Tuesday, 24th June 2025

24th June in the Stars – Star Sign Cancer

Today, the zodiac sign Cancer celebrates its birthday.

Personality Profile

Personality People born on 24 June are emotionally aware, intuitive individuals with rich inner lives. Neptune's influence adds a poetic, dreamy quality beyond typical Cancer traits. They are introspective, imaginative, and spiritually inclined.

Strengths & Weaknesses These natives possess remarkable emotional intelligence and deep compassion for others. Their creativity and spiritual sensitivity shine brightly. However, they tend toward oversensitivity and can become lost in melancholic thoughts.

Love Those born this day love intensely and seek profound emotional-spiritual connection. They need partners who appreciate their depth. Loyalty, emotional security, and understanding are essential needs.

Caree & Finance Creative fields—art, music, psychology, spiritual work—suit them perfectly. They flourish where empathy and intuition matter. Financial stability provides the inner peace they seek.

Health Regular rest and creative expression are vital for mental wellbeing. Meditation and nature connect them to calm. Processing emotions consciously, rather than suppressing them, supports resilience.

That night, the moon was in its waxing gibbous phase.

Chinese year of the Snake (Wood).

Fun Facts About 24th June

Name Days in Your Language: Giovanna, Giovanni, Hans, Ian, Ivan, Jan, Jana, Jean, Jeanette, Jeannette, Johan, John, Johnnie, Johnny, Juan, Juana, Juanita, Sean, Shana, Shane, Shanna, Yancy

Someone born on this day would be just 342 days old today — roughly 8,229 hours, 493,753 minutes, or 29,625,205 seconds spent on Earth so far.

It's the 175. day of the year. In 2025, 24th June falls on a Tuesday.

There are 190 days still to come.

We’re currently in Week 26 — the year marches on.

Famous Birthdays on 24th June

On this day, 279 notable people were born on 24th June — spanning from 1210 to 2005. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.

24/06/2005

Fran González, Spanish footballer

Francisco Javier González Pérez is a Spanish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Real Madrid B.

24/06/2004

Erika Andreeva, Russian tennis player

Erika Aleksandrovna Andreeva is a Russian tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 65, reached on 21 October 2024. She also has a best doubles ranking of No. 274, achieved on 11 December 2023. Andreeva has won one doubles title on the WTA Challenger Tour, as well as three singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF Circuit.

Luke Chambers, English footballer

Luke Chambers is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Premier League club Liverpool. He was part of the England national under-19 football team that won the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

24/06/1999

Darwin Núñez, Uruguayan footballer

Darwin Gabriel Núñez Ribeiro is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a forward for Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal and the Uruguay national team.

24/06/1996

Duki, Argentinian rapper

Mauro Ezequiel Lombardo, known professionally as Duki, is an Argentine rapper, singer and songwriter. He is the lead voice of Latin trap in Argentina, thanks to his multiple hits with his singles and his particular style of voice and staging.

Marcus Coco, Guadeloupean footballer

Marcus Regis Coco is a Guadeloupean professional footballer who plays as a right-back or a right winger for Israeli Premier League club Hapoel Tel Aviv and for the Guadeloupe national team.

24/06/1992

David Alaba, Austrian footballer

David Alaba is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the Austria national team. He was previously primarily a left-back, and was considered one of the best in the world at this position.

24/06/1991

Yasmin Paige, English actress

Yasmin Paige is an English actress. She played the film role of Jordana Bevan in Submarine, and has appeared on television as Beth Mitchell in Pramface, and Maria Jackson in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Aidan Sezer, Australian rugby league player

Aidan Yüçel Sezer is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a scrum-half and stand-off for Hull FC in the Super League.

24/06/1990

Michael Del Zotto, Canadian ice hockey player

Michael Del Zotto is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted in the first round, 20th overall, by the New York Rangers at the 2008 NHL entry draft. He played in the NHL for the Rangers, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Ottawa Senators. Del Zotto won the Stanley Cup in 2019 with St. Louis.

Richard Sukuta-Pasu, German footballer

Richard Sukuta-Pasu is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for Regionalliga club Eintracht Hohkeppel.

24/06/1989

Teklemariam Medhin, Eritrean runner

Teklemariam Medhin Weldeslassie is an Eritrean long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. He represented his country at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.

24/06/1988

Micah Richards, English footballer

Micah Lincoln Richards is an English football pundit and former professional player who played as a right-back.

Nichkhun, Thai-American singer and actor

Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul, better known mononymously as Nichkhun, is a Thai and American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and model. Based in South Korea as a member of the South Korean boy band 2PM, Nichkhun is widely considered to be the first Southeast Asian individual to debut in a K-pop idol group and achieve success.

24/06/1987

Simona Dobrá, Czech tennis player

Simona Dobrá is a retired Czech tennis player.

Lionel Messi, Argentinian footballer

Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history, Messi has set numerous records for individual accolades won throughout his professional footballing career, including eight Ballon d'Ors, six European Golden Shoes, and eight times being named the world's best player by FIFA. In 2025, he was named the All Time Men's World Best Player by the IFFHS.

Pierre Vaultier, French snowboarder

Pierre Benjamin Florent Vaultier is a French two-time Olympic Gold Champion, and one-time World Gold Champion snowboarder, specializing in snowboard cross.

24/06/1986

Stuart Broad, English cricketer

Stuart Christopher John Broad is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who played Test cricket for the England cricket team and captained the team in One Day and Twenty20 Internationals. Broad was a member of the England team that won the 2010 ICC World Twenty20. His longevity, and highly successful partnership with fellow fast bowler James Anderson cemented him as one of England's greatest ever Test bowlers.

Phil Hughes, American baseball player

Philip Joseph Hughes is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, and San Diego Padres during a career that spanned from 2007 through 2018. Hughes stands 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall and weighs 240 pounds (110 kg). He was the Yankees' first-round pick in the 2004 MLB draft.

Solange Knowles, American singer-songwriter and actress

Solange Piaget Knowles, also known mononymously as Solange, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She expressed an interest in music from an early age and had temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, which featured her older sister Beyoncé among its members, before signing with their father Mathew Knowles's label, Music World Entertainment. At 16, Knowles released her first studio album Solo Star (2002). She also appeared in the films Johnson Family Vacation (2004), and Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006).

24/06/1985

Diego Alves Carreira, Brazilian footballer

Diego Alves Carreira, known as Diego Alves, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Tom Kennedy, English footballer

Thomas Gordon Kennedy is an English former professional footballer who played as a left-back. He played semi-professionally for Ramsbottom United where he was club captain, before announcing retirement on 8 April 2022.

Nate Myles, Australian rugby league player

Nate Myles is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s, he last played for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League. A Queensland State of Origin and Australia national representative forward, he previously played for Canterbury-Bankstown, Sydney Roosters, Gold Coast Titans and Manly-Warringah.

Vernon Philander, South African cricketer

Vernon Darryl Philander is a South African cricket coach, commentator, and former cricketer. He was a right-handed bowling all-rounder; he had previously represented his country at under 19 level. He played for the South Africa national cricket team and Cape Cobras in South African domestic cricket. In December 2019, ahead of a Test series against England, Philander announced that the series would be his last series before retiring from international cricket.

Yukina Shirakawa, Japanese model

Yukina Shirakawa is a Japanese gravure idol. She is from Shizuoka Pref., Japan.

24/06/1984

Andrea Raggi, Italian footballer

Andrea Raggi is an Italian retired professional footballer who played as a defender. He was a versatile player, being capable of playing both as a centre back and as a right back.

JJ Redick, American basketball player and coach

Jonathan Clay "JJ" Redick is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, winning many individual awards, including the Naismith College Player of the Year. Selected 11th overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2006 NBA draft, he played for 15 seasons in the NBA with six teams. In 2024, Redick was appointed head coach of the Lakers.

Johanna Welin, Swedish-born German wheelchair basketball player

Johanna Welin is a Swedish-born German 2.0 point wheelchair basketball player. She played for USC Munich in the German wheelchair basketball league, and for the national team that won the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, after which President Joachim Gauck awarded the team with the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt.

24/06/1983

Rebecca Cooke, English swimmer

Rebecca Cooke is a retired British swimmer.

John Lloyd Cruz, Filipino actor

John Lloyd Espidol Cruz is a Filipino actor. Regarded as the "King of Contemporary Cinema" by the media, Cruz has top-billed several box-office successes. He has more than ten films with box office grosses of ₱100 million in the Philippines.

Gianni Munari, Italian footballer

Gianni Munari is an Italian football official and a former player who played as a midfielder. He works as a scout for Parma.

Gard Nilssen, Norwegian drummer

Gard Nilssen is a Norwegian jazz drummer and composer. He is a member of the bands Gard Nilssen' Acoustic Unity, Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra, Bushman's Revenge, Amgala Temple, and Puma. He also plays in trio format with Bugge Wesseltoft and Arild Andersen.

David Shillington, Australian rugby league player

David Shillington is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative prop forward, he previously played for the Sydney Roosters and Canberra Raiders. Shillington also works as a columnist for The Canberra Times.

24/06/1982

Kevin Nolan, English footballer

Kevin Anthony Jance Nolan is an English former footballer and manager who was most recently manager of Northampton Town. He has represented England at under-21 level.

Jarret Stoll, Canadian ice hockey player

Jarret Lee Stoll is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild.

24/06/1980

Cicinho, Brazilian footballer

Cícero João de Cézare, nicknamed Cicinho, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played as a right back.

Nina Dübbers, German tennis player

Nina Dübbers is a former German tennis player.

Andrew Jones, Australian race car driver

Andrew Jones is an Australian former racing driver who previously competed in the Supercars Championship and Dunlop Super2 Series, driving with family-owned team Brad Jones Racing for majority of his career.

Minka Kelly, American actress

Minka Dumont Kelly is an American actress. She received wide recognition for her role as Lyla Garrity on the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights (2006–2009). Kelly appeared as Autumn in the film 500 Days of Summer (2009). She starred in the films The Roommate and Searching for Sonny (2011). She had a recurring role as Gaby on the NBC family drama series Parenthood (2010–2011). She was in the ABC action series revival of Charlie's Angels (2011). Kelly is one of few actresses who portrayed First Lady of the U.S., Jackie Kennedy, in Lee Daniels's The Butler alongside Oprah Winfrey (2013). Kelly played Dawn Granger / Dove in the DC Universe series Titans on Max (2018–2021). Kelly appeared in the recurring role of Samantha in the HBO drama series Euphoria (2022).

24/06/1979

Mindy Kaling, American actress and producer

Vera Mindy Chokalingam, known professionally as Mindy Kaling, is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Known for her work on television, she has received a Tony Award and six nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Among other honors, she has also received the Producers Guild of America's Norman Lear Achievement in Television Award and was awarded the National Medal of the Arts, which is the highest honor given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government. Kaling founded the production company Kaling International in 2012.

Petra Němcová, Czech model and philanthropist

Petra Němcová is a Czech model, television host, and philanthropist who founded the Happy Hearts Fund. In 2017, the Happy Hearts Fund merged with All Hands Volunteers to create All Hands And Hearts - Smart Response, with Němcová assuming the role of co-founder and vice chair.

24/06/1978

Luis García, Spanish footballer

Luis Javier García Sanz is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a winger.

Pantelis Kafes, Greek footballer

Pantelis Kafes is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Due to his follow to the example of Osvaldo Ardiles, he was known for being one of very few outfield players to have worn the number 1 jersey and has won acclaim for his creative abilities and passing skills.

Shunsuke Nakamura, Japanese footballer

Shunsuke Nakamura is a Japanese former professional footballer. He is currently working as an assistant coach of the Japan national football team. He is the only person to have been named J.League Most Valuable Player more than once, receiving the award in 2000 and 2013. Renowned as one of Japan's greatest ever footballers, Nakamura was known for his free-kicks; Steve Perryman once remarked that Nakamura "could open a tin of beans with his left foot".

Ariel Pink, American singer-songwriter

Ariel Marcus Rosenberg, professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi aesthetic and home-recorded albums proved influential to many indie musicians starting in the late 2000s. He is frequently cited as the "godfather" of the hypnagogic pop and chillwave movements, and he is credited with galvanizing a larger trend involving the evocation of the media, sounds, and outmoded technologies of prior decades, as well as an equal appreciation between high and low art in independent music.

Juan Román Riquelme, Argentinian footballer

Juan Román Riquelme is an Argentine former professional footballer and current president of Boca Juniors. Known for his elegant playing style, passing, vision, creativity, free-kick technique, and ball retention, he is widely considered one of the greatest playmakers of all time. He is a major symbol of the "enganche" figure, a classic attacking midfield role prominent in Argentine football.

Emppu Vuorinen, Finnish guitarist and songwriter

Erno Matti Juhani "Emppu" Vuorinen is a Finnish guitarist, most famous for being a founding member and occasional songwriter of the symphonic metal band Nightwish. He is the oldest of five children, having a twin brother and three younger sisters. He started to play guitar as a private study at the age of 12 and since then has played in various bands including Nightwish, Brother Firetribe, Barilari, Almah, and Altaria.

24/06/1977

Dimos Dikoudis, Greek basketball player and manager

Dimosthenis "Dimos" Dikoudis, is a former Greek professional basketball player and basketball executive. He is 2.08 m tall, and he played as a power forward-center. Dikoudis was inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame in 2022.

Jeff Farmer, Australian footballer

Jeff Farmer is a former Australian rules footballer of Aboriginal descent. He was the first Indigenous player to kick 400 goals in the Australian Football League (AFL).

24/06/1976

Brock Olivo, American football player and coach

James Brockman Olivo is an American football coach and former player who currently serves as an assistant special teams coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to his current job, he was the tight ends coach for the Washington University Bears and the running backs coach for the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL). Previously, he played as a running back for the Detroit Lions of the NFL for four seasons. He then played two seasons in the Italian Football League (IFL).

24/06/1975

Marek Malík, Czech ice hockey player

Marek Malík is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1994 to 2009.

Federico Pucciariello, Argentinian-Italian rugby player

Federico Pucciariello is a former Italian Argentine rugby union footballer. He played at both tighthead and loosehead prop, and played for Munster Rugby up to the end of the 2008–09 season. He previously played for Gloucester Rugby and CS Bourgoin-Jallieu in the Heineken Cup.

24/06/1974

Dan Byles, English sailor, rower, and politician

Daniel Alan Byles is a former British politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Warwickshire from 2010 to 2015.

Chris Guccione, American baseball player and umpire

Christopher Gene Guccione is an American umpire in Major League Baseball. He wears number 68.

24/06/1973

Alexis Gauthier, French chef

Alexis Pascal Gauthier is a French chef. He is the chef patron of the Gauthier Soho restaurant in Soho, London and was awarded a Michelin star in 2011. He previously held a Michelin star as head chef of the restaurant Roussillon in Pimlico, London, until 2010. He trained under Alain Ducasse at Le Louis XV in Monaco, and has appeared as a judge on two versions of the BBC One television show MasterChef. He became a vegan in 2016 and changed Gauthier Soho to a vegan menu in 2021 and opened 123 Vegan, a vegan cafeteria.

Jere Lehtinen, Finnish ice hockey player

Jere Kalervo Lehtinen is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. A right winger, he was drafted in the third round, 88th overall, in the 1992 NHL entry draft by the Minnesota North Stars. Lehtinen played his entire 15-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the organization after the franchise moved to Dallas in 1993. A two-way forward, Lehtinen is perhaps best known for his defensive responsibilities, for which he won the Frank J. Selke Trophy three times as the NHL's top defensive forward. After his retirement, he has served as the general manager of the Finnish national ice hockey team. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2018.

24/06/1972

Robbie McEwen, Australian cyclist

Robbie McEwen is an Australian former professional road cyclist. He is a three-time winner of the Tour de France points classification in 2002, 2004 and 2006 and, at the peak of his career, was considered the world's fastest sprinter.

Denis Žvegelj, Slovenian rower

Denis Žvegelj is an ex-Slovenian rower and Olympic medallist. He was born in Jesenice, SR Slovenia.

24/06/1970

Glenn Medeiros, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Glenn Alan Medeiros is an American former singer best known for his 1987 George Benson cover, "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You", which reached No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in Canada and the United Kingdom. It also topped the charts in a further four countries in Europe. In 2009, the song was used in France in a television advert for Spontex sponges.

Bernardo Sassetti, Portuguese pianist, composer, and educator (died 2012)

Bernardo da Costa Sassetti Pais was a Portuguese jazz pianist and film composer.

24/06/1968

Alaa Abdelnaby, Egyptian-American basketball player and sportscaster

Alaa Abdelnaby is an Egyptian-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils followed by a five-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career, and then stints in various other leagues. Abdelnaby is one of two Egyptian-born players in the history of the NBA, along with Abdel Nader.

24/06/1967

Janez Lapajne, Slovenian director and producer

Janez Lapajne (Slovene: [yannez la-pie-nay]; born 24 June 1967 in Celje, Slovenia, grew up in Ljubljana, Slovenia is a Slovenian film director, producer, writer, editor and production designer.

John Limniatis, Canadian soccer player and manager

Ioannis "John" Limniatis is a retired professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He captained and later became the head coach of the Montreal Impact. Born in Greece, he made 44 appearances scoring one goal for the Canada national team.

24/06/1966

Hope Sandoval, American singer-songwriter and musician

Hope Sandoval is an American singer and songwriter, known for being the lead singer of Mazzy Star and Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions.

Adrienne Shelly, American actress, director, and screenwriter (died 2006)

Adrienne Shelly was an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She gained recognition for her roles in independent films, particularly Hal Hartley's The Unbelievable Truth (1989) and Trust (1990). She later wrote, directed, and co-starred in Waitress (2007), which was released posthumously and later adapted into a Broadway musical.

