AUGUST 24 | Birthdays and Events
Famous Birthdays
People born on August 24
Zonia Baber
Died: January 10, 1956 (age 93 years)
Geographer and geologist who helped developed methods for teaching geography through field work and experimentation.
Carlo Gambino
Sicilian crime boss who was the leader of the Gambino crime family in his death in 1976.
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
Died: March 28, 1974 (age 68 years)
Acclaimed delta blues singer, songwriter and guitarist.
Hal Smith
Died: January 28, 1994 (age 77 years)
Actor who is fondly remembered for his role as Otis on The Andy Griffith Show.
Ray McIntire
Died: February 2, 1996 (age 77 years)
Chemical engineer who invented Styrofoam.
Vince McMahon
Co-founder of WWE.
Danny Joe Brown
Died: March 10, 2005 (age 53 years)
Southern rock lead singer of the band Molly Hatchet.
Dave Chappelle
Actor and comedian.
John Green (
Author who wrote The Fault in Our Stars, which was later turned into an award winning movie.
Chad Michael Murray
Actor known for his role as Lucas Scott on One Tree Hill.
Historical Events on August 24
Events that occurred on August 24 throughout history
British troops capture Washington, D.C. and set many public buildings on fire.
British troops capture Washington, D.C. and set the Presidential Mansion, Capitol, Navy Yard and many other public buildings ablaze.
Cornelius Swarthout patents the stove-top waffle iron.
Cornelius Swarthout patents the stove-top waffle iron.
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly non-stop across the U.S.
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly non-stop across the U.S., traveling 2,477 miles for 19 hours and 5 minutes from Los Angeles to New Jersey.
President Roosevelt gives the FBI authority to gather intelligence on fascist and communist groups.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover authorization to begin gathering domestic intelligence on the activities of fascist and communist groups in the U.S. after having concerns that foreign political movements were trying to destroy American democracy.
Hitler orders the stop of euthanasia of the mentally ill and the handicapped.
Adolf Hitler orders the stop of Nazi Germany's systematic T4 euthanasia program. The order was intended to euthanize the mentally ill and the handicapped. Killings continued for the remainder of the war despite public protest.
Allied troops begin the attack on Paris.
Allied troops begin the attack on Paris to liberate the city from German occupation.
Edith Sampson becomes the first black U.S. delegate to the United Nations.
Edith Sampson becomes the first black U.S. delegate to the United Nations, serving on the UN Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee.
President Eisenhower signs the Communist Control Act.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Communist Control Act, outlawing the Communist Party of its legal rights, and placed restrictions on labor unions.
Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as head of the Communist Party.
Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as head of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Microsoft debuts Windows 95 to the public.
Microsoft debuts Windows 95 to the public, selling 7 million copies in its first five weeks on the market.
