Wednesday 24 July 2024 Calendar with holidays, observances and special days

Holidays and observances

• Carnival of Awussu in Sousse, Tunisia
• Children's Day in Vanuatu
• Day of the financial worker in Ukraine
• Drive-Thru Day (Restaurants, coffee shops, liquor stores, pharmacies and many more services utilize drive-thrus for quick service)
• International Self-Care Day (Self-care is caring for your mental and emotional needs, physical needs, social needs, spiritual needs, practical needs and intellectual needs)
• National Amelia Earhart Day in USA
• National Cousins Day
• National Tequila Day in USA (A common practice in the U.S. is to take a shot with lime and salt, known as tequila cruda, while those in Mexico opt to savor their tequila neat like whiskey)
• Navy Day in Venezuela (Día de la Armada Bolivariana de Venezuela)
• Poland Police Day (Święto Policji)
• Simón Bolívar Day (Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, and Bolivia)

Events

• 2001 – Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the last Tsar of Bulgaria when he was a child, is sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, becoming the first monarch in history to regain political power through democratic election to a different office.
• 1998 – Russell Eugene Weston, Jr. bursts into the United States Capitol and opens fire killing two police officers. He is later ruled to be incompetent to stand trial.
• 1980 – The Quietly Confident Quartet of Australia wins the Men's 4 x 100 metre medley relay at the Moscow Olympics, the only time the United States has not won the event at Olympic level.
• 1974 – Watergate scandal: The United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Richard Nixon did not have the authority to withhold subpoenaed White House tapes and they order him to surrender the tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor.
• 1966 – Michael Pelkey makes the first BASE jump from El Capitan along with Brian Schubert. Both came out with broken bones. BASE jumping has now been banned from El Cap.
• 1959 – At the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow, U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev have a "Kitchen Debate".
• 1943 – World War II: Operation Gomorrah begins: British and Canadian aeroplanes bomb Hamburg by night, and American planes by day. By the end of the operation in November, 9,000 tons of explosives will have killed more than 30,000 people and destroyed 280,000 buildings.
• 1929 – The Kellogg–Briand Pact, renouncing war as an instrument of foreign policy, goes into effect (it is first signed in Paris on August 27, 1928 by most leading world powers).
• 1911 – Hiram Bingham III re-discovers Machu Picchu, "the Lost City of the Incas".
• 1901 – O. Henry is released from prison in Columbus, Ohio after serving three years for embezzlement from a bank.
• 1866 – Reconstruction: Tennessee becomes the first U.S. state to be readmitted to the Union following the American Civil War.
• 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Kernstown: Confederate General Jubal Early defeats Union troops led by General George Crook in an effort to keep them out of the Shenandoah Valley.
• 1847 - Richard March Hoe, American inventor, patented the rotary-type printing press.
• 1814 – War of 1812: General Phineas Riall advances toward the Niagara River to halt Jacob Brown's American invaders.

