November 24

Events

• 380 – Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal entry, into Constantinople.
• 1429 – Joan of Arc unsuccessfully besieges La Charité.
• 1542 – Battle of Solway Moss: The English army defeats the Scots.
• 1639 – Jeremiah Horrocks observes the transit of Venus, an event he had predicted.
• 1642 – Abel Tasman becomes the first European to discover the island Van Diemen's Land (later renamed Tasmania).
• 1850 – Danish troops defeat a Schleswig-Holstein force in the town of Lottorf, Schleswig-Holstein.
• 1859 – Charles Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species.
• 1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Lookout Mountain – Near Chattanooga, Tennessee, Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant capture Lookout Mountain and begin to break the Confederate siege of the city led by General Braxton Bragg.
• 1906 – The Canton Bulldogs-Massillon Tigers Betting Scandal, the first major scandal in professional American football.
• 1922 – Author and Irish Republican Army member Robert Erskine Childers is executed by an Irish Free State firing squad for illegally carrying a revolver.
• 1932 – In Washington, D.C., the FBI Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory (better known as the FBI Crime Lab) officially opens.
• 1935 – The Senegalese Socialist Party holds its second congress.
• 1940 – World War II: Slovakia becomes a signatory to the Tripartite Pact, officially joining the Axis Powers.
• 1941 – World War II: The United States grants Lend-Lease to the Free French.
• 1943 – World War II: The is torpedoed near Tarawa and sinks with nearly 650 men killed.
• 1944 – World War II: Bombing of Tokyo – The first bombing raid against the Japanese capital from the east and by land is carried out by 88 American aircraft.
• 1962 – The West Berlin branch of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany forms a separate party, the Socialist Unity Party of West Berlin.
• 1963 – Lee Harvey Oswald is murdered by Jack Ruby in the basement of Dallas police department headquarters. The shooting is broadcast live on television.
• 1963 – Vietnam War: Newly sworn-in US President Lyndon B. Johnson confirms that the United States intends to continue supporting South Vietnam both militarily and economically.
• 1965 – Joseph Désiré Mobutu seizes power in the Congo and becomes President; he rules the country (which he renames Zaire in 1971) for over 30 years, until being overthrown by rebels in 1997.
• 1966 – A Bulgarian plane with 82 people on board crashes near Bratislava, Czechoslovakia.
• 1966 – New York City experiences the smoggiest day in the city's history.
• 1969 – Apollo program: The Apollo 12 command module splashes down safely in the Pacific Ocean, ending the second manned mission to the Moon.
• 1971 – During a severe thunderstorm over Washington state, a hijacker calling himself Dan Cooper (AKA D. B. Cooper) parachutes from a Northwest Orient Airlines plane with $200,000 in ransom money. He has never been found.
• 1974 – Donald Johanson and Tom Gray discover the 40% complete Australopithecus afarensis skeleton, nicknamed "Lucy" (after The Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"), in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia's Afar Depression.
• 1992 – A China Southern Airlines domestic flight in the People's Republic of China, crashes, killing all 141 people on-board.
• 1993 – In Liverpool, 11-year-olds Robert Thompson and Jon Venables are convicted of the murder of 2-year-old James Bulger.
• 2007 – Australians elect the centre-left Australian Labor Party at a federal election; the outgoing prime minister, John Howard, becomes the first since 1929 to lose his own seat.

