# On this day: February 24

February 24 is the 55th day of the year (55th in leap years), with 310 days left until the end of the year (311 in a leap year).

## February 24 in one line

Headline entries for February 24, from Wikipedia: in 2022, Russo-Ukrainian War: Days after recognising Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states, Russian president Vladimir Putin orders the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine; born 1955: Steve Jobs, American businessman, co-founded Apple Computer and Pixar (died 2011); died 1856: Nikolai Lobachevsky, Russian mathematician and academic (born 1792). In 2026 it is a Tuesday, in 2027 a Wednesday.

## Events on February 24

- 303 The Diocletianic Persecution, the last and most severe episode of the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, began with the publication of a first edict by Roman emperor Diocletian. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletianic_Persecution)
- 1525 A Spanish-Austrian army defeats a French army at the Battle of Pavia. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pavia)
- 1527 Coronation of Ferdinand I as the king of Bohemia in Prague. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague)
- 1607 Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, considered the first fully developed opera, premiered in Mantua. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'Orfeo)
- 1711 George Frideric Handel's Rinaldo, the first Italian-language opera written specifically for the London stage, premiered. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinaldo_(opera))
- 1720 War of the Quadruple Alliance: Spanish forces began a failed assault on the British settlement of Nassau in the Bahamas. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Nassau_(1720))
- 1803 In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional for the first time, forming the basis of judicial review in the United States. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marbury_v._Madison)
- 1809 After standing for only 15 years, the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, the third building in London of that name, burned down. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_Royal%2C_Drury_Lane)
- 1809 Napoleonic Wars: The British invasion of Martinique ended with the unconditional surrender of French admiral Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse, beginning a five-year occupation of the island. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Martinique_(1809))
- 1826 The Treaty of Yandabo was signed, ending the First Anglo-Burmese War, the longest and most expensive war in the history of British India. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Yandabo)
- 1848 King Louis-Philippe of France abdicates the throne. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Philippe_I)
- 1868 Andrew Johnson became the first U.S. president to be impeached. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Johnson)
- 1917 World War I: The U.S. ambassador Walter Hines Page to the United Kingdom is given the Zimmermann Telegram, in which Germany pledges to ensure the return of New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona to Mexico if Mexico declares war on the United States. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmermann_telegram)
- 1918 Estonian Declaration of Independence. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Declaration_of_Independence)
- 1920 The Nazi Party (NSDAP) is founded by Adolf Hitler in the Hofbräuhaus beer hall in Munich, Germany. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Party)
- 1942 Voice of America makes its first broadcast. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America)
- 1942 The Battle of Los Angeles: A false alarm leads to an anti-aircraft barrage that lasts into the early hours of February 25. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Los_Angeles)
- 1943 World War II: The Battle of Kasserine Pass, the first major engagement between American and Axis forces in Africa, ended with the Allied forces suffering heavy losses. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kasserine_Pass)
- 1946 Colonel Juan Perón, founder of the political movement that became known as Peronism, is elected to his first term as President of Argentina. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Per%C3%B3n)
- 1968 Vietnam War: Led by Ngô Quang Trưởng, South Vietnamese forces recaptured the citadel of Huế. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hu%E1%BA%BF)
- 1978 Five men disappeared after attending a college basketball game in Chico, California; the bodies of four of them were discovered months later. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuba_County_Five)
- 1979 Uganda–Tanzania War: Ugandan government forces fled Masaka as the Tanzania People's Defence Force bombarded and captured the town. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Masaka)
- 1989 United Airlines Flight 811 experienced uncontrolled decompression after leaving Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii, blowing seats out of the aircraft and killing nine passengers. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_811)
- 1991 Gulf War: Ground troops cross the Saudi Arabian border and enter Iraq, thus beginning the ground phase of the war. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia)
- 2011 Space Shuttle Discovery launches on its final mission, STS-133. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-133)
- 2015 At a restaurant in Uherský Brod, Czech Republic, a gunman opened fire in a restaurant, killing eight people before committing suicide. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhersk%C3%BD_Brod_shooting)
- 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War: Days after recognising Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states, Russian president Vladimir Putin orders the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine)

