Date·Lore

On This Day · The 144th day of the year

May 24

May 24 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1567 and 2026. Erik XIV of Sweden and his guards murder five incarcerated Swedish nobles.

♊ZodiacGemini ◈BirthstoneEmerald ❀Birth flowerLily of the Valley

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on May 24?

May 24 is the 144th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1567 and 2026. Famous people born on May 24 include Bob Dylan, Joseph Brodsky and Queen Victoria.

The shape of the day

From 1567 to 2026, May 24 gathers 459 years of history. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

Gemini is the sign for May 24 — read more on the Gemini page, or see May's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on May 24

Movies, games, albums & shows

2024

  • Movie Kulong

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1567

    Erik XIV

    Erik XIV of Sweden and his guards murder five incarcerated Swedish nobles.

  2. 1798

    Irish Rebellion of 1798

    The Irish Rebellion of 1798 led by the United Irishmen against British rule begins.

  3. 1883

    Brooklyn Bridge

    The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction.

  4. 1930

    Amy Johnson

    Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, Northern Territory, becoming the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia (she left on May 5 for the 11,000 mile flight).

  5. 1941

    World War II

    World War II: Battle of the Atlantic: In the Battle of the Denmark Strait, the German battleship Bismarck sinks the pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood, killing all but three crewmen.

  6. 1948

    1948 Arab–Israeli War

    Arab–Israeli War: Egypt captures the Israeli kibbutz of Yad Mordechai, but the five-day effort gives Israeli forces time to prepare enough to stop the Egyptian advance a week later.

  7. 1962

    Project Mercury

    Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbits the Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.

  8. 1988

    Section 28

    Section 28 of the United Kingdom's Local Government Act 1988, a controversial amendment stating that a local authority cannot intentionally promote homosexuality, is enacted.

  9. 2022

    Uvalde school shooting

    A mass shooting occurs at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, United States, resulting in the deaths of 21 people, including 19 children.

  10. 2026

    2026 Quetta train bombing

    A suicide bombing targeting a shuttle train in Quetta, Balochistan, killed at least 48 people and injured 98 others.

Famous birthday twins

Born on May 24

Bob Dylan

b. 1941

American singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist, writer, and producer; Nobel Prize laureate

Joseph Brodsky

b. 1940

Russian-American poet and essayist, Nobel Prize laureate

Queen Victoria

b. 1819

of the United Kingdom

Terry Callier

b. 1945

American soul, folk and jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter

Patti LaBelle

b. 1944

American singer-songwriter and actress

Lillian Moller Gilbreth

b. 1878

American psychologist and engineer

Mikhail Sholokhov

b. 1905

Russian novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate

George Nakashima

b. 1905

American woodworker and architect

Deaths

  • 2010Anneliese Rothenberger
  • 2005Carl Amery
  • 1974Duke Ellington
  • 1848Annette von Droste-Hülshoff
  • 1734Georg Ernst Stahl
  • 1543Nicolaus Copernicus

Holidays & observances

  • —Aldersgate Day/Wesley Day (Methodism)
  • —Battle of Pichincha Day (Ecuador)
  • —Bermuda Day (Bermuda), celebrated on the nearest weekday if May 24 falls on the weekend.
  • —Christian feast day: Anna Pak Agi (one of The Korean Martyrs)
  • —Christian feast day: Donatian and Rogatian
  • —Christian feast day: Jackson Kemper (Episcopal Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Joanna
  • —Christian feast day: Juan de Prado

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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