# On this day: August 24

August 24 is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years), with 129 days left until the end of the year.

## August 24 in one line

Headline entries for August 24, from Wikipedia: in 2006, The International Astronomical Union passed a resolution redefining the term planet and classifying Pluto as a dwarf planet; born 1899: Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator (died 1986); died 1943: Simone Weil, French philosopher and activist (born 1909). In 2026 it is a Monday, in 2027 a Tuesday.

## Events on August 24

- 49 BC Caesar's Civil War: Forces loyal to Julius Caesar led by Gaius Scribonius Curio were defeated by Pompeian Republicans under Publius Attius Varus and King Juba I of Numidia. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Scribonius_Curio_(tribune_50_BC))
- 410 Rome was sacked for the first time in approximately 800 years by the Visigoths under Alaric I. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Rome_(410))
- 1215 Pope Innocent III issues a bull declaring Magna Carta invalid. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta)
- 1456 The oldest known version of the Gutenberg Bible, the first major book produced on a printing press, was completed. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutenberg_Bible)
- 1643 A Dutch expedition arrived at the mouth of the Valdivia River, in present-day Chile, to establish a new colony in the ruins of the abandoned Spanish settlement of Valdivia. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_expedition_to_Valdivia)
- 1662 The 1662 Book of Common Prayer was legally enforced as the liturgy of the Church of England, precipitating the Great Ejection of Dissenter ministers from their benefices. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Common_Prayer_(1662))
- 1704 War of the Spanish Succession: An Anglo-Dutch fleet engaged a French naval force at the Battle of Málaga in the Mediterranean Sea. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_M%C3%A1laga_(1704))
- 1781 American Revolutionary War: Near present-day Aurora, Indiana, American Indians led by Joseph Brant killed or captured all members of a Pennsylvania militia. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lochry's_Defeat)
- 1814 War of 1812: British forces invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to various U.S. government buildings, including the White House. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Washington)
- 1857 The New York City branch of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Co. collapsed following widespread embezzlement, leading to a severe recession that caused about 5,000 businesses to fail. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1857)
- 1888 89 New Zealand Native football team
- 1889 The New Zealand Native football team, predominantly comprising Māori players, concluded their 107-game tour, the longest in rugby union history. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1888%E2%80%9389_New_Zealand_Native_football_team)
- 1909 Workers start pouring concrete for the Panama Canal. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal)
- 1914 The Battle of Cer ended with the first Allied victory of World War I. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cer)
- 1921 The Royal Navy's R.38, the world's largest airship at the time, was destroyed by a structural failure over Hull, killing 44 of the 49 crew aboard. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R38-class_airship)
- 1932 Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the United States non-stop (from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey). [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newark%2C_New_Jersey)
- 1941 Adolf Hitler ordered the suspension of the T4 euthanasia program of the mentally ill and disabled, although killings continued in secret for the remainder of World War II. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aktion_T4)
- 1942 World War II: At the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, bombers from the U.S. aircraft carrier Saratoga sank the Japanese aircraft carrier Ryūjō near Santa Isabel Island, contributing to an Allied victory. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Eastern_Solomons)
- 1949 The treaty creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization goes into effect. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO)
- 1954 In the midst of a political crisis, Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas fatally shot himself in the Catete Palace in Rio de Janeiro. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get%C3%BAlio_Vargas)
- 1963 Buddhist crisis: The U.S. State Department ordered Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. to encourage South Vietnamese Army officers to oust Ngo Dinh Diem if he did not willingly remove Ngo Dinh Nhu from his unofficial position of power. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_243)
- 1966 Cultural Revolution: Red Guards vandalised the Jokhang, the holiest Buddhist temple in Tibet. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jokhang)
- 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as head of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_the_Soviet_Union)
- 1992 Hurricane Andrew, the third-most intense Category 5 cyclone to impact the United States in the 20th century, made landfall in southern Florida. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Andrew)
- 2006 The International Astronomical Union passed a resolution redefining the term planet and classifying Pluto as a dwarf planet. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAU_definition_of_planet)
- 2012 Anders Behring Breivik, perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, is sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Anders_Behring_Breivik)