## Born on February 24

- 1304 Ibn Battuta, Moroccan explorer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Battuta)
- 1463 Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Italian philosopher (died 1494) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Pico_della_Mirandola)
- 1500 Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1558) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_V%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor)
- 1536 Pope Clement VIII (died 1605) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_VIII)
- 1557 Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1619) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor)
- 1786 Wilhelm Grimm, German anthropologist, author, and academic (died 1859) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Grimm)
- 1837 Rosalía de Castro, Spanish poet (died 1885) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosal%C3%ADa_de_Castro)
- 1885 Chester W. Nimitz, American admiral (died 1966) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_W._Nimitz)
- 1932 Michel Legrand, French pianist, composer, and conductor (died 2019) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Legrand)
- 1934 Bettino Craxi, Italian lawyer and politician, 45th Prime Minister of Italy (died 2000) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bettino_Craxi)
- 1940 Denis Law, Scottish footballer and sportscaster (died 2025) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Law)
- 1944 David Wineland, American physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_J._Wineland)
- 1945 Barry Bostwick, American actor and singer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Bostwick)
- 1955 Steve Jobs, American businessman, co-founded Apple Computer and Pixar (died 2011) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs)
- 1955 Alain Prost, French race car driver [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Prost)
- 1956 Judith Butler, American philosopher, theorist, and author [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Butler)
- 1961 Erna Solberg, Norwegian politician, 35th Prime Minister of Norway [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erna_Solberg)
- 1966 Billy Zane, American actor and producer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Zane)
- 1967 Brian Schmidt, Australian astrophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Schmidt)
- 1977 Floyd Mayweather Jr., American boxer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Mayweather_Jr.)
- 1981 Lleyton Hewitt, Australian tennis player [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lleyton_Hewitt)
- 1989 Daniel Kaluuya, English actor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Kaluuya)

## Died on February 24

- 1777 Joseph I of Portugal (born 1714) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_I_of_Portugal)
- 1799 Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, German physicist and academic (born 1742) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Christoph_Lichtenberg)
- 1810 Henry Cavendish, French-English physicist and chemist (born 1731) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Cavendish)
- 1815 Robert Fulton, American engineer (born 1765) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Fulton)
- 1856 Nikolai Lobachevsky, Russian mathematician and academic (born 1792) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Lobachevsky)
- 1925 Hjalmar Branting, Swedish journalist and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Sweden, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1860) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hjalmar_Branting)
- 1953 Gerd von Rundstedt, German field marshal (born 1875) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerd_von_Rundstedt)
- 1975 Nikolai Bulganin, Russian marshal and politician, 6th Premier of the Soviet Union (born 1895) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Bulganin)
- 1990 Sandro Pertini, Italian journalist and politician, 7th President of Italy (born 1896) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandro_Pertini)
- 1993 Bobby Moore, English footballer and manager (born 1941) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Moore)
- 2001 Claude Shannon, American mathematician, cryptographer, and engineer (born 1916) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Shannon)
- 2006 Don Knotts, American actor and comedian (born 1924) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Knotts)
- 2018 Sridevi, Indian actress (born 1963) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sridevi)
- 2020 Katherine Johnson, American physicist and mathematician (born 1918) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Johnson)

## Holidays and observances

- Christian feast day: Blessed Ascensión Nicol y Goñi [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascensi%C3%B3n_Nicol_y_Go%C3%B1i)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Josefa Naval Girbés [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josefa_Naval_Girb%C3%A9s)
- Christian feast day: Lindel Tsen and Paul Sasaki (Anglican Church of Canada) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindel_Tsen)
- Christian feast day: Modest (bishop of Trier) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modestus_(bishop_of_Trier))
- Christian feast day: Sergius of Cappadocia [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergius_of_Cappadocia)
- Christian feast day: February 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_24_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Dragobete (Romania) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragobete)
- Engineer's Day (Iran) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineer's_Day)
- Flag Day in Mexico [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_Day_in_Mexico)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Estonia from the Russian Empire in 1918; the Soviet period is considered to have been an illegal annexation. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(Estonia))
- National Artist Day (Thailand) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Artist_(Thailand))
- Sweden Finns' Day (Sweden) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden_Finns'_Day)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “February 24”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_24) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/February 24”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/February_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 [“February 24”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_24) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_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 February 24 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 27 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. The 2022 entry stays as well, and comes first in the one-line summary: we keep a short list, checked by hand, of widely known events that Wikipedia's editors leave out of their selection, usually because the article carries a maintenance notice. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## February 24 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Tuesday | 2026-W09 | 🌓 First Quarter |
| 2027 | Wednesday | 2027-W08 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2028 | Thursday | 2028-W08 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2029 | Saturday | 2029-W08 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2030 | Sunday | 2030-W08 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |

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

## Public holidays on February 24

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

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

## Nearby dates

[← February 23](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/february-23/) · [February 25 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/february-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/february-24/