What Happened on July 24
Important Events
- 1534 Jacques Cartier lands in Canada, claims it for France
- 1567 Mary Queen of Scots is forced to abdicate; her 1-year-old son becomes King James VI of Scots
- 1832 Benjamin Bonneville leads the first wagon train across the Rocky Mountains by Wyoming's South Pass
- 1911 American explorer Hiram Bingham discovers Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas
- 1943 Operation Gomorrah: RAF begins bombing Hamburg (till 3rd August), creating a firestorm and killing 42,600 people
July 24 in Film & TV
- 1952 "High Noon", American Western film directed by Fred Zinnemann, starring Gary Cooper and Thomas Mitchell, is released
July 24 in Music
- 1982 Single "Eye Of The Tiger" by Survivor from "Rocky III" soundtrack starts 6-week run at No. 1 on US charts (Grammy for Best Rock Performance)
July 24 in Sport
- 2005 92nd Tour de France: no winner; Lance Armstrong retires after winning a record seventh consecutive victory but disqualified in 2012 for doping
Did You Know?
Harrisburg Pennsylvanian newspaper publishes results of 1st public opinion poll, with a clear lead for Andrew Jackson
On July 24, 1824
Famous Birthdays
Simón Bolívar
(1783 - 1830)
Alexandre Dumas
(1802 - 1870)
Bill the Butcher
(1821 - 1855)
Amelia Earhart
(1897 - 1939)
Barry Bonds
54 Years Old
Jennifer Lopez
49 Years Old
Would You Believe?
Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the last Tsar of Bulgaria when he was a child, is sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, becoming the first monarch in history to regain political power through democratic election to a different office.
On July 24, 2001
Famous Weddings
- 1554 Queen Maria of England marries Philip, king of Naples/Jerusalem
- 1946 Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Howard Hanson (49) weds Margaret Elizabeth Nelson at the Chautauqua Institution in New York
- 1972 Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (24) weds Sarah Hugill
Martin Van Buren
James Chadwick
Peter SellersJuly in History
First Lady Pours Scorn Upon a King
American independence from Britain was declared and on this day a future US President's wife expressed her joy.
July 21, 1776
Spoonerism – Or Just A Lack Of Pies?
A Spoonerism is a phrase that comes out all wrong, and the man responsible for them, William Spooner, was born on this day. Did he just get bad Press?
July 22, 1844
Light and Air For All – With No Charge!
One of Britain's most hated taxes, which had been in force for more than 250 years, was finally abolished on this day.
July 24, 1851
Oh! Calcutta! - The Bare Facts
Born when free love and anything goes were the mantra of youth, the show "Oh! Calcutta!" opened in London on this day. Police considered a prosecution for obscenity.
July 26, 1970