A Day in the Past

On this day: 24 May

145 things happened on 24 May, from 15 BC to 2023. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 10

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

1738 288 years ago

UK story

At a Moravian meeting in Aldersgate, London, John Wesley (pictured) experienced a spiritual rebirth, leading him to launch the Methodist movement.

Find out more: Moravian Church (Wikipedia)
2019 7 years ago

UK story

Under pressure over her handling of Brexit, British Prime Minister Theresa May announces her resignation as Leader of the Conservative Party, effective as of June 7.

Find out more: Brexit (Wikipedia)

Around the world 34

1844 182 years ago

Samuel Morse sends the message "What hath God wrought" (a biblical quotation, Numbers 23:23) from a committee room in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland, to inaugurate a commercial telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington D.C.

InventionsArt, books & music Find out more: Samuel Morse (Wikipedia)
1935 91 years ago

The first night game in Major League Baseball history is played in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the Cincinnati Reds beating the Philadelphia Phillies 2–1 at Crosley Field.

Sport Find out more: Night game (Wikipedia)
1944 82 years ago

Congress of Përmet occurs which establishes a provisional government in Albania in areas under partisan control, the first independent Albanian government since 1939. In honor of this the national emblem of Albania inscribed this date from 1946 until 1992.

Laws & government Find out more: Congress of Përmet (Wikipedia)
1970 56 years ago

On the Kola Peninsula in Russia, drilling began on the Kola Superdeep Borehole, which eventually reached a depth of 12,262 metres (40,230 ft), making it the deepest borehole ever drilled and the lowest artificial point on Earth.

Find out more: Kola Peninsula (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum, the world's first university museum”?

    1. 1683
    2. 1607
    3. 1930
    Show the answer

    A: 1683. 1683 — that’s 343 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “English aviator Amy Johnson landed in Darwin”?

    1. 1930
    2. 1683
    3. 2019
    Show the answer

    A: 1930. 1930 — that’s 96 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum, the world's first university museum
    2. At a Moravian meeting in Aldersgate, London, John Wesley experienced a
    3. English aviator Amy Johnson landed in Darwin
    Show the answer

    A: Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum, the world's first university museum. 1683: Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum, the world's first university museum · 1738: At a Moravian meeting in Aldersgate, London, John Wesley experienced a · 1930: English aviator Amy Johnson landed in Darwin Find it on the page

  4. “At a Moravian meeting in Aldersgate, London, John Wesley experienced a” happened in 1738. How many years ago was that?

    1. 278 years
    2. 298 years
    3. 288 years
    Show the answer

    C: 288 years. 2026 − 1738 = 288. Find it on the page

Born on this day 38

Famous people whose birthday is 24 May.

Remembering 22

Well-known people who died on 24 May.

Special days 18

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 24 May somewhere in the world.

For older readers 23 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

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.

Where these facts come from

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 “May 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.