46 BC During leap years in Roman times, the last day of February was the 28th. The extra day was achieved by counting February 24 twice. Before Julius Caesar reformed the calendar in 46BC, February was the only month with an even number of days. All the rest had 29 or 31. Odd numbers were seen as luckier.
303 AD Roman emperor Diocletian's first "Edict against the Christians" was published on February 24, 303, beginning the Diocletianic Persecution, the last and most severe episode of the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. Diocletian's systematic intense persecution against the Church, climaxed in early 304 when all Christians were required to make sacrifice to the empire on the pain of death. An estimated 3,000–3,500 Christians were martyred in the persecution.
1209 On February 24, 1209, Francis of Assisi, the son of a successful cloth merchant, heard a sermon based on Matthew 10:9 that changed his life forever. The gospel passage recounts Christ telling his followers they should go forth and proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven was upon them, that they should take no money with them, nor even a walking stick or shoes for the road. Francis was inspired to devote himself to a life of poverty.
1525 On February 24, 1525 Francis I of France suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Pavia during the Italian Wars. The French king was captured by the forces of Charles V and imprisoned in Madrid. In the Treaty of Madrid, Francis was forced to make major concessions to the Holy Roman Emperor before he was freed on March 17, 1526.
1607 Claudio Monteverdi's first opera, L'Orfeo, was premiered on February 24, 1607 in the The Ducal Palace, a group of buildings in Mantua, Lombardy. Based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, L'Orfeo tells the story of Orpheus' descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world.
1663 On February 24, 1663, the poet John Milton married 24-year-old Elizabeth Minshull, who was the niece of Thomas Mynshull, a wealthy apothecary and philanthropist in Manchester. 31 years his junior, pretty and golden-haired, according to John Aubrey's Brief Lives Elizabeth was,"A genteel person, a peaceful and agreeable woman." Elizabeth cared for her blind husband until his death 11 years later. She survived him for over half a century.
1711 George Frideric Handel's Rinaldo, the first Italian language opera written specifically for the London stage, premiered on February 24, 1711 at the Queen's Theatre in London's Haymarket.
The opera was a great success with the public, despite negative reactions from literary critics hostile to the trend towards Italian entertainment in English theaters.
1810 Henry Cavendish, the discoverer of hydrogen, died in London on February 24, 1810. He demonstrated in 1784 that water is produced when hydrogen burns in air, thus proving that water is a compound and not an element. Cavendish died as one of the wealthiest men in Britain and was buried, along with many of his ancestors, in the church that is now Derby Cathedral.
1857 The first American postage stamp issue to be officially perforated, the 3-cent George Washington, was issued by the U.S. Post Office on February 24, 1857. Prior to this issue, stamps had to be cut apart with scissors or separated by tearing, which could sometimes damage the stamp or make it difficult to use. Perforations made separating the stamps much easier and cleaner,
1868 Andrew Johnson became the first U.S. President to be impeached on February 24, 1868 after he tried to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin Stanton in possible violation of the Tenure of Office Act. Johnson was impeached by the House of Representatives, and avoided removal from office by one vote.
1886 Thomas Edison met the beautiful Mina Miller, 18 years his junior, at the home of a mutual friend, the inventor Ezra Gilliland. The inventor taught her Morse code so that they could converse in secret, even while the family watched. This is how Edison proposed marriage and how she responded "yes." They married on February 24, 1886 and Mary bore the inventor three children, Madeline, Charles and Theodore.
1902 Gladys Aylward was born of a working-class family in Edmonton, London on February 24, 1902. From an early age, she had an ambition to go overseas as a missionary, and spent her entire savings on a railway ticket to Tientsin in north China in order to fulfil her dream. Aylward became a revered figure in China, becoming a foot inspector in the official campaign against the binding of female feet, taking in orphans and advocating for prison reform, risking her life many times to help those in need.
303 AD Roman emperor Diocletian's first "Edict against the Christians" was published on February 24, 303, beginning the Diocletianic Persecution, the last and most severe episode of the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. Diocletian's systematic intense persecution against the Church, climaxed in early 304 when all Christians were required to make sacrifice to the empire on the pain of death. An estimated 3,000–3,500 Christians were martyred in the persecution.
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| The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer, by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1883) |
1209 On February 24, 1209, Francis of Assisi, the son of a successful cloth merchant, heard a sermon based on Matthew 10:9 that changed his life forever. The gospel passage recounts Christ telling his followers they should go forth and proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven was upon them, that they should take no money with them, nor even a walking stick or shoes for the road. Francis was inspired to devote himself to a life of poverty.
1525 On February 24, 1525 Francis I of France suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Pavia during the Italian Wars. The French king was captured by the forces of Charles V and imprisoned in Madrid. In the Treaty of Madrid, Francis was forced to make major concessions to the Holy Roman Emperor before he was freed on March 17, 1526.
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| Battle of Pavia |
1607 Claudio Monteverdi's first opera, L'Orfeo, was premiered on February 24, 1607 in the The Ducal Palace, a group of buildings in Mantua, Lombardy. Based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, L'Orfeo tells the story of Orpheus' descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world.
