# On this day: April 24

April 24 is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years), with 251 days left until the end of the year.

## April 24 in one line

Headline entries for April 24, from Wikipedia: in 1915, The Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire began with the arrest and deportation of hundreds of prominent Armenians in Constantinople; born 1942: Barbra Streisand, American singer, actress, activist, and producer; died 1731: Daniel Defoe, English journalist, novelist, and spy (born 1660). In 2026 it is a Friday, in 2027 a Saturday.

## Events on April 24

- 1183 BC Traditional reckoning of the Fall of Troy marking the end of the legendary Trojan War, given by chief librarian of the Library of Alexandria Eratosthenes, among others. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria)
- 1704 John Campbell released the first issue of The Boston News-Letter, the first continuously published newspaper in British North America. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boston_News-Letter)
- 1793 French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat is acquitted by the Revolutionary Tribunal of charges brought by the Girondin in Paris. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Marat)
- 1800 The Library of Congress, the de facto national library of the United States, was established as part of an act of Congress providing for the transfer of the nation's capital from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress)
- 1837 A fire broke out in Surat, India, which went on to destroy about 75% of the city. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1837_Surat_fire)
- 1866 German composer Max Bruch conducted the premiere of his first violin concerto. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin_Concerto_No._1_(Bruch))
- 1877 Russo-Turkish War: The Russian Empire declares war on the Ottoman Empire. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Turkish_War_(1877%E2%80%931878))
- 1904 Realizing that the Russification of Lithuania was not working, the Russian Empire lifted the 40-year-old ban on publications written in Lithuanian language using the Latin alphabet. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_press_ban)
- 1913 The Woolworth Building in New York City officially opened; at the time, it was the tallest building in the world, with a height of 792 ft (241 m). [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolworth_Building)
- 1914 The Franck–Hertz experiment, the first electrical measurement to clearly demonstrate quantum mechanics, was presented to the German Physical Society. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franck%E2%80%93Hertz_experiment)
- 1915 The Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire began with the arrest and deportation of hundreds of prominent Armenians in Constantinople. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_genocide)
- 1916 Irish republicans led by Patrick Pearse began the Easter Rising against British rule in Ireland, and proclaimed the Irish Republic an independent state. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Rising)
- 1918 First World War: The Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux began, which contained the first instance of tanks fighting against each other. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Villers-Bretonneux)
- 1922 The first portion of the Imperial Wireless Chain, a strategic international wireless telegraphy communications network created to link the countries of the British Empire, opened. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Wireless_Chain)
- 1932 An estimated 400 ramblers committed a wilful mass trespass of Kinder Scout in the Peak District to highlight the denial of access to areas of open country in England. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_trespass_of_Kinder_Scout)
- 1933 Nazi Germany began its persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses by shutting down the Watch Tower Society office in Magdeburg. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Jehovah's_Witnesses_in_Nazi_Germany)
- 1944 World War II: The British Special Boat Service executed a successful raid to destroy an Axis radio station on the Greek island of Santorini. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Santorini)
- 1953 Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill)
- 1965 Cold War: The Dominican Civil War broke out due to tensions following a military coup against the democratically elected government of President Juan Bosch two years earlier. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Civil_War)
- 1980 Eight U.S. servicemen died in Operation Eagle Claw, a failed attempt to rescue the captives in the Iran hostage crisis. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Eagle_Claw)
- 1990 Gruinard Island in Scotland, the site of biological warfare testing by British scientists, was declared free of anthrax after 48 years of quarantine. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_warfare)
- 1990 The Hubble Space Telescope was launched aboard STS-31 by Space Shuttle Discovery. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope)
- 1993 The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a truck bomb in London's financial district in Bishopsgate, killing one person, injuring forty-four others, and causing damage that cost £350 million to repair. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Bishopsgate_bombing)
- 2003 A backhoe breached a pipeline in Toronto, Canada, which caused a gas explosion that killed seven people. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Etobicoke_gas_explosion)
- 2011 Secret documents relating to detainees at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camp were released on WikiLeaks and several independent news organizations. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_files_leak)
- 2013 A building in the Savar Upazila of Dhaka, Bangladesh, collapsed, killing 1,134 people, making it the deadliest accidental structural failure in modern history. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rana_Plaza_collapse)

