is converted, essentially launching the Methodist movement; the day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day.
- 1798 - Irish Rebellion of 1798 led by the United Irishmen against British rule begins.
- 1822 - Battle of Pichincha: Antonio José de Sucre secures the independence of the Presidency of Quito.
- 1830 - "Mary Had a Little Lamb" by Sarah Josepha Hale is published.
- 1830 - The first revenue trains in the United States begin service on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road between Baltimore, Maryland and Ellicott's Mills, Maryland.
- 1832 - The First Kingdom of Greece is declared in the London Conference.
- 1844 - Samuel F. B. Morse sends the message "What hath God wrought" (a Bible quotation, Numbers 23:23) from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland.
- 1846 - Mexican-American War: General Zachary Taylor captures Monterrey.
- 1856 - John Brown and his men murder five slavery supporters at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas.
- 1861 - American Civil War: Union troops occupy Alexandria, Virginia.
- 1881 - Turkey cedes Thessaly and Arta back to Greece.
- 1883 - The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction.
- 1895 - Henry Irving becomes the first personage from the theatre to be knighted.
- 1900 - Second Boer War: The United Kingdom annexes the Orange Free State.
- 1901 - Seventy-eight miners die in the Caerphilly pit disaster in South Wales.
- 1915 - World War I: Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary.
- 1921 - The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti opens.
- 1930 - Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, Northern Territory, becoming the first woman to fly from England to Australia (she left on May 5 for the 11,000 mile flight).
- 1940 - Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight.
- 1941 - World War II: In the North Atlantic, the German Battleship Bismarck sinks the HMS Hood killing all but three crewmen on what was the pride of the Royal Navy.
- 1943 - Holocaust: Josef Mengele becomes chief medical officer of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
- 1949 - The Soviet Union ends the 11-month Berlin Blockade.
- 1956 - Conclusion of the Sixth Buddhist Council on Vesak Day, marking the 2,500 year anniversary after the Lord Buddha's Parinibbāna.
- 1958 - United Press International is formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.
- 1961 - American civil rights movement: Freedom Riders are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi for "disturbing the peace" after disembarking from their bus.
- 1961 - Cyprus enters the Council of Europe.
- 1962 - Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbits the Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.
- 1968 - FLQ separatists bomb the U.S. consulate in Quebec City.
- 1970 - The drilling of the Kola Superdeep Borehole begins in the Soviet Union.
- 1973 - Earl Jellicoe resigns as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the Lords.
- 1976 - The London to Washington, D.C. Concorde service begins.
- 1980 - The International Court of Justice calls for the release of United States embassy hostages in Tehran, Iran. The hostages would not be freed until the following January.
- 1981 - First International Women's Day for Disarmament.
- 1982 - Liberation of Khorramshahr, Iranians recapture of the port city of Khorramshahr from the Iraqis during the Iran-Iraq War.
- 1988 - Section 28 is passed as law by Parliament in the United Kingdom.
- 1989 - Sonia Sutcliffe, wife of the Yorkshire Ripper, is awarded a six-figure sum in damages after winning a libel action against Private Eye.
- 1990 - A car carrying American Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney explodes in Oakland, California, critically injuring both.
- 1991 - Israel conducts Operation Solomon, evacuating Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
- 1992 - The last Thai dictator, General Suchinda Kraprayoon, resigns following pro-democracy protests.
- 1993 - Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia.
- 1994 - Four men convicted of bombing the World Trade Center in 1993 are each sentenced to 240 years in prison.
- 1999 - Venezuela enters the Antarctic Treaty System.
- 2000 - Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation.
- 2001 - Mountain climbing: 15-year-old Sherpa Temba Tsheri becomes the youngest person to climb to the top of Mount Everest.
- 2001 - The Versailles wedding hall disaster in Jerusalem, Israel, kills 23 and injures over 200 in Israel's worst-ever civil disaster.