1663 On February 24, 1663, the poet John Milton married 24-year-old Elizabeth Minshull, who was the niece of Thomas Mynshull, a wealthy apothecary and philanthropist in Manchester. 31 years his junior, pretty and golden-haired, according to John Aubrey's Brief Lives Elizabeth was,"A genteel person, a peaceful and agreeable woman." Elizabeth cared for her blind husband until his death 11 years later. She survived him for over half a century.
1711 George Frideric Handel's Rinaldo, the first Italian language opera written specifically for the London stage, premiered on February 24, 1711 at the Queen's Theatre in London's Haymarket.
The opera was a great success with the public, despite negative reactions from literary critics hostile to the trend towards Italian entertainment in English theaters.
 |
| The opera house in the Haymarket |
1810 Henry Cavendish, the discoverer of hydrogen, died in London on February 24, 1810. He demonstrated in 1784 that water is produced when hydrogen burns in air, thus proving that water is a compound and not an element. Cavendish died as one of the wealthiest men in Britain and was buried, along with many of his ancestors, in the church that is now Derby Cathedral.
1857 The first American postage stamp issue to be officially perforated, the 3-cent George Washington, was issued by the U.S. Post Office on February 24, 1857. Prior to this issue, stamps had to be cut apart with scissors or separated by tearing, which could sometimes damage the stamp or make it difficult to use. Perforations made separating the stamps much easier and cleaner,
1868 Andrew Johnson became the first U.S. President to be impeached on February 24, 1868 after he tried to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin Stanton in possible violation of the Tenure of Office Act. Johnson was impeached by the House of Representatives, and avoided removal from office by one vote.
1886 Thomas Edison met the beautiful Mina Miller, 18 years his junior, at the home of a mutual friend, the inventor Ezra Gilliland. The inventor taught her Morse code so that they could converse in secret, even while the family watched. This is how Edison proposed marriage and how she responded "yes." They married on February 24, 1886 and Mary bore the inventor three children, Madeline, Charles and Theodore.
 |
| Mina Edison |
1902 Gladys Aylward was born of a working-class family in Edmonton, London on February 24, 1902. From an early age, she had an ambition to go overseas as a missionary, and spent her entire savings on a railway ticket to Tientsin in north China in order to fulfil her dream. Aylward became a revered figure in China, becoming a foot inspector in the official campaign against the binding of female feet, taking in orphans and advocating for prison reform, risking her life many times to help those in need.
1910 In 1906 American inventor Lee de Forest invented the three-element "Audion" (triode) vacuum tube, the first practical amplification device. The tube represented the foundation of the field of electronics, making possible radio broadcasting. One of the first public radio broadcasts took place on February 24, 1910, the Manhattan Opera Company's Mme. Mariette Mazarin sang "La Habanera" from Carmen over a transmitter located in De Forest's laboratory.
1920 American-born socialite Viscountess Nancy Astor was elected as a Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on November 28, 1919, becoming the first woman to sit in the House of Commons. She became the first woman MP to address the House of Commons on February 24, 1920. In her maiden speech, Lady Astor strongly advocated the return of the strict drinking hours which had prevailed during the war.
1920 The term National Socialist—or Nazi, for short—was added to the name of the German Workers' Party on February 24, 1920 the year after it was founded. On the day it was renamed, swiftly-rising new member Adolf Hitler outlined the party's official platform before 2,000 people, its largest audience yet.
1927 The Ouija board was developed by spiritualist businessman William Fuld in the late 1890s, and was named for the French and German words for yes - oui and ja. William Fuld built a factory according to what the board told him. On February 24, 1927, Fuld climbed to the roof of his three-story factory to supervise the installation of a flagpole. When the rail against which he was leaning gave way, Fuld fell to the ground below and died.
1938 The du Pont company patented their synthetic textile fiber calling it nylon in February 1937. A year later, on February 24, 1938, Du Pont begins commercial production of nylon toothbrush bristles . They proved sturdier and more efficient than bristles of natural origin – generally wild boar bristles. They were introduced on the US market under the name “Doctor West’s Miracle Tuft Toothbrush."
1946 On February 24, 1946 Colonel Juan Perón, founder of the political movement that became known as Peronism, was elected to his first term as President of Argentina. Juan Perón's three terms of President of Argentina was overshadowed by his second wife Eva Perón — better known as Evita. She ran the Ministries of Labor and Health, championed women's suffrage in Argentina, and founded and ran the nation's first large-scale female political party, the Female Peronist Party.
1955 Steve Jobs was born on February 24 1955, in Los Altos, California. Jobs was half Arab by his biological father, Abdulfattah "John" Jandali, who grew up in Homs, Syria. Jobs was adopted at birth by Paul and Clara Jobs, neither of whom had a college education. His birth mother refused to sign the adoption papers, as she wanted Steve to be brought up by college graduates. She only consented to releasing the baby to Paul and Clara after they promised that he would attend college.
