Saturday 24 February 2024 Calendar with holidays, observances and special days

Holidays and observances

• Iran Engineer's Day
• Mexico Flag Day
• National Artist Day in Thailand
• National Tortilla Chip Day in USA
• Women's Day in Paraguay (Día de la Mujer Paraguaya)
• World Bartender Day
• World Information Architecture Day (World IA Day is a one-day annual celebration hosted by the Information Architecture Institute and held in dozens of locations across the globe)

Events

• 2015 – A Metrolink train derails in Oxnard, California following a collision with a truck, leaving more than 30 injured.
• 1983 – A special commission of the United States Congress condemns the Japanese American internment during World War II.
• 1980 – The United States Olympic hockey team completes its Miracle on Ice by defeating Finland 4–2 to win the gold medal.
• 1946 – Colonel Juan Perón, founder of the political movement that became known as Peronism, is elected to his first term as President of Argentina.
• 1920 – The Nazi Party is founded.
• 1920 – Nancy Astor became the first woman to speak in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom following her election as a Member of Parliament (MP) three months earlier.
• 1917 – World War I: The U.S. ambassador Walter Hines Page to the United Kingdom is given the Zimmermann Telegram, in which Germany pledges to ensure the return of New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona to Mexico if Mexico declares war on the United States.
• 1916 – The Governor-General of Korea establishes a clinic called Jahyewon in Sorokdo to segregate Hansen's disease patients.
• 1895 – Revolution breaks out in Baire, a town near Santiago de Cuba, beginning the Cuban War of Independence, that ends with the Spanish–American War in 1898.
• 1868 – Andrew Johnson becomes the first President of the United States to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives. He is later acquitted in the Senate.
• 1863 – Arizona is organized as a United States territory.
• 1854 – A Penny Red with perforations was the first perforated postage stamp to be officially issued for distribution.
• 1831 – The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the first removal treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act, is proclaimed. The Choctaws in Mississippi cede land east of the river in exchange for payment and land in the West.
• 1826 – The signing of the Treaty of Yandabo marks the end of the First Anglo-Burmese War.
• 1822 – The first Swaminarayan temple in the world, Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad, is inaugurated.
• 1803 – In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court of the United States establishes the principle of judicial review.
• 1711 – The London première of Rinaldo by George Frideric Handel, the first Italian opera written for the London stage.
• 1607 – L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi, one of the first works recognized as an opera, receives its première performance.
• 1303 – Battle of Roslin, of the First War of Scottish Independence.

