Sunday, 24th May 2026 in Stockholm

24th May in the Stars – Star Sign Gemini

Today, the zodiac sign Gemini celebrates its birthday.

Personality Profile

Personality People born on May 24th are Geminis with an innovative edge: Mercury grants them sharp intellect, while Uranus brings originality and breakthrough thinking. Master Number 11 amplifies their spiritual intuition and inner depth, setting them apart from typical Geminis. They're intellectually voracious, adaptable, and perpetually seeking fresh perspectives.

Strengths & Weaknesses Their strengths lie in flexibility, quick comprehension, and inventive problem-solving. They communicate brilliantly and inspire others effortlessly. However, restlessness and scattered focus can become liabilities; a tendency toward superficiality or constant direction-switching requires conscious management.

Love These individuals crave partners who share their intellectual curiosity and respect their independence. They cherish deep conversations and mental connection alongside passion. Stability must balance with spontaneity for relationships to flourish long-term and avoid emotional detachment.

Caree & Finance May 24th natives thrive in roles combining communication and innovation: writing, technology, media, or consulting. Their financial strength lies in swift, creative decisions, though they should temper impulsivity and develop long-term strategies for lasting wealth.

Health Mental stimulation is vital for these people; silence and monotony trigger stress. Regular physical activity, intellectual challenges, and meditation practices help channel restless energy and cultivate inner equilibrium and emotional grounding.

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

Chinese year of the Horse (Fire).

Fun Facts About 24th May

Name Days in Your Language: Chelsea, Chelsey, Chelsie, Landen, Landon

Someone born on this day would be just 7 days old today — roughly 170 hours, 10,252 minutes, or 615,141 seconds spent on Earth so far.

It's the 144. day of the year. In 2026, 24th May falls on a Sunday.

There are 221 days still to come.

We’re currently in Week 21 — the year marches on.

Famous Birthdays on 24th May

On this day, 193 notable people were born on 24th May — spanning from -15 to 2002. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.

24/05/2002

Saim Ayub, Pakistani cricketer

Saim Ayub is a Pakistani international cricketer. He plays for the Pakistan national team as an all-rounder, who bats left-handed and bowls right-arm off break. He represents Karachi Whites in domestic cricket and Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League.

24/05/2001

Emily Austin, journalist and social media influencer

Emily Austin is an American journalist, social media influencer and independent NBA broadcaster.

24/05/1999

Tarjei Sandvik Moe, Norwegian actor

Tarjei Sandvik Moe is a Norwegian actor. He rose to fame with his portrayal of Isak Valtersen, the main character in the third season of Norwegian teen drama series Skam. His acting, and the third season of the series as a whole, received widespread critical acclaim for a non-stereotypical display of homosexuality, and resulted in him and co-star Henrik Holm winning two prestigious Norwegian awards.

24/05/1996

Shu Uchida, Japanese voice actress

Shu Uchida is a Japanese-Australian voice actress. She debuted in 2016 as the voice of Warspite, a character from the Kantai Collection series.

24/05/1994

Rodrigo De Paul, Argentine footballer

Rodrigo Javier De Paul is an Argentine professional football player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team.

Jarell Martin, American basketball player

Jarell Montrel Martin is an American professional basketball player for the Koshigaya Alphas of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the LSU Tigers. Martin was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies as the 25th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He spent four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA): three with the Grizzlies and one with the Orlando Magic. Martin joined the Sydney Kings of the NBL in 2020 and won an NBL championship in 2022. He won an Israeli League championship while playing with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2023.

Emily Nicholl, Scottish netball player

Emily Nicholl is a Scotland netball international. She represented Scotland at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games and at 2019 and 2023 Netball World Cups. Between 2017 and 2024, she played for Sirens in the Netball Super League. She has captained both Scotland and Sirens.

Daiya Seto, Japanese swimmer

Daiya Seto is a Japanese professional swimmer who specializes in individual medley, butterfly, breaststroke, and freestyle events. He holds the world record in the short course 400-metre individual medley and formerly held the world record in the short course 200-metre butterfly. He won the gold medal in the 400-metre individual medley at the 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, and 2022 world short course championships, as well as at the 2013, 2015, and 2019 world long course championships.

Emily Temple Wood, American 2016 Wikipedian of the Year award

Emily Temple-Wood is an American physician and Wikipedia editor, who goes by pseudonym Keilana on the site. She is known for her efforts to counter the effects and causes of gender bias on Wikipedia, particularly through the creation of articles about women in science. She was declared a joint recipient of the 2016 Wikipedian of the Year award by Jimmy Wales at Wikimania. Temple-Wood graduated from Loyola University Chicago and Midwestern University. She practices medicine in Minnesota.

