On This Day - What Happened On July 24 - Encyclopedia Britannica

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security. 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 July 24 What Happened On Your Bday? Go to Today's Date

Featured Event

1917 Beginning of Mata Hari's trial Dutch-born dancer and courtesan Mata Hari, whose name became a synonym for the seductive female spy, went on trial this day in 1917, accused of spying for Germany, and was subsequently found guilty and shot by a firing squad. Read about 10 famous names in the espionage game Harlinque/H. Roger-Viollet

Featured Biography

Julie Krone American jockey bornJuly 24, 1963 (age 62)Benton Harbor, MichiganBill Janscha/AP Images 1969 Jennifer Lopez American actress and musician 1964 Barry Bonds American baseball player 1963 Karl Malone American basketball player 1897 Amelia Earhart American aviator 1802 Alexandre Dumas, père French author [1802–1870] See All Biographies On This Day

More Events On This Day

2023 Elon Musk rebranded the social media site Twitter as X after merging Twitter with his company X Holdings. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about technology and gadgetsOmar Marques—SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images 2020 American TV personality Regis Philbin, who was best known for hosting the talk show Live! With Regis and Kelly and the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, died at age 88. Take our pop culture quizHulton Archive/Getty Images 2013 American sex researcher and therapist Virginia E. Johnson—who, with William H. Masters, formed Masters and Johnson, a pioneering research team noted for their studies on human sexuality—died at age 88. Test your knowledge of notable Americans© Denver Post/Getty Images 2005 American cyclist Lance Armstrong became the first rider to win the Tour de France seven times; however, he was later stripped of all his titles after an investigation revealed that he was the key figure in a wide-ranging doping conspiracy. Sort fact from fiction in our Tour de France quizDesiree Martin—AFP/Getty Images 1998 The World War II drama Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks, was released, and it became a critical and commercial success, earning five Academy Awards, including best director for Steven Spielberg. Test your knowledge of the Academy Awards© Saving Private Ryan/DreamWorks Pictures/Paramount Pictures 1974 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Richard M. Nixon had to provide transcripts of Watergate tapes to special prosecutor Leon Jaworski. Find out more about Watergate's legacy© Orhan Çam/stock.adobe.com 1969 American actress and singer Jennifer Lopez—who was one of the highest-paid Latina actresses in the history of Hollywood and later found crossover success in the music industry with a series of pop albums—was born. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about A-list actors© Paul Smith/Featureflash/Shutterstock.com 1959 Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and U.S. Vice President Richard M. Nixon engaged in the “kitchen debate” at an American exhibition in Moscow. Learn what a war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union might have looked like© Keystone/Getty Images 1945 Selma Burke's bronze relief portrait of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was shown in public for the first time. The image of Roosevelt on the U.S. dime that was released in 1946 resembles her sculpture, though the U.S. Mint denied that it had any influence.Bettmann/Getty Images 1944 Soviet forces liberated the Majdanek concentration and extermination camp on the outskirts of the city of Lublin, Poland. Sort fact from fiction in our World War II quiz© Stbernardstudio/Dreamstime.com 1923 The Treaty of Lausanne, the final treaty concluding World War I, was signed. How much do you know about World War I? 1915 In one of the worst maritime disasters in American history, the passenger liner SS Eastland capsized in the Chicago River, killing more than 840 people, in Chicago. Watch footage of rescue efforts aboard the EastlandAP/Shutterstock.com 1911 Led by a local resident, Hiram Bingham reached Machu Picchu in a remote part of the Peruvian Andes. Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. What else made the list?© Adalberto Rios Szalay/Sexto Sol—Photodisc/Getty Images 1897 Amelia Earhart, one of the world's most-celebrated aviators and the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean, was born in Atchison, Kansas. Test your knowledge of early aviationCulver Pictures 1847 Brigham Young and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah.© North Wind Picture Archives 1567 Mary, Queen of Scots, was formally deposed after rebellious Scottish nobles deserted her army at Carberry Hill and forced her to abdicate in favour of her one-year-old son, James. Take our quiz about kings and queensLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LOT 13407, no. 181) 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.