Births

• 1994 – Earl Sweatshirt, American hip-hop artist. Thebe Neruda Kgositsile (born February 24, 1994), known professionally as Earl Sweatshirt, is an American rapper and record producer from Los Angeles, California.
• 1991 – Madison Hubbell, American ice dancer. With Zachary Donohue, she is a two-time World medalist, 2018 Grand Prix Final champion, 2014 Four Continents champion, and two-time U.S. national champion (2018–2019).
• 1989 – Kosta Koufos, American basketball player. Konstantine Demetrios "Kosta" Koufos (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Δημήτριος "Κώστας" Κουφός; born February 24, 1989) is a Greek professional basketball player for CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League and the EuroLeague.
• 1989 – Trace Cyrus, American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Trace Dempsey Cyrus (born Neil Timothy Helson; February 24, 1989) is an American musician.
• 1984 – Corey Graves, American wrestler and sportscaster. Matthew Polinsky (born February 24, 1984) is an American wrestling color commentator, columnist, podcaster and retired professional wrestler.
• 1982 – Nick Blackburn, American baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins from 2007 to 2012.
• 1978 – DeWayne Wise, American baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Florida Marlins, and New York Yankees.
• 1977 – Bronson Arroyo, American baseball player and singer. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates between 2000 and 2002, the Boston Red Sox from 2003 to 2005, the Cincinnati Reds from 2006 to 2013, the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2014, and the Reds again in 2017.
• 1977 – Floyd Mayweather, Jr., American boxer. Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (né Sinclair; born February 24, 1977) is an American professional boxing promoter and former professional boxer.
• 1976 – Crista Flanagan, American actress and screenwriter. Crista Flanagan (born February 24, 1976) is an American comedic actress best known for her work as a cast member on the FOX sketch comedy series MADtv from 2005 to 2009, various roles in films made by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, and for her recurring role as Lois Sadler on the AMC series Mad Men.
• 1976 – Matt Skiba, American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Matthew Thomas Skiba (born February 24, 1976) is an American musician, singer and songwriter, known for his role as the co-lead vocalist and guitarist of the bands Alkaline Trio and Blink-182.
• 1976 – Zach Johnson, American golfer. Not to be confused with golf club professional Zach J.
• 1974 – Bonnie Somerville, American actress. She starred as Dr.
• 1974 – Chad Hugo, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer. Charles Edward "Chad" Hugo (born February 24, 1974) is an American multi-instrumentalist and record producer.
• 1974 – Mike Lowell, American baseball player and sportscaster. Michael Averett Lowell (born February 24, 1974) is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman.
• 1973 – Chris Fehn, American drummer. Christopher Michael "Chris" Fehn (born February 24, 1973), or known by his number #3, is an American musician, best known as a former percussionist of the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Slipknot.
• 1971 – Josh Bernstein, American anthropologist, explorer, and author. Josh Bernstein (born February 24, 1971) is an American explorer, author, survival expert, anthropologist, and TV host best known as the host of Digging for the Truth.
• 1970 – Jeff Garcia, American football player and coach. After attending high school and junior college in Gilroy, California, Garcia played college football at San Jose State University.
• 1968 – Mitch Hedberg, American comedian and actor (d. 2005), was an American stand-up comedian known for his surreal humor and deadpan delivery. His comedy typically featured short, sometimes one-line jokes mixed with absurd elements and non sequiturs.
• 1966 – Billy Zane, American actor and producer. His other films include Back to the Future (1985) and its sequel Back to the Future Part II (1989), Dead Calm (1989), the television series Twin Peaks (1991), Tombstone (1993), Demon Knight (1995), The Phantom (1996) and the video game Kingdom Hearts (2002).
• 1965 – Jane Swift, American businesswoman and politician, Governor of Massachusetts. Jane Maria Swift (born February 24, 1965) is an education executive, speaker and former political leader who served as the 69th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2003 and, concurrently, as Acting Governor from April 2001 to January 2003.
• 1965 – Paul Gruber, American football player. Paul Blake Gruber (born February 24, 1965) is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League.
• 1962 – Michelle Shocked, American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Michelle Shocked (born Karen Michelle Johnston; February 24, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter.
• 1959 – Beth Broderick, American actress and director. She also had recurring roles as Diane Janssen in the ABC mystery drama series Lost (2005–2008) and as Rose Twitchell in the CBS science fiction drama series Under the Dome (2013).
• 1958 – Mark Moses, American actor. Moses (born February 24, 1958) is an American actor, known for his roles of Paul Young on Desperate Housewives and Herman "Duck" Phillips on the AMC series Mad Men.
• 1958 – Sammy Kershaw, American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Samuel Paul Kershaw (born February 24, 1958) is an American country music artist.
• 1956 – Eddie Murray, American baseball player and coach. Eddie Clarence Murray (born February 24, 1956), nicknamed "Steady Eddie", is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman and designated hitter.
• 1956 – Judith Butler, American philosopher, theorist, and author. Judith Pamela Butler (born February 24, 1956) is an American philosopher and gender theorist whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminist, queer, and literary theory.
• 1956 – Paula Zahn, American journalist and producer. She currently produces and hosts the true crime documentary series On the Case with Paula Zahn on the Investigation Discovery channel.
• 1955 – Steve Jobs, American businessman, co-founded Apple Inc. and Pixar (d. 2011), was an American business magnate, industrial designer, investor, and media proprietor. He was the chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), and co-founder of Apple Inc., the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar, a member of The Walt Disney Company's board of directors following its acquisition of Pixar, and the founder, chairman, and CEO of NeXT.
• 1954 – Sid Meier, Canadian-American game designer and programmer, created the Civilization series. Meier co-founded MicroProse in 1982 with Bill Stealey and is the Director of Creative Development of Firaxis Games, which he co-founded with Jeff Briggs and Brian Reynolds in 1996.
• 1951 – Debra Jo Rupp, American actress. Debra Jo Rupp (born February 24, 1951) is an American actress, best known for her roles as Kitty Forman on the Fox sitcom That '70s Show and Alice Knight-Buffay on the third, fourth and fifth seasons of Friends.
• 1950 – George Thorogood, American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He has also helped to popularize older songs by American icons, such as "Move It on Over", "Who Do You Love?", and "House Rent Boogie/One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer".
• 1950 – Steve McCurry, American photographer and journalist. McCurry has photographed many assignments for National Geographic and has been a member of Magnum Photos since 1986.
• 1947 – Edward James Olmos, American actor and director. In 2018, he played the father of two biker gang members in the FX series Mayans MC.
• 1947 – Mike Fratello, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster. Michael Robert Fratello (born February 24, 1947) is an American sports broadcaster and a professional basketball coach.
