Yesterday was Saturday 24 April 2010.
April 24 Events. 1479 BC – Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty). 1558 – Mary, Queen of Scots, marries the Dauphin of France, François, at Notre Dame de Paris. 1704 – The first regular newspaper in the United States, the News-Letter, is published in Boston, Massachusetts. 1800 – The United States Library of Congress is established when President John Adams signs legislation to appropriate $5,000 USD to purchase "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress". 1862 – American Civil War: A flotilla commanded by Union Admiral David Farragut passes two Confederate forts on the Mississippi River on its way to capture New Orleans, Louisiana. 1877 – Russo-Turkish War: Russian Empire declares war on Ottoman Empire. 1898 – The Spanish-American War: The United States declares war on Spain. 1904 – The Lithuanian press ban is lifted after almost 40 years. 1907 – Hersheypark, founded by Milton S. Hershey for the exclusive use of his employees, is opened. 1913 – The Woolworth Building skyscraper in New York City is opened. 1915 – The arrest of 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Istanbul marks the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. 1916 – Easter Rising: The Irish Republican Brotherhood led by nationalists Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, and Joseph Plunkett starts a rebellion in Ireland. 1916 – Ernest Shackleton and five men of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition launch a lifeboat from uninhabited Elephant Island in the Southern Ocean to organise a rescue for the ice-trapped ship Endurance. 1918 – First tank-to-tank combat, at Villers-Bretonneux, France, when three British Mark IVs met three German A7Vs. 1926 – The Treaty of Berlin is signed. Germany and the Soviet Union each pledge neutrality in the event of an attack on the other by a third party for the next five years. 1932 - Benny Rothman leads the Mass trespass of Kinder Scout, leading to substantial legal reforms in the United Kingdom. 1953 – Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. 1955 – The Bandung Conference ends: Twenty-nine non-aligned nations of Asia and Africa finish a meeting that condemns colonialism, racism, and the Cold War. 1957 – Suez Crisis: The Suez Canal is reopened following the introduction of UNEF peacekeepers to the region. 1960 – A severe earthquake shakes Lar in Fars province, Iran and kills more than 200 people. 1961 – The 17th century Swedish ship Vasa is salvaged. 1963 – Marriage of Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Kent to Angus Ogilvy at Westminster Abbey in London. 1965 – Civil war breaks out in the Dominican Republic when Colonel Francisco Caamaño, overthrows the triumvirate that had been in power since the coup d'état against Juan Bosch. 1967 – Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies in Soyuz 1 when its parachute fails to open. He is the first human to die during a space mission. 1967 – Vietnam War: American General William Westmoreland says in a news conference that the enemy had "gained support in the United States that gives him hope that he can win politically that which he cannot win militarily." 1968 – Mauritius becomes a member state of the United Nations. 1970 – The first Chinese satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, is launched. 1970 – The Gambia becomes a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Dawda Jawara as the first President. 1971 – Soyuz 10 docks with Salyut 1. 1980 – Eight U.S. servicemen die in Operation Eagle Claw as they attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis. 1990 – STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched from the Space Shuttle Discovery. 1993 – An IRA bomb devastates the Bishopsgate area of London. 1996 – In the United States, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 is introduced. 2004 – The United States lifts economic sanctions imposed on Libya 18 years previously, as a reward for its cooperation in eliminating weapons of mass destruction. 2005 – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is inaugurated as the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church taking the name Pope Benedict XVI. 2005 – Snuppy, the world's first cloned dog is born in South Korea. 2006 – King Gyanendra of Nepal gives into the demands of protesters and restores the parliament that he dissolved in 2002. 2007 – Iceland announces that Norway will shoulder the defense of Iceland during peacetime. 2010 – Vietnam inaugurates Can Tho Bridge, the longest main span cable-stayed bridge in Southeast Asia.