24/05/1992

Marcus Bettinelli, English footballer

Marcus Bettinelli is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Manchester City.

24/05/1991

Aled Davies, Welsh discus thrower

Aled Siôn Davies is a British Paralympian athlete competing mainly in category F42 throwing events. In 2012 he became the world record holder of the F42 shot put and in the 2012 Summer Paralympics he took the bronze medal in shot put and gold in the discus. In 2013 Davies took the World Championship gold in both the shot put and discus in Lyon. He won double gold in his home country at the 2014 IPC Athletics European Championships in the shot put and discus. This followed his silver medal in the F42-44 discus from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where he represented Wales. Davies also took part in the Channel 4 TV series Celebrity SAS: Who dares wins

Cody Eakin, Canadian ice hockey player

Cody Eakin is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He was selected by the Washington Capitals in the third round, 85th overall, of the 2009 NHL entry draft and has previously played for the Capitals, Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres.

24/05/1990

Mattias Ekholm, Swedish ice hockey player

Mattias Hans Ekholm is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the fourth round, 102nd overall, of the 2009 NHL entry draft by the Nashville Predators.

Joey Logano, American race car driver

Joseph Thomas Logano is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske. He has previously competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, as well as what is now the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, and ARCA Menards Series West.

24/05/1989

G-Eazy, American rapper

Gerald Earl Gillum, known professionally as G-Eazy, is an American rapper. Based in Oakland, California, he began his career in 2006 and released two independent studio albums before signing with RCA Records to release his third album and major label debut, These Things Happen (2014). It peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and spawned the single "I Mean It", which received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.

Andrew Jordan, English race car driver

Andrew Phillip Jordan is a British racing driver, who has driven in the British Touring Car Championship. He was the 2013 British Touring Car Champion.

Kalin Lucas, American basketball player

Kalin Jay Lucas is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Michigan State University.

24/05/1988

Artem Anisimov, Russian ice hockey player

Artem Alekseevich Anisimov is a Russian former professional ice hockey player. He was a centre who previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, and Ottawa Senators and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League. The Rangers originally selected him in the second round, 54th overall, of the 2006 NHL entry draft. In international play, Anisimov represented Russia at the 2014 Olympic Games and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and several world championships and world junior championships. He won one gold, three silver, and two bronze medals in his international career.

Monica Lin Brown, American sergeant

Monica Lin Brown is a United States Army sergeant and medic who became the first woman during the War in Afghanistan and only the second woman since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the United States military's third-highest medal for valor in combat.

Billy Gilman, American musician

William Wendell Gilman III is an American country music singer. Starting as a young country artist, he is known for his debut single "One Voice", a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2000. He has released five albums, including three for Epic Nashville. In 2016, Gilman auditioned for season 11 of the US edition of The Voice and competed as part of Team Adam Levine, finishing as runner-up for the season. He also performed Michael Jackson's song Ben at Michael's 30th Anniversary Celebration of his solo years

Lucian Wintrich, American political artist and White House correspondent

Lucian Baxter Wintrich IV is an American artist, photographer, writer, and media personality. He received widespread attention in 2017 as the White House correspondent for the conservative news and opinion site The Gateway Pundit. At age 28, he was one of the youngest members of the White House Press Corps, and among the first to be openly gay. During this time, Wintrich attracted significant controversy for his outspoken views on politics and culture. Many of his public appearances and art pieces have been met with protests ranging from civil disobedience to violent demonstrations.

Denis Petrić, Slovenian footballer

Denis Petrić is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper.

24/05/1987

Guillaume Latendresse, Canadian ice hockey player

Guillaume Latendresse is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was selected in the second round, 45th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2005 NHL entry draft. Lantendresse also played for the Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators.

24/05/1986

Mark Ballas, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, dancer, and actor

Mark Alexander Ballas Jr. is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer, choreographer, musician, and actor. Since 2007, he has appeared as a pro on the ABC reality competition program Dancing with the Stars, winning the series three times. He earned a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for his work on the show.

Giannis Kontoes, Greek footballer

Giannis Kontoes, nicknamed The Tiger, is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a defender. Currently working as an assistant coach.

24/05/1985

Tim Bridgman, English race car driver

Timothy James Bridgman is a British racing driver from England.

24/05/1984

Sarah Hagan, American actress

Sarah Hagan is an American television and film actress. She is known for playing Millie Kentner in the show, Freaks and Geeks.

