April 24 in History

A mass stabbing at a school in Nantes, France, leaves one person dead and three others wounded.

A building collapses near Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing 1,134 people and injuring about 2,500 others.

Violence in Bachu County, Kashgar Prefecture, of China's Xinjiang results in death of 21 people.

WikiLeaks starts publishing the Guantanamo Bay files leak.

Bombings in the Egyptian resort city of Dahab kill 23 people and injure about 80.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is inaugurated as the 265th Pope of the Catholic Church taking the name Pope Benedict XVI.

The United States lifts economic sanctions imposed on Libya 18 years previously, as a reward for its cooperation in eliminating weapons of mass destruction.

In the United States, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 is passed into law.

A Douglas DC-3 ditches in Botany Bay after takeoff from Sydney Airport. All 25 people on board survive.

An IRA bomb devastates the Bishopsgate area of London.

STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched from the Space Shuttle Discovery.

Gruinard Island, Scotland, is officially declared free of the anthrax disease after 48 years of quarantine.

Eight U.S. servicemen die in Operation Eagle Claw as they attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis.

China launches Dong Fang Hong I, becoming the fifth nation to put an object into orbit using its own booster.

The Gambia becomes a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Dawda Jawara as its first President.

Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies in Soyuz 1 when its parachute fails to open. He is the first human to die during a space mission.

Vietnam War: American General William Westmoreland says in a news conference that the enemy had "gained support in the United States that gives him hope that he can win politically that which he cannot win militarily".

Civil war breaks out in the Dominican Republic when Colonel Francisco Caamaño overthrows the triumvirate that had been in power since the coup d'état against Juan Bosch.

Marriage of Princess Alexandra of Kent to Angus Ogilvy at Westminster Abbey in London.

Suez Crisis: The Suez Canal is reopened following the introduction of UNEF peacekeepers to the region.

The Bandung Conference ends: Twenty-nine non-aligned nations of Asia and Africa finish a meeting that condemns colonialism, racism, and the Cold War.

Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

World War II: The SBS launches a raid against the garrison of Santorini in Greece.

Nazi Germany begins its persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses by shutting down the Watch Tower Society office in Magdeburg.

Benny Rothman leads the mass trespass of Kinder Scout, leading to substantial legal reforms in the United Kingdom.

The Treaty of Berlin is signed. Germany and the Soviet Union each pledge neutrality in the event of an attack on the other by a third party for the next five years.

Thorvald Stauning becomes premier of Denmark (first term).

The first segment of the Imperial Wireless Chain providing wireless telegraphy between Leafield in Oxfordshire, England, and Cairo, Egypt, comes into operation.

World War I: First tank-to-tank combat, during the second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. Three British Mark IVs meet three German A7Vs.

Easter Rising: Irish rebels, led by Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, launch an uprising in Dublin against British rule and proclaim an Irish Republic.

Ernest Shackleton and five men of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition launch a lifeboat from uninhabited Elephant Island in the Southern Ocean to organise a rescue for the crew of the sunken Endurance.

The arrest of 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Istanbul marks the beginning of the Armenian genocide.

The Franck–Hertz experiment, a pillar of quantum mechanics, is presented to the German Physical Society.

The Woolworth Building, a skyscraper in New York City, is opened.

Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail single-handedly around the world, sets sail from Boston, Massachusetts aboard the sloop Spray.

American sharpshooter Annie Oakley is hired by Nate Salsbury to be a part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West.

Russo-Turkish War: The Russian Empire declares war on the Ottoman Empire.

The great fire in Surat, India causes more than 500 deaths and destruction of more than 9,000 houses.

The United States Library of Congress is established when President John Adams signs legislation to appropriate $5,000 to purchase "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress".

French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat is acquitted by the Revolutionary Tribunal of charges brought by the Girondin in Paris.

The first regular newspaper in British Colonial America, The Boston News-Letter, is published.

Mary, Queen of Scots, marries the Dauphin of France, François, at Notre-Dame de Paris.

Battle of Mühlberg. Duke of Alba, commanding Spanish-Imperial forces of Charles I of Spain, defeats the troops of Schmalkaldic League.