1981 Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, announced his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer on February 24, 1981. During the press conference in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, when a reporter asked Prince Charles if the couple was in love, he responded, "Of course," and then added, "Whatever 'in love' means."
1988 The most curtain calls taken in a single performance by an opera singer is 165, by Luciano Pavarotti at the Deutsche Opera in Berlin on February 24, 1988, after singing the part of Nemorino in Donizetti's comic opera L’Elisir D’Amore. The audience’s applause lasted one hour and seven minutes.
1992 Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain married Courtney Love from the group Hole on February 24, 1992 on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. Cobain wore green pajamas as he had been "too lazy to put on a tux." Cobain and Courtney Love originally met at an L7 and Butthole Surfers concert. They were introduced by Nirvana's drummer Dave Grohl.
2008 Following intestinal surgery in 2006, Fidel Castro provisionally transferred the duties of the Cuban presidency to his brother Raúl. In a February 2008 letter, Castro announced that he would not accept the positions of President of the Council of State and Commander in Chief at that month's National Assembly meetings because of the decline in his physical condition. On February 24, 2008, the National Assembly of People's Power unanimously voted Raúl as president.
2009 After Ukrainian American Jan Koum bought an iPhone in January 2009, he realized that the seven-month old App Store was about to spawn a whole new industry of apps. He began with the help of his friend Alex Fishman to develop a new type of messaging app that would "[show] statuses next to individual names of the people". Koum chose the name WhatsApp because it sounded like “what’s up,” and on his birthday, February. 24, 2009, he incorporated WhatsApp Inc. in California.
2010 Sachin Tendulkar became the first man to hit a double century in a one day cricket international when he scored 200* against South Africa in Gwalior on February 24, 2010. The Indian star took 147 balls, to reach the milestone and his innings included 25 fours and 3 sixes.
1938 The du Pont company patented their synthetic textile fiber calling it nylon in February 1937. A year later, on February 24, 1938, Du Pont begins commercial production of nylon toothbrush bristles . They proved sturdier and more efficient than bristles of natural origin – generally wild boar bristles. They were introduced on the US market under the name “Doctor West’s Miracle Tuft Toothbrush."
1946 On February 24, 1946 Colonel Juan Perón, founder of the political movement that became known as Peronism, was elected to his first term as President of Argentina. Juan Perón's three terms of President of Argentina was overshadowed by his second wife Eva Perón — better known as Evita. She ran the Ministries of Labor and Health, championed women's suffrage in Argentina, and founded and ran the nation's first large-scale female political party, the Female Peronist Party.
1955 Steve Jobs was born on February 24 1955, in Los Altos, California. Jobs was half Arab by his biological father, Abdulfattah "John" Jandali, who grew up in Homs, Syria. Jobs was adopted at birth by Paul and Clara Jobs, neither of whom had a college education. His birth mother refused to sign the adoption papers, as she wanted Steve to be brought up by college graduates. She only consented to releasing the baby to Paul and Clara after they promised that he would attend college.
1981 Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, announced his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer on February 24, 1981. During the press conference in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, when a reporter asked Prince Charles if the couple was in love, he responded, "Of course," and then added, "Whatever 'in love' means."
1988 The most curtain calls taken in a single performance by an opera singer is 165, by Luciano Pavarotti at the Deutsche Opera in Berlin on February 24, 1988, after singing the part of Nemorino in Donizetti's comic opera L’Elisir D’Amore. The audience’s applause lasted one hour and seven minutes.
1992 Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain married Courtney Love from the group Hole on February 24, 1992 on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. Cobain wore green pajamas as he had been "too lazy to put on a tux." Cobain and Courtney Love originally met at an L7 and Butthole Surfers concert. They were introduced by Nirvana's drummer Dave Grohl.
2008 Following intestinal surgery in 2006, Fidel Castro provisionally transferred the duties of the Cuban presidency to his brother Raúl. In a February 2008 letter, Castro announced that he would not accept the positions of President of the Council of State and Commander in Chief at that month's National Assembly meetings because of the decline in his physical condition. On February 24, 2008, the National Assembly of People's Power unanimously voted Raúl as president.
2009 After Ukrainian American Jan Koum bought an iPhone in January 2009, he realized that the seven-month old App Store was about to spawn a whole new industry of apps. He began with the help of his friend Alex Fishman to develop a new type of messaging app that would "[show] statuses next to individual names of the people". Koum chose the name WhatsApp because it sounded like “what’s up,” and on his birthday, February. 24, 2009, he incorporated WhatsApp Inc. in California.
2010 Sachin Tendulkar became the first man to hit a double century in a one day cricket international when he scored 200* against South Africa in Gwalior on February 24, 2010. The Indian star took 147 balls, to reach the milestone and his innings included 25 fours and 3 sixes.
2022 In 1954, Crimea became part of Ukraine. On March 24, 2014, Russia was suspended from the G8 after its annexation of Crimea and military intervention in Eastern Ukraine. A protracted conflict with Russian-backed separatists continued until Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The ongoing conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties on both sides and triggered the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War.
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