## Born on August 24

- 1198 Alexander II of Scotland (died 1249) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_II_of_Scotland)
- 1759 William Wilberforce, English philanthropist and politician (died 1833) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wilberforce)
- 1772 William I of the Netherlands (died 1840) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I_of_the_Netherlands)
- 1865 Ferdinand I of Romania (died 1927) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_I_of_Romania)
- 1899 Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator (died 1986) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Luis_Borges)
- 1899 Albert Claude, Belgian biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1983) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Claude)
- 1902 Fernand Braudel, French historian and academic (died 1985) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernand_Braudel)
- 1922 Howard Zinn, American historian, author, and activist (died 2010) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Zinn)
- 1936 A. S. Byatt, English novelist and poet (died 2023) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._S._Byatt)
- 1942 Karen Uhlenbeck, American mathematician [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Uhlenbeck)
- 1947 Paulo Coelho, Brazilian author and songwriter [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Coelho)
- 1948 Sauli Niinistö, Finnish captain and politician, 12th President of Finland [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauli_Niinist%C3%B6)
- 1948 Jean Michel Jarre, French pianist, composer, and producer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Michel_Jarre)
- 1951 Orson Scott Card, American novelist, critic, public speaker, essayist, and columnist [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Scott_Card)
- 1957 Stephen Fry, English actor, journalist, producer, and screenwriter [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Fry)
- 1965 Marlee Matlin, American actress and producer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlee_Matlin)
- 1977 John Green, American author and vlogger [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Green)
- 1977 Robert Enke, German footballer (died 2009) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Enke)
- 1981 Chad Michael Murray, American actor, model, and author [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_Michael_Murray)
- 1988 Rupert Grint, English actor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Grint)
- 1988 Maya Yoshida, Japanese footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Yoshida)
- 1997 Alan Walker, British-Norwegian DJ and record producer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Walker)

## Died on August 24

- 1042 Michael V Kalaphates, Byzantine emperor (born 1015) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_V_Kalaphates)
- 1313 Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1275) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VII%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor)
- 1540 Parmigianino, Italian painter and etcher (born 1503) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigianino)
- 1617 Rose of Lima, Peruvian saint (born 1586) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_of_Lima)
- 1832 Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot, French physicist and engineer (born 1796) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_L%C3%A9onard_Sadi_Carnot)
- 1888 Rudolf Clausius, German physicist and mathematician (born 1822) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Clausius)
- 1943 Simone Weil, French philosopher and activist (born 1909) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_Weil)
- 1954 Getúlio Vargas, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 14th President of Brazil (born 1882) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get%C3%BAlio_Vargas)
- 1956 Kenji Mizoguchi, Japanese director and screenwriter (born 1898) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenji_Mizoguchi)
- 1990 Sergei Dovlatov, Russian-American journalist and author (born 1941) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Dovlatov)
- 2004 Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Swiss-American psychiatrist and academic (born 1926) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_K%C3%BCbler-Ross)
- 2014 Richard Attenborough, English actor, director, producer, and politician (born 1923) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Attenborough)
- 2016 Walter Scheel, German politician, 4th President of Germany (born 1919) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Scheel)
- 2021 Charlie Watts, English musician (born 1941) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Watts)

## Holidays and observances

- Christian feast day: Aurea of Ostia [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurea_of_Ostia)
- Christian feast day: Bartholomew the Apostle (Roman Catholic, Anglican) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartholomew_the_Apostle)
- Christian feast day: Edward Klinik [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Klinik)
- Christian feast day: Emily de Vialar [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_de_Vialar)
- Christian feast day: Jeanne-Antide Thouret [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne-Antide_Thouret)
- Christian feast day: Maria Micaela Desmaisieres [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Micaela_Desmaisieres)
- Christian feast day: Massa Candida (Martyrs of Utica) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massa_Candida)
- Christian feast day: Owen (Audoin) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audoin_(bishop))
- Christian feast day: August 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_24_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Flag Day (Liberia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Liberia)
- Independence Day or Den' Nezalezhnosti, celebrates the independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union in 1991. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_of_Ukraine)
- International Strange Music Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Grant_(composer))
- National Waffle Day (United States) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffle_Day)
- Nostalgia Night (Uruguay) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostalgia_Night)
- Willka Raymi (Cusco, Peru) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willka_Raymi)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “August 24”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_24) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/August 24”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/August_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 [“August 24”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_24) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_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 August 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.

## August 24 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Monday | 2026-W35 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2027 | Tuesday | 2027-W34 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2028 | Thursday | 2028-W34 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2029 | Friday | 2029-W34 | 🌕 Full Moon |
| 2030 | Saturday | 2030-W34 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |

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

## Public holidays on August 24

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

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

## Nearby dates

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

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

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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