Abbasid Caliph Al-Qahir is deposed and blinded. His nephew al-Radi suceeds him as caliph.

Consecration of Pope Nicholas I following the death of Pope Benedict III earlier that month.

Traditional reckoning of the Fall of Troy marking the end of the legendary Trojan War, given by chief librarian of the Library of Alexandria Eratosthenes, among others.

Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th dynasty).

Ziyu He, Chinese violinist

Jerry Jeudy, American football player

Ryan Newman, American actress

Lydia Ko, New Zealand golfer

Veronika Kudermetova, Russian tennis player

Ashleigh Barty, Australian tennis player

Kehlani, American singer-songwriter

Jordan Fisher, American singer, dancer, and actor

Caspar Lee, British-South African YouTuber

Ben Davies, Welsh international footballer

Laura Kenny, English cyclist

Jack Quaid, American actor

Sigrid Agren, French-Swedish model

Morgan Ciprès, French figure skater

Batuhan Karadeniz, Turkish footballer

Kim Tae-ri, South Korean actress

Jan Veselý, Czech basketball player

Elīna Babkina, Latvian basketball player

David Boudia, American diver

Taja Mohorčič, Slovenian tennis player

Ben Howard, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Kris Letang, Canadian ice hockey player

Rein Taaramäe, Estonian cyclist

Jan Vertonghen, Belgian international footballer

Varun Dhawan, Indian actor

Aaron Cunningham, American baseball player

Mike Rodgers, American sprinter

Hanna Melnychenko, Ukrainian heptathlete

Kelly Clarkson, American singer-songwriter, talk show host

David Oliver, American hurdler

Simon Tischer, German volleyball player

Taylor Dent, American tennis player

Yuko Nakanishi, Japanese swimmer

Fernando Arce, Mexican footballer

Karen Asrian, Armenian chess player (died 2008)

Diego Quintana, Argentine footballer

Carlos Beltrán, Puerto Rican-American baseball player

Diego Placente, Argentine footballer

Hedda Berntsen, Norwegian skier

Steve Finnan, Irish international footballer

Frédéric Niemeyer, Canadian tennis player and coach

Marte Mjøs Persen, Norwegian politician

Dejan Savić, Yugoslavian and Serbian water polo player

Eric Kripke, American director, producer, and screenwriter

Stephen Wiltshire, English illustrator

Gabby Logan, English gymnast, television and radio host

Damon Lindelof, American screenwriter and producer

Brian Marshall, American bass player and songwriter

Eric Snow, American basketball player and coach

Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricketer

Toomas Tohver, Estonian footballer

Lee Westwood, English golfer

Rab Douglas, Scottish footballer

Chipper Jones, American baseball player

Jure Košir, Slovenian skier and singer

Kumar Dharmasena, Sri Lankan cricketer and umpire

Mauro Pawlowski, Belgian singer-songwriter and guitarist

Damien Fleming, Australian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster

Elias Atmatsidis, Greek footballer

Rory McCann, Scottish actor

Eilidh Whiteford, Scottish academic and politician

Aidan Gillen, Irish actor

Todd Jones, American baseball player

Roxanna Panufnik, English composer

Hashim Thaçi, Kosovan soldier and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Kosovo

Dino Rađa, Croatian basketball player

Omar Vizquel, Venezuelan-American baseball player and coach

Pierre Brassard, Canadian comedian and actor

Alessandro Costacurta, Italian footballer, coach, and manager

David Usher, English-Canadian singer-songwriter

Jeff Jackson, Canadian ice hockey player and manager

Helga Arendt, German sprinter (died 2013)

Cedric the Entertainer, American comedian, actor, and producer

Djimon Hounsou, Beninese-American actor and producer

Witold Smorawiński, Polish guitarist, composer, and educator

Paula Frazer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Billy Gould, American bass player, songwriter, and producer

Mano Solo, French singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2010)

Clemens Binninger, German politician

Stuart Pearce, English footballer, coach, and manager

Steve Roach, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster

Andrew Murrison, English physician and politician, Minister for International Security Strategy