Births

• 1273 – Alphonso, Earl of Chester, son of Edward I of England (d. 1284)
• 1394 – Charles, Duke of Orléans, French poet (d. 1465)
• 1420 – John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English politician (d. 1473)
• 1583 – Juan Martínez de Jáuregui y Aguilar, Spanish poet (d. 1641)
• 1615 – Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine (d. 1690)
• 1630 – Etienne Baluze, French scholar (d. 1718)
• 1632 – Baruch Spinoza, Dutch philosopher (d. 1677)
• 1655 – Charles XI of Sweden (d. 1697)
• 1690 – Charles Theodore Pachelbel, German composer (d. 1750)
• 1713 – Junipero Serra, Spanish missionary (d. 1784)
• 1713 – Laurence Sterne, Irish novelist (d. 1768)
• 1724 – Maria Amalia of Saxony, queen of Spain (d. 1760)
• 1729 – Alexander Suvorov, Russian general (d. 1800)
• 1745 – Maria Louisa of Spain, Empress consort of the Holy Roman Empire (d. 1792)
• 1774 – Thomas Dick, Scottish scientific teacher and writer (d. 1857)
• 1784 – Zachary Taylor, 12th President of the United States (d. 1850)
• 1787 – Franz Xaver Gruber, Austrian organist (d. 1863)
• 1801 – Ludwig Bechstein, German poet (d. 1860)
• 1806 – William Webb Ellis, credited with the invention of Rugby (d. 1872)
• 1811 – Ulrich Ochsenbein, Swiss Federal Councillor (d. 1890)
• 1815 – Grace Darling, English heroine (d. 1842)
• 1826 – Carlo Collodi, Italian author (d. 1890)
• 1833 – Antoine Labelle, Quebec catholic priest (d. 1891)
• 1849 – Frances Hodgson Burnett, British-born author (d. 1924)
• 1853 – Bat Masterson, American gunfighter (d. 1921)
• 1859 – Cass Gilbert, American architect (d. 1934)
• 1864 – Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, French painter (d. 1901)
• 1868 – Scott Joplin, Ragtime Composer (d. 1917)
• 1869 – António Óscar Carmona, 97^th Prime Minister of Portugal and 11^th President of Portugal (d. 1951)
• 1873 – Julius Martov, Russian communiust leader (d. 1923)
• 1874 – Charles William Miller, Brazilian footballer (d. 1953)
• 1876 – Walter Burley Griffin, American architect (d. 1937)
• 1877 – Alben W. Barkley, Vice President of the United States (d. 1956)
• 1877 – Kavasji Jamshedji Petigara, Indian CID Commissioner of Police (d. 1941)
• 1881 – Al Christie, Canadian-born film director and producer (d. 1951)
• 1884 – Itzhak Ben-Zvi, President of Israel (d. 1963)
• 1885 – Christian Wirth, commandant of Belzec extermination camp (d. 1944)
• 1886 – Margaret Caroline Anderson, American publisher (d. 1973)
• 1887 – Erich von Manstein, German military commander (d. 1973)
• 1888 – Dale Carnegie, American writer (d. 1955)
• 1888 – Fredrick Willius, American cardiologist (d. 1972)
• 1893 – Charles F. Hurley, 54^th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1946)
• 1894 – Herbert Sutcliffe, English cricketer (d. 1978)
• 1897 – Lucky Luciano, American gangster (d. 1962)
• 1899 – Ward Morehouse, American theater critic and newspaper columnist (d. 1966)
• 1908 – Libertad Lamarque, Argentine actress and singer (d. 2000)
• 1910 – Larry Siemering, American college football head coach (d. 2009)
• 1911 – Joe Medwick, baseball player (d. 1975)
• 1911 – Kirby Grant, American actor (d. 1985)
• 1912 – Bernard Delfgaauw, Dutch philosopher (d. 1993)
• 1912 – Garson Kanin, American writer (d. 1999)
• 1912 – Teddy Wilson, American jazz pianist (d. 1986)
• 1913 – Geraldine Fitzgerald, Irish-born actress (d. 2005)
• 1916 – Forrest J. Ackerman, American writer (d. 2008)
• 1916 – Irwin Allen, American film producer (d. 1991)
• 1917 – Howard Duff, American actor (d. 1990)
• 1919 – David Kossoff, British actor (d. 2005)
• 1921 – John Lindsay, American politician (d. 2000)
• 1924 – Victor Grinich, Croatian-American businessman (d. 2000)
• 1925 – William F. Buckley Jr., American writer (d. 2008)
• 1925 – Simon van der Meer, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1926 – Tsung-Dao Lee, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1927 – Ahmadou Kourouma, Ivorian writer (d. 2003)
• 1930 – Bob Friend, baseball player
• 1934 – Alfred Schnittke, Russian composer (d. 1998)
• 1935 – Ronald Vernie Dellums, U.S. Representative from California