24/06/1965

Claude Bourbonnais, Canadian race car driver

Claude Bourbonnais, is a former driver in the Toyota Atlantic, Indy Lights, and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1994 CART series with five starts. He also raced in the 1997 Indianapolis 500, which by then had become part of the Indy Racing League, completing nine laps and finishing in thirtieth position.

Uwe Krupp, German ice hockey player and coach

Uwe Gerd Krupp is a German former professional hockey defenceman and currently the head coach of EV Landshut in Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga 2. Widely considered one of the greatest German players of all time, he was the second German-born player to win the Stanley Cup, and the second German-born professional to play in an National Hockey League All-Star Game.

Richard Lumsden, English actor, writer, composer and musician

Richard James Lumsden is an English actor, writer, composer and musician. He has made regular appearances on TV and film throughout his career. Notable series include Channel 4's Emmy-award winning Sugar Rush, Is It Legal?, Wonderful You and The Singapore Grip. He played Ray in Radio 4's long-running comedy Clare in the Community.

Danielle Spencer, American actress (died 2025)

Danielle Louise Spencer was an American actress best known for her role as Dee Thomas on the ABC sitcom What's Happening!!, which ran from 1976 until 1979. She reprised the role on the series' sequel, What's Happening Now!! After her acting career, Spencer became a veterinarian.

24/06/1964

Jean-Luc Delarue, French television host and producer (died 2012)

Jean-Luc Delarue was a French television presenter and producer specialising in televised discussion programmes.

Kathryn Parminter, Baroness Parminter, English politician

Kathryn Jane Parminter, Baroness Parminter is a Liberal Democrat life peer, and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom.

Gary Suter, American ice hockey player and scout

Gary Lee Suter is an American former professional ice hockey player. As a defenseman, he played over 1,000 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1985 and 2002. He was a ninth round selection of the Calgary Flames, 180th overall, at the 1984 NHL entry draft and played with Calgary for nine years. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in 1986, played in four All-Star Games and was a member of Calgary's Stanley Cup championship team in 1989. He was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1994, then to the San Jose Sharks in 1998, with whom he finished his career.

24/06/1963

Yuri Kasparyan, Russian guitarist

Yuri Dmitriyevich Kasparyan is a Russian musician best known for his time as the guitarist of the Soviet rock band Kino and as a member of Vyacheslav Butusov's group U-Piter.

Preki, Serbian-American soccer player and coach

Predrag Radosavljević, better known by the nickname Preki, is a former soccer player and coach. He is currently an assistant coach with Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer (MLS). He previously coached Sacramento Republic FC and Saint Louis FC in the United Soccer League and coached in MLS with Toronto FC and Chivas USA. Born in Yugoslavia, he represented the United States national team.

Mike Wieringo, American author and illustrator (died 2007)

Michael Lance Wieringo, who sometimes signed his work under the name Ringo, was an American comics artist best known for his work on DC Comics' The Flash, Marvel Comics' Spider-Man and Fantastic Four, as well as his own creator-owned series, Tellos. In 2017, the Ringo Awards were created in honor of Wieringo. They are presented at the Baltimore Comic-Con to recognize achievement in the comics industry.

24/06/1962

Gautam Adani, Indian industrialist and billionaire

Gautam Shantilal Adani is an Indian billionaire businessman who is the founder and chairman of the Adani Group, a multinational conglomerate involved in port development and operations in India. As of April 2026, Adani is ranked as the second richest person in India and 26th in the world, with a net worth of $72.8 billion. In 2022, Time magazine included him in the 100 most influential people in the world.

Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexican politician

Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo is a Mexican politician, energy and climate change scientist, and academic who has been serving as the 66th president of Mexico since 2024. She is the first woman and the first person with a Jewish heritage to hold the office. A member of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), she previously served as Head of Government of Mexico City from 2018 to 2023. In 2025, Forbes ranked Sheinbaum as the fifth most powerful woman in the world.

24/06/1961

Dennis Danell, American singer and guitarist (died 2000)

Dennis Eric Danell was an American guitarist and a founding member of the Southern California punk rock band Social Distortion.

Iain Glen, Scottish actor

Iain Alan Sutherland Glen is a Scottish actor. He has appeared as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the Resident Evil film series (2004–2016) and as Jorah Mormont in the HBO fantasy television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019). Other notable film and television roles include John Hanning Speke in Mountains of the Moon (1990), Larry Winters in Silent Scream (1990) for which he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival, Manfred Powell in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Brother John in Song for a Raggy Boy (2003), the title role in Jack Taylor (2010–2016), Sir Richard Carlisle in Downton Abbey (2011), James Willett in Eye in the Sky (2015), Bruce Wayne in Titans (2019–2021), Magnus MacMillan in The Rig (2023–present), and Dr. Pete Nichols in Silo (2023–2025).

Bernie Nicholls, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Bernard Irvine Nicholls is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks from 1981 to 1999.

Ralph E. Reed, Jr., American journalist and activist

Ralph Eugene Reed Jr. is an American political consultant and lobbyist, best known as the first executive director of the Christian Coalition during the early 1990s. He sought the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia but lost the primary election on July 18, 2006, to State Senator Casey Cagle. Reed started the Faith and Freedom Coalition in June 2009. He is a member of the Council for National Policy.

Curt Smith, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Curt Smith is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as the co-lead vocalist, bassist, and co-founding member of the pop rock band Tears for Fears along with childhood friend Roland Orzabal. Smith has co-written several of the band's songs, and sings lead vocals on the hits "Mad World", "Pale Shelter", "Change", "The Way You Are", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", and "Advice for the Young at Heart".

24/06/1960

Elish Angiolini, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Solicitor General for Scotland

Lady Elish Frances Margaret Angiolini is a Scottish lawyer currently serving as Lord Clerk Register, the first woman to hold the role since its creation in the 13th century. She was appointed Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the British Monarch's representative to the Assembly, in 2025, succeeding Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh. Angiolini was a pro-vice chancellor of the University of Oxford from 2017 to 2025, and served as the Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford, from 2012 to 2025; she was also a candidate in the 2024 University of Oxford Chancellor election. From 2011 until June 2022, she was styled as Dame Elish Angiolini.

Siedah Garrett, American singer-songwriter and pianist

Siedah Garrett is an American singer, songwriter, and composer who has written songs and performed backing vocals for many recording artists in the music industry, such as Michael Jackson, Wang Chung, the Pointer Sisters, Brand New Heavies, Quincy Jones, Tevin Campbell, Donna Summer, Madonna, Jennifer Hudson among others. Garrett has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards for co-writing "Love You I Do" for the 2006 musical film Dreamgirls. She co-wrote Jackson's hit song "Man in the Mirror", which was nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

Karin Pilsäter, Swedish accountant and politician

Anna Karin Pilsater is a Swedish politician with the Liberal People's Party. She is a former member of the Riksdag since 1991, representing Stockholm County, and was previously the party's spokesperson on economic policy.

Erik Poppe, Norwegian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter

Erik Poppe is a Norwegian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing critically acclaimed films, including Hawaii, Oslo (2004), A Thousand Times Good Night (2013), The King's Choice (2016) and Utøya: July 22 (2018).

24/06/1959

Andy McCluskey, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer

George Andrew McCluskey is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and bassist of the electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), which he founded alongside keyboardist Paul Humphreys in 1978: McCluskey has been the group's sole constant member. He has sold over 40 million records with OMD, and is regarded as a pioneer of electronic music in the UK. McCluskey is noted for his frenetic onstage "Trainee Teacher Dance".

24/06/1958

Jean Charest, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada

John James "Jean" Charest is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 29th premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012. Prior to that, he was a member of Parliament (MP) between 1984 and 1998. After holding several Cabinet posts from 1986 to 1990 and from 1991 to 1993, he was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998.

Silvio Mondinelli, Italian mountaineer

Silvio Mondinelli is an Italian climber. In 2007, he became the 13th person to climb the 14 eight-thousanders. He is the 6th person to achieve that feat without using supplemental oxygen and the first mountaineer to climb the Seven Summits and the 14 eight-thousanders.

Reed Oliver, governor of Pohnpei State, Micronesia

Reed B. Oliver is the current governor of Pohnpei State, Micronesia since 13 January 2020.

John Tortorella, American ice hockey player and coach

John Tortorella is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Tortorella has also served as head coach of the NHL's New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers. With Tampa Bay, Tortorella won the Stanley Cup in 2004. Hired late into the 2025–26 season by the Golden Knights, Tortorella led the team into the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.

24/06/1957

Mark Parkinson, American lawyer and politician, 45th Governor of Kansas

Mark Vincent Parkinson is an American businessman and former politician serving as head of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL). He served as the 47th lieutenant governor of Kansas from 2007 to 2009 and the 45th governor of Kansas from 2009 until 2011. He was also a state legislator.

24/06/1956

Owen Paterson, English politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Owen William Paterson is a British former politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2010 to 2012 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2012 to 2014 under Prime Minister David Cameron. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North Shropshire from 1997 until his resignation in 2021. Paterson was also the President of the Northern Ireland Conservatives.

24/06/1955

Chris Higgins, English geneticist and academic

Christopher Francis Higgins is a British molecular biologist, geneticist, academic and scientific advisor. He was the Vice-Chancellor of Durham University from 2007 to 2014. He took early retirement on 30 September 2014, following a discussion at Senate on limiting the powers of the Vice Chancellor. He was previously the director of the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre and Head of Division in the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London.

Edmund Malura, German footballer and manager

Edmund "Eddy" Malura is a former professional German footballer.

Loren Roberts, American golfer

Loren Lloyd Roberts is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions.

24/06/1953

William E. Moerner, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

William Esco Moerner, also known as W. E. Moerner, is an American physical chemist and chemical physicist with current work in the biophysics and imaging of single molecules. He is credited with achieving the first optical detection and spectroscopy of a single molecule in condensed phases, along with his postdoc, Lothar Kador. Optical study of single molecules has subsequently become a widely used single-molecule experiment in chemistry, physics and biology. In 2014, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Michael Tuck, Australian footballer and coach

Michael Tuck is a seven-time premiership-winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) / Australian Football League (AFL).

24/06/1952

Dianna Melrose, English diplomat, British High Commissioner to Tanzania

Dianna Melrose is a British diplomat who has served as the British High Commissioner to Tanzania and as the British Ambassador to Cuba.

Bob Neill, English lawyer and politician

Sir Robert James MacGillivray Neill KC (Hon) is a British barrister and Conservative Party politician. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bromley and Chislehurst from 2006 to 2024.

24/06/1951

Raelene Boyle, Australian sprinter

Raelene Ann Boyle is an Australian retired athlete, who represented Australia at three Olympic Games as a sprinter, winning three silver medals, and was named one of 100 National Living Treasures by the National Trust of Australia in 1998. Boyle was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996 and subsequently became a board member of Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA). In 2017, she was named a Legend in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Charles Sturridge, English director, producer, and screenwriter

Charles B. G. Sturridge is an English director and screenwriter. He is the recipient of a BAFTA Children's Award and four BAFTA TV Awards. He has also been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards.

24/06/1950

Nancy Allen, American actress

Nancy Allen is an American actress. She came to prominence for her performances in several films directed by Brian De Palma in the 1970s and early 1980s. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award nomination and three Saturn Award nominations.

Bob Carlos Clarke, Irish-born English photographer (died 2006)

Robert Carlos Clarke was a British-Irish photographer who made erotic images of women as well as documentary, portrait, and commercial photography.

Jan Kulczyk, Polish businessman (died 2015)

Jan Jerzy Kulczyk was a Polish billionaire businessman. He was the founder and owner of Kulczyk Holding and an international investment house Kulczyk Investments with headquarters in Luxembourg and offices in London and Kyiv, Ukraine. According to Forbes, Kulczyk was the richest Pole at the time of his death.

Mercedes Lackey, American author

Mercedes Ritchie Lackey is an American writer of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar. Her Valdemar novels include interaction between human and non-human protagonists with many different cultures and social mores.

24/06/1949

John Illsley, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer

John Edward Illsley is an English musician, best known as bassist of the rock band Dire Straits. He has received multiple BRIT and Grammy Awards, and a Heritage Award.

Betty Jackson, English fashion designer

Betty Jackson, RDI is an English fashion designer based in London, England. She was born in Lancashire. In 2007, her success in British fashion was recognised with first an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1987 and later with a CBE for "services to the fashion industry." She is also known for designing many of the costumes worn by Edina and Patsy on the 1990s hit television comedy Absolutely Fabulous.

24/06/1948

Patrick Moraz, Swiss keyboard player and songwriter

Patrick Philippe Moraz is a Swiss musician, film composer and songwriter, best known for his tenures as keyboardist in the rock bands Yes and the Moody Blues.

24/06/1947

Clarissa Dickson Wright, English chef, author, and television personality (died 2014)

Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Johnston Dickson Wright was an English celebrity cook, television personality, writer, businesswoman, and barrister. She was best known as one of the Two Fat Ladies, with Jennifer Paterson, in the television cooking programme from 1996 to 1999. She was an accredited cricket umpire and one of only two women to become a Guild Butcher.

Mick Fleetwood, English-American drummer

Michael John Kells Fleetwood is an English musician, songwriter and actor. He is the drummer, co-founder and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. His surname was merged with that of the group's bassist John "Mac" McVie to form the name of the band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Fleetwood Mac in 1998.

Peter Weller, American actor and director

Peter Francis Weller is an American actor and television director. He has appeared in more than 70 films and television series, including RoboCop (1987) and its sequel RoboCop 2 (1990), in which he played the titular character, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). He appeared in such films as Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite (1995), the Oliver Stone-produced The New Age (1994), and David Cronenberg's adaptation of William Burroughs's novel Naked Lunch (1991).

24/06/1946

David Collenette, Canadian civil servant and politician, 32nd Canadian Minister of National Defence

David Michael Collenette, PC OOnt is a former Canadian politician. From 1974, until his retirement from politics in 2004, he was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. A graduate from York University's Glendon College in 1969, he subsequently received his MA, in 2004 and LL.D for education in 2015 from the same university. He was first elected in the York East riding of Toronto to the House of Commons on 8 July 1974, in the Pierre Trudeau government and returned to Parliament in 1993 representing Don Valley East.

Ellison Onizuka, American engineer, and astronaut (died 1986)

Ellison Shoji Onizuka was an American astronaut, engineer, and U.S. Air Force flight test engineer from Kealakekua, Hawaii, who successfully flew into space with the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-51-C. He died in the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger, on which he was serving as Mission Specialist for mission STS-51-L. Onizuka was the first Asian American and the first person of Japanese ancestry to reach space.

Robert Reich, American economist and politician, 22nd United States Secretary of Labor

Robert Bernard Reich is an American professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator. He worked in the administrations of presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, and he served as secretary of labor in the cabinet of President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997. He was also a member of President Barack Obama's economic transition advisory board. In 2008, Time magazine named him one of the Ten Most Effective Cabinet Members of the century; in the same year The Wall Street Journal placed him sixth on its list of Most Influential Business Thinkers.

24/06/1945

Colin Blunstone, English singer-songwriter

Colin Edward Michael Blunstone is an English singer and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Blunstone came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the rock band the Zombies, which released four singles that entered the Top 75 charts in the United States during the 1960s: "She's Not There", "Tell Her No", "She's Coming Home" and "Time of the Season". Blunstone began his solo career in 1969, releasing three singles under a pseudonym of Neil MacArthur. Since then, he has released ten studio albums under his real name. He was also a recurring guest vocalist with the Alan Parsons Project, appearing on four of their albums between 1978 and 1985.

Wayne Cashman, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Wayne Cashman is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played 17 seasons for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) and helped them win the Stanley Cup twice. He was the last active player who started his NHL career in the Original Six era.

George Pataki, American lawyer and politician, 53rd Governor of New York

George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. He previously served in the State Legislature from 1985 to 1994, and as mayor of Peekskill from 1981 to 1984. Pataki was the third Republican governor of New York since 1923, after Thomas E. Dewey and Nelson Rockefeller, and is currently the most recent one.

Betty Stöve, Dutch tennis player

Betty Flippina Stöve is a Dutch former professional tennis player. She is best known for reaching the ladies' singles final, the ladies' doubles final and the mixed doubles final during the same year at Wimbledon in 1977. She also won ten Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles.

24/06/1944

Jeff Beck, English guitarist and songwriter (died 2023)

Geoffrey Arnold Beck was an English guitarist. He rose to prominence as a member of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to an instrumental style with focus on an innovative sound, and his releases spanned genres and styles ranging from blues rock, hard rock, jazz fusion and a blend of guitar-rock and electronica.

Kathryn Lasky, American author

Kathryn Lasky is an American children's writer who also writes for adults under the names Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann. Her children's books include several Dear America books, The Royal Diaries books, Sugaring Time, The Night Journey, Wolves of the Beyond, and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. Her awards include Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature, National Jewish Book Award, and Newbery Honor.

Chris Wood, English saxophonist (died 1983)

Christopher Gordon Blandford Wood was a British rock musician, best known as a founding member of the rock band Traffic, along with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Dave Mason.

24/06/1943

Birgit Grodal, Danish economist and academic (died 2004)

Birgit Grodal, was an economics professor at the University of Copenhagen from 1968 until her death in 2004.

24/06/1942

Arthur Brown, English rock singer-songwriter

Arthur Wilton Brown is an English singer and songwriter best known for his flamboyant and theatrical performances, eclectic work and his powerful, wide-ranging operatic voice, in particular his high pitched banshee screams. He is also notable for his unique stage persona, featuring extreme facepaint, movement, dance, costume changes and a burning helmet.