April 24 Births. 1533 – William I of Orange (d. 1584) 1581 – Vincent de Paul, French saint (d. 1660) 1620 – John Graunt, English statistician and founder of the science of demography (d. 1674) 1706 – Giovanni Battista Martini, Italian musician (d. 1780) 1718 – Nathaniel Hone, Irish-born painter (d. 1784) 1743 – Edmund Cartwright, British inventor (d. 1823) 1784 – Peter Vivian Daniel, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1860) 1815 – Anthony Trollope, English novelist (d. 1882) 1845 – Carl Spitteler, Nobel laureate (d. 1924) 1856 – Henri Philippe Pétain, French soldier and statesman (d. 1951) 1876 – Erich Raeder, German naval commander (d. 1960) 1876 – Ioannis Georgiadis, Greek fencer (d. 1960) 1878 – Jean Crotti, Swiss artist (d. 1958) 1882 – Hugh Dowding, commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain (d. 1970) 1887 – Denys Finch Hatton, English big-game hunter (d. 1931) 1889 – Stafford Cripps, British politician (d. 1952) 1889 – Lyubov Popova, Russian painter (d. 1924) 1896 – Benjamin Whorf, American linguist (d. 1941) 1897 – Manuel Ávila Camacho, President of Mexico (d. 1955) 1899 – Oscar Zariski, Russian-born mathematician (d. 1986) 1903 – José Antonio Primo de Rivera, founder of the Falange (d. 1936) 1904 – Willem de Kooning, Dutch painter (d. 1997) 1905 – Robert Penn Warren, American poet (d. 1989) 1906 – William Joyce, Irish fascist (d. 1946) 1907 – William Sargant, British psychiatrist (d. 1988) 1908 – Marceline Day, American actor (d. 2000) 1908 – Józef Gosławski, Polish sculptor and medallic artist (d. 1963) 1914 – William Castle, American film director and producer (d. 1977) 1914 – Justin Wilson, American Cajun chef and humorist (d. 2001) 1916 – Lou Thesz, American professional wrestler (d. 2002) 1919 – Glafkos Klerides, Cypriot president 1993–2003 1922 – J.D. Cannon, American actor (d. 2005) 1923 – Doris Burn, American children's books author and illustrator 1924 – Sir Clement Freud, British writer, radio personality, and politician (d. 2009) 1924 – Ruth Kobart, American actor and singer (d. 2002) 1926 – Thorbjörn Fälldin, Prime Minister of Sweden 1929 – Rajkumar, Kannada actor (d. 2006) 1930 – Jerome Callet, American musician 1930 – Richard Donner, American film director and producer 1933 – Patricia Bosworth, American actress, journalist, writer and biographer 1933 – Claire Davenport, British actress (d. 2002) 1933 – Alan Eagleson, Canadian ice hockey agent and promoter 1933 – Helmuth Lohner, Austrian actor 1933 – Freddie Scott, American singer (d. 2007) 1934 – Shirley MacLaine, American actor and author 1935 – Tucker Smith, American actor, dancer, and singer (d. 1988) 1936 – Jill Ireland, British actress (d. 1990) 1937 – Joe Henderson, American jazz saxophonist (d. 2001) 1940 – Sue Grafton, American author 1941 – Richard Holbrook, American diplomat 1941 – John Williams, Australian guitarist 1942 – Richard M. Daley, American politician 1942 – Barbra Streisand, American singer and actor 1943 – Richard Sterban, American singer 1945 – Doug Clifford, American drummer 1945 – Robert Knight, American singer 1945 – Doug Riley, Canadian musician (d. 2007) 1945 – Dick Rivers, French singer and actor 1947 – Claude Dubois, Canadian singer and songwriter 1947 – Josep Borrell Fontelles, Former President of the European Parliament 1947 – Roger D. Kornberg, American chemist, Nobel-prized 1948 – Paul Cellucci, 69th Governor of Massachusetts and former United States Ambassador to Canada 1949 – Véronique Sanson, French singer and songwriter 1952 – Jean-Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer 1953 – Eric Bogosian, American actor and writer 1954 – Mumia Abu-Jamal, American death-row inmate 1954 – Captain Sensible, British guitarist (The Damned) 1955 – John de Mol, Dutch media businessman 1955 – Michael O'Keefe, American actor 1957 – David J, British musician 1957 – Boris Williams, British musician (The Cure) 1958 – Valery Lantratov, Russian ballet dancer 1958 – Brian Paddick, British former deputy assistant commissioner and most senior openly gay police officer 1959 – Malcolm Oastler, Australian engineer 1959 – Dave Ridgway, Canadian football player 1959 – Paula Yates, British television presenter (d. 2000) 1962 – Stuart Pearce, English footballer and manager 1962 – Steve Roach, Australian rugby league footballer 1963 – Paula Frazer, American singer/songwriter 1963 – Billy Gould, American musician (Faith No More) 1963 – Mano Solo, French singer 1963 – Tõnu Trubetsky, Estonian musician 1964 – Witold Smorawiński, Polish musician, composer 1964 – Cedric the Entertainer, American comedian and actor 1964 – Djimon Hounsou, Beninese actor 1965 – Son Chang Min, South Korean actor 1966 – Pierre Brassard, Canadian humorist and actor 1966 – Alessandro Costacurta, Italian footballer 1967 – Omar Vizquel, Venezuelan baseball player 1968 – Stacy Haiduk, American actress 1968 – Todd Jones, American baseball player 1968 – Yuji Nagata, Japanese professional wrestler 1968 – Hashim Thaci, Kosovan politician 1968 – Aidan Gillen, Irish actor 1969 – Elias Atmatsidis, Greek footballer 1969 – Melinda Clarke, American actress 1969 – Viveca Paulin, Swedish