- 2001 - The Democrats gain control of the U.S. Senate for the first time since 1994 when Senator James Jeffords of Vermont abandons the Republican Party and declares himself an independent.
- 2002 - Russia and the United States sign the Moscow Treaty.
- 2004 - Communications in North Korea: North Korea bans mobile phones.
- 2008 - Emperor's Cup of Sumo - First European to win it - Kaloyan Mahlyanov
- 2008 - The Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade, Serbia is won by Russia, for their song Believe, sung by Dima Bilan.
- 2008 - New Bengaluru International Airport opens in Bangalore, India. It replaced the old HAL Bangalore International Airport.
Births
- 15 BC - Julius Caesar Germanicus, Roman commander (d. 19)
- 1494 - Pontormo, Italian painter (d. 1557)
- 1522 - John Jewel, English bishop (d. 1571)
- 1544 - William Gilbert, English natural philosopher (d. 1603)
- 1616 - John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale (d. 1682)
- 1671 - Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1737)
- 1686 - Gabriel Fahrenheit, inventor and thermometer maker (d. 1736)
- 1689 - Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea, English politician (d. 1769)
- 1743 - Jean-Paul Marat, French revolutionary (d. 1793)
- 1794 - William Whewell, English scientist and philosopher (d. 1866)
- 1803 - Alexander von Nordmann, Finnish zoologist (d. 1866)
- 1810 - Charles Clark, Governor of Mississippi (d. 1877)
- 1810 - Abraham Geiger, German rabbi and scholar (d. 1874)
- 1816 - Emanuel Leutze, German-born painter (d. 1868)
- 1819 - Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (d. 1901)
- 1830 - Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter (d. 1897)
- 1836 - Joseph Rowntree, British social reformer (d. 1925)
- 1854 - John Riley Banister, American law officer and cowboy (d. 1918)
- 1855 - Arthur Wing Pinero, English playwright (d. 1934)
- 1863 - George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (d. 1938)
- 1868 - Charles E. Taylor, First aircraft maintenance professional (d. 1956)
- 1870 - Benjamin Cardozo, American jurist (d. 1938)
- 1870 - Jan Christiaan Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 1950)
- 1878 - Lillian Moller Gilbreth, American engineer (d. 1972)
- 1879 - H. B. Reese, American inventor of Reese's and founder (d. 1956)
- 1885 - Susan Sutherland Isaacs, English educational psychologist (d. 1948).
- 1886 - Paul Paray, French conductor and composer (d. 1979)
- 1887 - Edward "Mick" Mannock, Irish WWI flying ace (d. 1918)
- 1891 - William F. Albright, American archeologist and Biblical scholar (d. 1971)
- 1895 - Samuel Irving Newhouse, American publisher (d. 1979)
- 1899 - Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (d. 1938)
- 1899 - Henri Michaux, French poet (d. 1984)
- 1900 - Lionel Conacher, Canadian athlete and politician (d. 1954)
- 1900 - Eduardo De Filippo, Italian actor and screenwriter (d. 1984)
- 1901 - José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer (d. 1968)
- 1905 - Michail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
- 1909 - Wilbur Mills, American politician (d. 1992)
- 1911 - Barbara West, English survivor of the Titanic sinking (d. 2007)
- 1914 - Lilli Palmer, German-born actress (d. 1986)
- 1914 - Giuseppe Valdengo, Italian baritone (d. 2007)
- 1916 - Roden Cutler, Australian diplomat (d. 2002)
- 1923 - Siobhán McKenna, Irish actress (d. 1986)
- 1925 - Mai Zetterling, Swedish-born entertainer (d. 1994)
- 1926 - Stanley Baxter, Scottish actor
- 1928 - William Trevor, Irish writer