Births

• 1989 – Maurkice Pouncey, American football player. He played college football at Florida, where he was a member of a BCS National Championship team and recognized as a consensus All-American, and was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
• 1987 – Nathan Gerbe, American ice hockey player. Nathan David Gerbe (born July 24, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).
• 1985 – Aries Merritt, American hurdler. Aries Merritt (born July 24, 1985) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 110 metre hurdles, and currently holds the world record in that event with a time of 12.80 s set on September 7, 2012.
• 1982 – Elisabeth Moss, American actress. She is known for her work in several television dramas, earning such accolades as two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, which led Vulture to name her the "Queen of Peak TV".
• 1982 – Mewelde Moore, American football player. Moore also played with the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning a Super Bowl ring over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
• 1982 – Trevor Matthews, Canadian actor and producer, founded Brookstreet Pictures. He is the youngest son of telecommunications billionaire Sir Terry Matthews and Ann, Lady Matthews.
• 1980 – Joel Stroetzel, American guitarist. Joel Michael Stroetzel (born July 24, 1980) is best known as the rhythm guitarist from the Massachusetts metalcore band Killswitch Engage.
• 1979 – Jerrod Niemann, American singer-songwriter and guitarist. These albums have produced a combined ten Top 40 entries on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, including the Platinum Number 1 singles "Lover, Lover" (a cover of Sonia Dada's "You Don't Treat Me No Good") and "Drink to That All Night" and Gold Top 5 single "What Do You Want".
• 1979 – Mark Andrew Smith, American author. Mark Andrew Smith is an award-winning comic book author and graphic novelist.
• 1979 – Ryan Speier, American baseball player. Ryan Andrew Speier (born July 24, 1979) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher.
• 1978 – Andy Irons, American surfer (d. 2010), was an American professional surfer. Irons originally began surfing with his brother Bruce on the shallow and dangerous waves of Kauai, Hawaii, before being spotted by a local surfboard brand and flown to North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii to compete and develop their skill.
• 1976 – Rafer Alston, American basketball player. He played for six NBA teams throughout his career.
• 1975 – Eric Szmanda, American actor. He is best known for having played Greg Sanders in the CBS police drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a role he held from the show's beginning in 2000 until it ended in 2015.
• 1975 – Jamie Langenbrunner, American ice hockey player. Langenbrunner was formerly the captain of the 2010 United States Olympic Team, a member of the 1999 Dallas Stars' Stanley Cup championship team and the 2003 New Jersey Devils' Stanley Cup championship team.
• 1975 – Torrie Wilson, American model, fitness competitor, actress and professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE, previously the World Wrestling Federation) under her real name Torrie Wilson.
• 1969 – Jennifer Lopez, American actress, singer, and dancer. For her first leading role in the 1997 Selena biopic of the same name, Lopez received a Golden Globe nomination and became the first Latin actress to earn over US$1 million for a film.
• 1968 – Colleen Doran, American author and illustrator. She adapted and did the art for the short story "Troll Bridge" by Neil Gaiman, which also became a "New York Times" bestseller.
• 1968 – Kristin Chenoweth, American actress and singer. Kristin Dawn Chenoweth (/ˈtʃɛnoʊwɛθ/; born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth, July 24, 1968) is an American actress and singer, with credits in musical theatre, film and television.
• 1968 – Laura Leighton, American actress. She is best known for the role of Sydney Andrews on the television series Melrose Place (1993–1997) and its remake (2009–2010) and for Ashley Marin on Freeform's series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017).
• 1965 – Doug Liman, American director and producer. Smith (2005), Jumper (2008), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and American Made (2017).
• 1965 – Kadeem Hardison, American actor, director, and screenwriter. He also starred in the Disney Channel series K.C.
• 1964 – Barry Bonds, American baseball player. Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants.
• 1964 – John Rosengren, American journalist and author. John Rosengren (born July 24, 1964 in Minneapolis, Minnesota ) is an American writer and author.
• 1963 – Karl Malone, American basketball player and coach. Malone also played one season for the Los Angeles Lakers.
• 1962 – Johnny O'Connell, American race car driver and sportscaster. Johnny O'Connell (born July 24, 1962) is the most successful GM factory racing driver from the United States.
• 1957 – Pam Tillis, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress. Pamela Yvonne Tillis (born July 24, 1957) is an American country music singer and actress.
• 1956 – Charlie Crist, American lawyer and politician, 44th Governor of Florida. He served as the 44th governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011.
• 1953 – Jon Faddis, American trumpet player, composer, and conductor. Jon Faddis (born July 24, 1953) is an American jazz trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator, renowned for both his playing and for his expertise in the field of music education.
• 1952 – Gus Van Sant, American director, producer, and screenwriter. Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author who has earned acclaim as both an independent and mainstream filmmaker.
• 1951 – Lynda Carter, American actress, was crowned Miss World USA 1972 and finished in the Top 15 at the Miss World 1972 pageant.
• 1949 – Michael Richards, American actor and comedian. He went on to become a series regular on ABC's Fridays.
• 1947 – Peter Serkin, American pianist and educator. Peter Adolf Serkin (born July 24, 1947) is an American pianist.
• 1942 – Chris Sarandon, American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Leon Shermer in Dog Day Afternoon.
• 1940 – Dan Hedaya, American actor. He established himself as a supporting actor, often playing sleazy villains or wisecracking supporting characters.
• 1939 – Walt Bellamy, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013), was an American professional basketball player. A four-time NBA All-Star, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
• 1938 – Eugene J. Martin, American painter (d. 2005), was an African-American visual artist.
• 1937 – Quinlan Terry, English architect, designed the Brentwood Cathedral. John Quinlan Terry CBE (born 24 July 1937 in Hampstead, London, England) is a British architect.
• 1936 – Ruth Buzzi, American actress and comedian. She is best known for her performances on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968–73, for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received five Emmy nominations.
• 1935 – Aaron Elkins, American author and academic. Aaron Elkins (born Brooklyn July 24, 1935) is an American mystery writer.
• 1935 – Mel Ramos, American painter, illustrator, and academic, was an American figurative painter, specializing most often in paintings of female nudes, whose work incorporates elements of realist and abstract art.
• 1933 – Doug Sanders, American golfer. George Douglas Sanders (born July 24, 1933) is a retired American professional golfer who won 20 events on the PGA Tour and had four runner-up finishes at major championships.
• 1930 – Alfred Balk, American journalist and author (d. 2010), was an American reporter, nonfiction author and magazine editor who wrote groundbreaking articles about housing segregation, the Nation of Islam, the environment and Illinois politics. His refusal to identify a confidential source led to a landmark court case.
• 1927 – Alex Katz, American painter and sculptor. He is represented by numerous galleries internationally.
• 1921 – Billy Taylor, American pianist and composer (d. 2010), was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L.
• 1920 – Bella Abzug, American lawyer and politician (d. 1998), was an American lawyer, U.S. Representative, social activist and a leader of the Women's Movement.
• 1920 – Constance Dowling, American model and actress (d. 1969), was an American model turned actress of the 1940s and 1950s.
• 1919 – John Winkin, American baseball player, coach, and journalist (d. 2014). Winkin Jr. (July 24, 1919 – July 19, 2014) was an American baseball coach, scout, broadcaster, journalist and collegiate athletics administrator.
• 1918 – Ruggiero Ricci, American violinist and educator (d. 2012), was an American violinist known for performances and recordings of the works of Paganini.
• 1916 – John D. MacDonald, American colonel and author (d. 1986), was an American writer of novels and short stories, known for his thrillers.
• 1914 – Ed Mirvish, American-Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2007), was an American-Canadian businessman, philanthropist and theatrical impresario who lived in Toronto, Ontario. He is known for his flagship business, Honest Ed's, a landmark discount store in downtown Toronto, and as a patron of the arts, instrumental in revitalizing the theatre scene in Toronto.
• 1913 – Britton Chance, American biologist and sailor (d. 2010), was the Eldridge Reeves Johnson University Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Biophysics, as well as Professor Emeritus of Physical Chemistry and Radiological Physics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
• 1910 – Harry Horner, American director and production designer (d. 1994), was an Austro-Hungarian-born American art director who made a successful career in Hollywood as an Oscar-winning art director and as a feature film and television director.
• 1904 – Leo Arnaud, French-American trombonist, composer, and conductor (d. 1991), was a French-American composer of film scores, best known for "Bugler's Dream", which is used as the theme by television networks presenting the Olympic Games in the United States.
• 1904 – Richard B. Morris, American historian and academic (d. 1989), was an American historian best known for his pioneering work in colonial American legal history and the early history of American labor. In later years, he shifted his research interests to the constitutional, diplomatic, and political history of the American Revolution and the making of the United States Constitution.
• 1900 – Zelda Fitzgerald, American author and poet (d. 1948), was an American novelist, socialite, painter and wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• 1897 – Amelia Earhart, American pilot and author (d. 1937), was an American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
• 1889 – Agnes Meyer Driscoll, American cryptanalyst (d. 1971), was an American cryptanalyst during both World War I and World War II.
• 1880 – Ernest Bloch, Swiss-American composer and educator (d. 1959), was a Swiss-born American composer. Bloch was a preeminent artist in his day, and left a lasting legacy.
• 1821 – William Poole, American boxer and gangster (d. 1855), was the leader of the Washington Street Gang, which later became known as the Bowery Boys gang. He was a local leader of the Know Nothing political movement in mid-19th-century New York City.
• 1803 – Alexander J. Davis, American architect (d. 1892). Alexander Jackson Davis, or A.