actress 1970 – Damien Fleming, Australian cricketer 1971 – Alejandro Fernández, Mexican singer 1971 – Mauro Pawlowski, Belgian guitarist and singer 1972 – Rab Douglas, Scottish footballer 1972 – Nicolas Gill, Canadian judoka 1972 – Chipper Jones, American baseball player 1972 – Jure Košir, Slovenian skier 1973 – Eric Snow, American basketball player 1973 – Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricketer 1973 – Gabby Logan, British television presenter 1974 – Kristie Krabe, American stage actress 1974 – Eric Kripke, American television writer, director and producer 1974 – Derek Luke, American actor 1974 – Brian Marshall, American bassist (Creed, Alter Bridge) 1974 – Dave Vitty, British radio personality 1974 – Stephen Wiltshire, British artist, autistic savant 1975 – Sam Doumit, American actress 1975 – Thad Luckinbill, American actor 1976 – Steve Finnan, Irish footballer 1977 – Siarhey Balakhonau, Belarusian writer 1977 – Carlos Beltrán, Puerto Rican baseball player 1978 – Eric Balfour, American actor 1978 – Kim Hyun-ju, Korean actress 1978 – Stella Damasus Aboderin, Nigerian actress 1979 – Laurentia Tan, Singaporean Paralympic equestrienne 1979 – Trevor Vaughn, Efficiency Expert and One Time Efficiency Award Winner 1980 – Fernando Arce, Mexican footballer 1980 – Austin Nichols, American actor 1980 – Danny Gokey, American singer 1980 – Karen Asrian, Armenian chess Grandmaster (d. 2008) 1981 – Taylor Dent, American tennis player 1981 – Dusty Anderson, American pro wrestler 1981 – Yuko Nakanishi, Japanese swimmer 1982 – Kelly Clarkson, American singer 1983 – Princess Iman bint Al Hussein of Jordan 1984 – Tyson Ritter, American musician 1986 – Aaron Cunningham, American baseball player 1987 – Kristopher Letang, Canadian hockey player 1987 – Jan Vertonghen, Belgian footballer 1992 – Doc Shaw, American child actor 1994 – Austin Rogers, American actor 1998 – Ryan Newman, American actress
April 24 Deaths. 624 – Mellitus, third Archbishop of Canterbury 709 – Wilfrid, English archbishop and saint 1185 – Antoku, 81st emperor of Japan 1338 – Marquis Theodore I of Montferrat (b. 1291) 1342 – Pope Benedict XII (b. 1285) 1622 – Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Swiss friar and saint (b. 1577) 1656 – Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (b. 1561) 1731 – Daniel Defoe, English writer (b. 1660) 1736 – Prince Eugene of Savoy, French-born Austrian general (b. 1663) 1779 – Eleazar Wheelock, American founder of Dartmouth College (b. 1711) 1794 – Axel von Fersen the Elder, Swedish statesman and soldier; father of Axel von Fersen the Younger (b. 1719) 1852 – Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet (b. 1783) 1891 – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Prussian field marshal (b. 1800) 1924 – G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist (b. 1844) 1938 – George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (b. 1863) 1939 – Louis Trousselier, French cyclist (b. 1881) 1942 – Karin Boye, Swedish author (b. 1900) 1942 – Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canadian author (b. 1874) 1944 – William Stephens, American U.S. House of Representative, 24th Governor of California (b. 1859) 1945 – Ernst-Robert Grawitz, German physician (b. 1899) 1947 – Willa Cather, American writer (b. 1873) 1947 – Hans Biebow, German WWII figure (b. 1902) 1957 – Harry McClintock, American country singer and hobo (b. 1882) 1960 – Max von Laue, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879) 1962 – Milt Franklyn, American musician (b. 1897) 1964 – Gerhard Domagk, German bacteriologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (declined) (b. 1895) 1965 – Louise Dresser, American actress (b. 1878) 1967 – Vladimir Komarov, cosmonaut (b. 1927) 1970 – Otis Spann, American blues pianist (b. 1930) 1974 – Bud Abbott, American actor and comedian (b. 1895) 1975 – Pete Ham, Welsh musician (Badfinger) (b. 1947) 1980 – Alejo Carpentier, Cuban writer (b. 1904) 1982 – Ville Ritola, Finnish athlete (b. 1896) 1983 – Rolf Stommelen, German race car driver (b. 1943) 1986 – Wallis Simpson, American wife of Edward, Duke of Windsor (b. 1896) 1993 – Oliver Tambo, South African activist and politician (b. 1917) 1997 – Pat Paulsen, American comedian and politician (b. 1927) 1997 – Eugene Stoner, American engineer and weapons designer (b. 1922) 2000 – William Moore, English actor (b. 1916) 2001 – Al Hibbler, American singer (b. 1915) 2001 – Leon Sullivan, African-American civil rights leader and pastor (b. 1922) 2002 – Lucien Wercollier, Luxembourgish sculptor (b. 1908) 2004 – Estée Lauder, American cosmetics entrepreneur (b. 1906) 2005 – Ezer Weizman, President of Israel (b. 1924) 2005 – Fei Xiaotong, Chinese sociologist (b. 1910) 2006 – Steve Stavro, Canadian businessman and sports team owner (b. 1927) 2006 – Moshe Teitelbaum, Hassidic rabbi (b. 1914) 2006 – Brian Labone, English footballer (b. 1940) 2007 – Roy Jenson, American actor (b. 1927) 2009 – John Michell, British writer (b. 1933)
_________________ The GIF of me doing the thumbs-down has been viewed over 415 million times!
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