• 1938 – Charles Starkweather, American Spree Killer (d. 1959)
• 1938 – Oscar Robertson, American basketball player
• 1938 – Willy Claes, Belgian politician
• 1940 – Paul Tagliabue, retired commissioner of the National Football League
• 1940 – Don Metz, American architect
• 1940 – Eric Wilson, Canadian children's author.
• 1941 – Pete Best, British musician
• 1941 – Donald "Duck" Dunn, American musician (Booker T. and the M.G.'s)
• 1942 – Billy Connolly, Scottish comedian
• 1942 – Marlin Fitzwater, White House Press Secretary
• 1943 – Dave Bing, seven-time All-Star basketball player and 70th mayor of Detroit
• 1943 – Robin Williamson, Scottish musician
• 1944 – Bev Bevan, English rock drummer (The Move, Electric Light Orchestra)
• 1944 – Ibrahim Gambari, Nigerian scholar
• 1944 – Dan Glickman, American political figure
• 1945 – Lee Michaels, American musician and singer
• 1946 – Ted Bundy, American serial killer (d. 1989)
• 1946 – Penelope Jones Halsall (aka Caroline Courtney, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright, Annie Groves, Penny Jordan), English novelist
• 1947 – Dave Sinclair, English musician (Caravan, Hatfield and the North)
• 1947 – Dwight Schultz, American actor
• 1948 – Spider Robinson, science fiction author
• 1948 – Steve Yeager, baseball player
• 1949 – Shane Bourne, Australian comedian and actor
• 1949 – Linda Tripp, American political figure
• 1950 – Stanley Livingston, American actor
• 1951 – Mimis Androulakis, Greek politician and writer
• 1951 – Chet Edwards, American politician
• 1952 – Norbert Haug, German motorsport executive (Mercedes Benz)
• 1952 – Thierry Lhermitte, French comedian and actor
• 1953 – Glenn Withrow, American actor
• 1954 – Emir Kusturica, Serbian filmmaker
• 1955 – Ian Botham, England test cricketer
• 1955 – Clem Burke, American drummer (Blondie)
• 1955 – Takashi Yuasa, Japanese lawyer
• 1955 – Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, Swedish politician
• 1957 – Denise Crosby, American actress
• 1957 – Edward Stourton, British radio presenter
• 1958 – Roy Aitken, Scottish former footballer
• 1958 – Alain Chabat, French actor and director
• 1960 – Amanda Wyss, American actress
• 1960 – Edgar Meyer, American bassist and composer
• 1961 – Carlos Carnero, Spanish member of parliament
• 1961 – Arundhati Roy, Indian writer
• 1962 – John Squire, British guitarist (The Stone Roses)
• 1962 – John Kovalic, British-born cartoonist
• 1964 – Garret Dillahunt, American actor
• 1964 – Brad Sherwood, American comedian
• 1964 – Tony Rombola, American guitarist (Godsmack)
• 1965 – Kim Roe-ha, South Korean actor
• 1965 – Shirley Henderson, Scottish actress
• 1966 – Russell Watson, British singer
• 1967 – Cal Eldred, American baseball player
• 1967 – Henrik Brockmann, Danish heavy metal singer
• 1968 – Bülent Korkmaz, Turkish footballer
• 1968 – Todd Beamer, American, acclaimed hero of United Airlines Flight 93 (d. 2001)
• 1969 – Rob Nicholson, American musician
• 1969 – David Adeang, Nauruan politician
• 1970 – Julieta Venegas, Mexican singer
• 1970 – Ashley Ward, British footballer
• 1970 – Doug Brien, American football player
• 1971 – Cosmas Ndeti, three-time Boston Marathon winner
• 1971 – Keith Primeau, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1974 – Stephen Merchant, British comedian
• 1974 – Taro Yamamoto, Japanese actor
• 1974 – Machel Montano, Trinidad & Tobago musician
• 1975 – Thomas Kohnstamm, American writer
• 1976 – Dave Aizer, American television host
• 1976 – Chen Lu, Chinese figure skater
• 1976 – Christian Laflamme, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1977 – Colin Hanks, American actor
• 1978 – Katherine Heigl, American actress
• 1980 – Beth Phoenix, American professional wrestler
• 1982 – Sean O'Loughlin, English rugby league footballer
• 1983 – Dean Ashton, English footballer
• 1983 – Meredith Henderson, Canadian actress
• 1983 – Karine Vanasse, Canadian actress
• 1984 – Maria Riesch, German alpine skier
• 1985 – Julia Alexandratou, Greek fashion model and singer
• 1985 – Tony Hunt, American football player

