What Happened on October 24
Significant Events
- 1260 Qutuz, Mamluk Sultans of Egypt (1259-60), is assassinated by Baibars, a fellow Mamluk leader, who seizes power for himself
- 1648 Treaty of Westphalia ends The Thirty Year's War in the Holy Roman Empire; Switzerland's independence recognized
- 1857 World's first soccer club, Sheffield F C, founded in Yorkshire, England
- 1929 "Black Thursday", start of stock market crash, Dow Jones down 12.8%
- 1962 Cuban missile crisis: Soviet ships approach but stop short of the US blockade of Cuba
- 2008 "Bloody Friday" saw many of the world's stock exchanges experienced the worst declines in their history, with drops of around 10% in most indices.
Famous Birthdays
Domitian
(51 - 96)
Melvin Purvis
(1903 - 1960)
Moss Hart
(1904 - 1961)
F. Murray Abraham
78 Years Old
Kevin Kline
70 Years Old
Wayne Rooney
32 Years Old
Would You Believe?
Alleged teleportation of Spanish soldier Gil Perez from the Philippines to Mexico
On October 24, 1593
Famous Weddings
- 1867 US Admiral George Dewey (29) weds daughter of New Hampshire's war governor Susan Goodwin
- 1957 Singer Bing Cosby marries second wife actress Kathryn Grant
- 1969 "Love Story" actress Ali MacGraw (30) weds film producer Robert Evans (39)
- 1976 Pediatrician Benjamin Spock (73) weds Mary Morgan
- 2013 Country music singer-songwriter Ashley Monroe (27) weds MLB pitcher John Danks (28) at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee
Tycho Brahe
Daniel Webster
Jackie Robinson
Rosa Parks
Fats DominoOctober in History
Hurricane on the Way? Don't Worry
A cosy assurance from a BBC weather forecaster for viewers not to worry about an impending storm has gone down as the most spectacular mis-forecast in history.
October 15, 1987
Test of Time for the Date of Creation
The assertion by a 17th Century bishop that the universe was created on this day in the year 4004 BC was put to the test in a famous trial in the United States.
October 23, 4004 BC
The Charge of the Light Brigade, a Brave and Foolish Tale
The Charge of the Light Brigade is infamous as an act of bravery in the face all insurmountable odds. An event immortalized in poetry by Alfred Tennyson.
October 25, 1854
'Splendid Achievement' becomes the 'Road To Hell'
London's orbital road, the M25 was hailed as a splendid achievement by PM Margaret Thatcher when she opened it on this day. But it soon developed another nickname...
October 29, 1986