May 24 is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 221 days remaining until the end of the year. [edit] Events - 1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
- 1276 – Magnus Ladulås is crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral.
- 1487 – Lambert Simnel is crowned as "King Edward VI" at Dublin, Ireland.
- 1595 – Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library.
- 1621 – The Protestant Union is formally dissolved.
- 1626 – Peter Minuit buys Manhattan.
- 1689 – The English Parliament passes the Act of Toleration protecting Protestants. Roman Catholics are intentionally excluded.
- 1738 – John Wesley is converted, essentially launching the Methodist movement; the day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day.
- 1798 – Irish Rebellion of 1798 led by the United Irishmen against British rule begins.
- 1822 – Battle of Pichincha: Antonio José de Sucre secures the independence of the Presidency of Quito.
- 1830 – "Mary Had a Little Lamb" by Sarah Josepha Hale is published.
- 1830 – The first revenue trains in the United States begin service on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad between Baltimore, Maryland and Ellicott's Mills, Maryland.
- 1832 – The First Kingdom of Greece is declared in the London Conference.
- 1844 – Samuel F. B. Morse sends the message "What hath God wrought" (a Bible quotation, Numbers 23:23) from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland.
- 1846 – Mexican-American War: General Zachary Taylor captures Monterrey.
- 1856 – John Brown and his men murder five slavery supporters at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Union troops occupy Alexandria, Virginia.
- 1881 – Turkey cedes Thessaly and Arta back to Greece.
- 1883 – The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction.
- 1895 – Henry Irving becomes the first personage from the theatre to be knighted.
- 1900 – Second Boer War: The United Kingdom annexes the Orange Free State.
- 1901 – Seventy-eight miners die in the Caerphilly pit disaster in South Wales.
- 1915 – World War I: Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary.
- 1921 – The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti opens.
- 1930 – Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, Northern Territory, becoming the first woman to fly from England to Australia (she left on May 5 for the 11,000 mile flight).
- 1935 – The first night game in Major League Baseball history is played in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the Cincinnati Reds beating the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 at Crosley Field.
- 1940 – Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight.
- 1941 – World War II: In the Battle of the Atlantic, the German Battleship Bismarck sinks the then pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood, killing all but three crewmen.
- 1943 – Holocaust: Josef Mengele becomes chief medical officer of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
- 1956 – Conclusion of the Sixth Buddhist Council on Vesak Day, marking the 2,500 year anniversary after the Lord Buddha's Parinibbāna.
- 1956 – The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland
- 1958 – United Press International is formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.
- 1960 – Following the the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, the largest ever recorded eathquake, Cordón Caulle begins to erupt.
- 1961 – American civil rights movement: Freedom Riders are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi for "disturbing the peace" after disembarking from their bus.
- 1961 – Cyprus enters the Council of Europe.
- 1962 – Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbits the Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.
- 1968 – FLQ separatists bomb the U.S. consulate in Quebec City.
- 1970 – The drilling of the Kola Superdeep Borehole begins in the Soviet Union.
- 1973 – Earl Jellicoe resigns as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the Lords.
- 1976 – The London to Washington, D.C. Concorde service begins.
- 1980 – The International Court of Justice calls for the release of United States embassy hostages in Tehran, Iran. The hostages would not be freed until the following January.
- 1982 – Liberation of Khorramshahr, Iranians recapture of the port city of Khorramshahr from the Iraqis during the Iran–Iraq War.
- 1989 – Sonia Sutcliffe, wife of the Yorkshire Ripper, is awarded £600,000 in damages (later reduced to £60,000 on appeal) after winning a libel action against Private Eye.
- 1990 – A car carrying American Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney explodes in Oakland, California, critically injuring both.
- 1991 – Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia.
- 1991 – Israel conducts Operation Solomon, evacuating Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
- 1992 – The last Thai dictator, General Suchinda Kraprayoon, resigns following pro-democracy protests.
- 1994 – Four men convicted of bombing the World Trade Center in New York in 1993 are each sentenced to 240 years in prison.
- 2000 – Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation.
- 2001 – Mountain climbing: 15-year-old Sherpa Temba Tsheri becomes the youngest person to climb to the top of Mount Everest.
- 2001 – The Versailles wedding hall disaster in Jerusalem, Israel, kills 23 and injures over 200 in Israel's worst-ever civil disaster.
- 2002 – Russia and the United States sign the Moscow Treaty.
- 2004 – Communications in North Korea: North Korea bans mobile phones.