Deaths

• 2016 – Marni Nixon, American actress and singer (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Ingrid Sischy, South African-American journalist and critic (b. 1952)
• 2015 – Jim Mitchell, American captain, lawyer, and judge (b. 1946)
• 2015 – Peg Lynch, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1916)
• 2014 – Dale Schlueter, American basketball player (b. 1945)
• 2014 – Ik-Hwan Bae, Korean-American violinist and educator (b. 1956)
• 2013 – Fred Dretske, American philosopher and academic (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Garry Davis, American pilot and activist, created the World Passport (b. 1921)
• 2013 – Virginia E. Johnson, American psychologist and sexologist (b. 1925)
• 2012 – Chad Everett, American actor and director (b. 1937)
• 2012 – Larry Hoppen, American singer and guitarist (b. 1951)
• 2012 – Robert Ledley, American physiologist and physicist, invented the CT scanner (b. 1926)
• 2012 – Sherman Hemsley, American actor and singer (b. 1938)
• 2011 – Dan Peek, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1950)
• 2011 – Skip Thomas, American football player (b. 1950)
• 2008 – Norman Dello Joio, American pianist and composer (b. 1913)
• 2007 – Albert Ellis, American psychologist and author (b. 1913)
• 1997 – William J. Brennan, Jr., American colonel and jurist (b. 1906)
• 1994 – Helen Cordero, Cochiti Pueblo (Native American) Pueblo potter (b. 1915)
• 1991 – Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
• 1986 – Fritz Albert Lipmann, German-American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
• 1966 – Tony Lema, American golfer (b. 1934)
• 1965 – Constance Bennett, American actress and producer (b. 1904)
• 1891 – Hermann Raster, German-American journalist and politician (b. 1827)
• 1862 – Martin Van Buren, American lawyer and politician, 8th President of the United States (b. 1782)