Dmitri Kruglov, Estonian footballer

Dmitri Kruglov is an Estonian retired professional footballer who played as a left-back and a winger. He made 115 appearances for the Estonia national team, scoring four goals.

Masaya Takahashi, Japanese wrestler

Masaya Takahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to Big Japan Pro Wrestling in the deathmatch division. He is a former two-time BJW Deathmatch Heavyweight Champion and nine-time Yokohama Shopping Street 6-Man Tag Team Champion. He also won the 2017 Ikkitousen Deathmatch Survivor.

24/05/1983

Custódio Castro, Portuguese footballer

Custódio Miguel Dias de Castro, known simply as Custódio, is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the manager of Primeira Liga club Alverca.

Pedram Javaheri, Iranian-American meteorologist and journalist

Pedram "P.J." Javaheri is an Iranian-American meteorologist for CNN International formerly based at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. He can be seen regularly on editions of CNN Newsroom and World Business Today. He also fills in on HLN's Morning Express with Robin Meade and appears on CNN U.S. during breaking news and severe weather coverage.

Woo Seung-yeon, South Korean model and actress (died 2009)

Woo Seung-yeon was a South Korean model and actress.

24/05/1982

Issah Gabriel Ahmed, Ghanaian footballer

Issah Gabriel Ahmed or Issah Gabarel Ahmad is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a defender.

Rian Wallace, American football player

Rian T. Wallace is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He won Super Bowl XL with the team, beating the Seattle Seahawks. He played college football for the Temple Owls. Wallace was also a member of the Washington Redskins, New York Sentinels, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

24/05/1981

Andy Lee, Australian comedian, actor, and screenwriter

Andrew Thomas Lee is an Australian comedian, television presenter, musician and children's writer. He is known for working alongside Hamish Blake as part of the comedy duo Hamish & Andy.

24/05/1980

Jason Babin, American football player

Jason Thomas Babin is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Michigan, where he was twice recognized as the conference defensive player of the year. He was selected by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft.

Anthony Minichiello, Australian rugby league player

Anthony Minichiello is a former professional rugby league footballer who captained the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League, and retired having set records for most games and most tries in the club's history. An Australia and Italy international as well as a New South Wales State of Origin representative wing turned fullback, he played his entire career with the Roosters, with whom he won the 2002 and 2013 NRL Premierships, before retiring at the conclusion of the club's 2014 campaign. Minichiello also won the Golden Boot Award for international player of the year in 2005, and is the brother of fellow Italian international, Mark Minichiello.

24/05/1979

Tracy McGrady, American basketball player

Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr., nicknamed T-Mac, is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two-time NBA scoring champion, and winner of the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2001. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2017. McGrady is regarded as one of the greatest scorers and shooting guards in NBA history.

Kareem McKenzie, American football player

Kareem Michael McKenzie is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). As a member of the New York Giants, he won Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI, twice against the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

24/05/1978

Elijah Burke, American wrestler

Elijah Samuel Burke, also known by the alias "Da Pope", is an American professional wrestler who works for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

Johan Holmqvist, Swedish ice hockey player

Johan Erik Daniel Holmqvist is a Swedish former professional ice hockey goaltender, he most notably played in the National Hockey League and the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

Brad Penny, American baseball player

Bradley Wayne Penny is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Penny played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida / Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and Detroit Tigers, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He was an All Star in 2006 and 2007.

Rose, French singer, songwriter and composer

Keren Meloul, better known as Rose, is a French singer, songwriter, author and composer.

24/05/1977

Jeet Gannguli, Indian score composer, music director and singer

Jeet Gannguli is an Indian playback singer and composer who works in Hindi and Bengali cinema.

24/05/1976

Alessandro Cortini, Italian-American singer and keyboard player

Alessandro Cortini is an Italian musician best known for his work with the American industrial band Nine Inch Nails. He plays modular synthesizers, keyboards, guitar, and bass guitar.

Catherine Cox, New Zealand-Australian netball player

Catherine Anne Cox is a former Australian netball international and current netball commentator. Between 1997 and 2013, she made 108 senior appearances for Australia. She was a prominent member of the Australia teams that won gold medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the 2007 and 2011 World Netball Championships. She was also a member of the Australia teams that won silver medals at the 2003 World Netball Championships and the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games. Cox captained Australia on seven occasions, including when they won the 2011 Constellation Cup.

Silje Vige, Norwegian singer

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1993 with the song "Alle mine tankar", written by Bjørn Erik Vige, and performed by 16-year-old Silje Vige. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1993.

