Vintage News · Odd history for February 24

What Happened On February 24

Q: What happened 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. 2000: Pope John Paul II arrives in Egypt for a three-day stay as part of the Great Jubilee, marking the first papal visit in modern Egyptian history 1868: Andrew Johnson became the first U.S. president to be impeached. 1720: War of the Quadruple Alliance: Spanish forces began a failed assault on the British settlement of Nassau in the Bahamas. 1711: George Frideric Handel's Rinaldo, the first Italian-language opera written specifically for the London stage, premiered. 1607: Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, considered the first fully developed opera, premiered in Mantua. 1868: Andrew Johnson becomes the first President of the United States to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives. He is later acquitted in the Senate. 1854: A Penny Red with perforations becomes the first perforated postage stamp to be officially issued for distribution. 1831: The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the first removal treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act, is proclaimed. The Choctaws in Mississippi cede land east of the river in exchange for payment and land in the West. 1711: Rinaldo by George Frideric Handel, the first Italian opera written for the London stage, is premièred.

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10 odd things that happened on February 24

303 First ever
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.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2000 First ever
Pope John Paul II arrives in Egypt for a three-day stay as part of the Great Jubilee, marking the first papal visit in modern Egyptian history
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1868 First ever
Andrew Johnson became the first U.S. president to be impeached.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1720 Oddly true
War of the Quadruple Alliance: Spanish forces began a failed assault on the British settlement of Nassau in the Bahamas.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1711 First ever
George Frideric Handel's Rinaldo, the first Italian-language opera written specifically for the London stage, premiered.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1607 First ever
Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, considered the first fully developed opera, premiered in Mantua.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1868 First ever
Andrew Johnson becomes the first President of the United States to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives. He is later acquitted in the Senate.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1854 First ever
A Penny Red with perforations becomes the first perforated postage stamp to be officially issued for distribution.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1831 First ever
The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the first removal treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act, is proclaimed. The Choctaws in Mississippi cede land east of the river in exchange for payment and land in the West.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1711 First ever
Rinaldo by George Frideric Handel, the first Italian opera written for the London stage, is premièred.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2022Russo-Ukrainian War: Days after recognising Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states, Russian president Vladimir Putin orders the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Wikipedia →
2020Mahathir Mohamad resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia following an attempt to replace the Pakatan Harapan government, which triggered the 2020-2022 Malaysian political crisis. Wikipedia →
2016Tara Air Flight 193, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, crashes, with 23 fatalities, in Solighopte, Myagdi District, Dhaulagiri Zone, while en route from Pokhara Airport to Jomsom Airport. Wikipedia →
2015A Metrolink train derails in Oxnard, California following a collision with a truck, leaving more than 30 injured. Wikipedia →
2011Space Shuttle Discovery launches on its final mission, STS-133. Wikipedia →
2008Fidel Castro retires as the President of Cuba and the Council of Ministers after 32 years. He would remain as head of the Communist Party for another three years. Wikipedia →
2007Japan launches its fourth spy satellite, stepping up its ability to monitor potential threats such as North Korea. Wikipedia →
2006Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declares Proclamation 1017 placing the country in a state of emergency in an attempt to subdue a possible military coup. Wikipedia →
2004The 6.3 Mw Al Hoceima earthquake strikes northern Morocco with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). At least 628 people are killed, 926 are injured, and up to 15,000 are displaced. Wikipedia →
2000Pope John Paul II arrives in Egypt for a three-day stay as part of the Great Jubilee, marking the first papal visit in modern Egyptian history Wikipedia →
1999China Southwest Airlines Flight 4509, a Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft, crashes in Rui'an, Zhejiang, China. All 61 people on board are killed. Wikipedia →
1996Two civilian airplanes operated by the Miami-based group Brothers to the Rescue are shot down in international waters by the Cuban Air Force. Wikipedia →
1991Gulf War: Ground troops cross the Saudi Arabian border and enter Iraq, thus beginning the ground phase of the war. Wikipedia →
1989United Airlines Flight 811, bound for New Zealand from Honolulu, rips open during flight, blowing nine passengers out of the business-class section. Wikipedia →
1984A child and an adult man are killed and 12 others are injured in the 49th Street Elementary School shooting in Los Angeles. Wikipedia →
1983A special commission of the United States Congress condemns the Japanese American internment during World War II. Wikipedia →