[edit] Births - 15 BC – Julius Caesar Germanicus, Roman commander (d. 19)
- 1494 – Pontormo, Italian painter (d. 1557)
- 1522 – John Jewel, English Bishop of Salisbury (d. 1571)
- 1544 – William Gilbert, English natural philosopher (d. 1603)
- 1616 – John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale (d. 1682)
- 1671 – Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1737)
- 1686 – Gabriel Fahrenheit, inventor and thermometer maker (d. 1736)
- 1689 – Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea, English politician (d. 1769)
- 1743 – Jean-Paul Marat, French revolutionary (d. 1793)
- 1794 – William Whewell, English scientist and philosopher (d. 1866)
- 1803 – Alexander von Nordmann, Finnish zoologist (d. 1866)
- 1810 – Charles Clark, 24th Governor of Mississippi (d. 1877)
- 1810 – Abraham Geiger, German rabbi and scholar (d. 1874)
- 1816 – Emanuel Leutze, German-born painter (d. 1868)
- 1819 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (d. 1901)
- 1830 – Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter (d. 1897)
- 1836 – Joseph Rowntree, British social reformer (d. 1925)
- 1854 – John Riley Banister, American law officer and cowboy (d. 1918)
- 1855 – Arthur Wing Pinero, English playwright (d. 1934)
- 1863 – George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (d. 1938)
- 1868 – Charles E. Taylor, First aircraft maintenance professional (d. 1956)
- 1870 – Benjamin Cardozo, American jurist (d. 1938)
- 1870 – Jan Christiaan Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 1950)
- 1874 – Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (d. 1878)
- 1878 – Lillian Moller Gilbreth, American engineer (d. 1972)
- 1879 – H. B. Reese, American inventor of Reese's and founder (d. 1956)
- 1885 – Susan Sutherland Isaacs, English educational psychologist (d. 1948)
- 1886 – Paul Paray, French conductor and composer (d. 1979)
- 1887 – Edward "Mick" Mannock, Irish WWI flying ace (d. 1918)
- 1891 – William F. Albright, American archeologist and Biblical scholar (d. 1971)
- 1895 – Samuel Irving Newhouse, American publisher (d. 1979)
- 1899 – Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (d. 1938)
- 1899 – Henri Michaux, French poet (d. 1984)
- 1900 – Lionel Conacher, Canadian athlete and politician (d. 1954)
- 1900 – Eduardo De Filippo, Italian actor and screenwriter (d. 1984)
- 1901 – José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer (d. 1968)
- 1903 – Milo Burcham, American aviator (d. 1944)
- 1905 – Michail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
- 1908 – Sam Giancana, American gangster (d. 1975)
- 1909 – Wilbur Mills, U.S. House of Representative from Arkansas (d. 1992)
- 1911 – Barbara West, English survivor of the Titanic sinking (d. 2007)
- 1914 – Lilli Palmer, German-born actress (d. 1986)
- 1914 – Giuseppe Valdengo, Italian baritone (d. 2007)
- 1916 – Roden Cutler, Australian diplomat (d. 2002)
- 1923 – Siobhán McKenna, Irish actress (d. 1986)
- 1925 – Mai Zetterling, Swedish-born entertainer (d. 1994)
- 1926 – Stanley Baxter, Scottish actor
- 1928 – William Trevor, Irish writer
- 1930 – Hans-Martin Linde, German conductor
- 1931 – Michael Lonsdale, French actor
- 1932 – Arnold Wesker, English dramatist
- 1933 – Aharon Lichtenstein, Orthodox Jewish rabbi
- 1934 – Jane Byrne, 50th Mayor of Chicago
- 1934 – Barry Rose, English choir-trainer and organist
- 1935 – Joan Micklin Silver, American director
- 1936 – Harold Budd, American musician
- 1937 – Archie Shepp, American musician
- 1938 – Tommy Chong, Canadian-born actor and comedian
- 1938 – David Viscott, American psychiatrist (d. 1996)
- 1940 – Joseph Brodsky, Russian-born poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
- 1941 – Bob Dylan, American singer and songwriter
- 1941 – George Lakoff, American linguist and political activist
- 1942 – Ali Bacher, South African cricketer and administrator
- 1943 – Gary Burghoff, American actor
- 1944 – Patti LaBelle, American singer
- 1945 – Priscilla Presley, American actress
- 1946 – Irena Kirszenstein-Szewinska, Russian-born Polish athlete