Michele Lee, American actress and singer

Michele Lee is an American actress, singer, dancer, producer and director. She is known for her role as Karen Fairgate MacKenzie on the prime-time soap opera Knots Landing, for which she was nominated for a 1982 Emmy Award and won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Best Actress in 1988, 1991, and 1992. She was the only performer to appear in all 344 episodes of the series.

Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Chilean engineer and politician, 32nd President of Chile

Eduardo Alfredo Juan Bernardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle is a Chilean politician and civil engineer who served as president of Chile from 1994 to 2000. He was also a Senator, fulfilling the role of President of the Senate from 2006 to 2008. He attempted a comeback as the candidate of the ruling Concertación coalition for the 2009 presidential election, but was narrowly defeated. His father was Eduardo Frei Montalva, president of Chile from 1964 to 1970.

Colin Groves, Australian academician and educator (died 2017)

Colin Peter Groves was a British-Australian biologist and anthropologist. Groves was professor of biological anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.

24/06/1941

Erkin Koray, Turkish singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2023)

Mustafa Erkin Koray was a Turkish singer and guitarist who mainly played Anatolian rock.

Julia Kristeva, Bulgarian-French psychoanalyst and author

Julia Kristeva is a Bulgarian-French philosopher, literary critic, semiotician, psychoanalyst, feminist, and novelist who has lived in France since the mid-1960s. She has taught at Columbia University, and is now a professor emerita at Université Paris Cité. The author of more than 30 books, including Powers of Horror, Tales of Love, Black Sun: Depression and Melancholia, Proust and the Sense of Time, and the trilogy Female Genius, she has been awarded Commander of the Legion of Honor, Commander of the Order of Merit, the Holberg International Memorial Prize, the Hannah Arendt Prize, and the Vision 97 Foundation Prize, awarded by the Havel Foundation.

Graham McKenzie, Australian cricketer

Graham Douglas McKenzie – commonly known as "Garth", after the comic strip hero – is an Australian cricketer who played for Western Australia (1960–74), Leicestershire (1969–75), Transvaal (1979–80) and Australia (1961–71) and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1965. He succeeded Alan Davidson as Australia's premier fast bowler and was in turn succeeded by Dennis Lillee, playing with both at either end of his career. McKenzie was particularly noted for his muscular physique and ability to take wickets on good batting tracks. His father Eric McKenzie and uncle Douglas McKenzie also played cricket for Western Australia. Garth was chosen for the Ashes tour of England in 1961 aged only 20. He made his debut in the Second Test at Lord's, where his 5/37 wrapped up the England innings to give Australia a 5-wicket victory.

24/06/1940

Ian Ross, Australian newsreader (died 2014)

Ian Charles "Roscoe" Ross was an Australian television news presenter for Seven News in Sydney and for Nine News.

Vittorio Storaro, Italian cinematographer

Vittorio Storaro, A.S.C., A.I.C., is an Italian cinematographer, widely recognized as one of the best and most influential in cinema history.

24/06/1939

Brigitte Fontaine, French singer

Brigitte Fontaine is a French singer of avant-garde music. She has employed numerous unusual musical styles, melding rock and roll, folk, jazz, electronica, spoken word poetry, and world. She has collaborated with Stereolab, Michel Colombier, Jean-Claude Vannier, Areski Belkacem, Gotan Project, Sonic Youth, Antoine Duhamel, Grace Jones, Noir Désir, Archie Shepp, Arno, and The Art Ensemble of Chicago. She is also a novelist, playwright, poet, and actress.

Judy Olson Duhamel, American politician and educator

Judy Olson Duhamel is an American politician and educator. She served in the South Dakota State Senate representing Pennington County from 1988 to 1992 and later served as chair of the South Dakota Democratic Party. She served the Rapid City School District for eighteen years, overseeing community engagement and public information programs. She was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2014.

24/06/1938

Lawrence Block, American author

Lawrence Block is an American crime writer best known for two long-running New York-set series about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and the gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. Block was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1994. Block has written in the genres of crime, mystery, and suspense fiction for more than half a century, releasing over 100 books.

Abulfaz Elchibey, Azerbaijani politician, 1st democratically elected Azerbaijani President (died 2000)

Abulfaz Gadirgulu oghlu Aliyev, commonly known as Abulfaz Elchibey, was a Pan-Turkist Azerbaijani nationalist, politician and Soviet dissident who was the first and, as of early 2026, only democratically elected President in post-Soviet Azerbaijan. He was the leader of the Azerbaijani Popular Front and played an important role in achieving Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union.

Ken Gray, New Zealand rugby player (died 1992)

Kenneth Francis Gray was an international rugby union player from New Zealand. He represented New Zealand in 24 international games, playing lock and later prop forward.

24/06/1937

Anita Desai, Indian-American author and academic

Anita Desai is an Indian novelist and the emerita John E. Burchard Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times. She received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1978 for her novel Fire on the Mountain, from the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Literature. She won the Guardian Prize for The Village by the Sea (1983). Her other works include Cry, the Peacock, Voices in the City (1963), Fire on the Mountain (1977) and an anthology of short stories, Games at Twilight (1978). She is on the advisory board of the Lalit Kala Akademi and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, London. Since 2020 she has been a Companion of Literature.

24/06/1936

Robert Downey Sr., American actor and director (died 2021)

Robert John Downey Sr. was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. He was known for writing and directing the underground films Putney Swope (1969), a satire on the New York Madison Avenue advertising world, and Greaser's Palace (1972), a surrealist Western. According to film scholar Wheeler Winston Dixon, Downey's films during the 1960s were "strictly take-no-prisoners affairs, with minimal budgets and outrageous satire, effectively pushing forward the countercultural agenda of the day." He was the father of actor Robert Downey Jr..

24/06/1935

Terry Riley, American composer and educator

Terrence Mitchell Riley is an American composer and performing musician best known as a pioneer of the minimalist school of composition. Influenced by jazz and Indian classical music, his work became notable for its innovative use of repetition, tape delay systems, and improvisation. His best known works are the 1964 composition In C and the 1969 album A Rainbow in Curved Air, both considered landmarks of minimalism and important influences on experimental music, rock, and contemporary electronic music.

Jean Milesi, French racing cyclist

Jean Milesi is a French former professional racing cyclist. He rode in seven editions of the Tour de France.

Charlie Dees, American baseball player

Charles Henry Dees is an American former professional baseball player whose career extended from 1957 through 1966. The first baseman appeared in 98 games played in Major League Baseball over parts of three seasons (1963–65) for the Los Angeles/California Angels. He threw and batted left-handed, and was listed as 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and 173 pounds (78 kg).

24/06/1934

Ferdinand Biwersi, German footballer and referee (died 2013)

Ferdinand Biwersi was a German football referee.

Jean-Pierre Ferland, Canadian singer-songwriter (died 2024)

Jean-Pierre Ferland, was a Québécois singer and songwriter. He was noted for writing over 450 songs and releasing more than 30 albums. He was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007.

Gloria Christian, Italian singer

Gloria Christian is an Italian canzone napoletana singer, mainly successful between the second half of the 1950s and the 1960s.

24/06/1933

Bob Cole, Canadian sports announcer (died 2024)

Robert Cecil Cole was a Canadian sports television announcer who worked for CBC and Sportsnet and a competitive curler. He was known primarily for his work on National Hockey League's Hockey Night in Canada and Olympic ice hockey.

Sam Jones, American basketball player and coach (died 2021)

Samuel Jones was an American professional basketball player who was a shooting guard for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A five-time NBA All-Star, he was nicknamed "Mr. Clutch" and "the Shooter" for his quickness and game-winning shots, especially during the NBA playoffs. Jones has the second most NBA championships of any player (10), behind only his teammate Bill Russell (11). He was also one of only three Celtics to be part of each of the Celtics' eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966. Jones is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Ngina Kenyatta, 1st First Lady of Kenya

Ngìna Kenyatta, popularly known as "Mama Ngìna", is the former First Lady of Kenya. She is the widow of Kenya's first president, Jomo Kenyatta (~1889–1978), and mother of the fourth president Uhuru Kenyatta who served from 2013 to 2022.

24/06/1932

David McTaggart, Canadian-Italian environmentalist (died 2001)

David Fraser McTaggart was a Canadian badminton player and an environmentalist who played a central part in the foundation of Greenpeace International.

24/06/1931

Billy Casper, American golfer (died 2015)

William Earl Casper Jr. was an American professional golfer. He was one of the most prolific tournament winners on the PGA Tour from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s.

24/06/1930

Claude Chabrol, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2010)

Claude Henri Jean Chabrol was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues and contemporaries Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Éric Rohmer and Jacques Rivette, Chabrol was a critic for the influential film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma before beginning his career as a filmmaker.

Donald Gordon, South African businessman and philanthropist (died 2019)

Sir Donald Gordon was a South African-British businessman and philanthropist. He founded Liberty Life Association of Africa in 1957 and Liberty International.

William Bernard Ziff, Jr., American publisher (died 2006)

William Bernard "Bill" Ziff Jr. was an American publishing executive. His father, William Bernard Ziff Sr., was the co-founder of Ziff Davis Inc. and when the elder Ziff died in 1953, Ziff took over the management of the company. After buying out partner Bernard G. Davis, he led Ziff Davis to become the most successful publisher of technology magazines in the 1970s and 1980s.

24/06/1929

Carolyn S. Shoemaker, American astronomer (died 2021)

Carolyn Jean Spellmann Shoemaker was an American astronomer and a co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9. She discovered 32 comets and more than 500 asteroids.

24/06/1927

Fernand Dumont, Canadian sociologist, philosopher, and poet (died 1997)

Fernand Dumont was a Canadian sociologist, philosopher, theologian, and poet from Quebec. A longtime professor at Université Laval, he won the Governor General's Award for French-language non-fiction at the 1968 Governor General's Awards for Le lieu de l'homme.

James B. Edwards, American dentist, soldier, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Energy (died 2014)

James Burrows Edwards was an American politician and administrator from South Carolina. He was the first Republican to be elected governor of South Carolina since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era in the 1870s. He later served as the U.S. secretary of energy under Ronald Reagan.

Martin Lewis Perl, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2014)

Martin Lewis Perl was an American chemical engineer and physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995 for his discovery of the tau lepton.

24/06/1925

Ogden Reid, American politician (died 2019)

Ogden Rogers Reid was an American politician and diplomat. He was the U.S. ambassador to Israel and a six-term United States representative from Westchester County, New York, serving from 1963 to 1975.

24/06/1924

Kurt Furgler, Swiss politician, 70th President of the Swiss Confederation (died 2008)

Kurt Furgler was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1972–1986).

Archie Roy, Scottish astronomer and academic (died 2012)

Archie Edmiston Roy FRSE, FRAS was Professor Emeritus of Astronomy in the University of Glasgow.

Yoshito Takamine, American politician (died 2015)

Yoshito Takamine was an American politician and labor leader in Hawaii. Takamine, who was first elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 1958, when the state was still the Territory of Hawaii, served in the state House of Representatives for 12 consecutive terms until his retirement in 1984. Takamine, the longtime chairman of the House Labor Committee, oversaw the creation of the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act of 1974, which made Hawaii the first U.S. state to require minimum standards for the health care benefits offered to workers.

24/06/1923

Margaret Olley, Australian painter and philanthropist (died 2011)

Margaret Hannah Olley was an Australian painter. She held over ninety solo exhibitions during her lifetime.

24/06/1922

Jack Carter, American actor and comedian (died 2015)

Jack Carter was an American comedian, actor and television presenter. Born in Brooklyn, Carter had a long-running comedy act similar to fellow rapid-paced contemporaries Milton Berle and Morey Amsterdam.

John Postgate, English microbiologist, author, and academic (died 2014)

John Raymond Postgate FRS was an English microbiologist and writer, latterly Professor Emeritus of Microbiology at the University of Sussex. Postgate's research in microbiology investigated nitrogen fixation, microbial survival, and sulphate-reducing bacteria. He worked for the Agricultural Research Council's Unit of Nitrogen Fixation from 1963 until he retired, by then its director, in 1987. In 2011, he was described as a "father figure of British microbiology".

Richard Timberlake, American economist (died 2020)

Richard Henry Timberlake Jr. was an American economist who was Professor of Economics at the University of Georgia for much of his career. He became a leading advocate of free banking, the belief that money should be issued by private companies, not by a government monopoly. He wrote about the Legal Tender Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court in his book Constitutional Money: A Review of the Supreme Court's Monetary Decisions.

24/06/1921

Gerhard Sommer, German soldier (died 2019)

Gerhard Sommer was a German SS-Untersturmführer in the 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS who was involved in the massacre of 560 civilians on 12 August 1944 in the Italian village of Sant'Anna di Stazzema. He appeared on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's list of most wanted Nazi war criminals.

24/06/1919

Al Molinaro, American actor (died 2015)

Albert Francis Molinaro was an American actor. He played Al Delvecchio on Happy Days and Officer Murray Greshler on The Odd Couple. He also appeared in many television commercials, including On-Cor frozen dinners.

24/06/1918

Mildred Ladner Thompson, American journalist and author (died 2013)

Mildred Ladner Thompson was an American journalist, writer, and columnist with The Wall Street Journal, where she became one of its first female reporters. She also worked as a reporter and columnist for the Associated Press and Tulsa World.

Yong Nyuk Lin, Singaporean businessman and politician, Singaporean Minister for Education (died 2012)

Yong Nyuk Lin was a Singaporean politician who served as the Minister for Communications between 1968 and 1975, Minister for Health between 1963 and 1968, and Minister for Education between 1959 and 1963.

24/06/1917

David Easton, Canadian-American political scientist and academic (died 2014)

David Easton was a Canadian-born American political scientist. From 1947 to 1997, he served as a professor of political science at the University of Chicago.

Lucy Jarvis, American television producer (died 2020)

Lucile Jarvis was an American television producer.

Ramblin' Tommy Scott, American singer and guitarist (died 2013)

Ramblin' Tommy Scott, aka "Doc" Tommy Scott, was an American country and rockabilly musician.

Joan Clarke, English cryptanalyst and numismatist (died 1996)

Joan Elisabeth Lowther Murray, MBE was an English cryptanalyst and numismatist who worked as a code-breaker at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. Although she did not personally seek the spotlight, her role in the Enigma project that decrypted the German secret communications earned her awards and citations, such as appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), in 1946.

24/06/1916

William B. Saxbe, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 70th United States Attorney General (died 2010)

William Bart Saxbe was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. senator for Ohio from 1969 to 1974 after a career in state politics that included terms as Ohio Attorney General and as a legislator. Saxbe then served as the 70th United States attorney general from 1974 to 1975 under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and as the U.S. ambassador to India from 1975 to 1976.

Saloua Raouda Choucair, Lebanese painter and sculptor (died 2017)

Saloua Raouda Choucair was a Lebanese painter and sculptor.

24/06/1915

Fred Hoyle, English astronomer and author (died 2001)

Sir Fred Hoyle (24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001) was an English astronomer. With Margaret and Geoffrey Burbidge and William Alfred Fowler, he formulated the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis in the influential B2FH paper.

24/06/1914

Kari Diesen, Norwegian singer and revue actress (died 1987)

Kari Diesen was a Norwegian singer and revue actress. She worked for the revue theatre Chat Noir from 1937 to 1953, and for the Edderkoppen Theatre from 1954 to 1959. She participated in 24 films between 1941 and 1985. Among her best known song recordings is her version of "Hovedøen".

Jan Karski, Polish-American activist and academic (died 2000)

Jan Karski was a Polish soldier, resistance-fighter, and diplomat during World War II. He is known for having acted as a courier in 1940–1943 to the Polish government-in-exile and to Poland's Western Allies about the situation in German-occupied Poland. He reported about the state of Poland, its many competing resistance factions, and also about Germany's destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto and its operation of extermination camps on Polish soil that were murdering Jews, Poles, and others.

Pearl Witherington, French secret agent (died 2008)

Cecile Pearl Witherington Cornioley,, code names Marie and Pauline, was an agent in France for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. The purpose of SOE was to conduct espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance in occupied Europe against the Axis powers. SOE agents allied themselves with French Resistance groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from England.

24/06/1913

Gustaaf Deloor, Belgian cyclist and soldier (died 2002)

Gustaaf Deloor was a Belgian road racing cyclist and the winner of the first two editions of the Vuelta a España in 1935 and 1936. The 1936 edition remains the slowest winning finish time of the Vuelta in 150:07:54, the race consisted of 22 stages with a total length of 4,407 km. Gustaaf finished first and his older brother Alfons finished second overall.

24/06/1912

Brian Johnston, English sportscaster and author (died 1994)

Brian Alexander Johnston, nicknamed Johnners, was a British cricket commentator, author, and television presenter. He was most prominently associated with the BBC during a career which lasted from 1946 until his death in January 1994.

Mary Wesley, English author (died 2002)

Mary Aline Siepmann CBE, known by the pen name Mary Wesley, was an English novelist. During her career, she was one of Britain's most successful novelists, selling three million copies of her books, including ten bestsellers in the last twenty years of her life.

24/06/1911

Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentinian race car driver (died 1995)

Juan Manuel Fangio was an Argentine racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1950 to 1958. Nicknamed "el Chueco" and "el Maestro", Fangio won five Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles and—at the time of his retirement—held the record for most wins (24), pole positions (29), fastest laps (23), and podium finishes (35), among others.

Ernesto Sabato, Argentinian physicist and academic (died 2011)

Ernesto Sabato was an Argentine novelist, essayist, painter, and physicist. According to the BBC he "won some of the most prestigious prizes in Hispanic literature" and "became very influential in the literary world throughout Latin America". Upon his death El País dubbed him the "last classic writer in Argentine literature".