- 1930 - Hans-Martin Linde, German conductor
- 1931 - Michael Lonsdale, French actor
- 1932 - Arnold Wesker, English dramatist
- 1934 - Jane Byrne, American politician
- 1934 - Barry Rose, English choir-trainer and organist
- 1935 - Joan Micklin Silver, American director
- 1936 - Harold Budd, American musician
- 1938 - Tommy Chong, Canadian-born actor and comedian
- 1938 - David Viscott, American psychiatrist (d. 1996)
- 1940 - Joseph Brodsky, Russian-born poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
- 1941 - Bob Dylan, American singer and songwriter
- 1941 - George Lakoff, American linguist and political activist
- 1943 - Gary Burghoff, American actor
- 1944 - Patti LaBelle, American singer
- 1945 - Priscilla Presley, American actress
- 1946 - Irena Kirszenstein-Szewinska, Russian-born Polish athlete
- 1947 - Martin Winterkorn, German automotive executive
- 1949 - Jim Broadbent, English actor
- 1950 - Larry Seidlin, American judge
- 1953 - Alfred Molina, London-born Spanish-Italian actor
- 1955 - Rosanne Cash, American singer
- 1956 - Michael Jackson, Northern Irish clergyman
- 1959 - Pelle Lindbergh, Swedish hockey player (d. 1985)
- 1960 - Kristin Scott Thomas, English actress
- 1960 - Guy Fletcher, British keyboardist (Dire Straits)
- 1962 - Gene Anthony Ray, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1963 - Ivan Capelli, Italian racing driver
- 1963 - Michael Chabon, American author
- 1963 - Joe Dumars, American basketball player
- 1963 - Kathy Leander, Swiss singer
- 1963 - Rich Rodriguez, American football coach
- 1964 - Adrian Moorhouse, British swimmer
- 1964 - Pat Verbeek, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1965 - John C. Reilly, American actor
- 1965 - Shinichiro Watanabe, Japanese anime director
- 1966 - Eric Cantona, French footballer
- 1966 - Ricky Craven, American NASCAR driver
- 1967 - Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1967 - Steve McDonald, American bassist (Redd Kross)
- 1968 - Mo Willems, American author and screenwriter
- 1969 - Rich Robinson, American musician (Black Crowes)
- 1970 - Tommy Page, American singer
- 1971 - Kris Draper, Canadian ice hockey player (Detroit Red Wings)
- 1972 - Greg Berlanti, American television writer and producer
- 1973 - Bartolo Colón, Dominican baseball player
- 1973 - Dermot O'Leary, English television presenter
- 1973 - Ruslana, Ukrainian singer
- 1974 - Will Sasso, Canadian actor and comedian
- 1974 - Masahide Kobayashi, Japanese baseball player
- 1975 - Marc Gagnon, Canadian short track speed skater
- 1975 - Maria Lawson, British Singer
- 1975 - Yannis Goumas, Greek footballer
- 1976 - Alessandro Cortini, Italian musician
- 1976 - Catherine Cox, Australian netballer
- 1976 - Bob Maesen, Belgian flatwater canoer
- 1977 - Kym Valentine. Australian actress
- 1978 - Brian Ching, American soccer player
- 1978 - Bryan Greenberg, American actor
- 1978 - Brad Penny, American baseball player
- 1978 - Johan Holmqvist, Swedish hockey player
- 1979 - Tracy McGrady, American basketball player
- 1979 - Frank Mir, American UFC fighter
- 1980 - Cecilia Cheung, Hong Kong actress and singer
- 1981 - Marketa Janska, Czech model and Playboy Playmate
- 1982 - Issah Ahmed, Ghana football player
- 1982 - DaMarcus Beasley, American soccer player
- 1984 - Sarah Hagan, American actress
- 1984 - Brodney Pool, American football player
- 1985 - Tim Bridgman, British racing driver
- 1986 - Jordan Metcalfe, English actor
- 1987 - Dominika Kasprzycka, Polish singer
- 1987 - Guillaume Latendresse, French-Canadian hockey player