Paula Yates, British-Australian television host and author (died 2000)

Brian Paddick, English police officer and politician

Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed, Pakistani-English businessman and politician

James A. Winnefeld, Jr., American admiral

Marion Caspers-Merk, German politician

John de Mol Jr., Dutch businessman, co-founded Endemol

Eamon Gilmore, Irish trade union leader and politician, 25th Tánaiste of Ireland

Margaret Moran, British politician and criminal

Guy Nève, Belgian race car driver (died 1992)

Michael O'Keefe, American actor

Bill Osborne, New Zealand rugby player

Mumia Abu-Jamal, American journalist, activist, and convicted murderer

Jack Blades, American singer-songwriter and bass player

Eric Bogosian, American actor and writer

Jean Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer

Ralph Winter, American film producer

Ron Arad, Israeli architect and academic

Christian Bobin, French author and poet (died 2022)

Nigel Harrison, English bass player and songwriter

Enda Kenny, Irish educator and politician, 13th Taoiseach of Ireland

Rob Hyman, American singer-songwriter and musician

Eddie Hart, American sprinter

Véronique Sanson, French singer-songwriter and producer

Paul Cellucci, American soldier and politician, 69th Governor of Massachusetts (died 2013)

Eliana Gil, Ecuadorian-American psychiatrist, therapist, and author

Josep Borrell, Spanish engineer and politician, 22nd President of the European Parliament

João Braz de Aviz, Brazilian cardinal

Claude Dubois, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist

Denise Kingsmill, Baroness Kingsmill, New Zealand-English lawyer and politician

Roger D. Kornberg, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Doug Christie, Canadian lawyer and activist (died 2013)

Phil Robertson, American hunter and television personality (died 2025)

Doug Clifford, American drummer and songwriter

Peter Cresswell, English judge

Maarja Nummert, Estonian architect

Tony Visconti, American record producer, musician and singer

Richard Sterban, American country and gospel bass singer

Gordon West, English footballer (died 2012)

Richard M. Daley, American lawyer and politician, 54th Mayor of Chicago

Barbra Streisand, American singer, actress, activist, and producer

Richard Holbrooke, American journalist, banker, and diplomat, 22nd United States Ambassador to the United Nations (died 2010)

John Williams, Australian-English guitarist and composer

Sue Grafton, American author (died 2017)

Joe Henderson, American saxophonist and composer (died 2001)

David Crombie, Canadian educator and politician, 56th Mayor of Toronto

Jill Ireland, English actress (died 1990)

Jayakanthan, Indian journalist and author (died 2015)

Shirley MacLaine, American actress, singer, and dancer

Abdelhamid Kermali, Algerian footballer and manager (died 2013)

Bridget Riley, English painter and illustrator

Jerome Callet, American instrument designer, educator, and author (died 2019)

Richard Donner, American actor, director, and producer (died 2021)

José Sarney, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 31st President of Brazil

Dr. Rajkumar, Indian actor and singer (died 2006)

Tommy Docherty, Scottish footballer and manager (died 2020)

Johnny Griffin, American saxophonist (died 2008)

Anahit Perikhanian, Russian-born Armenian Iranologist (died 2012)

Josy Barthel, Luxembourgish runner and politician, Luxembourgish Minister for Energy (died 1992)

Marilyn Erskine, American actress

Thorbjörn Fälldin, Swedish farmer and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Sweden (died 2016)

Franco Leccese, Italian sprinter (died 1992)

Clement Freud, German-English radio host, academic, and politician (died 2009)

Ruth Kobart, American actress and singer (died 2002)

Gus Bodnar, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 2005)

Doris Burn, American author and illustrator (died 2011)

Marc-Adélard Tremblay, Canadian anthropologist and academic (died 2014)

Gino Valenzano, Italian race car driver (died 2011)

David Blackwell, American mathematician and academic (died 2010)

Glafcos Clerides, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 4th President of Cyprus (died 2013)

Lou Thesz, American wrestler and trainer (died 2002)

William Castle, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1977)

Phil Watson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 1991)