Portia White, Canadian opera singer (died 1968)

Portia May White was a Canadian contralto, known for becoming the first Black Canadian concert singer to achieve international fame. Growing up as part of her father's church choir in Halifax, Nova Scotia, White competed in local singing competitions as a teenager and later trained at the Halifax Conservatory of Music. In 1941 and 1944, she made her national and international debuts as a singer, receiving critical acclaim for her performances of both classical European music and African-American spirituals. White later completed tours throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

24/06/1909

Jean Deslauriers, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (died 1978)

Jean Deslauriers was a Canadian conductor, violinist, and composer. As a conductor he had a long and fruitful partnership with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; conducting orchestras for feature films and television and radio programs for more than 40 years. He also worked as a guest conductor with orchestras and opera companies throughout Canada and served on the conducting staff of the Opéra du Québec. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes him as "a conductor with a sober but efficient technique, who was always faithful to the written score [and] equally at ease conducting concerts, opera, and lighter repertoire." His best-known compositions are his Prélude for strings and the song, La Musique des yeux. He is the father of soprano Yolande Deslauriers-Husaruk.

William Penney, Baron Penney, English mathematician and physicist (died 1991)

William George Penney, Baron Penney, was an English mathematician and professor of mathematical physics at the Imperial College London and later the rector of Imperial College London. He had a leading role in the development of High Explosive Research, Britain's clandestine nuclear programme that started in 1942 during the Second World War which produced the first British atomic bomb in 1952.

Betty Cavanna, American author (died 2001)

Betty Cavanna was the author of popular teen romance novels, mysteries, and children's books for 45 years. She also wrote under the names Elizabeth Headley and Betsy Allen. She was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile in 1970 and 1972.

24/06/1908

Hugo Distler, German organist, composer, and conductor (died 1942)

August Hugo Distler was a German organist, choral conductor, teacher and composer.

Alfons Rebane, Estonian colonel (died 1976)

Alfons Vilhelm Robert Rebane was an Estonian military commander. He was the most highly decorated Estonian military officer during World War II, serving in various Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS units of Nazi Germany.

24/06/1907

Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet and translator (died 1989)

Arseny Aleksandrovich Tarkovsky was a Soviet and Russian poet and translator. He was predeceased by his son, film director and screenwriter Andrei Tarkovsky.

24/06/1906

Pierre Fournier, French cellist and educator (died 1986)

Pierre Léon Marie Fournier was a French cellist who was called the "aristocrat of cellists" on account of his elegant musicianship and majestic sound.

Willard Maas, American poet and educator (died 1971)

Willard Maas was an American experimental filmmaker and poet.

24/06/1905

Fred Alderman, American sprinter (died 1998)

Frederick Pitt Alderman was an American sprint runner who won a gold medal in 4 × 400 m relay at the 1928 Summer Olympics. He also won the NCAA Championships in 100 yd (91 m) and 220 yd (200 m) and IC4A Championships in 440 yd (400 m) in 1927.

24/06/1904

Phil Harris, American singer-songwriter and actor (died 1995)

Wonga Philip "Phil" Harris was an American actor, comedian, bandleader, and musician. He was an orchestra leader and a pioneer in radio situation comedy, first with The Jack Benny Program, then in The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show in which he co-starred with his wife, singer-actress Alice Faye, for eight years. Harris is also noted for his voice acting in animated films. As a voice actor, he voiced Baloo in The Jungle Book (1967), Thomas O'Malley in The Aristocats (1970), Little John in Robin Hood (1973), and Patou in Rock-a-Doodle (1991). As a singer, he recorded a number one novelty hit record, "The Thing" (1950).

Olga Olgina, Polish opera singer and teacher (died 1979)

Olga Józefowicz, known professionally as Olga Olgina, was a Polish coloratura soprano, teacher and pianist. She made her debut in the title role of Verdi's La traviata at the Vilnius Opera in 1922 at age 18 and retired in 1977. She taught at the Łódź Conservatory, becoming dean of the institution. Teresa Żylis-Gara was one of her students.

24/06/1901

Marcel Mule, French saxophonist (died 2001)

Marcel Mule was a French classical saxophonist. He was known worldwide as one of the greatest classical saxophonists ever, and many pieces were written for him, premiered by him, and arranged by him. Many of these pieces have become staples in the classical saxophone repertoire. He is considered to be the founder of the French Saxophone School and the most representative saxophone soloist of his time, being a fundamental figure in the development of the instrument.

Harry Partch, American composer and theorist (died 1974)

Harry Partch was an American composer, music theorist, and creator of unique musical instruments. He composed using scales of unequal intervals in just intonation, and was one of the first 20th-century composers in the West to work systematically with microtonal scales, alongside Lou Harrison. He built his own instruments in these tunings on which to play his compositions, and described the method behind his theory and practice in his book Genesis of a Music (1947).

Chuck Taylor, American basketball player and salesman (died 1969)

Charles Hollis Taylor was an American basketball player and basketball shoe salesman-marketer who was associated with Chuck Taylor All-Stars, which he helped to improve and promote.

24/06/1900

Wilhelm Cauer, German mathematician and engineer (died 1945)

Wilhelm Cauer was a German mathematician and scientist. He is most noted for his work on the analysis and synthesis of electrical filters and his work marked the beginning of the field of network synthesis. Prior to his work, electronic filter design used techniques which accurately predicted filter behaviour only under unrealistic conditions. This required a certain amount of experience on the part of the designer to choose suitable sections to include in the design. Cauer placed the field on a firm mathematical footing, providing tools that could produce exact solutions to a given specification for the design of an electronic filter.

24/06/1898

Armin Öpik, Estonian-Australian paleontologist and geologist (died 1983)

Armin Aleksander Öpik was an Estonian paleontologist who spent the second half of his career at the Bureau of Mineral Resources in Australia.

Karl Selter, Estonian politician, 14th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (died 1958)

Karl Selter was an Estonian politician and a Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. He served as Minister of Economic Affairs from 1933 to 1938 and as minister of Foreign affairs from 1938 to 1939. His historically most memorable act was to sign a non-aggression and mutual assistance treaty with the Soviet leaders in Moscow in September 1939. This was also his personal and national Estonian most tragic act. It followed a brutal ultimatum from the Soviet Foreign Minister, Vyacheslav Molotov on 24 September. Molotov said to Selter: Estonia gained sovereignty when the Soviet Union was powerless, but you “don’t think that this can last… forever… The Soviet Union is now a great power whose interests need to be taken into consideration. I tell you—the Soviet Union needs enlargement of her security guarantee system; for this purpose she needs an exit to the Baltic Sea … I ask you, do not compel us to use force against Estonia.” The enforced in this manner treaty gave the Soviet army a right to set up military bases in Estonia, and it significantly reduced Estonia's independence until Estonia was formally incorporated into the Soviet Union between June and August 1940. Selter left Estonia in November 1939, resigning both as Foreign Minister and as a member of Parliament. He moved to Geneva, Switzerland as a diplomat. After Germany occupied Estonia between 1941 and 1944, and after it was re-incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1944, he stayed in Switzerland as an exiled diplomat and politician.

24/06/1895

Jack Dempsey, American boxer and soldier (died 1983)

William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey, nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and was world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. He is ranked sixth on The Ring magazine's list of all-time heavyweights and fourth among its Top 100 Greatest Punchers, while in 1950 the Associated Press voted him as the greatest fighter of the past 50 years.

24/06/1893

Roy O. Disney, American businessman, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (died 1971)

Roy Oliver Disney was an American entrepreneur. He co-founded with his younger brother Walt what is now the Walt Disney Company in October 1923. Disney also served as the company's first chief executive officer and was the father of Roy E. Disney.

24/06/1888

Gerrit Rietveld, Dutch architect, designed the Rietveld Schröder House (died 1964)

Gerrit Rietveld was a Dutch furniture designer and architect.

24/06/1885

Olaf Holtedahl, Norwegian geologist (died 1975)

Olaf Holtedahl was a Norwegian geologist. He became a senior lecturer at the University of Oslo in 1914, and was Professor of Geology there from 1920 to 1956.

24/06/1884

Frank Waller, American runner (died 1941)

Frank Laird Waller was an American athlete who specialized in the 400 metres. He later became a vocal coach.

24/06/1883

Victor Francis Hess, Austrian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1964)

Victor Franz Hess was an Austrian–American experimental physicist who shared the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physics with Carl David Anderson for his discovery of cosmic rays.

Fritz Löhner-Beda, Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer (died 1942)

Fritz Löhner-Beda, born Bedřich Löwy, was an Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer. Once nearly forgotten, many of his songs and tunes remain popular today. He was murdered in Auschwitz III Monowitz concentration camp.

Jean Metzinger, French artist (died 1956)

Jean Dominique Antony Metzinger was a major 20th-century French painter, theorist, writer, critic and poet, who along with Albert Gleizes wrote the first theoretical work on Cubism. His earliest works, from 1900 to 1904, were influenced by the neo-Impressionism of Georges Seurat and Henri-Edmond Cross. Between 1904 and 1907, Metzinger worked in the Divisionist and Fauvist styles with a strong Cézannian component, leading to some of the first proto-Cubist works.

Arthur L. Newton, American runner (died 1956)

Arthur Lee Newton was an American athlete who competed mainly in the distance events. He was born in Woodstock, Vermont, but moved to New Rochelle, New York in 1912, where he was an automobile dealer.

Frank Verner, American runner (died 1966)

William Franklyn "Bill" Verner was an American athlete and middle-distance runner who competed in the early twentieth century.

24/06/1882

Athanase David, Canadian lawyer and politician (died 1953)

Louis-Athanase David was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and businessman. He was a cabinet minister in the Provincial Parliament of Quebec, representing the riding of Terrebonne and serving as Provincial Secretary. In this position, he created Quebec's first cultural policy. He was later a member of the Canadian Senate.

Carl Diem, German businessman (died 1962)

Carl Diem was a German sports administrator, and as a Secretary General of the Organizing Committee of the Berlin Olympic Games, he was also the chief organizer of the 1936 Olympic Summer Games.

24/06/1881

George Shiels, Irish-Canadian author, poet, and playwright (died 1949)

George Shiels was an Irish dramatist whose plays were a success both in his native Ulster and at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. His most famous plays are The Rugged Path, The Passing Day, and The New Gossoon.

24/06/1880

Oswald Veblen, American mathematician and academic (g. 1960)

Oswald Veblen was an American mathematician, geometer and topologist, whose work found application in atomic physics and the theory of relativity. He proved the Jordan curve theorem in 1905; while this was long considered the first rigorous proof of the theorem, many now also consider Camille Jordan's original proof rigorous.

João Cândido, Brazilian revolutionary and sailor (died 1969)

João Cândido Felisberto was a Brazilian sailor, best known as the leader of the 1910 "Revolt of the Lash". His name was sometimes given as simply "João Cândido", or "Jean Candido" in non-Portuguese sources.

24/06/1875

Forrest Reid, Irish novelist, literary critic and translator (died 1947)

Forrest Reid was an Irish novelist, literary critic and translator. He was a leading pre-war novelist of boyhood and is still acclaimed as a noted Ulster novelist, being awarded the 1944 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel Young Tom.

24/06/1872

Frank Crowninshield, American journalist and art and theatre critic (died 1947)

Francis Welch Crowninshield was an American journalist and art and theater critic best known for developing and editing the magazine Vanity Fair for 21 years, making it a pre-eminent literary journal.

24/06/1869

Prince George of Greece and Denmark (died 1957)

Prince George of Greece and Denmark was the second son and child of George I of Greece and Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. He served as high commissioner of the Cretan State during its transition towards independence from Ottoman rule and union (Enosis) with Greece.

24/06/1867

Ruth Randall Edström, American educator and activist (died 1944)

Ruth Miriam Edström was an American peace activist and fighter for women's rights. She worked with the pre-work for the third peace conference in The Hague. She participated in the international women's congress in 1915. Ruth was the wife of the head of Asea, J. Sigfrid Edström.

24/06/1865

Robert Henri, American painter and educator (died 1929)

Robert Henri was an American painter and teacher.

24/06/1858

Hastings Rashdall, English historian, philosopher, and theologian (died 1924)

Hastings Rashdall was an English philosopher, theologian, historian, and Anglican priest. He expounded a theory known as ideal utilitarianism, and he was a major historian of the universities of the Middle Ages. He argued for personal idealism and theistic finitism.

24/06/1856

Henry Chapman Mercer, American archaeologist and author (died 1930)

Henry Chapman Mercer was an American archeologist, artifact collector and tile-maker, who was the designer of three distinctive poured concrete structures: Fonthill, his home; the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works; and the Mercer Museum.

24/06/1854

Eleanor Norcross, American painter (died 1923)

Ella Augusta "Eleanor" Norcross was an American painter who studied under William Merritt Chase and Alfred Stevens. She lived the majority of her adult life in Paris, France, as an artist and collector and spent the summers in her hometown of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Norcross painted Impressionist portraits and still lifes, and is better known for her paintings of genteel interiors.

24/06/1852

Friedrich Loeffler, German bacteriologist and academic (died 1915)

Friedrich August Johannes Loeffler was a German bacteriologist at the University of Greifswald.

24/06/1850

Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, Irish field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Sudan (died 1916)

Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. Kitchener came to prominence for his imperial campaigns, his involvement in the Second Boer War, and his central role in the early part of the First World War.

24/06/1846

Samuel Johnson, Nigerian priest and historian (died 1901)

The Rev. Samuel Johnson was an Anglican priest, diplomat, and historian, as well as the great-grandson of Alaafin Abiodun, a powerful king of the Oyo Empire. He is most notable for his magnum opus The History of the Yorubas, published posthumously in 1921, in which Johnson endeavored to record the oral traditions and history of the Yoruba people, which he feared were fast fading into obscurity. Lost, rewritten, and then narrowly escaping destruction during WWI, his history has since become "the most frequently cited and most influential volume about the Yoruba-speaking people". Besides his historical contributions, Johnson led an active life, variously serving as a minister, teacher, and school superintendent in Ibadan, capital city of the Oyo state in Nigeria. During the Yoruba Wars, he was an emissary involved in negotiations between the British, Ibadan chiefs, and the king of Oyo.

24/06/1842

Ambrose Bierce, American short story writer, essayist, and journalist (died 1914)

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American author, journalist, and poet. A prolific and versatile writer, Bierce was regarded as one of the most influential journalists in the United States and as a pioneering writer of realist fiction. For his horror writing, Michael Dirda ranked him alongside Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft. S. T. Joshi speculates that he may well be the greatest satirist America has ever produced, and in this regard can take his place with such figures as Juvenal, Swift, and Voltaire. His war stories influenced Stephen Crane, Ernest Hemingway and others, and he was considered an influential and feared literary critic. In recent decades, Bierce has gained wider respect as a fabulist and poet.

24/06/1839

Gustavus Franklin Swift, American businessman (died 1903)

Gustavus Franklin Swift Sr. was an American business executive. He founded a meat-packing empire in the Midwest during the late 19th century, over which he presided until his death. He is credited with the development of the first practical ice-cooled railroad car, which allowed his company to ship dressed meats to all parts of the country and abroad, ushering in the "era of cheap beef." Swift pioneered the use of animal by-products for the manufacture of soap, glue, fertilizer, various types of sundries, and even medical products.

24/06/1838

Jan Matejko, Polish painter (died 1893)

Jan Alojzy Matejko was a Polish painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include large scale oil paintings such as Stańczyk (1862), Rejtan (1866), Union of Lublin (1869), Astronomer Copernicus, or Conversations with God (1873), or Battle of Grunwald (1878). He was the author of numerous portraits, a gallery of Polish monarchs in book form, and murals in St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków. He is considered by many as the most celebrated Polish painter, and sometimes as the "national painter" of Poland.

24/06/1835

Johannes Wislicenus, German chemist and academic (died 1902)

Johannes Wislicenus was a German chemist, most famous for his work in early stereochemistry.

24/06/1826

George Goyder, English-Australian surveyor (died 1898)

George Woodroffe Goyder was a surveyor in the Colony of South Australia during the latter half of the nineteenth century.

24/06/1821

Guillermo Rawson, Argentinian physician and politician (died 1890)

Guillermo Rawson was a medical doctor and politician in nineteenth-century Argentina. In 1862, when he was the Interior Minister of Argentina, he met Captain Love Jones-Parry and Lewis Jones, who were on their way to Patagonia to investigate whether it was suitable for the creation of a Welsh settlement there. Rawson came to an agreement with them, and this resulted in the creation of a colony in the Chubut Valley in the following years. The city of Rawson, the capital of the province of Chubut, was named after him.

24/06/1813

Henry Ward Beecher, American minister and reformer (died 1887)

Henry Ward Beecher was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery trial. His rhetorical focus on the love of Christ has influenced mainstream Christianity through the 21st century.

Francis Boott, American composer (died 1904)

Francis Boott was an American classical music composer of art songs and works for chorus.

24/06/1811

John Archibald Campbell, American lawyer and jurist (died 1889)

John Archibald Campbell was an American jurist. He was a successful lawyer in Georgia and Alabama, where he served in the state legislature. Appointed by Franklin Pierce to the United States Supreme Court in 1853, he resigned at the beginning of the American Civil War, traveled south and became an official of the Confederate States of America. After serving six months in a military prison at war's end, he secured a pardon and resumed his law practice in New Orleans, where he also opposed Reconstruction.

24/06/1804

Stephan Endlicher, Austrian botanist, numismatist, and sinologist (died 1849)

Stephan Friedrich Ladislaus Endlicher, also known as Endlicher István László, was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna. The standard author abbreviation Endl. is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.

Willard Richards, American religious leader (died 1854)

Willard Richards was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He served as second counselor to church president Brigham Young in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death.

24/06/1797

John Hughes, Irish-American archbishop (died 1864)

John Joseph Hughes was an Irish-born Catholic prelate who served as bishop of New York from 1842 until his death. In 1841, he founded St. John's College, which would later become Fordham University.

Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, Polish geologist and explorer (died 1873)

Sir Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, also known as Paul Edmund de Strzelecki and Sir Paul Strzelecki, was a Polish explorer, geologist, humanitarian, environmentalist, nobleman, scientist, businessman and philanthropist who in 1845 also became a British subject.

24/06/1795

Ernst Heinrich Weber, German physician and psychologist (died 1878)

Ernst Heinrich Weber was a German physician who is considered one of the founders of experimental psychology.

24/06/1788

Thomas Blanchard, American inventor (died 1864)

Thomas Blanchard was an American inventor who lived much of his life in Springfield, Massachusetts, where in 1819, he pioneered the assembly line style of mass production in America, and also invented the first machining lathe for interchangeable parts. Blanchard worked, for much of his career, with the Springfield Armory. In 1825, Blanchard also invented America's first car, which he called a "horseless carriage," powered by steam. During Blanchard's lifetime, he was awarded over twenty-five patents for his creations.

24/06/1784

Juan Antonio Lavalleja, Uruguayan general and politician, President of Uruguay (died 1853)

Juan Antonio Lavalleja y de la Torre was an Uruguayan libertador, revolutionary, military general, and political figure. He was born in Minas, in a region now named after him as the Lavalleja Department of Uruguay.

24/06/1783

Johann Heinrich von Thünen, German economist and geographer (died 1850)

Johann Heinrich von Thünen, sometimes spelled Thuenen, was a prominent nineteenth-century economist and a native of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in northern Germany.

24/06/1782

Juan Larrea, Argentinian captain and politician (died 1847)

Juan Larrea was a Spanish businessman and politician in Buenos Aires during the early nineteenth century. He headed a military unit during the second British invasion of the River Plate, and worked at the Buenos Aires Cabildo. He took part in the ill-fated Mutiny of Álzaga. Larrea and Domingo Matheu were the only two Spanish-born members of the Primera Junta, the first national government of Argentina.

24/06/1777

John Ross, Scottish commander and explorer (died 1856)

Rear-Admiral Sir John Ross was a British naval officer and explorer. He was the uncle of Sir James Clark Ross, who explored the Arctic with him, and later led expeditions to Antarctica.

24/06/1774

Antonio González de Balcarce, Argentinian commander and politician, 5th Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (died 1819)

Antonio González de Balcarce was an Argentine soldier and statesman of the independence era. He briefly served as interim Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata between April and July 1816, and earlier led the patriot victory at the Battle of Suipacha, the first major triumph of the revolutionary forces in Upper Peru. He was also governor-intendant of Buenos Aires during 1814, and later served as second-in-command to José de San Martín in Chile.

François-Nicolas-Benoît Haxo, French general and engineer (died 1838)

François Nicolas Benoît, Baron Haxo was a French Army general and military engineer during the French Revolution and First Empire. Haxo became famous in the Siege of Antwerp in 1832. He is the nephew of revolution era General Nicolas Haxo of Étival-Clairefontaine and Saint-Dié-des-Vosges in Lorraine, France.

24/06/1771

Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, French chemist and businessman, founded DuPont (died 1834)

Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours was a French-American chemist and industrialist who founded the gunpowder manufacturer E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. His descendants, the du Pont family, have been one of the richest and most prominent American families since the 19th century, with generations of influential businessmen, politicians and philanthropists. In 1807, du Pont was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in his adopted hometown of Philadelphia.

24/06/1767

Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès, French geographer and author (died 1846)

Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès was a French geographer, author and translator, best remembered in the English speaking world for his translation of German ghost stories Fantasmagoriana, published anonymously in 1812, which inspired Mary Shelley and John William Polidori to write Frankenstein and The Vampyre respectively. He was one of the founding members of the Société de Géographie, a member of the Société Asiatique, Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, American Philosophical Society, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was awarded the Legion of Honour. He had a mountain named after him near Yos Sudarso Bay in New Guinea, as well as a sandbank near French Island, Australia, and a street in Le Havre.

24/06/1755

Anacharsis Cloots, Prussian-French activist (died 1794)

Jean-Baptiste du Val-de-Grâce, baron de Cloots, better known as Anacharsis Cloots, was a Prussian nobleman who was a significant figure in the French Revolution. Perhaps the first to advocate a world parliament, an idea later espoused by Albert Camus and Albert Einstein, he was a world federalist and an internationalist anarchist.

24/06/1753

William Hull, American general and politician, 1st Governor of Michigan Territory (died 1825)

Brigadier General William Hull was an American army officer and politician. A veteran of the American Revolutionary War, he later served as governor of the Michigan Territory (1805–1813), where he negotiated land cessions with Native Americans through the Treaty of Detroit in 1807. Hull is most widely remembered, as the general in the first months of the War of 1812 (1812–1815), who surrendered Fort Detroit to the British Army on August 16, 1812, ending the siege of Detroit.

24/06/1704

Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens, French philosopher and author (died 1771)

Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens was a French rationalist, author and critic of the Catholic Church, who was a close friend of Voltaire and spent much of his life in exile at the court of Frederick the Great.

24/06/1694

Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, Swiss author and theorist (died 1748)

Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui was a Genevan legal and political theorist who popularised a number of ideas propounded by other thinkers.

24/06/1687

Johann Albrecht Bengel, German-Lutheran clergyman and scholar (died 1757)

Johann Albrecht Bengel, also known as Bengelius, was a Lutheran pietist clergyman and Greek-language scholar known for his edition of the Greek New Testament and his commentaries on it.

24/06/1663

Jean Baptiste Massillon, French bishop (died 1742)

Jean-Baptiste Massillon, CO, was a French Catholic prelate and famous preacher who served as Bishop of Clermont from 1717 until his death in Beauregard-l'Évêque.

24/06/1661

Hachisuka Tsunanori, Japanese daimyō (died 1730)

Hachisuka Tsunanori was a Japanese daimyō of the Edo period, who ruled the Tokushima Domain. His court title was Awaji no kami.

24/06/1616

Ferdinand Bol, Dutch painter, etcher and draftsman, student of Rembrandt (died 1680)

Ferdinand Bol was a Dutch painter, etcher and draftsman. Although his surviving work is rare, it displays Rembrandt's influence; like his master, Bol favoured historical subjects, portraits, numerous self-portraits, and single figures in exotic finery.

24/06/1614

John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse

John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse was an English nobleman, Royalist officer and Member of Parliament, notable for his role during and after the Civil War. He suffered a long spell of imprisonment during the Popish Plot, although he was never brought to trial. From 1671 until his death he lived in Whitton, near Twickenham in Middlesex. Samuel Pepys was impressed by his collection of paintings, which has long since disappeared.

24/06/1587

William Arnold, English-American settler (died 1675)

William Arnold was one of the founding settlers of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and he and his sons were among the wealthiest people in the colony. He was raised and educated in England where he was the warden of St. Mary's, the parish church of Ilchester in southeastern Somerset. He immigrated to New England with family and associates in 1635. He initially settled in Hingham in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but he soon relocated to the new settlement of Providence Plantation with Roger Williams. He was one of the 13 original proprietors of Providence, appearing on the deed signed by Roger Williams in 1638, and was one of the 12 founding members of the first Baptist church to be established in America.

24/06/1546

Robert Persons, English Jesuit priest, insurrectionist, and author (died 1610)

Robert Persons, later known as Robert Parsons, was an English Jesuit priest. He was a major figure in establishing the 16th-century "English Mission" of the Society of Jesus.

24/06/1535

Joanna of Austria, Princess of Portugal (died 1573)

Joanna of Austria was an Infanta of Spain by birth and Princess of Portugal by marriage to João Manuel, Prince of Portugal. She served as regent of Spain for her brother Philip II during his trips to England to marry Mary I from 1554 to 1556, and 1556 to 1559. She was the mother of King Sebastian of Portugal.

24/06/1532

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, English politician (died 1588)

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years.

William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (died 1573)

William IV of Hesse-Kassel, also called William the Wise, was the first Landgrave of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel. He was the founder of the oldest line, which survives to this day.

24/06/1519

Theodore Beza, French theologian and scholar (died 1605)

Theodore Beza was a French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar who played an important role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a disciple of John Calvin and lived most of his life in Geneva. Beza succeeded Calvin as the spiritual leader of the Republic of Geneva.

24/06/1499

Johannes Brenz, German theologian and the Protestant Reformer (died 1570)

Johann (Johannes) Brenz was a German Lutheran theologian and the Protestant Reformer of the Duchy of Württemberg.

24/06/1485

Johannes Bugenhagen, Polish-German priest and reformer (died 1558)

Johannes Bugenhagen, also called Doctor Pomeranus by Martin Luther, was a German theologian and Lutheran priest who introduced the Protestant Reformation in the Duchy of Pomerania and Denmark in the 16th century. Contributions of Karlstadt and Luther to the translation of theology into social legislation were most fully realized by Bugenhagen. Among his major accomplishments was organization of Lutheran churches in Northern Germany and Scandinavia. He has also been called the "Second Apostle of the North".

Elizabeth of Denmark, Electress of Brandenburg (died 1555)

Elizabeth of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden was a Danish princess who became Electress of Brandenburg as the wife of Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg. She was the daughter of King Hans of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and Christina of Saxony.

24/06/1465

Isabella del Balzo, Queen Consort of Naples (died 1533)

Isabella of Balzo was a Queen consort of Naples. She was the second consort and only Queen consort of Frederick of Naples. Isabella was also suo jure Duchess of Andria and Venosa and Princess of Altamura.

24/06/1386

John of Capistrano, Italian priest and saint (died 1456)

John of Capistrano, OFM was an Italian Franciscan friar and Catholic priest from the town of Capestrano, Abruzzo. Famous as a preacher, theologian, and inquisitor, he earned himself the nickname "the Soldier Saint" when in 1456 at age 70 he led a Crusade against the invading Ottoman Empire at the siege of Belgrade with the Hungarian military commander John Hunyadi.

24/06/1360

Nuno Álvares Pereira, Portuguese general

Dom Nuno Álvares Pereira, OCarm, known as Constable of Portugal, was a Portuguese general who played a decisive role in the 1383–1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile. He later became a mystic and was beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1918, and canonised by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

24/06/1343

Joan of Valois, Queen of Navarre (died 1373)

Joan of France, also known as Joan or Joanna of Valois, was Queen of Navarre by marriage to Charles II of Navarre. She was the daughter of John II of France, and Bonne of Luxembourg. She served as regent of Navarre during the absence of Charles II between 1369 and 1372.

24/06/1322

Joanna, Duchess of Brabant (died 1406)

Joanna was a ruling duchess of Brabant from 1355 until her death. She was duchess of Brabant until the occupation of the duchy by her brother-in-law Louis II of Flanders. Following her death, the rights to the duchy of Brabant passed to her great-nephew Anthony of Burgundy.

24/06/1314

Philippa of Hainault Queen of England (died 1369)

Philippa of Hainault was Queen of England as the wife and political adviser of King Edward III. She acted as regent in 1346, when her husband was away for the Hundred Years' War.

24/06/1257

Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford, English nobleman (probable; (died 1331)

Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford, by his wife Alice de Sanford.

24/06/1254

Floris V, Count of Holland (died 1296)

Floris V reigned as Count of Holland and Zeeland from 1256 until 1296. His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler. He is credited with a mostly peaceful reign, modernizing administration, policies beneficial to trade, generally acting in the interests of his peasants at the expense of nobility, and reclaiming land from the sea. His dramatic murder, said by some to have been arranged by King Edward I of England and Guy, Count of Flanders, made him a hero in Holland.

24/06/1244

Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse (died 1308)

Henry I of Hesse "the Child" was the first Landgrave of Hesse. He was the son of Henry II, Duke of Brabant and Sophie of Thuringia.

24/06/1210

Count Floris IV of Holland (died 1234)

Floris IV was the count of Holland from 1222 to 1234. He was born in The Hague, a son of William I of Holland and his first wife, Adelaide of Guelders.

Lives Remembered on 24th June

On 24th June, 83 remarkable people passed away — from 1046 to 2025. Remember the lives and legacies of those we lost on this day.

24/06/2025

Bobby Sherman, American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1943)

Robert Cabot Sherman Jr. was an American singer and actor who was a teen idol in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He had a series of successful singles, notably the million-seller "Little Woman" (1969). Sherman left show business in the 1970s for a career as a paramedic and a deputy sheriff, but performed occasionally into the 1990s.

24/06/2024

Shifty Shellshock, American vocalist (born 1974)

Seth Brooks Binzer, better known by his stage name Shifty Shellshock, was an American rapper and songwriter who cofounded the rap rock band Crazy Town, known for their hit song "Butterfly". He later had a solo career. Binzer struggled with addiction throughout his career and appeared on the reality television series Celebrity Rehab and Sober House.

24/06/2021

Benigno Aquino III, 15th President of the Philippines (born 1960)

Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Cojuangco Aquino III, also known colloquially as PNoy, was the 15th president of the Philippines, serving from 2010 to 2016. A member of the Liberal Party, he was the son of assassinated politician Ninoy Aquino and 11th president Corazon Aquino, and a fourth-generation politician as part of the Aquino family of Tarlac.

Trần Thiện Khiêm, 7th Prime Minister of South Vietnam and army officer (born 1925)

Trần Thiện Khiêm was a South Vietnamese soldier and politician, who served as a General in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) during the Vietnam War. He was born in Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina. During the 1960s, he was involved in several coups. He helped President Ngô Đình Diệm put down a November 1960 coup attempt and was rewarded with a promotion. In 1963, however, he was involved in the coup that deposed and assassinated Diêm.

24/06/2015

Cristiano Araújo, Brazilian singer-songwriter (born 1986)

Cristiano de Melo Araújo was a Brazilian singer-songwriter.

Mario Biaggi, American police officer, politician and criminal (born 1917)

Mario Biaggi was an American politician, attorney, and police officer. He served ten terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York from 1969 to 1988.

Marva Collins, American author and educator (born 1936)

Marva Delores Collins was an American educator. Collins is best known for creating Westside Preparatory School, a widely acclaimed private elementary school in the impoverished Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, which opened in 1975.

Susan Ahn Cuddy, American lieutenant (born 1915)

Susan Ahn Cuddy was the first female gunnery officer in the United States Navy. She was the eldest daughter of Korean independence activist Ahn Chang-ho and Helen Ahn, the first married Korean couple to immigrate to the United States in 1902. She joined the Navy in 1942 and served until 1946, reaching the rank of lieutenant. She was the first Asian-American woman to join the U.S. Navy and the first Korean-American in U.S. Naval Intelligence.

24/06/2014

John Clement, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1928)

John Twining Clement was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament from 1971 to 1975 and was in the cabinet of premier Bill Davis.

Marilyn Fisher Lundy, American businesswoman (born 1925)

Marilyn Fisher Lundy was an American businesswoman and philanthropist. As the CEO and president of the League of Catholic Women, Lundy led the development of several organizations for women and children within Michigan, including educational institutions.

Olga Kotelko, Canadian runner and softball player (born 1919)

Olga Kotelko was a Canadian track and field athlete. She held over 30 world records and won over 750 gold medals in her age category for the Masters competition, age 90–95, and was considered "one of the world's greatest athletes" as a result. She held every track and field world record she attempted for her age group.

Ramón José Velásquez, Venezuelan journalist, lawyer, and politician, President of Venezuela (born 1916)

Ramón José Velásquez Mujica was a Venezuelan politician, historian, journalist, and lawyer. He served as the president of Venezuela between 1993 and 1994.

Eli Wallach, American actor (born 1915)

Eli Herschel Wallach was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. Known for his character actor roles, his entertainment career spanned over six decades. He received a BAFTA Award, a Tony Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. He also was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1988 and received the Academy Honorary Award in 2010.

24/06/2013

Mick Aston, English archaeologist and academic (born 1946)

Michael Antony Aston was an English archaeologist who specialised in Early Medieval landscape archaeology. Over the course of his career, he lectured at both the University of Bristol and University of Oxford and published fifteen books on archaeological subjects. A keen populariser of the discipline, Aston was widely known for appearing as the resident academic on the Channel 4 television series Time Team from 1994 to 2011.

Emilio Colombo, Italian politician, 40th Prime Minister of Italy (born 1920)

Emilio Colombo was an Italian politician. A member of the Christian Democracy party, he served as Prime Minister of Italy from August 1970 to February 1972. In 2003, he was appointed senator for life, a seat he held until his death.

Joannes Gijsen, Dutch bishop (born 1932)

Joannes Baptist Matthijs Gijsen was a Dutch bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. After being Bishop (emeritus) of Roermond, Limburg, the Netherlands, he became Bishop (emeritus) of the Diocese of Reykjavík (Iceland). His episcopal motto was Parate viam Domini.

William Hathaway, American lawyer and politician (born 1924)

William Dodd Hathaway was an American politician and lawyer from Maine. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator for Maine from 1973 to 1979, as the U.S. representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district from 1965 to 1973, and as the commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission from 1990 to 1999.

James Martin, English-Bermudian computer scientist and author (born 1933)

James Martin was a British information technology consultant and author, known for his work on information technology engineering.

Alan Myers, American drummer (born 1955)

Alan Charles Myers was an American rock drummer whose music career spanned more than 30 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as the third and most prominent drummer of the new wave band Devo, replacing Jim Mothersbaugh.

24/06/2012

Darrel Akerfelds, American baseball player and coach (born 1962)

Darrel Wayne Akerfelds was an American professional baseball pitcher. He also served as the bullpen coach of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres, from 2001 until his death. Akerfelds pitched in the major leagues in parts of five seasons, from 1986 to 1991 for the Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, and Philadelphia Phillies.

Gad Beck, German author and educator (born 1923)

Gerhard "Gad" Beck was an Israeli-German educator, author, activist, resistance member, and survivor of the Holocaust.