- 1988 - Billy Gilman, American singer
- 1989 - Tara Correa-McMullen, American actress (d. 2005)
- 1990 - Joey Logano, NASCAR Driver
- 1990 - Luke Temple, American Concert pianist
- 1991 - Erika Umeda, Japanese singer
- 1992 - Travis T. Flory, American Actor
- 1995 - Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein
Deaths
- 1153 - King David I of Scotland (b. 1084)
- 1351 - Abu al-Hasan 'Ali, Sultan of Morocco (b. circa 1297)
- 1408 - Taejo of Joseon, ruler of Korea (b. 1335)
- 1425 - Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, Scottish politician (b. 1362)
- 1456 - Ambroise de Loré, French military commander (b. 1396)
- 1543 - Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish astronomer (b. 1473)
- 1612 - Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, English statesman (b. 1563)
- 1627 - Luis de Góngora, Spanish poet (b. 1561)
- 1725 - Jonathan Wild, English criminal (b. 1682)
- 1734 - Georg Ernst Stahl, German physician and chemist (b. 1660)
- 1749 - Graf Valentin Potocki, Polish nobleman
- 1792 - George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, British naval officer (b. 1718)
- 1806 - John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, British field marshal (b. 1723)
- 1843 - Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician (b. 1765)
- 1861 - Elmer E. Ellsworth, American Civil War officer (b. 1837)
- 1872 - Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, German painter (b. 1794)
- 1876 - Georgi Benkovski, Bulgarian revolutionary (b. 1843)
- 1879 - William Lloyd Garrison, American abolitionist and publisher (b. 1805)
- 1881 - Samuel Palmer, English artist (b. 1805)
- 1883 - Abdel Kadir, Algerian leader (b. 1808)
- 1919 - Amado Nervo, Mexican poet (b. 1870)
- 1941 - Lancelot Holland, British admiral, died in sinking of the HMS Hood (51) (b. 1887)
- 1945 - Robert Ritter von Greim, German field marshal (b. 1892)
- 1947 - C. F. Ramuz, Swiss writer (b. 1878)
- 1948 - Jacques Feyder, Belgian director and screenwriter (b. 1885)
- 1949 - Aleksey Shchusev, Russian architect (b. 1873)
- 1950 - Archibald Wavell, British general (b. 1883)
- 1959 - John Foster Dulles, United States Secretary of State (b. 1888)
- 1963 - Elmore James, American musician (b. 1918)
- 1969 - Willy Ley, German-born rocket scientist (b. 1906)
- 1974 - Duke Ellington, American composer and musician (b. 1899)
- 1984 - Vincent J. McMahon, American pro wrestling promoter (b. 1914)
- 1991 - Gene Clark, American singer and songwriter (The Byrds) (b. 1944)
- 1991 - Miriam di San Servolo, Italian actress (b. 1912)
- 1992 - Hitoshi Ogawa, Japanese racing driver (b. 1956)
- 1995 - Harold Wilson, British politician (b. 1916)
- 1997 - Edward Mulhare, Irish actor (b. 1923)
- 1999 - Owen Hart, Professional Wrestler (b.1965)
- 2000 - Kurt Schork, American reporter (b. 1947)
- 2002 - Wallace Markfield, American writer (b. 1926)
- 2003 - Rachel Kempson, English actress (b. 1910)
- 2004 - Henry Ries, American photographer (b. 1917)
- 2004 - Milton Shulman, Canadian author and critic (b. 1913)
- 2004 - Edward Wagenknecht, American literary critic (b. 1900)
- 2005 - Carl Amery, German writer (b. 1922)
- 2005 - Arthur Haulot, Belgian journalist (b. 1913)
- 2005 - Vivian Liberto, first wife of Johnny Cash (b. 1934)
- 2006 - Henry Bumstead, American art director (b. 1915)
- 2006 - Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician (b. 1930)
- 2007 - Bill Johnston, Australian cricket player (b. 1922)
- 2008 - Dick Martin American comedian (b. 1922)
Holidays and observances
External links
