June 24 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Historical Events

2010

John Isner and Nicolas Mahut completed the longest tennis match in history after 11 hours and 5 minutes

The Wimbledon first-round match stretched across three days, with the final set alone lasting over 8 hours. The scoreboard malfunctioned because it wa...

1995

South Africa defeated New Zealand to win the Rugby World Cup in front of Nelson Mandela

In post-apartheid South Africa's first major sporting triumph, the Springboks won 15-12 in extra time. Mandela, wearing the team's green jersey, prese...

1982

British Airways Flight 9 flew through a volcanic ash cloud and all four engines failed at 37,000 feet

The Boeing 747 lost all power and began gliding toward the ocean in complete darkness. After descending 23,000 feet, the crew managed to restart the e...

1957

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment

In Roth v. United States, the Court established the 'Roth test' to determine what qualifies as obscene material. The decision stated that obscenity is...

1948

The Soviet Union began the Berlin Blockade, cutting off all ground access to West Berlin

Major

Stalin ordered the closure of all road, rail, and canal routes into West Berlin in an attempt to force the Allies out. The blockade lasted 11 months a...

1947

Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine unusual flying objects over Washington State, sparking the modern UFO phenomenon

Major

While flying his private plane near Mount Rainier, pilot Kenneth Arnold claimed to see nine shiny objects moving at incredible speeds. His description...

1940

France signed an armistice with Italy, completing its surrender to the Axis powers

Just one day after the devastating armistice with Germany, France also capitulated to Mussolini's Italy. Ironically, Italian forces had achieved almos...

1913

Greece and Serbia broke their alliance with Bulgaria, beginning the Second Balkan War

Just one month after defeating the Ottoman Empire together, the Balkan allies turned on each other in a dispute over Macedonia. Bulgaria attacked its...

1894

Marie François Sadi Carnot, President of France, was assassinated by an Italian anarchist with a knife

Carnot was stabbed while riding in his carriage at Lyon after attending a public banquet. His last words were reportedly 'I don't care a damn about it...

1880

O Canada, the national anthem of Canada, was first performed at a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day banquet

Calixa Lavallée composed the music and Adolphe-Basile Routhier wrote the French lyrics for this patriotic song in Quebec City. It was originally a Fre...

1821

Simón Bolívar defeated Spanish royalist forces at the Battle of Carabobo, securing Venezuelan independence

Bolívar's decisive victory effectively ended Spanish colonial rule in Venezuela, though fighting continued sporadically. The battle lasted only a few...

1717

The Grand Lodge of London was founded, establishing the framework for modern Freemasonry

Four London lodges met at the Goose and Gridiron Ale House to form the first Grand Lodge. This meeting transformed Freemasonry from scattered medieval...

1497

John Cabot became the first European since the Vikings to reach mainland North America

Major

The Italian explorer, sailing under the English flag, landed somewhere on the coast of North America (likely Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island). He c...

1374

A bizarre dancing plague struck Aachen, Germany, where people danced uncontrollably in the streets

Dozens of people were seized by an irresistible urge to dance, continuing for hours or days until they collapsed from exhaustion. Some died from heart...

1314

Scotland won its independence from England at the Battle of Bannockburn

Major

Robert the Bruce led Scottish forces to a decisive victory against Edward II's much larger English army. This two-day battle, concluding on June 24, i...