Gu Chaohao, Chinese mathematician and academic (born 1926)

Gu Chaohao was a Chinese mathematician. He graduated from National Chekiang University in 1948, and received a doctorate in physics and mathematical science from Moscow University in 1959. He was primarily engaged in research on partial differential equations, differential geometry, solitons, and mathematical physics. He served as vice president of Fudan University and from 1988 to 1993 as president of the University of Science and Technology of China. In 1980, he was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He received the Highest Science and Technology Award in 2009.

Miki Roqué, Spanish footballer (born 1988)

Miguel "Miki" Roqué Farrero was a Spanish professional footballer who played as a central defender.

Ann C. Scales, American lawyer, educator, and activist (born 1952)

Ann C. Scales was an American lawyer, activist, and law professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law from 2003 to 2012, where she taught in constitutional law, sexual orientation and the law, civil procedure and torts.

Lonesome George, last known Pinta Island tortoise (hatched c. 1910)

Lonesome George was a male Pinta Island tortoise and the last known individual of the subspecies. In his last years, he was known as the rarest creature in the world. George serves as an important symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos Islands and throughout the world.

24/06/2011

Tomislav Ivić, Croatian football coach and manager (born 1933)

Tomislav Ivić was a Croatian professional football player and manager. Often described as a brilliant strategist, Ivić is credited with helping develop the modern style of the game. In April 2007, Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport proclaimed him as the most successful football manager in history, due to his seven league titles won in five countries.

24/06/2010

Fred Anderson, American jazz tenor saxophonist (born 1929)

Fred Anderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who was based in Chicago, Illinois. Anderson's playing was rooted in the swing music and hard bop idioms, but he also incorporated innovations from free jazz. Anderson was also noted for having mentored numerous young musicians. Critic Ben Ratliff called him "a father figure of experimental jazz in Chicago". Writer John Corbett referred to him as "scene caretaker, underground booster, indefatigable cultural worker, quiet force for good." In 2001, author John Litweiler called Anderson "the finest tenor saxophonist in free jazz/underground jazz/outside jazz today."

24/06/2009

Roméo LeBlanc, Canadian journalist and politician, 25th Governor General of Canada (born 1927)

Roméo-Adrien LeBlanc was a Canadian journalist and politician who served as the 25th governor general of Canada from 1995 to 1999.

24/06/2008

Gerhard Ringel, Austrian mathematician and academic (born 1919)

Gerhard Ringel was a German mathematician. He was one of the pioneers in graph theory and contributed significantly to the proof of the Heawood conjecture, a mathematical problem closely linked with the four color theorem.

24/06/2007

Natasja Saad, Danish rapper and reggae singer (born 1974)

Natasja Saad, also known mononymously as Natasja and also as Dou T and Little T, was a Danish rapper, deejay, and singer. While already relatively successful in her native Denmark, her vocals on a popular reggae fusion remix of "Calabria" gained her worldwide fame and a number one spot on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart six months after her death in a car crash in Jamaica.

Chris Benoit, Canadian wrestler (born 1967)

Christopher Michael Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler who worked for various promotions during his 22-year career. Despite his accomplishments, he is more generally known for murdering his wife and youngest son before committing suicide.

Derek Dougan, Northern Irish footballer and manager (born 1938)

Alexander Derek Dougan was a Northern Ireland international footballer, football manager, football chairman, pundit, and writer. He was also known by his nickname, "The Doog". He was capped by Northern Ireland at schoolboy, youth, Amateur, and 'B' team level, before he won 43 caps in a 15-year career for the senior team from 1958 to 1973, scoring eight international goals and featuring in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the Shamrock Rovers XI v Brazil exhibition match in July 1973, which he also helped to organise.

24/06/2005

Paul Winchell, American actor, voice artist, and ventriloquist (born 1922)

Paul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, humanitarian, and inventor whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1950 to 1954, he hosted The Paul Winchell Show, which also used two other titles during its prime time run on NBC: The Speidel Show, and What's My Name? From 1965 to 1968, Winchell hosted the children's television series Winchell-Mahoney Time.

24/06/2004

Ifigeneia Giannopoulou, Greek songwriter and author (born 1957)

Ifigeneia Giannopoulou was a Greek songwriter. She also wrote books for children. Giannopoulou worked with great names of Greek music.

24/06/2002

Pierre Werner, Luxembourgish banker and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Luxembourg (born 1913)

Pierre Werner was a Luxembourgish politician of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) who was the prime minister of Luxembourg from 1959 to 1974 and from 1979 to 1984.

24/06/2001

Konstantin Gerchik, the second head of the world's first cosmodrome — "Baikonur" (1958–1961).

Konstantin Vasilyevich Gerchik was a Russian military officer who served in the Red Army and a program manager in the former Soviet space program. He was Colonel-General of the Soviet Army, Professor of the Academy of Military Sciences of Russia, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, and the second head of the Baikonur Cosmodrome (1958–1961).

24/06/2000

Vera Atkins, British intelligence officer (born 1908)

Vera May Atkins was a Romanian-born British intelligence officer who was the Deputy Director of the France Section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) from 1941 to 1945 during the Second World War.

David Tomlinson, English actor and comedian (born 1917)

David Cecil MacAlister Tomlinson was an English stage, film and television actor, singer and comedian. Having been described as both a leading actor and a character actor, he is primarily remembered for his roles with The Walt Disney Company as the patriarch father George Banks in Mary Poppins (1964), hapless antagonist Peter Thorndyke in The Love Bug (1968) and the friendly con man Professor Emelius Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). Tomlinson was posthumously inducted as a Disney Legend in 2002.

Rodrigo Bueno, Argentine cuarteto singer (born 1973)

Rodrigo Alejandro Bueno, also known by his stage name Rodrigo or his nickname "El Potro", was an Argentine singer of cuarteto music. He is widely regarded as the best, most famous and most influential singer in the history of this genre. Bueno's style was marked by his on-stage energy and charisma. His short, dyed hair and casual clothes differed from typical cuarteto singers with strident colors and long curly hair. During his career, Bueno expanded cuarteto music to the Argentine national scene, remaining one of the main figures of the genre. The son of Eduardo Alberto Bueno, a record shop owner and music producer, and Beatriz Olave, a songwriter and newsstand owner, Rodrigo Bueno was born into the cuarteto musical scene in Córdoba, Argentina. He first appeared on television at the age of two, on the show Fiesta de Cuarteto, along with family friend Juan Carlos "La Mona" Jiménez. With the help of his father, he recorded an album of children's songs, Disco Baby, at the age of five. During his preteen years he informally joined the local band Chébere during live performances. He dropped out of school at the age of twelve and successfully auditioned for the band Manto Negro. After five years without success in Córdoba, Bueno's father decided to try to launch his son's career as a soloist in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1990, Bueno released his first record, La Foto de tu Cuerpo, on Polygram Records. Bueno introduced his next album, Aprendiendo a Vivir, with a live performance at the nightclub Fantástico Bailable. The performance brought him his first recognition in the tropical music scene.

24/06/1997

Brian Keith, American actor (born 1921)

Robert Alba Keith, known professionally as Brian Keith, was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his six-decade career gained recognition for his work in films such as the Disney family film The Parent Trap (1961); Johnny Shiloh (1963); the comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966); and the adventure saga The Wind and the Lion (1975), in which he portrayed President Theodore Roosevelt.

24/06/1995

Andrew J. Transue, American politician and attorney Morissette v. United States (born 1903)

Andrew Jackson Transue was an American politician and attorney from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives from 1937 to 1939.

24/06/1994

Jean Vallerand, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (born 1915)

Jean Vallerand, CQ was a composer, music critic, violinist, conductor, arts administrator, writer, and music educator from Quebec. As a composer he was active from 1935 to 1969. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he was appointed a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1991.

24/06/1991

Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian-American author and playwright (born 1917)

Sumner Locke Elliott was an Australian novelist and playwright.

Rufino Tamayo, Mexican painter and illustrator (born 1899)

Rufino del Carmen Arellanes Tamayo was a Mexican painter of Zapotec heritage, born in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico. Tamayo was active in the mid-20th century in Mexico and New York, painting figurative abstraction with surrealist influences.

24/06/1988

Csaba Kesjár, Hungarian race car driver (born 1962)

Csaba Kesjár was a Hungarian racing driver who was born in Budapest and died in Norisring, Nuremberg.

24/06/1987

Jackie Gleason, American actor, comedian, and producer (born 1916)

Herbert John Gleason, known as Jackie Gleason, was an American comedian, actor, writer, and composer also known as "The Great One".

24/06/1984

Clarence Campbell, Canadian businessman (born 1905)

Clarence Sutherland Campbell was a Canadian ice hockey executive and referee, and soldier. He refereed in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1930s, served in the Canadian Army during World War II, then served as the third president of the NHL from 1946 to 1977. His tenure as president included the Richard Riot and the 1967 NHL expansion. His career was recognized with induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966, and the naming of the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl for him.

24/06/1980

V. V. Giri, Indian lawyer and politician, 4th President of India (born 1894)

Varahagiri Venkata Giri, better known as V. V. Giri was an Indian statesman, activist, and diplomat who served as the president of India from 1969 to 1974. He previously served as the vice president of India from 1967 to 1969 and the minister of labour from 1952 to 1954.

24/06/1978

Robert Charroux, French author and critic (born 1909)

Robert Charroux was the best-known pen-name of Robert Joseph Grugeau. He was a French author known for his writings on the ancient astronaut theme.

24/06/1976

Minor White, American photographer, critic, and academic (born 1908)

Minor Martin White was an American photographer, theoretician, critic, and educator.

24/06/1975

Wendell Ladner, Professional Basketball Player in the ABA

Wendell Larry Ladner was an American professional basketball player most notable for his playing time in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1970 to 1975.

24/06/1969

Frank King, American cartoonist (born 1883)

Frank Oscar King was an American cartoonist best known for his comic strip Gasoline Alley. In addition to innovations with color and page design, King introduced real-time continuity in comic strips by showing his characters aging over generations.

Willy Ley, German-American historian and author (born 1906)

Willy Otto Oskar Ley was a German and American science writer and proponent of space exploration and cryptozoology. The crater Ley on the far side of the Moon is named in his honor.

24/06/1964

Stuart Davis, American painter and academic (born 1892)

Edward Stuart Davis was an American modernist painter. He was associated with early twentieth-century American modernism, including the Ashcan School, and later developed a style characterized by bold color, jazz references, and urban subject matter. In the 1930s, Davis became politically active and participated in federally sponsored art programs during the Great Depression.

24/06/1962

Volfgangs Dārziņš, Latvian composer, pianist and music critic (born 1906)

Volfgangs Dārziņš was a Latvian composer, pianist and music critic.

24/06/1947

Emil Seidel, American politician, Mayor of Milwaukee (born 1864)

Emil Seidel was an American woodworker, patternmaker and politician. Seidel was the mayor of Milwaukee from 1910 to 1912. The first Socialist mayor of a major city in the United States, Seidel became the vice presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America in the 1912 presidential election.

24/06/1946

Louise Whitfield Carnegie, American philanthropist (born 1857)

Louise Whitfield Carnegie was an American philanthropist. She was the wife of Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

24/06/1943

Camille Roy, Canadian priest and critic (born 1870)

Camille Roy was a Canadian priest and literary critic. He wrote extensively about the development of French-Canadian literature, and its importance in the promotion of French language and culture and of Christian ideals.

24/06/1932

Ernst Põdder, Estonian general (born 1879)

Ernst-Johannes Põdder VR I/1 was an Estonian military commander in the 1918–1920 Estonian War of Independence.

24/06/1931

Otto Mears, Russian-American businessman (born 1840)

Otto Mears was a Colorado railroad builder and entrepreneur who played a major role in the early development of southwestern Colorado.

Xiang Zhongfa, Chinese politician, 2nd General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (born 1880)

Xiang Zhongfa was a Chinese socialist who was one of the early senior leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

24/06/1923

Edith Södergran, Swedish-Finnish poet (born 1892)

Edith Irene Södergran was a Swedish-speaking Finnish poet. One of the first modernists within Swedish-language literature, her influences came from French Symbolism, German expressionism, and Russian futurism. At the age of 24 she released her first collection of poetry entitled Dikter ("Poems"). Södergran died at the age of 31, having contracted tuberculosis as a teenager. She did not live to experience the worldwide appreciation of her poetry, which has influenced many lyrical poets. Södergran is considered to have been one of the greatest modern Swedish-language poets, and her work continues to influence Swedish-language poetry and musical lyrics, for example, in the works of Mare Kandre, Gunnar Harding, Eva Runefelt, Heidi Sundblad-Halme, and Eva Dahlgren.

24/06/1922

Walther Rathenau, German businessman and politician, 7th German Minister for Foreign Affairs (born 1867)

Walther Rathenau was a German industrialist, writer and politician who served as foreign minister of Germany from February 1922 until his assassination in June 1922.

24/06/1909

Sarah Orne Jewett, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (born 1849)

Theodora Sarah Orne Jewett was an American novelist, short story writer and poet, best known for her local color works set along or near the southern coast of Maine. Jewett is recognized as an important practitioner of American literary regionalism.

24/06/1908

Grover Cleveland, American lawyer and politician, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (born 1837)

Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Democrat elected president after the American Civil War.

24/06/1902

George Leake, Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Western Australia (born 1856)

George Leake was the third Premier of Western Australia, serving from May to November 1901 and then again from December 1901 to his death.

24/06/1835

Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Greek admiral and politician (born 1769)

Andreas Vokos, better known by his nickname Miaoulis, was a Greek revolutionary, admiral, and politician who commanded Greek naval forces during the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829).

24/06/1817

Thomas McKean, American lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of Pennsylvania (born 1734)

Thomas McKean was an American lawyer, politician, and Founding Father. During the American Revolution he was a Delaware delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, where he signed the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of Confederation. He served as President of Congress for four months in 1781. McKean was at various times a member of the Federalist and the Democratic-Republican parties and served as president of Delaware, chief justice of Pennsylvania, and the second governor of Pennsylvania. He also held numerous other public offices.

24/06/1803

Matthew Thornton, Irish-American judge and politician (born 1714)

Matthew Thornton was an Irish-born Founding Father of the United States who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Hampshire.

24/06/1778

Pieter Burman the Younger, Dutch philologist and academic (born 1714)

Pieter Burman, also known as Peter or Pieter Burmann and distinguished from his uncle as "the Younger", was a Dutch philologist.

24/06/1766

Adrien Maurice de Noailles, French soldier and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1678)

Adrien Maurice de Noailles, 3rd Duke of Noailles was a French Royal Army officer.

24/06/1643

John Hampden, English politician (born 1595)

John Hampden was an English politician from Oxfordshire, who was killed fighting for Parliament in the First English Civil War. An ally of John Pym, and cousin of Oliver Cromwell, he was one of the Five Members whom Charles I of England tried to arrest in January 1642, a significant step in the outbreak of fighting in August. All five are commemorated at the State Opening of Parliament each year.

24/06/1637

Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, French astronomer and historian (born 1580)

Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, often known simply as Peiresc, or by the Latin form of his name, Peirescius, was a French astronomer, antiquary and savant, who maintained a wide correspondence with scientists, and was a successful organizer of scientific inquiry.

24/06/1604

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English courtier, Lord Great Chamberlain (born 1550)

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was an English peer and courtier of the Elizabethan era. Oxford was heir to the second oldest earldom in the kingdom, a court favourite for a time, a sought-after patron of the arts, and noted by his contemporaries as a lyric poet and court playwright, but his volatile temperament precluded him from attaining any courtly or governmental responsibility and contributed to the dissipation of his estate.

24/06/1520

Hosokawa Sumimoto, Japanese commander (born 1489)

Hosokawa Sumimoto was a samurai commander in the Muromachi period during the 16th century of Japan.

24/06/1519

Lucrezia Borgia, Italian wife of Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara (born 1480)

Lucrezia Borgia was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She was a former governor of Spoleto.

24/06/1503

Reginald Bray, English architect and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (born 1440)

Sir Reginald Bray was an English administrator and statesman. He was the Chancellor of the Duchy and County Palatine of Lancaster under Henry VII, briefly Treasurer of the Exchequer, and one of the most influential men in Henry VII's government and administration. He was an estate officer and senior councillor to both Henry VII and the king's mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort. He was a major benefactor to St George's Chapel, Windsor, where some of the building work for which he provided funds can still be seen and identified.

24/06/1439

Frederick IV, duke of Austria (born 1382)

Frederick IV, also known as Frederick of the Empty Pockets, a member of the House of Habsburg, was Duke of Austria from 1402 until his death. As a scion of the Habsburg Leopoldian line, he ruled over Further Austria and the County of Tyrol from 1406 onwards.

24/06/1398

Hongwu, Chinese emperor (born 1328)

The Hongwu Emperor, personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1368 to 1398.

24/06/1314

Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester, English commander (born 1291)

Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester, 7th Earl of Hertford was an English nobleman and military commander in the Scottish Wars. In contrast to most English earls at the time, his main focus lay in the pursuit of war rather than in domestic political strife. He was the son of Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester, and Joan of Acre, daughter of King Edward I. The older Gilbert died when his son was only four years old, and the younger Gilbert was invested with his earldoms at the young age of sixteen. Almost immediately, he became involved in the defense of the northern border, but later he was drawn into the struggles between Edward II and some of his barons. He was one of the Lords Ordainers who ordered the expulsion of the king's favourite Piers Gaveston in 1311. When Gaveston was killed on his return in 1312, Gloucester helped negotiate a settlement between the perpetrators and the king.

Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, English soldier and politician, Lord Warden of the Marches (born 1274)

Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, of Appleby Castle, Westmorland, feudal baron of Appleby and feudal baron of Skipton in Yorkshire, was an English soldier who became 1st Lord Warden of the Marches, responsible for defending the English border with Scotland.