• 1947 – Rupert Holmes, English-American singer-songwriter and playwright. He is also known for his musicals Drood, which earned him two Tony Awards, and Curtains, and for his television series Remember WENN.
• 1945 – Barry Bostwick, American actor and singer. Bostwick has also had considerable success in musical theatre, winning a Tony Award for his role in the musical The Robber Bridegroom.
• 1943 – Kent Haruf, American novelist (d. 2014). Haruf was born in Pueblo, Colorado, the son of a Methodist minister.
• 1943 – Terry Semel, American businessman, was the chairman and CEO of Yahoo! Incorporated from 2001 to 2007. Previously, he spent 24 years at Warner Bros., where he served as chairman and co-chief executive officer.
• 1942 – Joe Lieberman, American lawyer and politician. Joseph Isadore Lieberman (/ˈliːbərmən/; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist and attorney who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013.
• 1941 – Joanie Sommers, American singer and actress. Joanie Sommers (born Joan Drost, Buffalo, New York, February 24, 1941) is an American singer and actress with a career concentrating on jazz, standards and popular material and show-business credits.
• 1940 – Pete Duel, American actor (d. 1971), was an American stage, television, and film actor, best known for his starring role as outlaw Hannibal Heyes (alias Joshua Smith) in the television series Alias Smith and Jones. He was the older brother of actor Geoffrey Deuel, who is best known for his role in Chisum (1970) and numerous episodic television appearances of the 1960s and '70s.
• 1938 – James Farentino, American actor (d. 2012). He appeared in nearly 100 television, film, and stage roles, among them The Final Countdown, Jesus of Nazareth, and Dynasty.
• 1938 – Phil Knight, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Nike, Inc. As of October 2019, Knight was ranked by Forbes as the 21st richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$37.6 billion.
• 1933 – Ali Mazrui, Kenyan-American political scientist, philosopher, and academic (d. 2014), was an academic professor, and political writer on African and Islamic studies and North-South relations. He was born in Mombasa, Kenya.
• 1933 – David "Fathead" Newman, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2009), was an American jazz and rhythm-and-blues saxophonist who made numerous recordings as a session musician and leader, but is best known for his work as a sideman on seminal 1950s and early 1960s recordings by singer-pianist Ray Charles.
• 1933 – Judah Folkman, American physician and biologist (d. 2008), was an American medical scientist best known for his research on tumor angiogenesis, the process by which a tumor attracts blood vessels to nourish itself and sustain its existence. He founded the field of angiogenesis research, which has led to the discovery of a number of therapies based on inhibiting or stimulating neovascularization.
• 1932 – John Vernon, Canadian-American actor (d. 2005), was a Canadian actor. He made a career in Hollywood after achieving initial television stardom in Canada.
• 1932 – Zell Miller, American sergeant and politician, 79th Governor of Georgia, was an American author and politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. A Democrat, Miller served as lieutenant governor from 1975 to 1991, 79th Governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, and as U.S.
• 1931 – Dominic Chianese, American actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and Johnny Ola in The Godfather Part II.
• 1930 – Barbara Lawrence, American model and actress (d. 2013), was an American model, actress, and real estate agent.
• 1925 – Bud Day, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2013), was a United States Air Force officer, aviator, and veteran of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. He was also a prisoner of war, and recipient of the Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross.
• 1924 – Hal Herring, American football player and coach (d. 2014). He played college football at Auburn University and professionally as a center and linebacker for the Buffalo Bills in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL).
• 1922 – Steven Hill, American actor (d. 2016). His two better-known roles are district attorney Adam Schiff on the NBC television drama series Law & Order, whom he portrayed for 10 seasons (1990–2000), and Dan Briggs, the original team leader of the Impossible Missions Force on the CBS television series Mission: Impossible, whom he portrayed in the initial season of the show (1966–1967).
• 1921 – Abe Vigoda, American actor (d. 2016), was an American actor known for his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather (1972) and Phil Fish in Barney Miller (1975–1977, 1982) and Fish (1977–1978).
• 1914 – Weldon Kees, American author, poet, painter, and pianist (d. 1955), was an American poet, painter, literary critic, novelist, playwright, jazz pianist, short story writer, and filmmaker. Despite his brief career, Kees is considered an important mid-twentieth-century poet of the same generation as John Berryman, Elizabeth Bishop, and Robert Lowell.
• 1909 – August Derleth, American anthologist and author (d. 1971), was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first book publisher of the writings of H.
• 1908 – Telford Taylor, American general, lawyer, and historian (d. 1998), was an American lawyer best known for his role as Counsel for the Prosecution at the Nuremberg Trials after World War II, his opposition to Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s, and his outspoken criticism of U.S. actions during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s.
• 1900 – Irmgard Bartenieff, German-American dancer and physical therapist, leading pioneer of dance therapy (d. 1981), was a dance theorist, dancer, choreographer, physical therapist, and a leading pioneer of dance therapy. A student of Rudolf Laban, she pursued cross-cultural dance analysis, and generated a new vision of possibilities for human movement and movement training.
• 1896 – Richard Thorpe, American director and screenwriter (d. 1991), was an American film director best known for his long career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
• 1890 – Marjorie Main, American actress (d. 1975), was the stage name of Mary Tomlinson (February 24, 1890 – April 10, 1975), who was an American character actress and singer of the Classical Hollywood period, best known as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player in the 1940s and 1950s, and for her role as Ma Kettle in ten Ma and Pa Kettle movies. Main started her career in vaudeville and theatre and appeared in films classics, such as Dead End (1937), Dark Command (1940), The Shepherd of the Hills (1941), Meet Me in St.
• 1885 – Chester W. Nimitz, American admiral (d. 1966), was a fleet admiral of the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief, U.S.
• 1874 – Honus Wagner, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1955), was an American baseball shortstop who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1917, almost entirely for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wagner won his eighth (and final) batting title in 1911, a National League record that remains unbroken to this day, and matched only once, in 1997, by Tony Gwynn.
• 1836 – Winslow Homer, American painter and illustrator (d. 1910), was an American landscape painter and printmaker, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th-century America and a preeminent figure in American art.
• 1786 – Martin W. Bates, American lawyer and politician (d. 1869), was a lawyer and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist Party, and then the Democratic Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as U.S.
• 1721 – John McKinly, Irish-American physician and politician, 1st Governor of Delaware (d. 1796). He was a veteran of the French and Indian War, served in the Delaware General Assembly, was the first elected President of Delaware, and for a time was a member of the Federalist Party.

