June 24

Events

• 1314 - Battle of Bannockburn. Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce beat Edward II of England. Scotland regains its independence.
• 1441 - Eton College founded.
• 1497 - John Cabot lands on North America, either at Newfoundland or Cape Breton; first European discovery of the region since the Vikings.
• 1509 - Henry VIII crowned King of England.
• 1534 - Jacques Cartier makes the European discovery of Prince Edward Island.
• 1535 - The Anabaptist state of Münster is conquered and disbanded.
• 1597 - The first Dutch voyage to the East Indies reaches Bantam[?] (on Java).
• 1662 - Dutch attempt but fail to capture Macao.
• 1664 - The colony of New Jersey is founded.
• 1692 - Kingston, Jamaica founded.
• 1793 - First republican constitution in France adopted.
• 1812 - Napoleon invades Russia.
• 1859 - Battle of Solferino[?] (Battle of the Three Sovereigns[?]). Sardinia and France defeat Austria in northern Italy.
• 1861 - Tennessee becomes the 11th and last state to secede from the US.
• 1880 - First performance of O Canada, the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français[?].
• 1894 - The International Olympic Committee decides to hold the Olympic Games every four years.
• 1901 - First exhibition of Pablo Picasso's work opens.
• 1913 - Greece and Serbia annul their alliance with Bulgaria.
• 1915 - The steamer Eastland capsizes in Chicago. 800 people die.
• 1916 - Mary Pickford becomes first film star to get million dollar contract.
• 1918 - First airmail[?] service in Canada from Montreal to Toronto.
• 1932 - A military coup ends the absolute power of the king of Siam (Thailand).
• 1940 - France and Italy sign an armistice.
• 1941 - The Germans capture Vilna, Brest-Litovsk[?] and Kaunas.
• 1948 - Start of the Berlin Blockade. The Soviet Union makes overland travel between the West with West Berlin impossible.
• 1963 - Zanzibar is granted internal self-government by the UK.
• 1975 - An Eastern Airlines Boeing 727 crashes at John F. Kennedy Airport[?], New York. 113 people die.
• 1983 - Sally Ride, first female American astronaut, returns to earth.

Births

• 1777 - John Ross[?], naval officer and explorer (+ 1856
• 1795 - Ernst Heinrich Weber[?], anatomist and physiologist (+ 1878)
• 1803 - George James Webb[?], composer
• 1842 - Ambrose Bierce, author (+ 1914 (speculative))
• 1850 - Horatio Herbert Kitchener[?], original Order of Merit[?] member (+ 1916]])
• 1882 - Carl Diem[?], sports scientist (+ 1962)
• 1888 - Gerrit Rietveld, Dutch architect
• 1895 - Jack Dempsey, boxer (+ 1983)
• 1899 - Chief Dan George[?], Native American actor (+ 1981)
• 1901 - Harry Partch, microtonal composer (+ 1974)
• 1909 - David Rose[?], composer, musician (+ 1990)
• 1915 - Fred Hoyle, cosmologist, science fiction author (+ 2001)
• 1928 - Wolfgang Altenburg[?], German general
• 1930 - Claude Chabrol, film director
• 1931 - Billy Casper[?], professional golfer
• 1942 - Mick Fleetwood, blues/pop/rock musician (Fleetwood Mac)
• 1942 - Michele Lee[?]
• 1944 - Chris Wood[?], rock musician
• 1944 - Jeff Beck, rock guitarist (Yardbirds)
• 1945 - Colin Blunstone[?], rock musician ((the Zombies)
• 1953 - Gary Shider[?], musician (P Funk)
• 1970 - Glenn Medeiros[?]

Deaths

• 1604 - Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford[?], hereditary Lord Great Chamberlain of England[?]
• 1908 - Grover Cleveland, former president of the USA (heart failure)
• 1987 - Jackie Gleason, actor, musician

Holidays and observances

• Catholicism - Feast day of St. John the Baptist
• Discovery Day[?] in Newfoundland and Labrador (celebrating the 1497 discovery by John Cabot)
• Fête nationale du Québec, also called St-Jean-Baptiste Day
• Day of Indian[?] in Peru
• Bannockburn Day[?] in Scotland (see 1314 above)
• Bahá'í Faith - Feast of Rahmat (Mercy) - First day of the sixth month of the Bahá'í Calendar
• Quarter days in England

June 23 - June 25 - May 24 - July 24 -- listing of all days

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