On This Day - What Happened On April 24 - Britannica

Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos A Britannica Newsletter Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP ADD TO YOUR INBOX Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! By clicking "Add To Your Inbox"tapping "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Home On This Day TODAY IN HISTORY April 24 What Happened On Your Bday? Go to Today's Date

Featured Event

2005 Installation of Pope Benedict XVI On this day in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger), successor to John Paul II, formally assumed his position as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church during a mass in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. © Gasper Furman/Shutterstock.com

Featured Biography

Barbra Streisand American actress, singer, director, producer bornApril 24, 1942 (age 83)New York City, New York© Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock.com 1982 Kelly Clarkson American singer-songwriter 1973 Sachin Tendulkar Indian cricketer 1942 Barbra Streisand American actress, singer, director, producer 1934 Shirley MacLaine American actress 1930 Richard Donner American director See All Biographies On This Day

More Events On This Day

2004 American businesswoman Estée Lauder, who cofounded the hugely profitable fragrance and beauty company that bore her name, died in Manhattan. Why did people start wearing makeup? 2003 Officials of North Korea informed U.S. diplomats that it had nuclear weapons and was making bomb-grade plutonium. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about KoreaEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1980 U.S. forces launched a mission to rescue American hostages in Iran, but the attempt failed, and eight U.S. service members were killed.MPI—Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1967 Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov became the first man to die during a space mission when his spacecraft became entangled in its parachute during an attempted landing. Test your knowledge of famous astronauts and cosmonautsNASA 1949 Communist forces occupied the Chinese capital, Nanking (Nanjing), after crossing the Yangtze River virtually unopposed by adherents to the Nationalist government under President Chiang Kai-shek. Take our China quizCamera Press/Globe Photos 1916 Members of the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army seized strategic points in Dublin during the Easter Rising, which heralded the end of British power in Ireland. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about European historyHistorical Images Archive/Alamy 1905 American novelist, poet, and critic Robert Penn Warren—who was best known for his treatment of moral dilemmas in a South beset by the erosion of its traditional rural values—was born. Test your knowledge of all things literaryNational Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 1904 Painter Willem de Kooning, one of the leading exponents of Abstract Expressionism, was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands. From symbolism to sculpture, test your knowledge of art© Luiz Alberto—Archive Photos/Getty Images 1898 Spain declared war on the United States. Sort fact from fiction in our wars throughout history quizLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C. 1877 War broke out between Russia and the Ottoman Empire at the conclusion of the Serbo-Turkish War, resulting in independence for Serbia and Montenegro. Take our quiz about the Ottoman Empire 1800 The Library of Congress was officially founded as U.S. President John Adams approved the $5,000 appropriated to acquire “such books as may be necessary for the use of congress”; it eventually became the largest library in the world. Watch an overview of the Library of CongressLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C.; photography by Carol M. Highsmith (digital file no. LC-DIG-highsm-03196) 1792 French army officer Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle composed La Marseillaise, the French national anthem. How much do you know about French history?Hulton Archive/Getty Images SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.