Justin Wilson, American chef and author (died 2001)

Dieter Grau, German-American scientist and engineer (died 2014)

Ruth Osburn, American discus thrower (died 1994)

Marceline Day, American actress (died 2000)

Inga Gentzel, Swedish runner (died 1991)

Józef Gosławski, Polish sculptor (died 1963)

Gabriel Figueroa, Mexican cinematographer (died 1997)

William Joyce, American-born Irish-British Nazi propaganda broadcaster (died 1946)

Mimi Smith, English nurse (died 1991)

Al Bates, American long jumper (died 1999)

Robert Penn Warren, American novelist, poet, and literary critic (died 1989)

Willem de Kooning, Dutch-American painter and educator (died 1997)

José Antonio Primo de Rivera, Spanish lawyer and politician, founded the Falange (died 1936)

Elizabeth Goudge, English author and educator (died 1984)

Oscar Zariski, Russian-American mathematician and academic (died 1986)

Manuel Ávila Camacho, Mexican colonel and politician, 45th President of Mexico (died 1955)

Benjamin Lee Whorf, American linguist, anthropologist, and engineer (died 1941)

Stafford Cripps, English academic and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (died 1952)

Lyubov Popova, Russian painter and academic (died 1924)

Pe Maung Tin, Burma-based scholar and educator (died 1973)

Denys Finch Hatton, English hunter (died 1931)

Thomas Cronan, American triple jumper (died 1962)

Con Walsh, Irish-Canadian hammer thrower and footballer (died 1961)

Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, Scottish-English air marshal (died 1970)

Gideon Sundback, Swedish-American engineer and businessman, developed the zipper (died 1954)

Josef Müller, Croatian entomologist (died 1964)

Susanna Bokoyni, Hungarian-American circus performer (died 1984)

Jean Crotti, Swiss-French painter (died 1958)

Erich Raeder, German admiral (died 1960)

Sandy Herd, Scottish golfer (died 1944)

Tomitaro Makino, Japanese botanist (died 1957)

Queen Marau, last Queen of Tahiti (died 1935)

Philippe Pétain, French general and politician, 119th Prime Minister of France (died 1951)

Carl Spitteler, Swiss poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1924)

Luisa Cappiani, Austrian soprano, educator and essayist (died 1919)

Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Mexican politician, President of Mexico (died 1889)

Anthony Trollope, English novelist, essayist, and short story writer (died 1882)

Peter Vivian Daniel, American lawyer and jurist (died 1860)

Edmund Cartwright, English clergyman and engineer, invented the power loom (died 1823)

Nathaniel Hone the Elder, Irish-English painter and educator (died 1784)

Giovanni Battista Martini, Italian pianist and composer (died 1780)

John Graunt, English demographer and statistician (died 1674)

Gaston, Duke of Orléans, third son of King Henry IV of France (died 1660)

Vincent de Paul, French priest and saint (died 1660)

Xu Guangqi, Ming Dynasty Chinese politician, scholar and lay Catholic leader (died 1633)

Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, English Earl (died 1581)

Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (died 1587)

William I of Orange, founding father of the Netherlands (died 1584)

Thomas Lucy, English politician (died 1600)

Sabina of Bavaria, Bavarian duchess and noblewoman (died 1564)

Ramiro II of Aragon (died 1157)

Dirk Kempthorne, American businessman and politician, 49th United States Secretary of the Interior (born 1951)

Roy Phillips, British musician (born 1941)

Bob Cole, Canadian sports announcer (born 1933)

Terry Hill, Australian rugby league player (born 1972)

Donald Payne Jr., American politician (born 1958)

Mike Pinder, British musician (born 1941)

Wang Xiaolong, Chinese Coast guardsman (born 1995)

Andrew Woolfolk, American saxophonist (born 1950)

Robert Pirsig, American author and philosopher (born 1928)

Tommy Kono, American weightlifter and coach (born 1930)

Władysław Bartoszewski, Polish journalist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1922)

Hans Hollein, Austrian architect, designed Haas House (born 1934)

Sandy Jardine, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1948)

Shobha Nagi Reddy, Indian politician (born 1968)