Deaths

• 2016 – George C. Nichopoulos, American soldier and physician (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Franny Beecher, American guitarist (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Harold Ramis, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1944)
• 2013 – Virgil Johnson, American singer (b. 1935)
• 2012 – Agnes Allen, American baseball player and therapist (b. 1930)
• 2008 – Larry Norman, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
• 2007 – Bruce Bennett, American shot putter and actor (b. 1906)
• 2007 – Damien Nash, American football player (b. 1982)
• 2006 – Dennis Weaver, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1924)
• 2006 – Don Knotts, American actor and comedian (b. 1924)
• 2006 – John Martin, Canadian broadcaster, co-founded MuchMusic (b. 1947)
• 2006 – Octavia E. Butler, American author and educator (b. 1947)
• 2004 – John Randolph, American actor (b. 1915)
• 2002 – Leo Ornstein, Ukrainian-American pianist and composer (b. 1893)
• 2001 – Claude Shannon, American mathematician, cryptographer, and engineer (b. 1916)
• 2001 – Theodore Marier, American composer and educator, founded the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School (b. 1912)
• 1999 – Andre Dubus, American short story writer, essayist, and memoirist (b. 1936)
• 1998 – Antonio Prohías, Cuban-American cartoonist (b. 1921)
• 1998 – Henny Youngman, English-American comedian and violinist (b. 1906)
• 1994 – Dinah Shore, American actress and singer (b. 1916)
• 1991 – George Gobel, American actor (b. 1919)
• 1991 – John Daly, American journalist and game show host (b. 1914)
• 1991 – Webb Pierce, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1921)
• 1990 – Johnnie Ray, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1927)
• 1990 – Malcolm Forbes, American sergeant and publisher (b. 1917)
• 1990 – Tony Conigliaro, American baseball player (b. 1945)
• 1982 – Virginia Bruce, American actress (b. 1910)
• 1978 – Alma Thomas, American painter and educator (b.1891)
• 1974 – Margaret Leech, American historian and author (b. 1893)
• 1970 – Conrad Nagel, American actor (b. 1897)
• 1953 – Robert La Follette Jr., American politician, senator of Wisconsin (b. 1895)
• 1914 – Joshua Chamberlain, American general and politician, 32nd Governor of Maine (b. 1828)
• 1876 – Joseph Jenkins Roberts, American-Liberian politician, 1st President of Liberia (b. 1809)
• 1815 – Robert Fulton, American engineer (b. 1765)