## Born on April 24

- 1533 William I of Orange, founding father of the Netherlands (died 1584) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Silent)
- 1581 Vincent de Paul, French priest and saint (died 1660) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_de_Paul)
- 1815 Anthony Trollope, English novelist, essayist, and short story writer (died 1882) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Trollope)
- 1845 Carl Spitteler, Swiss poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1924) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Spitteler)
- 1856 Philippe Pétain, French general and politician, 119th Prime Minister of France (died 1951) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_P%C3%A9tain)
- 1876 Erich Raeder, German admiral (died 1960) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Raeder)
- 1903 José Antonio Primo de Rivera, Spanish lawyer and politician, founded the Falange (died 1936) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Antonio_Primo_de_Rivera)
- 1904 Willem de Kooning, Dutch-American painter and educator (died 1997) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_de_Kooning)
- 1908 Józef Gosławski, Polish sculptor (died 1963) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_Gos%C5%82awski_(sculptor))
- 1934 Shirley MacLaine, American actress, singer, and dancer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_MacLaine)
- 1941 Richard Holbrooke, American journalist, banker, and diplomat, 22nd United States Ambassador to the United Nations (died 2010) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Holbrooke)
- 1942 Barbra Streisand, American singer, actress, activist, and producer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbra_Streisand)
- 1947 Roger D. Kornberg, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_D._Kornberg)
- 1947 Josep Borrell, Spanish engineer and politician, 22nd President of the European Parliament [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josep_Borrell)
- 1951 Enda Kenny, Irish educator and politician, 13th Taoiseach of Ireland [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enda_Kenny)
- 1952 Jean Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Paul_Gaultier)
- 1964 Djimon Hounsou, Beninese-American actor and producer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djimon_Hounsou)
- 1968 Hashim Thaçi, Kosovan soldier and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Kosovo [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashim_Tha%C3%A7i)
- 1973 Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricketer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachin_Tendulkar)
- 1982 Kelly Clarkson, American singer-songwriter, talk show host [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Clarkson)
- 1987 Jan Vertonghen, Belgian international footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Vertonghen)
- 1996 Ashleigh Barty, Australian tennis player [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashleigh_Barty)

## Died on April 24

- 1731 Daniel Defoe, English journalist, novelist, and spy (born 1660) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Defoe)
- 1852 Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet and translator (born 1783) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasily_Zhukovsky)
- 1891 Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, German field marshal (born 1800) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmuth_von_Moltke_the_Elder)
- 1941 Karin Boye, Swedish author and poet (born 1900) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_Boye)
- 1942 Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canadian author (born 1874) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Maud_Montgomery)
- 1947 Willa Cather, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (born 1873) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willa_Cather)
- 1960 Max von Laue, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1879) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_von_Laue)
- 1964 Gerhard Domagk, German pathologist and bacteriologist (born 1895) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Domagk)
- 1967 Vladimir Komarov, Russian pilot, engineer, and cosmonaut (born 1927) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Komarov)
- 1980 Alejo Carpentier, Swiss-Cuban musicologist and author (born 1904) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejo_Carpentier)
- 1986 Wallis Simpson, American socialite, Duchess of Windsor, wife of the former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, Duke of Windsor (born 1896) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallis_Simpson)
- 2004 Estée Lauder, American businesswoman, co-founded Estée Lauder Companies (born 1906) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Est%C3%A9e_Lauder_(businesswoman))
- 2005 Ezer Weizman, Israeli general and politician, 7th President of Israel (born 1924) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezer_Weizman)
- 2011 Sathya Sai Baba, Indian guru and philanthropist (born 1926) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sathya_Sai_Baba)

## Holidays and observances

- Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (Armenia, California, France) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide_Remembrance_Day)
- Christian feast day: Benedict Menni [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Menni)
- Christian feast day: Dermot of Armagh [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diarmaid_of_Armagh)
- Christian feast day: Dyfnan of Anglesey [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyfnan)
- Christian feast day: Ecgberht of Ripon [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecgberht_of_Ripon)
- Christian feast day: Elizabeth Hesselblad [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Hesselblad)
- Christian feast day: Fidelis of Sigmaringen [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidelis_of_Sigmaringen)
- Christian feast day: Gregory of Elvira [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_of_Elvira)
- Christian feast day: Ivo of Ramsey [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivo_of_Ramsey)
- Christian feast day: Johann Walter (Lutheran) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Walter)
- Christian feast day: Mary of Clopas [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Clopas)
- Christian feast day: Mary Euphrasia Pelletier [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Euphrasia_Pelletier)
- Christian feast day: Mellitus [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mellitus)
- Christian feast day: Salome (disciple) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salome_(disciple))
- Christian feast day: Wilfrid (Catholic Church and Church of England) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfrid)
- Christian feast day: William Firmatus [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Firmatus)
- Christian feast day: April 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_24_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Concord Day (Niger) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concord_Day)
- Democracy Day (Nepal) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Nepalese_revolution)
- Fashion Revolution Day, and its related observances: Labour Safety Day (Bangladesh, proposed) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_Day)
- National Panchayati Raj Day (India) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Panchayati_Raj_Day)
- Republic Day (The Gambia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_the_Gambia)
- World Day for Laboratory Animals [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Day_for_Laboratory_Animals)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “April 24”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_24) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/April 24”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/April_24) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“April 24”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_24) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_24?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for April 24 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## April 24 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Friday | 2026-W17 | 🌓 First Quarter |
| 2027 | Saturday | 2027-W16 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2028 | Monday | 2028-W17 | 🌑 New Moon |
| 2029 | Tuesday | 2029-W17 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2030 | Wednesday | 2030-W17 | 🌗 Last Quarter |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on April 24

None of the 28 countries we track has a public holiday on April 24 in 2026 or 2027.

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← April 23](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-23/) · [April 25 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-25/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

---

Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-24/