Tadeusz Różewicz, Polish poet and playwright (born 1921)

Sathya Sai Baba, Indian guru and philanthropist (born 1926)

Jimmy Giuffre, American clarinet player, and saxophonist, and composer (born 1921)

Brian Labone, English footballer (born 1940)

Moshe Teitelbaum, Romanian-American rabbi and author (born 1914)

Ezer Weizman, Israeli general and politician, 7th President of Israel (born 1924)

Fei Xiaotong, Chinese sociologist and academic (born 1910)

José Giovanni, French-Swiss director and producer (born 1923)

Estée Lauder, American businesswoman, co-founded Estée Lauder Companies (born 1906)

Nüzhet Gökdoğan, Turkish astronomer and mathematician (born 1910)

Lucien Wercollier, Luxembourgish sculptor (born 1908)

Josef Peters, German racing driver (born 1914)

Johnny Valentine, American wrestler (born 1928)

Allan Francovich, American director and producer (born 1941)

Pat Paulsen, American comedian and activist (born 1927)

Eugene Stoner, American engineer, designed the AR-15 rifle (born 1922)

Lodewijk Bruckman, Dutch painter (born 1903)

Oliver Tambo, South African lawyer and activist (born 1917)

Tran Duc Thao, Vietnamese philosopher and theorist (born 1917)

Wallis Simpson, American socialite, Duchess of Windsor, wife of the former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, Duke of Windsor (born 1896)

Rafael Pérez y Pérez, Spanish author (born 1891)

Erol Güngör, Turkish sociologist, psychologist, and academic (born 1938)

Rolf Stommelen, German racing driver (born 1943)

Ville Ritola, Finnish runner (born 1896)

Alejo Carpentier, Swiss-Cuban musicologist and author (born 1904)

Mark Tobey, American-Swiss painter and educator (born 1890)

Bud Abbott, American comedian and producer (born 1897)

Fernando Amorsolo, Filipino painter (born 1892)

Otis Spann, American singer and pianist (born 1930)

Walter Tewksbury, American athlete (born 1876)

Vladimir Komarov, Russian pilot, engineer, and cosmonaut (born 1927)

Robert Richards, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of South Australia (born 1885)

Simon Chikovani, Georgian poet and author (born 1902)

Louise Dresser, American actress (born 1878)

Gerhard Domagk, German pathologist and bacteriologist (born 1895)

Milt Franklyn, American composer (born 1897)

Lee Moran, American actor, director and screenwriter (born 1888)

Max von Laue, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1879)

Guy Mairesse, French racing driver (born 1910)

Jāzeps Vītols, Latvian composer (born 1863)

Willa Cather, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (born 1873)

Ernst-Robert Grawitz, German physician and SS officer, facilitator of medical experiments on concentration camp inmates (born 1899)

Charles Jordan, American magician (born 1888)

Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canadian author (born 1874)

Karin Boye, Swedish author and poet (born 1900)

Louis Trousselier, French cyclist (born 1881)

George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (born 1863)

Anastasios Papoulas, Greek general (born 1857)

David Kldiashvili, Georgian author and playwright (born 1862)

G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist and academic (born 1844)

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, German field marshal (born 1800)

Zulma Carraud, French author (born 1796)

Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet and translator (born 1783)

Axel von Fersen the Elder, Swedish field marshal and politician (born 1719)

Eleazar Wheelock, American minister and academic, founded Dartmouth College (born 1711)

Anton thor Helle, German-Estonian clergyman and translator (born 1683)

Daniel Defoe, English journalist, novelist, and spy (born 1660)

Johannes Zollikofer, Swiss vicar (born 1633)

Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (born 1561)

Fidelis of Sigmaringen, German friar and saint (born 1577)

Concino Concini, Italian-French politician, Prime Minister of France (born 1575)

Şehzade Ahmet, Ottoman prince (born 1465)

Jorge Manrique, Spanish poet (born 1440)

Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat (born 1291)

Gertrude of Austria (born 1226)

Petronille de Chemillé, abbess of Fontevrault

Mellitus, saint and archbishop of Canterbury