- 1947 – Martin Winterkorn, German automotive executive
- 1949 – Jim Broadbent, English actor
- 1949 – Tomaž Pisanski, Slovenian mathematician
- 1950 – Larry Seidlin, American judge
- 1953 – Alfred Molina, London-born Spanish-Italian actor
- 1953 – Nell Campbell, American actress, singer
- 1955 – Rosanne Cash, American singer
- 1955 – David Leonard, American musician
- 1956 – Michael Jackson, Northern Irish clergyman
- 1956 – Richard B. Bernstein, American constitutional and legal historian
- 1956 – Larry Blackmon, American singer (Cameo)
- 1959 – Pelle Lindbergh, Swedish hockey player (d. 1985)
- 1960 – Kristin Scott Thomas, English actress
- 1960 – Guy Fletcher, British keyboardist (Dire Straits)
- 1960 – Doug Jones, American actor
- 1962 – Gene Anthony Ray, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1962 – Héctor Camacho, Puerto Rican boxer
- 1963 – Ivan Capelli, Italian racing driver
- 1963 – Michael Chabon, American author
- 1963 – Joe Dumars, American basketball player
- 1963 – Kathy Leander, Swiss singer
- 1963 – Rich Rodriguez, American football coach
- 1964 – Adrian Moorhouse, British swimmer
- 1964 – Ray Stevenson, British actor
- 1964 – Pat Verbeek, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1965 – John C. Reilly, American actor
- 1965 – Shinichiro Watanabe, Japanese anime director
- 1966 – Eric Cantona, French footballer
- 1966 – Ricky Craven, American NASCAR driver
- 1966 – Russell Kun, Nauruan politician
- 1967 – Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1967 – Eric Close, American actor
- 1967 – Steve McDonald, American bassist (Redd Kross)
- 1967 – Bruno Putzulu, French actor
- 1968 – Mo Willems, American author and screenwriter
- 1969 – Rich Robinson, American musician (Black Crowes)
- 1970 – Tommy Page, American singer
- 1971 – Kris Draper, Canadian ice hockey player (Detroit Red Wings)
- 1972 – Greg Berlanti, American television writer and producer
- 1973 – Bartolo Colón, Dominican baseball player
- 1973 – Dermot O'Leary, English television presenter
- 1973 – Ruslana, Ukrainian singer
- 1973 – Vladimír Šmicer, Czech footballer
- 1974 – Will Sasso, Canadian actor and comedian
- 1974 – Masahide Kobayashi, Japanese baseball player
- 1974 – Sébastien Foucan, French actor and free-runner
- 1975 – Marc Gagnon, Canadian short track speed skater
- 1975 – Maria Lawson, British Singer
- 1975 – Yannis Goumas, Greek footballer
- 1976 – Alessandro Cortini, Italian musician
- 1976 – Catherine Cox, Australian netballer
- 1976 – Bob Maesen, Belgian flatwater canoer
- 1977 – Kym Valentine. Australian actress
- 1978 – Brian Ching, American footballer
- 1978 – Bryan Greenberg, American actor
- 1978 – Brad Penny, American baseball player
- 1978 – Johan Holmqvist, Swedish hockey player
- 1978 – Elijah Burke, American Professional Wrestler
- 1979 – Tracy McGrady, American basketball player
- 1979 – Frank Mir, American UFC fighter
- 1979 – Kareem McKenzie, American football player
- 1980 – Cecilia Cheung, Hong Kong actress and singer
- 1981 – Marketa Janska, Czech model and Playboy Playmate
- 1982 – Issah Ahmed, Ghana football player
- 1982 – DaMarcus Beasley, American footballer
- 1983 – Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, Anglo-Australian videogame creator and critic
- 1983 – Woo Seung-yeon, South Korean model and actress (d. 2009)
- 1984 – Sarah Hagan, American actress
- 1984 – Brodney Pool, American football player
- 1984 – Ryan Wieber, American Visual Effects Compostior and Amateur Filmmaker
- 1985 – Tim Bridgman, British racing driver
- 1986 – Jordan Metcalfe, English actor
- 1986 – Mark Ballas, professional dancer
- 1987 – Guillaume Latendresse, French-Canadian hockey player
- 1988 – Monica Brown, American soldier
- 1988 – Billy Gilman, American singer
- 1989 – Tara Correa-McMullen, American actress (d. 2005)
- 1989 – Adel Taarabt, Moroccan Footballer
- 1989 – Argiris Karras, Canadian Actor
- 1990 – Joey Logano, American racecar driver
- 1991 – Erika Umeda, Japanese singer
- 1992 – Travis T. Flory, American actor