24/06/1088

William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Norman nobleman

William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Lord of Lewes, Seigneur de Varennes, was a Norman nobleman created Earl of Surrey by William II Rufus. He is among the few known from documents to have fought under William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. At the time of Domesday Book in 1086 he held extensive lands in 13 counties, including the Rape of Lewes, a tract now divided between the ceremonial counties of East Sussex and West Sussex.

24/06/1046

Jeongjong II, Korean ruler (born 1018)

Jeongjong, personal name Wang Hyŏng, was the 10th king of Korea's Goryeo dynasty. He was the second son of King Hyeonjong, and the younger brother of King Deokjong. At the age of four in 1022, he was made Naesaryeong, a position of high rank, and designated the Prince of Pyongyang.

Celebrations & Special Days Worldwide on 24th June

Army Day or Battle of Carabobo Day (Venezuela)

An Armed Forces Day, alongside its branch-specific variants often referred to as Army or Soldier's Day, Navy or Sailor's Day, and Air Force or Aviator's Day, is a holiday dedicated to honoring the armed forces, or one of their branches, of a sovereign state, including their personnel, history, achievements, and sacrifices. It's often patriotic or nationalistic in nature, carrying information value outside of the conventional boundaries of a military's subculture and into the wider civilian society. Many nations around the world observe this day. It is usually distinct from a Veterans or Memorial Day, as the former is dedicated to those who previously served and the latter is dedicated to those who perished in the fulfillment of their duties.

Bannockburn Day (Scotland)

The Battle of Bannockburn was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive victory for Robert Bruce and formed a major turning point in the war, which ended 14 years later with the de jure restoration of Scottish independence under the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton. For this reason, the Battle of Bannockburn is widely considered a landmark moment in Scottish history.

Christian feast day: María Guadalupe García Zavala

María Guadalupe García Zavala – born Anastasia Guadalupe García Zavala – was a Mexican Roman Catholic religious sister and the co-founder of the Handmaids of Santa Margherita and the Poor. She is also known as "Mother Lupita". At one time, she was engaged to be married but she decided her religious call was too strong for that and she broke off her engagement in order to pursue this call. She dedicated herself to the care of ill people and was noted for her compassion and faith.

Christian feast day: Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

The Nativity of John the Baptist (or Birth of John the Baptist, or Nativity of the Forerunner, or colloquially Johnmas or St. John's Day is a Christian feast day. It is observed annually on 24 June. The Nativity of John the Baptist is a high-ranking liturgical feast, kept in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism. The sole biblical account of the birth of John the Baptist comes from the Gospel of Luke.

Christian feast day: June 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

June 23 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - June 25

Day of the Caboclo (Amazonas, Brazil)

A caboclo is a person of mixed Indigenous Brazilian and European ancestry, or, less commonly, a culturally assimilated or detribalized person of full Amerindian descent. In Brazil, a caboclo generally refers to this specific type of mestiço.

Inti Raymi, a winter solstice festival and a New Year in the Andes of the Southern Hemisphere (Sacsayhuamán)

The Inti Raymi is a traditional religious ceremony of the Inca Empire in honor of the god Inti, the most venerated deity in Inca religion. It was the celebration of the winter solstice – the shortest day of the year in terms of the time between sunrise and sunset – and the Inca New Year, when the hours of light would begin to lengthen again. Celebrated on June 24, the Inti Raymi was the most important festival of the Inca Empire, as described by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, and took place in the Haukaypata, the main square of Cusco.

St John's Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances: Enyovden (Bulgaria)

Midsummer or Midsommar is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year. The name midsummer mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of European origin. These cultures traditionally regard it as the middle of summer, with the season beginning on May Day. Although the summer solstice falls on 20, 21 or 22 June in the Northern Hemisphere, it was traditionally reckoned to fall on 23–24 June in much of Europe. These dates were Christianized as Saint John's Eve and Saint John's Day. It is usually celebrated with outdoor gatherings that include bonfires, maypole dancing and feasting.

St John's Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances: Catalan Countries National Day (Andorra, Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Northern Catalonia, Valencia)

The Catalan Countries refers to the territories where the Catalan language is spoken. They include the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencian Community, and parts of Aragon and Murcia (Carche), as well as the Principality of Andorra, the department of Pyrénées-Orientales in France, and the city of Alghero in Sardinia (Italy). It is often used as a sociolinguistic term to describe the cultural-linguistic area where Catalan is spoken. In the context of the Catalan independence movement, the term is sometimes used in a more restricted way to refer to just Catalonia, Northern Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands. The Catalan Countries do not correspond to any present or past political or administrative unit, though most of the area belonged to the Crown of Aragon in the Middle Ages. Parts of Valencia (Spanish) and Catalonia (Occitan) are not Catalan-speaking.

St John's Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances: Jaanipäev (Estonia)

Jaanipäev and jaaniõhtu, also jaanilaupäev are the most important days in the Estonian calendar. The short summer seasons with long days and brief nights hold special significance for the people of Estonia. Jaanipäev is celebrated on the night between June 23 and 24, the Western Christian feast of the nativity of Saint John the Baptist, which is a few days after the summer solstice.

St John's Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances: Jāņi (Latvia)

Jāņi is an annual Latvian festival celebrating the summer solstice. Although, astronomically the solstice falls on the 21st or 22nd of June, the public holidays—Līgo Day and Jāņi Day—are on the 23rd and 24th of June. The day before Jāņi is known as Līgosvētki, Līgovakars or simply known as Līgo.

St John's Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances: Jónsmessa (Iceland)

Jonsmessa, also known as Midsummer Night, is an Icelandic holiday celebrated on June 24 and named after John the Baptist. According to Icelandic folklore, cows gain the powers of speech, seals become human, and it is healthy to roll naked in the dew-covered grass on Jónsmessa. Icelandic folklore also states that if you sit at a crossroads where all four roads lead to separate churches all night, elves will attempt to seduce you with food and gifts.

St John's Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances: Midsummer Day (England)

Midsummer or Midsommar is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year. The name midsummer mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of European origin. These cultures traditionally regard it as the middle of summer, with the season beginning on May Day. Although the summer solstice falls on 20, 21 or 22 June in the Northern Hemisphere, it was traditionally reckoned to fall on 23–24 June in much of Europe. These dates were Christianized as Saint John's Eve and Saint John's Day. It is usually celebrated with outdoor gatherings that include bonfires, maypole dancing and feasting.

St John's Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances: Saint Jonas' Festival or Joninės (Lithuania)

Saint Jonas' Festival, also known as Rasos, Joninės, Kupolė, Midsummer Day or Saint John's Day) is a Lithuanian midsummer folk festival celebrated on 24 June all around Lithuania and by the Lithuanian diaspora worldwide. The celebrations often involve flower wreaths, bonfires and torchlit processions, and music and dancing.

St John's Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances: Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (Quebec)

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, also known in English as St John the Baptist Day, is a holiday celebrated on June 24 in the Canadian province of Quebec. It was brought to Canada by French settlers celebrating the traditional feast day of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. It was declared a public holiday in Quebec in 1925, with publicly financed events organized province-wide by a Comité organisateur de la fête nationale du Québec.

St John's Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances: Sânziene (western Carpathian Mountains of Romania)

Sânziană is the Romanian name for gentle fairies who play an important part in local folklore, also used to designate the Galium verum or Cruciata laevipes flowers. Under the plural form Sânziene, the word designates an annual festival in the fairies' honor. Etymologically, the name comes from the Latin Sancta Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt and moon, also celebrated in Roman Dacia. Diana was known to be the virgin goddess and looked after virgins and women. She was one of the three maiden goddesses, Diana, Minerva and Vesta, who swore never to marry.

St John's Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances: Wattah Wattah Festival (Philippines)

The Wattah Wattah Festival, also known as the Basaan Festival, is the feast of John the Baptist, the patron saint of San Juan, Metro Manila, and many other communities across the Philippines. It is held every June 24.

Fors Fortuna, ancient Roman festival to Fortuna

Fortuna, sometimes anglicized as Fortune, is the goddess of luck or fortune in Roman religion. She came to represent life's capriciousness, and was a goddess of fate. In antiquity she was also known by the epithet Automatia. Her Greek equivalent is Tyche.

What Happened on 24th June?

66 significant events took place on Saturday, 24th June — stretching from -1312 to 2023. Explore the moments that shaped history on this day.

24/06/2023

The Wagner Group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin launches an insurrection against the Russian government.

The Wagner Group, officially known as PMC Wagner, is a Russian state-funded private military company (PMC) that was controlled until 2023 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former close ally of Russia's president Vladimir Putin, and since then by Pavel Prigozhin. The Wagner Group has used infrastructure of the Russian Armed Forces. Evidence suggests that Wagner has been used as a proxy by the Russian government, allowing it to have plausible deniability for military operations abroad, and hiding the true casualties of Russia's foreign interventions.

24/06/2022

In Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the U.S. Constitution does not assign the authority to regulate abortions to the federal government, thereby returning such authority to the individual states. This overturns the prior decisions in Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992).

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, 597 U.S. 215 (2022), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court in which the court held that the United States Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. The court's decision overruled both Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), devolving to state governments the authority to regulate any aspect of abortion that federal law does not preempt.

24/06/2021

The Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida suffers a sudden partial collapse, killing 98 people inside.

Surfside is a town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Surfside is a primarily residential beachside community, with several multistory condominium buildings adjacent to Surfside Beach on the Atlantic Ocean. The town is bordered on the south by the North Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, on the north by Bal Harbour, on the west by Biscayne Bay, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. It also serves as part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 5,689 as of the 2020 census.

24/06/2013

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is found guilty of abusing his power and engaging in sex with an underage prostitute, and is sentenced to seven years in prison.

The prime minister of Italy, officially the president of the Council of Ministers, is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is established by articles 92–96 of the Constitution of Italy; the president of the Council of Ministers is appointed by the president of the Italian Republic and must have the confidence of the parliament to stay in office.

24/06/2012

Death of Lonesome George, the last known individual of Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii, a subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise.

Lonesome George was a male Pinta Island tortoise and the last known individual of the subspecies. In his last years, he was known as the rarest creature in the world. George serves as an important symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos Islands and throughout the world.

24/06/2010

At Wimbledon, John Isner of the United States defeats Nicolas Mahut of France, in the longest match in professional tennis history.

The Wimbledon Championships, commonly called Wimbledon, is a tennis tournament organised by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in collaboration with the Lawn Tennis Association annually in Wimbledon, London. It is chronologically the third of the four Grand Slam tennis events each year, held after the Australian Open and the French Open and before the US Open. It is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious.

Julia Gillard assumes office as the first female Prime Minister of Australia.

Julia Eileen Gillard is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013. She held office as the leader of the Labor Party (ALP), having previously served as the 13th deputy prime minister from 2007 to 2010. She is the first and only woman to hold either office.

24/06/2004

In New York, capital punishment is declared unconstitutional.

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in such a manner is called a death sentence, and the act of carrying out the sentence is an execution. A prisoner who has been sentenced to death and awaits execution is condemned and is commonly referred to as being "on death row". Etymologically, the term capital refers to execution by beheading, but executions are carried out by many methods.

24/06/2002

The Igandu train disaster in Tanzania kills 281, the worst train accident in African history.

The Igandu train disaster occurred during the early morning of June 24, 2002, in Tanzania. It is one of the worst rail accidents in African history. A passenger train with over 1,200 people on board rolled backwards down a hill into a slow-moving goods train, killing 281. The cause was brake failure, with unproven claims of sabotage.

24/06/1995

Rugby World Cup: South Africa defeats New Zealand and Nelson Mandela presents Francois Pienaar with the Webb Ellis Cup in an iconic post-apartheid moment.

The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country.

24/06/1994

A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress crashes at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Washington, killing four.

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American nuclear-capable subsonic jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1955 and was flown by NASA from 1959 to 2007. The bomber can carry up to 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of weapons and has a typical combat range of around 8,800 miles (14,200 km) without aerial refueling.

24/06/1989

Jiang Zemin succeeds Zhao Ziyang to become the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.

Jiang Zemin was a Chinese politician who served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as the chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and as the president of China from 1993 to 2003. Jiang was the third paramount leader of China from 1989 to 2002. He was the core leader of the third generation of Chinese leadership, one of four core leaders alongside Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Xi Jinping.

24/06/1982

"The Jakarta Incident": British Airways Flight 009 flies into a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung, resulting in the failure of all four engines.

British Airways Flight 009, sometimes referred to by its callsign SPEEDBIRD 9 or as the Jakarta incident, was a scheduled British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Auckland, with stops in Bombay, Kuala Lumpur, Perth and Melbourne.

24/06/1981

The Humber Bridge opens to traffic, connecting Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It remained the world's longest bridge span for 17 years.

The Humber Bridge is a 2.22-kilometre single-span road suspension bridge near Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. When it opened to traffic on 24 June 1981, it was the longest of its type in the world; the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge surpassed it in 1998, and it became the fourteenth-longest by 2025.

24/06/1975

Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 encounters severe wind shear and crashes on final approach to New York's JFK Airport killing 113 of the 124 passengers on board, making it the deadliest U.S. plane crash at the time. This accident led to decades of research into downburst and microburst phenomena and their effects on aircraft.

Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 was a regularly scheduled flight from New Orleans to New York City that crashed on June 24, 1975, when a Boeing 727-225 went on approach to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing 113 of the 124 people on board. The accident was determined to be caused by wind shear stemming from a microburst, but the failure of the airport and the flight crew to recognize the severe weather hazard was also a contributing factor.

24/06/1973

The UpStairs Lounge arson attack takes place at a gay bar located on the second floor of the three-story building at 141 Chartres Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, US. Thirty-two people die as a result of fire or smoke inhalation.

The UpStairs Lounge arson attack, sometimes called the UpStairs Lounge Fire, occurred on June 24, 1973, at a gay bar called the UpStairs Lounge located on the 2nd floor of the 3-story building at 604 Iberville Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States. Thirty-two people died and 15 were injured as a result of fire or smoke inhalation. The official cause is still listed as "undetermined origin". The primary suspect, a gay man with a history of psychiatric impairment named Roger Dale Nunez who had been ejected from the bar earlier in the day, was never charged and died by suicide in November 1974.

24/06/1963

The United Kingdom grants Zanzibar internal self-government.

Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre, Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.

24/06/1960

Venezuelan President Rómulo Betancourt is injured in an assassination attempt.

Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and various islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It comprises an area of 912,050 km2 (352,140 sq mi), with a population estimated at 31.8 million in 2025. The capital and largest urban agglomeration is Caracas. The continental territory is bordered on the north by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Colombia, Brazil on the south, Trinidad and Tobago to the north-east, and on the east by Guyana. Venezuela consists of 23 states, the Capital District, and federal dependencies covering Venezuela's offshore islands. Venezuela is among the most urbanized countries in Latin America; the vast majority of Venezuelans live in the cities of the north, including in the capital.

24/06/1957

In Roth v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment.

Roth v. United States, 354 U.S. 476 (1957), along with its companion case Alberts v. California, was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States which redefined the constitutional test for determining what constitutes obscene material unprotected by the First Amendment. The Court, in an opinion by Justice William J. Brennan Jr. created a test to determine what constituted obscene material: Whether the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the material appeals to a prurient interest in sex, and whether the material was utterly without redeeming social value. Although the Court upheld Roth’s conviction and allowed some obscenity prosecutions, it drastically loosened obscenity laws. The decision dissatisfied both social conservatives who thought that it had gone too far in tolerating sexual imagery, and liberals who felt that it infringed on the rights of consenting adults.

24/06/1954

First Indochina War: Battle of Mang Yang Pass: Viet Minh troops belonging to the 803rd Regiment ambush G.M. 100 of France in An Khê.

The First Indochina War, known alternatively internationally as the French Indochina War, was fought in French Indochina between France and the Viet Minh and their respective allies, from 19 December 1946 until 11 August 1954. Most of the engagements of this conflict occurred in Vietnam.

24/06/1950

Apartheid: In South Africa, the Group Areas Act is passed, formally segregating races.

Apartheid was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an authoritarian political culture based on baasskap, which ensured that South Africa was dominated politically, socially, and economically by the nation's minority white population. Under this minoritarian system, white citizens held the highest status, followed by Indians, Coloureds and black Africans, in that order. The economic legacy and social effects of apartheid continue to the present day, particularly inequality.

24/06/1949

The first television western, Hopalong Cassidy, starring William Boyd, is aired on NBC.

Television Westerns are programs with settings in the later half of the 19th century in the American Old West, Western Canada and Mexico during the period from about 1860 to the end of the so-called "Indian Wars". More recent entries in the Western genre have used the neo-Western subgenre, placing events in the modern day, or the space Western subgenre, but still draw inspiration from the outlaw attitudes prevalent in traditional Western productions.

24/06/1948

Cold War: Start of the Berlin Blockade: The Soviet Union makes overland travel between West Germany and West Berlin impossible.

The Cold War was a period of international geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc. It began in the aftermath of the Second World War and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The term cold war is used because there was no direct fighting between the two superpowers, though each supported opposing sides in regional conflicts known as proxy wars. In addition to the struggle for ideological and economic influence and an arms race in both conventional and nuclear weapons, the Cold War was expressed through technological rivalries such as the Space Race, espionage, propaganda campaigns, embargoes, and sports diplomacy.

24/06/1947

Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington.

Kenneth Albert Arnold was an American aviator, businessman, and politician.

24/06/1945

The first Victory Day Parade takes place on Red Square in Moscow, Soviet Union, symbolizing the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany.

