August 24th in History

A page from the Gutenberg Bible

Today in History

  • Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying the Roman city of Pompeii (79)
  • The Visigoths (410) and the Vandals (455) pillage Rome
  • The printing of the Gutenberg Bible is completed (1456)
  • War of 1812: The British invade Washington, DC, and burn the White House, Capitol, and other buildings (1814)
  • Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera (1891)
  • Amelia Earhart flies non-stop across the US (1932)
  • The US outlaws the American Communist Party (1954)
  • Pete Rose is banned from baseball (1989)

Birthdays

  • Robert Herrick, poet (1591)
  • Max Beerbohm, essayist and caricaturist (1872)
  • Jorge Luis Borges, author (1899)
  • Carlo Gambino, mob boss (1902)
  • Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, blues musician (1905)
  • Durward Kirby, television host (1911)
  • James Tiptree, Jr., science fiction writer (1915)
  • Dennis James, game show host (1917)
  • Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader (1929)
  • Kenny Baker, actor known for R2-D2 (1934)
  • Mason Williams, musician (1938)
  • Gregory Jarvis, astronaut (1944)
  • Vince McMahon, wrestling promoter (1945)
  • Anne Archer, actress (1947)
  • Jean Michel Jarre, musician (1948)
  • Charles Rocket, comedian (1949)
  • Gerry Cooney, boxer (1956)
  • Stephen Fry, actor and author (1957)
  • Cal Ripken, Jr., baseball player (1960)
  • Marlee Matlin, actress (1965)
  • Dave Chappelle, comedian (1973)
  • Rupert Grint, actor (1988)

Deaths

  • Zhang Ye, Chinese military leader (948)
  • Louis Prima, musician (1978)
  • Hanna Reitsch, German pilot (1979)
  • E. G. Marshall, actor (1998)
  • Jane Greer, actress (2001)
  • Elisabeth Kühler-Ross, psychiatrist (2004)
  • Julie Harris, actress (2013)
  • Richard Attenborough, filmmaker (2014)
  • Jay Thomas, comedian and talk show host (2017)

Holidays and Observances

  • Flag Day (Liberia)
  • Independence Day (Ukraine)
  • International Strange Music Day
  • National Waffle Day (US)
  • Nostalgia Night (Uruguay)
  • Willika Raymi (Cusco, Peru)

August 24 is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years). There are 129 days remaining until the end of the year.