✦ DateLore

On This Day · The 205th day of the year

July 24

A look at July 24 through the almanac — historic events, famous birthdays including Aries Merritt and Amelia Earhart, and the day's notable deaths and observances.

♌ZodiacLeo ◈BirthstoneRuby ❀Birth flowerLarkspur
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Events

10 notable moments
  1. 2019

    Boris Johnson

    Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after defeating Jeremy Hunt in a leadership contest, succeeding Theresa May.

    Prime Minister of the
  2. 2014

    Air Algérie Flight 5017

    Air Algérie Flight 5017 loses contact with air traffic controllers 50 minutes after takeoff. It was travelling between Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and Algiers. The wreckage is later found in Mali. All 116 people on board are killed.

    2014 aviation accident in
  3. 1980

    Quietly Confident Quartet

    The Quietly Confident Quartet of Australia wins the men's 4 x 100 metre medley relay at the Moscow Olympics, the only time the United States has not won the swimming event at Olympic level.

    Australian medley relay swimming
  4. 1967

    Charles de Gaulle

    During an official state visit to Canada, French President Charles de Gaulle declares to a crowd of over 100,000 in Montreal: Vive le Québec libre! ("Long live free Quebec!"); the statement angered the Canadian government and many Anglophone Canadians.

    French general and statesman
  5. 1943

    World War II

    World War II: Operation Gomorrah begins: British and Canadian aeroplanes bomb Hamburg by night, and American planes bomb the city by day. By the end of the operation in November, 9,000 tons of explosives will have killed more than 30,000 people and destroyed 280,000 buildings.

    1939–1945 global conflict
  6. 1923

    Treaty of Lausanne

    The Treaty of Lausanne, settling the boundaries of modern Turkey, is signed in Switzerland by Greece, Bulgaria and other countries that fought in World War I.

    1923 treaty between Turkey
  7. 1910

    Ottoman Empire

    The Ottoman Empire captures the city of Shkodër, putting down the Albanian Revolt of 1910.

    Turkish Empire (c. 1299–1922)
  8. 1567

    Mary, Queen of Scots

    Mary, Queen of Scots, is forced to abdicate and be replaced by her one-year-old son James VI.

    Queen of Scotland from
  9. 1534

    Jacques Cartier

    French explorer Jacques Cartier plants a cross on the Gaspé Peninsula and takes possession of the territory in the name of Francis I of France.

    French maritime explorer of
  10. 538

    Ostrogothic Kingdom

    The Ostrogoths abandoned the Siege of Ariminum upon the arrival of the larger than expected Byzantine fleet.

    493–553 kingdom centered in
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Famous birthday twins

Born on July 24

Aries Merritt

b. 1985

American hurdler

Amelia Earhart

b. 1897

American pilot and author

Simón Bolívar

b. 1783

Venezuelan commander and politician, second President of Venezuela, and liberation leader for much of South America

Claire McCaskill

b. 1953

American lawyer and politician

Gus Van Sant

b. 1952

American director, producer, and screenwriter

Lukáš Rosol

b. 1985

Czech tennis player

Alexandre Dumas

b. 1802

French novelist and playwright

Jennifer Lopez

b. 1969

American actress, singer, and dancer

Deaths

  • 2025Hulk Hogan, American professional wrestler and actor
  • 2024Hamzah Haz, Indonesian journalist and politician, 9th Vice President of Indonesia
  • 2012John Atta Mills, Ghanaian lawyer and politician, President of Ghana
  • 1991Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1862Martin Van Buren, American lawyer and politician, eighth President of the United States
  • 1129Emperor Shirakawa, of Japan

Holidays & observances

  • —Carnival of Awussu (Tunisia)
  • —Children's Day (Vanuatu)
  • —Christian feast day: Charbel (Maronite Church/Catholic Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Christina the Astonishing
  • —Christian feast day: Christina of Bolsena
  • —Christian feast day: Declán of Ardmore
  • —Christian feast day: John Boste
  • —Christian feast day: Kinga (or Cunegunda) of Poland

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