1981The 6.7 Ms Gulf of Corinth earthquake affects Central Greece with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). Twenty-two people are killed, 400 are injured, and damage totals $812 million. Wikipedia →
1978The Yuba County Five disappear in California. Four of their bodies are found four months later. Wikipedia →
1976The 1976 constitution of Cuba is formally proclaimed. Wikipedia →
1971The All India Forward Bloc holds an emergency central committee meeting after its chairman, Hemantha Kumar Bose, is killed three days earlier. P. K. Mookiah Thevar is appointed as the new chairman. Wikipedia →
1968Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive is halted; South Vietnamese forces led by Ngô Quang Trưởng recapture the citadel of Hué. Wikipedia →
1967Cultural Revolution: Zhang Chunqiao announces the dissolution of the Shanghai People's Commune, replacing its local government with a revolutionary committee. Wikipedia →
1966Ghanaian coup d'état by National Liberation Council overthrows Kwame Nkrumah's Government Wikipedia →
1949The Armistice Agreements are signed, to formally end the hostilities of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Wikipedia →
1946Colonel Juan Perón, founder of the political movement that became known as Peronism, is elected to his first term as President of Argentina. Wikipedia →
1945Egyptian Premier Ahmad Mahir Pasha is killed in Parliament after reading a decree. Wikipedia →
1943World War II: First large-scale protest march resulting in clashes with the Axis occupation forces and collaborationist police in Athens against rumours of forced mobilization of Greek workers for work in Germany. Wikipedia →
1942Seven hundred ninety-one Romanian Jewish refugees and crew members are killed after the MV Struma is torpedoed by the Soviet Navy. Wikipedia →
1942Voice of America makes its first broadcast. Wikipedia →
1942The Battle of Los Angeles: A false alarm leads to an anti-aircraft barrage that lasts into the early hours of February 25. Wikipedia →
1920Nancy Astor becomes the first woman to speak in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom following her election as a Member of Parliament (MP) three months earlier. Wikipedia →
1920The Nazi Party (NSDAP) is founded by Adolf Hitler in the Hofbräuhaus beer hall in Munich, Germany. Wikipedia →
1918Estonian Declaration of Independence. Wikipedia →
1917World 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 →
1916The Governor-General of Korea establishes a clinic called Jahyewon in Sorokdo to segregate Hansen's disease patients. Wikipedia →
1895Revolution breaks out in Baire, a town near Santiago de Cuba, beginning the Cuban War of Independence; the war ends along with the Spanish–American War in 1898. Wikipedia →
1881China and Russia sign the Sino-Russian Ili Treaty. Wikipedia →
1876The stage première of Peer Gynt, a play by Henrik Ibsen with incidental music by Edvard Grieg, takes place in Christiania (Oslo), Norway. Wikipedia →
1875The SS Gothenburg hits the Great Barrier Reef and sinks off the Australian east coast, killing approximately 100, including a number of high-profile civil servants and dignitaries. Wikipedia →
1868Andrew Johnson becomes the first President of the United States to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives. He is later acquitted in the Senate. Wikipedia →
1863Arizona is organized as a United States territory. Wikipedia →
1854A Penny Red with perforations becomes the first perforated postage stamp to be officially issued for distribution. Wikipedia →
1848King Louis-Philippe of France abdicates the throne. Wikipedia →
1831The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the first removal treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act, is proclaimed. The Choctaws in Mississippi cede land east of the river in exchange for payment and land in the West. Wikipedia →
1826The signing of the Treaty of Yandabo marks the end of the First Anglo-Burmese War. Wikipedia →
1822The first Swaminarayan temple in the world, Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad, is inaugurated. Wikipedia →
1821Final stage of the Mexican War of Independence from Spain with Plan of Iguala. Wikipedia →
1813Sinking of HMS Peacock by USS Hornet on the Demerara River, Guyana. Wikipedia →
1812Treaty of Paris between Napoleon and Frederick William III of Prussia against Russia is signed. Wikipedia →
1809London's Drury Lane Theatre burns to the ground, leaving its owner, Irish writer and politician Richard Brinsley Sheridan, destitute. Wikipedia →
1809Britain invades and captures the French colony of Martinique. Wikipedia →
1803In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court of the United States establishes the principle of judicial review. Wikipedia →
1739Battle of Karnal: The army of Iranian ruler Nader Shah defeats the forces of the Mughal emperor of India, Muhammad Shah. Wikipedia →
1711Rinaldo by George Frideric Handel, the first Italian opera written for the London stage, is premièred. Wikipedia →
1607L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi, one of the first works recognized as an opera, receives its première performance. Wikipedia →
1597The last battle of the Cudgel War takes place on the Santavuori Hill in Ilmajoki, Ostrobothnia. Wikipedia →
1582With the papal bull Inter gravissimas, Pope Gregory XIII announces the Gregorian calendar. Wikipedia →
1538Treaty of Nagyvárad between Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and King John Zápolya of Hungary and Croatia. Wikipedia →
1527Coronation of Ferdinand I as the king of Bohemia in Prague. Wikipedia →
1525A Spanish-Austrian army defeats a French army at the Battle of Pavia. Wikipedia →
1386King Charles III of Naples and Hungary is assassinated at Buda. Wikipedia →
1303The English are defeated at the Battle of Roslin, in the First War of Scottish Independence. Wikipedia →
484King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene bishops with Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica. Wikipedia →

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.