- 1993 – Oliver Davis, American actor
- 1994 – Cayden Boyd, American Actor
- 1995 – Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein
[edit] Deaths - 1153 – King David I of Scotland (b. 1084)
- 1351 – Abu al-Hasan 'Ali, Sultan of Morocco (b. c. 1297)
- 1408 – Taejo of Joseon, ruler of Korea (b. 1335)
- 1425 – Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, Scottish politician (b. 1362)
- 1456 – Ambroise de Loré, French military commander (b. 1396)
- 1543 – Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish astronomer (b. 1473)
- 1612 – Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, English statesman (b. 1563)
- 1627 – Luis de Góngora, Spanish poet (b. 1561)
- 1632 – Robert Hues, English mathematician and geographer (b. 1553)
- 1725 – Jonathan Wild, English criminal (b. 1682)
- 1734 – Georg Ernst Stahl, German physician and chemist (b. 1660)
- 1749 – Graf Valentin Potocki, Polish nobleman
- 1792 – George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, British naval officer (b. 1718)
- 1806 – John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, British field marshal (b. 1723)
- 1843 – Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician (b. 1765)
- 1861 – Elmer E. Ellsworth, American Civil War officer (b. 1837)
- 1872 – Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, German painter (b. 1794)
- 1876 – Georgi Benkovski, Bulgarian revolutionary (b. 1843)
- 1879 – William Lloyd Garrison, American abolitionist and publisher (b. 1805)
- 1881 – Samuel Palmer, English artist (b. 1805)
- 1883 – Abdel Kadir, Algerian leader (b. 1808)
- 1908 – Old Tom Morris, Scottish golfer (b. 1821)
- 1915 – Private John Condon, mistakenly believed to be the youngest Allied soldier killed in the First World War
- 1919 – Amado Nervo, Mexican poet (b. 1870)
- 1941 – Lancelot Holland, British admiral, died in sinking of the HMS Hood (b. 1887)
- 1945 – Robert Ritter von Greim, German field marshal (b. 1892)
- 1947 – C. F. Ramuz, Swiss writer (b. 1878)
- 1948 – Jacques Feyder, Belgian director and screenwriter (b. 1885)
- 1949 – Aleksey Shchusev, Russian architect (b. 1873)
- 1950 – Archibald Wavell, British general (b. 1883)
- 1959 – John Foster Dulles, 52nd United States Secretary of State and United States Senator from New York (b. 1888)
- 1963 – Elmore James, American musician (b. 1918)
- 1969 – Willy Ley, German-born rocket scientist (b. 1906)
- 1972 – Ismail Yasin, Egyptian comedian and actor (b. 1915)
- 1974 – Duke Ellington, American composer and musician (b. 1899)
- 1984 – Vincent J. McMahon, American pro wrestling promoter (b. 1914)
- 1991 – Gene Clark, American singer and songwriter (The Byrds) (b. 1944)
- 1991 – Miriam di San Servolo, Italian actress (b. 1912)
- 1992 – Hitoshi Ogawa, Japanese racing driver (b. 1956)
- 1995 – Harold Wilson, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1916)
- 1996 – Joseph Mitchell, journalist and writer for The New Yorker (b. 1908)
- 1996 – Enrique Álvarez Félix, Mexican actor (b. 1934)
- 1997 – Edward Mulhare, Irish actor (b. 1923)
- 2000 – Kurt Schork, American reporter (b. 1947)
- 2002 – Wallace Markfield, American writer (b. 1926)
- 2003 – Rachel Kempson, English actress (b. 1910)
- 2004 – Henry Ries, American photographer (b. 1917)
- 2004 – Milton Shulman, Canadian author and critic (b. 1913)
- 2004 – Edward Wagenknecht, American literary critic (b. 1900)
- 2005 – Carl Amery, German writer (b. 1922)
- 2005 – Arthur Haulot, Belgian journalist (b. 1913)
- 2005 – Vivian Liberto, first wife of Johnny Cash (b. 1934)
- 2006 – Henry Bumstead, American art director (b. 1915)
- 2006 – Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician (b. 1930)
- 2007 – Bill Johnston, Australian cricketer (b. 1922)
- 2008 – Dick Martin, American comedian (b. 1922)
- 2008 – Rob Knox, British actor (b. 1989)
- 2009 – Jay Bennett, American guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, engineer, producer, and singer-songwriter (b. 1963)
[edit] Holidays and observances [edit] External links
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