1184 BC Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned, according to calculations by Eratosthenes.
1456 Anne Neville (born), English wife of Richard III of England (died 1485)
1509 Henry VIII of England marries Catherine of Aragon.
1727 George I of Great Britain (died) (born 1660)
1770 British explorer Captain James Cook runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef.
1775 The American Revolutionary War’s first naval engagement, the Battle of Machias, results in the capture of a small British naval vessel.
1776 The Continental Congress appoints Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston to the Committee of Five to draft a declaration of independence.
1788 Russian explorer Gerasim Izmailov reaches Alaska.
1796 Samuel Whitbread (died), English brewer and politician, founded the Whitbread Company (born 1720)
1805 A fire consumes large portions of Detroit in the Michigan Territory.
1864 Richard Strauss (born), German composer and conductor (died 1949)
1876 Alfred L. Kroeber (born), American anthropologist (died 1960)
1879 William, Prince of Orange (died) (born 1840)
1892 The Limelight Department, one of the world’s first film studios, is officially established in Melbourne, Australia.
1894 Kiichiro Toyoda (born), Japanese businessman, founded Toyota (died 1952)
1898 Spanish-American War: U.S. war ships set sail for Cuba.
1910 Jacques Cousteau (born), French biologist, author, and inventor, co-developed the aqua-lung (died 1997)
1913 Vince Lombardi (born), American football player, coach, and manager (died 1970)
1919 Sir Barton wins the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first horse to win the Triple Crown.
1920 During the U.S. Republican National Convention in Chicago, U.S. Republican Party leaders gathered in a room at the Blackstone Hotel to come to a consensus on their candidate for the U.S. presidential election, leading the Associated Press to first coin the political phrase “smoke-filled room”.
1920 Irving Howe (born), American critic (died 1993)
1920 Robert Hutton (born), American actor (died 1994)
1920 William F. Halsey, Sr. (died), American captain (born 1853)
1924 Théodore Dubois (died), French organist, composer, and educator (born 1837)
1930 Charles B. Rangel (born), American lawyer and politician
1933 Gene Wilder (born), American actor, director, and screenwriter
1934 Lev Vygotsky (died), Russian psychologist (born 1896)
1935 Inventor Edwin Armstrong gives the first public demonstration of FM broadcasting in the United States at Alpine, New Jersey.
1936 The International Surrealist Exhibition opens in London, England.
1937 Chad Everett (born), American actor (died 2012)
1937 Great Purge: The Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin executes eight army leaders.
1939 Jackie Stewart (born), Scottish race car driver
1941 Daniel Carter Beard (died), American author and illustrator, founded the Boy Scouts of America (born 1850)
1942 World War II: The United States agrees to send Lend-Lease aid to the Soviet Union.
1944 USS Missouri (BB-63) the last battleship built by the United States Navy and future site of the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, is commissioned.
1945 Adrienne Barbeau (born), American actress and author
1947 Richard Palmer-James (born), English singer-songwriter and guitarist (King Crimson and Supertramp)
1949 Frank Beard (born), American drummer and songwriter (ZZ Top and American Blues)
1950 Bjarne Stroustrup (born), Danish computer scientist, created C++
1950 Graham Russell (born), English-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Air Supply)
1952 Donnie Van Zant (born), American singer-songwriter and guitarist (38 Special and Van Zant)
1954 Johnny Nee (born)l, American vocalist, songwriter, and musician (The Allman Brothers Band and Gov’t Mule)
1955 Eighty-three spectators are killed and at least 100 are injured after an Austin-Healey and a Mercedes-Benz collide at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the deadliest ever accident in motorsports.
1956 Joe Montana (born). American football player
1956 Simon Plouffe (born), Canadian mathematician
1959 Hugh Laurie (born), English actor, singer, and screenwriter
1960 Mehmet Oz (born), American surgeon, author, and television host
1962 Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin allegedly become the only prisoners to escape from the prison on Alcatraz Island.
1963 American Civil Rights Movement: Alabama Governor George Wallace stands at the door of Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in an attempt to block two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from attending that school. Later in the day, accompanied by federalized National Guard troops, they are able to register.
1963 Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc burns himself with gasoline in a busy Saigon intersection to protest the lack of religious freedom in South Vietnam.
1963 John F. Kennedy addresses Americans from the Oval Office proposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that would revolutionist American society. Proposing equal access to public facilities, end segregation in education and guarantee federal protection for voting rights.
1964 Jean Alesi (born), French race car driver
1969 Peter Dinklage (born), American actor
1970 After being appointed on May 15, Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington officially receive their ranks as U.S. Army Generals, becoming the first females to do so.
1971 The U.S. Government forcibly removes the last holdouts to the Native American Occupation of Alcatraz, ending 19 months of control.
1979 John Wayne (died), American actor, director, and producer (born 1907)
1985 Karen Ann Quinlan, American medical patient (born 1954)
1998 Compaq Computer pays $9 billion for Digital Equipment Corporation in the largest high-tech acquisition.
1999 DeForest Kelley (died), American actor and screenwriter (born 1920)
2001 Timothy McVeigh (died), American terrorist, conducted the Oklahoma City bombing (born 1968)
2001 Timothy McVeigh is executed for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
2002 Antonio Meucci is acknowledged as the first inventor of the telephone by the United States Congress.
2003 David Brinkley (died), American journalist (born 1920)
2004 Egon von Fürstenberg (died), Swiss fashion designer (born 1946)
EO Smith
Latest posts by EO Smith (see all)
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- Alternative Facts and Science - 24 January, 2017