109 things happened on 24 January, from AD 41 to 2018. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1943 · 83 years ago
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Franklin D. Roosevelt finished a meeting in Casablanca, Morocco, to plan the next stage of the Second World War. At the end, Roosevelt announced that the Allies would accept nothing less than the 'unco…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
King Henry VIII had a serious accident while jousting, a sport in which two riders charge at each other with blunted lances. He fell heavily from his horse, was knocked unconscious for two hours and hurt his leg. Henry never jousted again. Historians believe the accident may have affected his health and his moods for the rest of his life.
UK story
King Charles II dissolved, or officially closed, the Cavalier Parliament. It had sat since 1661, for almost 18 years, which is longer than any British Parliament since. Most of its members were Cavaliers, or Royalists, who supported the king. It is also called the Pensioner Parliament because it gave so many pensions to the king's supporters.
UK story
Robert Baden-Powell, a British Army officer, organised the first Boy Scout troop in England. His handbook Scouting for Boys came out in parts from January 1908 and became one of the best-selling books of the 20th century. He had tested his ideas at a camp on Brownsea Island, Dorset, in 1907. With his sister Agnes, he also founded the Girl Guides.
UK story
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Franklin D. Roosevelt finished a meeting in Casablanca, Morocco, to plan the next stage of the Second World War. At the end, Roosevelt announced that the Allies would accept nothing less than the 'unconditional surrender' of Germany, Italy and Japan. This meant their enemies would have to give up completely. The leaders also agreed to invade Sicily and Italy.
UK story
Second Boer War: Boers stop a British attempt to break the Siege of Ladysmith in the Battle of Spion Kop.
UK story
World War I: British Grand Fleet battle cruisers under Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty engage Rear-Admiral Franz von Hipper's battle cruisers in the Battle of Dogger Bank.
K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat ruled the ancient Maya city of Quiriguá, in what is now Guatemala. There he dedicated a giant carved stone monument called a stele. Weighing around 65 tons, it is the largest stone the Maya are known to have quarried. Known as Stela E, it stands about 10.7 metres high, making it the tallest stele in the Maya world.
James W. Marshall, a carpenter building a sawmill for John Sutter at Coloma, California, found gold. His discovery set off the California Gold Rush, when a wave of people rushed to the area hoping to get rich. The mill was never used as planned because everyone was busy looking for gold. Neither Marshall nor Sutter ever made money from the find.
Russia's new government ordered the country to change to the Gregorian calendar, which is used in most of the world, from 14 February. Russia had been using the older Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, has slightly fewer leap years. This keeps the calendar year closer to the time Earth takes to travel around the Sun.
Shoichi Yokoi, a Japanese soldier from the Second World War, was found in the jungle on the Pacific island of Guam. He had stayed hidden there for almost 28 years, since American forces took back the island in 1944. He was one of the last four Japanese soldiers to be found who had kept going long after the war ended in 1945.
NASA's Voyager 2 space probe made its closest approach to Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun. It is the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus or Neptune, the two 'ice giant' planets. Uranus is tipped right over on its side. Because of this, each pole gets about 42 years of sunlight followed by 42 years of darkness.
Japan launched the Hiten spacecraft, its first probe to the Moon. It was the first Moon probe launched by any country other than the Soviet Union or the United States. It was also the first robotic Moon probe since 1976. Its name comes from flying heavenly beings in Japanese Buddhism, and its English name is Celestial Maiden.
The Fatimid Caliphate began their first invasion of Egypt, against the Abbasids, which eventually ended in failure.
The Council of Basel suspends Pope Eugene IV.
The Estates unanimously proclaimed 14-year-old Matthias Corvinus King of Hungary after being persuaded to do so by his uncle Michael Szilágyi.
Arauco War: Spanish and Mapuche authorities meet in the Parliament of Boroa renewing the fragile peace established at the parliaments of Quillín in 1641 and 1647.
Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
During the Seven Years' War the leading burghers of Königsberg submit to Elizabeth of Russia, thus forming Russian Prussia (until 1763).
Crossing of the Andes: Many soldiers of Juan Gregorio de las Heras are captured during the action of Picheuta.
Slaves in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, stage a revolt, which is instrumental in ending slavery there 50 years later.
The University of Calcutta was established as the first modern university in the Indian subcontinent.
The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (later named Romania) is formed as a personal union under the rule of Domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
Greek military aviators Michael Moutoussis and Aristeidis Moraitinis performed the first naval air mission in history, with a Farman MF.7 hydroplane.
In Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad Co., the Supreme Court of the United States declares the federal income tax constitutional.
The 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, changing the beginning and end of terms for all elected federal offices.
Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company starts selling the first canned beer.
The United Nations General Assembly passes its first resolution to establish the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission.
Algerian War: Some units of European volunteers in Algiers stage an insurrection known as the "barricades week", during which they seize government buildings and clash with local police.
Vietnam War: The 1st Australian Task Force launched Operation Coburg against the North Vietnamese army and the Viet Cong.
The Soviet nuclear-powered satellite Kosmos 954 burned up during atmospheric reentry, scattering radioactive debris across Canada's Northwest Territories.
About 20,000 protestors marched in a civil rights demonstration in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States.
The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Churchill and Roosevelt end their wartime meeting in Casablanca”?
C: 1943. 1943 — that’s 83 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “Henry VIII is badly hurt in a jousting accident”?
B: 1536. 1536 — that’s 490 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
A: Henry VIII is badly hurt in a jousting accident. 1536: Henry VIII is badly hurt in a jousting accident · 1679: Charles II ends the long-running Cavalier Parliament · 1943: Churchill and Roosevelt end their wartime meeting in Casablanca Find it on the page
“Charles II ends the long-running Cavalier Parliament” happened in 1679. How many years ago was that?
C: 347 years. 2026 − 1679 = 347. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 24 January.
UK story
Desmond Morris was an English zoologist who studied animal behaviour, a science called ethology. He presented television programmes such as Zoo Time. His famous 1967 book The Naked Ape looked at human behaviour through the eyes of a zoologist. He was also a surrealist painter.
UK story
John Vanbrugh was an English architect and playwright. He is best known for designing two famous stately homes, Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He also wrote stage comedies, such as The Relapse, which are still performed. He was knighted in 1714.
Well-known people who died on 24 January.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 24 January somewhere in the world.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “January 24” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.