Victory Day parades are military parades that are held on 9 May in some post-Soviet nations, primarily Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine. They are held to honor the traditional Victory Day holiday, which commemorates the German Instrument of Surrender on 8 May, 1945 and the end of the Second World War in Europe. In 2015, the Ukrainian government renamed the holiday as "Victory Day over Nazism in World War II" as part of decommunization laws and in 2023 moved the holiday to 8 May, renaming it to Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II 1939 – 1945.

24/06/1943

US military police attempt to arrest a black soldier in Bamber Bridge, England, sparking the Battle of Bamber Bridge mutiny that leaves one dead and seven wounded.

Bamber Bridge is a large village in Lancashire, England, 3 miles (5 km) south-east of Preston, in the borough of South Ribble. The name derives from the Old English "bēam" and "brycg", which probably means "tree-trunk bridge". People who live in Bamber Bridge are often known locally as Briggers.

24/06/1940

World War II: Operation Collar, the first British Commando raid on occupied France, by No 11 Independent Company.

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

24/06/1939

Siam is renamed Thailand by Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the country's third prime minister.

Plaek Phibunsongkhram, commonly known in English language sources as Phibun and Chomphon Por in Thai, was a Thai military officer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Thailand from 1938 to 1944 and again from 1948 to 1957. He rose to power as a leading member of the Khana Ratsadon, becoming prime minister in 1938 and later consolidating his influence as a military dictator. His regime allied with the Empire of Japan during World War II, and his administration was marked by authoritarian policies and the promotion of Thai nationalism. He was closely involved in both domestic reforms and foreign policy during the war and played a central role in shaping modern Thai state ideology.

24/06/1938

Pieces of a meteorite land near Chicora, Pennsylvania. The meteorite is estimated to have weighed 450 metric tons when it hit the Earth's atmosphere and exploded.

A meteorite is a rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical interactions with the atmospheric gases cause it to heat up and radiate energy. It then becomes a meteor and forms a fireball, also known as a shooting star; astronomers call the brightest examples "bolides". Once it settles on the larger body's surface, the meteor becomes a meteorite. Meteorites vary greatly in size. For geologists, a bolide is a meteorite large enough to create an impact crater.

24/06/1932

A bloodless revolution instigated by the People's Party ends the absolute power of King Prajadhipok of Siam (now Thailand).

The Siamese revolution of 1932 or Siamese coup d'état of 1932 was a coup d'état by the Khana Ratsadon which occurred in Siam on 24 June 1932. It ended Siam's centuries-long absolute monarchy rule under the Chakri dynasty and resulted in a bloodless transition of Siam into a constitutional monarchy, the introduction of democracy and the first constitution, and the creation of the National Assembly. Dissatisfaction caused by economic crisis and incompetent government, as well as the rise of Western-educated non-royals to positions of influence, fueled the revolution.

24/06/1922

The American Professional Football Association is renamed the National Football League.

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and the highest professional level of American football in the world. Each NFL season begins annually with a three-week preseason in August, followed by an 18-week regular season, which runs from early September to early January, with each team playing 17 games and having one bye week. Seven teams from each conference, including the four division winners and three wild card teams, then advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament, which culminates in the Super Bowl, played in early February between the winners of the AFC and NFC championship games. The NFL is headquartered in New York City.

24/06/1918

First airmail service in Canada from Montreal to Toronto.

Airmail is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be the only option for sending mail to some destinations, such as overseas, if the mail cannot wait the time it would take to arrive by ship, sometimes weeks. The Universal Postal Union adopted comprehensive rules for airmail at its 1929 Postal Union Congress in London. Since the official language of the Universal Postal Union is French, airmail items worldwide are often marked Par avion, literally: "by airplane".

24/06/1916

Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract.

Gladys Louise Smith, baptised as Gladys Marie Smith, known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian American film actress and producer. A pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood career spanning five decades, Pickford was one of the most popular actresses of the silent film era. Beginning her film career in 1909, Pickford became Hollywood's first millionaire by 1916, and, at the height of her career, had complete creative control of her films and was one of the most recognizable women in the world. Due to her popularity, unprecedented international fame, and success as an actress and businesswoman, she was known as the "Queen of the Movies". She was a significant figure in the development of film acting and is credited with having defined the ingénue type in cinema, a persona that also earned her the nickname "America's Sweetheart".

24/06/1913

Greece and Serbia annul their alliance with Bulgaria.

Serbia, officially the Republic of Serbia, is a landlocked country in Southeast and Central Europe. Located in the Balkans, it is bordered by Hungary in the north, Romania in the northeast, Bulgaria in the southeast, North Macedonia in the south, Croatia in the northwest, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the west, and Montenegro in the southwest. Serbia also claims to share a border with Albania through the disputed territory of Kosovo. Serbia has about 6.6 million inhabitants, excluding Kosovo. Belgrade, Serbia's capital, is also its largest city.

24/06/1894

Assassination of the French President, Sadi Carnot by Sante Caserio during the Ère des attentats (1892–1894).

On 24 June 1894, French President Sadi Carnot was assassinated by Italian anarchist Sante Geronimo Caserio in Lyon, France. A part of the Ère des attentats anarchist terrorist campaign (1892–1894), it led to a historic crackdown on French anarchist activities.

24/06/1880

First performance of O Canada at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français. The song would later become the national anthem of Canada.

"O Canada" is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which French-language words were written by the poet and judge Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier.

24/06/1866

Battle of Custoza: An Austrian army defeats the Italian army during the Austro-Prussian War.

The Battle of Custoza took place on the 24 June 1866 during the Third Italian War of Independence in the Italian unification process.

24/06/1859

Battle of Solferino (Battle of the Three Sovereigns): Sardinia and France defeat Austria in Solferino, northern Italy.

The Battle of Solferino on 24 June 1859 was the climactic battle of the Second Italian War of Independence and resulted in the victory of the allied French army under Napoleon III and the Piedmont-Sardinian army under Victor Emmanuel II against the Austrian army under Emperor Franz Joseph I. It was the last major battle in world history in which all the armies were under the personal command of their monarchs. There were approximately 300,000 soldiers on both sides in the most important battle, the largest since the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. The number of soldiers present was about 130,000 Austrian troops and a combined total of 140,000 French and allied Piedmontese troops, but not all were actually involved in the battle. After the battle, the Austrian emperor stopped directly commanding his army.

24/06/1821

Battle of Carabobo: Decisive battle in the war of independence of Venezuela from Spain.

The Battle of Carabobo, on 24 June 1821, was fought between independence fighters, led by Venezuelan General Simón Bolívar, and the Royalist forces, led by Spanish Field Marshal Miguel de la Torre. Bolívar's decisive victory at Carabobo led to the independence of Venezuela and establishment of the Republic of Gran Colombia.

24/06/1813

Battle of Beaver Dams: A British and Indian combined force defeats the United States Army.

The Battle of Beaver Dams took place on 24 June 1813, during the War of 1812. A column of troops from the United States Army marched from Fort George and attempted to surprise a British outpost at Beaver Dams, billeting themselves overnight in the village of Queenston, Ontario. Laura Secord, a resident of Queenston, had earlier learned of the American plans from several Americans billeted at her house and had struck out on a long and difficult trek to warn the British at Decou's stone house near present-day Brock University. When the Americans resumed their march, they were ambushed by Kahnawake and other native warriors and eventually surrendered to a small British detachment led by Lieutenant James FitzGibbon. About 500 U.S. troops, including their wounded commander, were taken prisoner.

24/06/1812

Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon's Grande Armée crosses the Neman river beginning the invasion of Russia.

The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a global series of conflicts fought by a fluctuating array of European coalitions against the French First Republic (1803–1804) under the First Consul followed by the First French Empire (1804–1815) under the Emperor of the French, Napoleon I. The wars originated in political forces arising from the French Revolution (1789–1799) and from the French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802) and produced a period of French domination over Continental Europe. The wars are categorised as seven conflicts, five named after the coalitions that fought Napoleon, plus two named for their respective theatres: the War of the Third Coalition, War of the Fourth Coalition, War of the Fifth Coalition, War of the Sixth Coalition, War of the Seventh Coalition, the Peninsular War, and the French invasion of Russia.

24/06/1793

The first Republican constitution in France is adopted.

The Constitution of 1793, also known as the Constitution of the Year I or the Montagnard Constitution, was the second constitution ratified for use during the French Revolution under the First Republic. Designed by the Montagnards, principally Maximilien Robespierre and Louis Saint-Just, it was intended to replace the constitutional monarchy of 1791 and the Girondin constitutional project. With sweeping plans for democratization and wealth redistribution, the new document promised a significant departure from the relatively moderate goals of the Revolution in previous years.

24/06/1779

American Revolutionary War: The Great Siege of Gibraltar begins.

The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot forces organized as the Continental Army and commanded by George Washington defeated the British Army. The conflict was fought in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The war's outcome seemed uncertain for most of the war, but Washington and the Continental Army's decisive victory in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781 led King George III and the Kingdom of Great Britain to negotiate an end to the war. In 1783, in the Treaty of Paris, the British monarchy acknowledged the independence of the Thirteen Colonies, leading to the establishment of the United States as an independent and sovereign nation.

24/06/1762

Battle of Wilhelmsthal: The British-Hanoverian army of Ferdinand of Brunswick defeats French forces in Westphalia.

The Battle of Wilhelmsthal was fought on 24 June 1762 during the Seven Years' War between the allied forces of Britain, Prussia, Hanover, Brunswick and Hesse under the command of the Duke of Brunswick against France. Once again, the French threatened Hanover, so the Allies manoeuvered around the French, surrounded the invasion force, and forced them to retreat. It was the last major action fought by Brunswick's force before the Peace of Paris brought an end to the war.

24/06/1724

On the Feast of St. John the Baptist, Bach leads the first performance of his Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV 7, the third cantata of his chorale cantata cycle.

The Nativity of John the Baptist (or Birth of John the Baptist, or Nativity of the Forerunner, or colloquially Johnmas or St. John's Day is a Christian feast day. It is observed annually on 24 June. The Nativity of John the Baptist is a high-ranking liturgical feast, kept in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism. The sole biblical account of the birth of John the Baptist comes from the Gospel of Luke.

24/06/1717

The Premier Grand Lodge of England is founded in London, the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the world (now the United Grand Lodge of England).

The organisation now known as the Premier Grand Lodge of England was founded on 24 June 1717 as the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster. Originally concerned with the practice of Freemasonry in London and Westminster, it soon became known as the Grand Lodge of England. Because it was the first Masonic Grand Lodge to be created, modern convention now calls it the Premier Grand Lodge of England in order to distinguish it from the Most Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted Masons according to the Old Constitutions, usually referred to as the Ancient Grand Lodge of England, and the Grand Lodge of All England Meeting at York. It existed until 1813, when it united with the Ancient Grand Lodge of England to create the United Grand Lodge of England.

24/06/1663

The Spanish garrison of Évora capitulates, following the Portuguese victory at the Battle of Ameixial.

Évora, officially the Very Noble and Ever Loyal City of Évora, is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1,307.08 square kilometers (504.67 mi2). It is considered the historic capital of the Alentejo region and serves as the seat of the Évora District.

24/06/1622

Battle of Macau: The Dutch make a failed attempt to capture Macau.

The Battle of Macau in 1622 was a conflict of the Dutch–Portuguese War fought in the Portuguese settlement of Macau, in southeastern China. The Portuguese, outnumbered and without adequate fortification, managed to repel the Dutch in a much-celebrated victory on 24 June after a three-day battle. The battle is the only major engagement that was fought primarily between two European powers on the Chinese mainland.

24/06/1604

Samuel de Champlain encounters the mouth of the Saint John River, site of Reversing Falls and the present-day city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.

Samuel de Champlain was a French explorer, navigator, cartographer, soldier, geographer, diplomat, and chronicler who founded Quebec City and established New France as a permanent French colony in North America.

24/06/1593

The Dutch city of Geertruidenberg held by the Spanish, capitulates to a besieging Dutch and English army led by Maurice of Nassau.

Geertruidenberg is a city and municipality in the province North Brabant in the south of the Netherlands. The city, named after Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, received city rights in 1213 from the count of Holland. The fortified city prospered until the 15th century.

24/06/1571

Miguel López de Legazpi conquers Manila for Spain, modern day capital of the Philippines.

Don Miguel López de Legazpi, also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo, was a Spanish and Basque conquistador who financed and led an expedition to conquer the Philippine islands in the mid-16th century. He was joined by Guido de Lavezares, relative Martin de Goiti, friar Andrés de Urdaneta, and his grandsons Juan and Felipe de Salcedo, in the expedition. Legazpi established the first Spanish settlement in the East Indies after his expedition crossed the Pacific Ocean, arriving in Cebu in 1565.

24/06/1540

English King Henry VIII commands his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, to leave the court.

Henry VIII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 22 April 1509, and King of Ireland from 18 June 1542, until his death in 1547.

24/06/1535

The Anabaptist state of Münster is conquered and disbanded.

Anabaptism is a Christian movement which traces its origins to the Radical Reformation in the 16th century. Anabaptists believe that baptism is valid only when candidates freely confess their faith in Christ and request to be baptized. This stance, commonly referred to as believer's baptism, is opposed to the baptism of infants, who are not able to make a conscious decision to be baptized.

24/06/1509

Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon are crowned King and Queen of England.

Henry VIII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 22 April 1509, and King of Ireland from 18 June 1542, until his death in 1547.

24/06/1497

John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings.

John Cabot was an Italian navigator and explorer. His 1497 voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII, King of England is the earliest known European exploration of coastal North America since the Norse visits to Vinland in the eleventh century. To mark the celebration of the 500th anniversary of Cabot's expedition, both the Canadian and British governments declared Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland as representing Cabot's first landing site. However, alternative locations have also been proposed.

24/06/1374

A sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion.

Dancing mania was a phenomenon which occurred primarily in mainland Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries. It involved groups of people dancing erratically, sometimes thousands at a time. The mania affected adults and children who danced until, allegedly, they collapsed from exhaustion and injuries, and sometimes died. One of the first major outbreaks was in Aachen, in the Holy Roman Empire, in 1374, and it quickly spread throughout Europe; one particularly notable outbreak occurred in Strasbourg in 1518 in Alsace, also in the Holy Roman Empire.

24/06/1340

Hundred Years' War: Battle of Sluys: The French fleet is almost completely destroyed by the English fleet commanded personally by King Edward III.

The Hundred Years' War was a conflict between the kingdoms of England and France and a civil war in France during the late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy of Aquitaine and was triggered by a claim to the French throne made by Edward III of England. The war grew into a broader military, economic, and political struggle involving factions from across Western Europe, fuelled by emerging nationalism on both sides. The periodisation of the war typically charts it as taking place over 116 years. However, it was an intermittent conflict which was frequently interrupted by external factors, such as the Black Death, and several years of truces.

24/06/1314

First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn concludes with a decisive victory by Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce.

The First War of Scottish Independence was the first of a series of different wars between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton in 1328. De facto independence was established in 1314 AD following an English defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn. The wars were caused by the attempts of the English kings to seize territory by claiming sovereignty over Scotland, while the Scots fought to keep both English rule and authority out of Scotland.

24/06/1230

The Siege of Jaén begins, in the context of the Spanish Reconquista.

The siege of Jaén was one of many sieges on that city during the Spanish Reconquista. The siege was carried out from 24 June through September, 1230 by forces of the Kingdom of Castile commanded by Ferdinand III of Castile against the defending Taifa of Jayyān (جيان). The battle resulted in a Jayyānese victory after the Castilian withdrawal and abandonment of the siege immediately following the death of King Alfonso IX of León.

24/06/1128

Battle of São Mamede, near Guimarães: Forces led by Afonso I defeat forces led by his mother Teresa of León and her lover Fernando Pérez de Traba.

The Battle of São Mamede took place on 24 June 1128 near Guimarães and is considered a seminal event on the process that led to the foundation of Portugal as an indepentent kingdom and country.

24/06/0972

Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces, takes place.

The Battle of Cedynia was fought on 24 June 972 near the Oder river, when an army led by Mieszko I of Poland defeated the forces of the Saxon margrave Hodo. Whether the battle actually took place near the modern-day town of Cedynia is disputed in modern scholarship.

24/06/0843

The Vikings sack the French city of Nantes.

Vikings were active in Brittany during the Middle Ages, even occupying a portion of it for a time. Throughout the 9th century, the Bretons faced threats from various flanks: they resisted full incorporation into the Frankish Carolingian Empire yet they also had to repel an emerging threat of the new duchy of Normandy on their eastern border by these Scandinavian colonists.

24/06/0637

The Battle of Moira is fought between the High King of Ireland and the Kings of Ulster and Dál Riata. It is claimed to be the largest battle in the history of Ireland.

The Battle of Moira, also known as the Battle of Magh Rath, was fought in the summer of AD 637 by the High King of Ireland, Domnall II, against his foster son Congal Cáech, King of Ulaid, supported by his ally Domnall Brecc, King of Dál Riata. The battle resulted in a decisive victory for the High King and his army, and Congal Cáech was killed in the fighting.

24/06/0474

Julius Nepos forces Roman usurper Glycerius to abdicate the throne and proclaims himself Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.

Julius Nepos, or simply Nepos, ruled as Roman emperor of the West from 24 June 474 to 28 August 475. After losing power in Italy, Nepos retreated to his home province of Dalmatia, from which he continued to claim the western imperial title, with recognition from the Eastern Roman Empire, until he was murdered in 480. Though Nepos's successor in Italy, Romulus Augustulus, is traditionally deemed the last western Roman emperor, Nepos is regarded by current historians as the true last emperor of the west, being the last widely recognised holder of the position.

24/06/0109

Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Rome.

Year 109 (CIX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Palma and Tullus. The denomination 109 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

24/06/-1312

Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa.

Mursili II was a king of the Hittite Empire c. 1330–1295 BC or 1321–1295 BC.