Deaths

• 654 – Emperor Kōtoku of Japan (b. 596)
• 1468 – Jean de Dunois, French soldier (b. 1402)
• 1531 – Johannes Oecolampadius, German religious reformer (b. 1482)
• 1541 – Margaret Tudor, wife of James IV of Scotland (b. 1489)
• 1572 – John Knox, Scottish reformer (b. 1510)
• 1583 – René de Birague, French cardinal and chancellor (b. 1506)
• 1615 – Sethus Calvisius, German calendar reformer (b. 1556)
• 1650 – Manuel Cardoso, Portuguese composer (b. 1566)
• 1722 – Johann Adam Reinken, German organist (b. 1623)
• 1741 – Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden (b. 1688)
• 1770 – Charles-Jean-François Hénault, French historian (b. 1685)
• 1775 – Lorenzo Ricci, Italian Jesuit leader (b. 1703)
• 1781 – James Caldwell, American revolutionary (b. 1734)
• 1793 – Clément Charles François de Laverdy, French statesman (b. 1723)
• 1801 – Franz Moritz Graf von Lacy, Austrian field marshal (b. 1725)
• 1807 – Joseph Brant, Mohawk leader (b. 1742)
• 1848 – William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1779)
• 1870 – Comte de Lautréamont, French writer (b. 1846)
• 1885 – Nicolas Avellaneda, Argentine president (b. 1837)
• 1890 – August Belmont, Sr., Prussian-born financier (b. 1816)
• 1916 – Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim, American-born gunsmith (b. 1840)
• 1920 – Alexandru Macedonski, Romanian writer (b. 1854)
• 1922 – Robert Erskine Childers, Irish nationalist (executed) (b. 1870)
• 1929 – Georges Clemenceau, Premier of France (b. 1841)
• 1943 – Doris Miller, American navy cook (b. 1919)
• 1956 – Guido Cantelli, Italian conductor (b. 1920)
• 1957 – Diego Rivera, Mexican painter (b. 1886)
• 1958 – Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, British politician, Nobel laureate (b. 1864)
• 1959 – Dally Messenger, Australian rugby player (b. 1883)
• 1960 – Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia (b. 1882)
• 1961 – Ruth Chatterton, American actress (b. 1893)
• 1963 – Lee Harvey Oswald, accused assassin of John F. Kennedy (b. 1939)
• 1965 – Abdullah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1895)
• 1967 – Louis Fratto, American gangster (b. 1908)
• 1973 – John Neihardt, American writer (b. 1881)
• 1980 – George Raft, American actor (b. 1895)
• 1980 – Herbert Agar, American journalist and historian (b. 1897)
• 1985 – Big Joe Turner, American singer (b. 1911)
• 1987 – Jehane Benoît, French Canadian culinary author (b. 1904)
• 1990 – Fred Shero, National Hockey League player and coach (b. 1925)
• 1990 – Dodie Smith, English novelist and playwright (b. 1896)
• 1990 – Juan Manuel Bordeu, Argentine racing driver (b. 1934)
• 1991 – Freddie Mercury, Zanzibar-born singer (Queen) (b. 1946)
• 1991 – Eric Carr, American drummer (KISS) (b. 1950)
• 1993 – Albert Collins, American blues guitarist (b. 1932)
• 1996 – Sorley MacLean, British poet (b. 1911)
• 1997 – Monique Andrée Serf, known as Barbara, French singer (b. 1930)
• 1999 – Hilary Minster, British actor, best known for his part as the General in 'Allo 'Allo (b. 1944)
• 2001 – Melanie Thornton, American dance/pop singer (b. 1967)
• 2002 – John Rawls, political philosopher (b. 1921)
• 2003 – Floquet de Neu, Ecuato Guinean albino gorilla (b. 1964)
• 2003 – Warren Spahn, Major League Baseball player (b. 1921)
• 2004 – Wong Jim, Hong Kong songwriter (b. 1940)
• 2004 – Arthur Hailey, British-born author (b. 1920)
• 2005 – Pat Morita, American actor (b. 1932)
• 2006 – Juice Leskinen, Finnish rock singer (b. 1950)
• 2006 – George W. S. Trow, American writer (b. 1943)
• 2006 – Zdeněk Veselovský, Czech zoologist (b. 1938)
• 2007 – Casey Calvert, American guitarist (Hawthorne Heights) (b. 1981)
• 2008 – Cecil H. Underwood, Governor of West Virginia (b. 1922)
• 2008 – Kenny MacLean, Scottish musician (Platinum Blonde) (b. 1956)
• 2009 – Abe Pollin, owner of the Washington Wizards (b. 1923)
• 2009 – Samak Sundaravej, Thai politician, Prime Minister 2008 (b. 1935)
• 2009 – Chan Hung Lit, Hong Kong actor (b. 1943)

Holidays and observances

• Roman festivals – in the Byzantine empire the Brumalia (a wine festival) were celebrated from this day until the winter solstice
• R.C. Saints – Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and other Vietnamese Martyrs, Saint Chrysogonus, Saint Colman of Cloyne – Cobh, Ireland, Flavian of Ricina
• Teacher's Day in Turkey
• Lachit Divas is observed on 24th November each year in Assam, India to commemorate the heroism of the Assamese General Lachit Borphukan and the victory of Assamese army over the Mughal army in the Battle of Saraighat in 1671.
• Evolution Day

External links

• »BBC: On This Day
• »On This Day in Canada