24/05/1975

Will Sasso, Canadian actor and comedian

William Sasso is a Canadian comedian, actor, and podcaster. After a starring role as Derek Wakaluk on the Global teen drama television series Madison (1994–1998), Sasso had his breakout as a regular cast member on the Fox sketch comedy series Mad TV (1997–2002).

Marc Gagnon, Canadian speed skater

Marc Gagnon is a Canadian former short track speed skater. He is a four-time Overall World Champion for 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1998, and winner of three Olympic gold medals.

Giannis Goumas, Greek footballer and coach

Giannis Goumas is a Greek professional football manager and former player, who spent his whole senior career at Panathinaikos.

Maria Lawson, English singer-songwriter

Maria Lawson is an English singer. She recorded several singles with Ti.Pi.Cal. Lawson was the fifth contestant eliminated in the second UK series of television talent show The X Factor in 2005. She released her debut self-titled album in 2006. Her self-help/autobiography entitled Life Starts Now was released in November 2008. Lawson appeared in the female lead role in the West End production of Thriller – Live from 14 April 2009 to March 2010. She released her second studio album, Emotional Rollercoaster in 2014. Lawson lives in London with her husband Lawrence and their two children.

24/05/1974

Sébastien Foucan, French runner and actor

Sébastien Foucan is a French freerunner.

Masahide Kobayashi, Japanese baseball player and coach

Masahide "Masa" Kobayashi is a former professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach.

Magnus Manske, German biochemist and computer programmer, developed MediaWiki

Heinrich Magnus Manske is a German biochemist who is a researcher on malaria. He is a senior staff scientist at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK and a software developer of one of the first versions of the MediaWiki software, which powers Wikipedia and a number of other wiki-based websites.

24/05/1973

Rodrigo, Argentinian singer-songwriter (died 2000)

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.

Bartolo Colón, Dominican-American baseball player

Bartolo Colón, nicknamed "Big Sexy", is a Dominican–American former professional baseball pitcher. He previously played for 11 different Major League Baseball (MLB) teams: the Cleveland Indians (1997–2002), Montreal Expos (2002), Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2004–2007), Boston Red Sox (2008), New York Yankees (2011), Oakland Athletics (2012–2013), New York Mets (2014–2016), Atlanta Braves (2017), Minnesota Twins (2017), and Texas Rangers (2018). Colón also played for the Águilas Cibaeñas of the Dominican Professional Baseball League and the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League.

Shirish Kunder, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter

Shirish Kunder is an Indian filmmaker and film editor. After working as an editor for several films, Kunder made his directorial debut with Jaan-E-Mann (2006). He is married to choreographer and film director Farah Khan whom he met while working on her 2004 film Main Hoon Na.

Vladimír Šmicer, Czech footballer and manager

Vladimír Šmicer is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He started his senior career at Slavia Prague, the only Czech club he ever played for. In 1999, Šmicer moved to England where he played for Liverpool, winning multiple honours. He is perhaps best remembered at Liverpool for his long-range goal in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final victory against Milan. At Liverpool he also won an UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup treble in 2001 as well as the 2003 League Cup.

24/05/1972

Greg Berlanti, American director, producer, and screenwriter

Gregory Berlanti is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is known for his work on the television series Dawson's Creek, Brothers & Sisters, Everwood, Political Animals, Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and You, in addition to his contributions to DC Comics on film and television productions, including The CW's Arrowverse, as well as Titans and Doom Patrol. In 2000, Berlanti founded the production company Berlanti Productions.

24/05/1971

Kris Draper, Canadian ice hockey player and manager

Kristopher Bruce "Kris" Draper is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current director of amateur scouting and assistant general manager for the Detroit Red Wings, the team which he played 17 seasons for during his 20-year National Hockey League (NHL) playing career.

24/05/1969

Martin McCague, Northern Irish-English cricketer

Martin John McCague is a former professional cricketer who played for the England cricket team in three Test matches in 1993 and 1994. McCague was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in Australia where he began his professional career.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, English politician

Sir Jacob William Rees-Mogg is a British politician, businessman and broadcaster who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Somerset from 2010 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council from 2019 to 2022, Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency from February to September 2022, and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from September to October 2022. Rees-Mogg previously chaired the eurosceptic European Research Group (ERG) from 2018 to 2019 and has been associated with socially conservative views.

Rich Robinson, American guitarist and songwriter

Richard Robinson is an American musician and founding member of the rock and roll band the Black Crowes. Along with older brother Chris Robinson, Rich formed the band in 1984 while the two were attending Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia. At age 15, Rich wrote the music for "She Talks to Angels", which became one of the band's biggest hits.

Mandar Agashe, Indian music director and businessman

Mandar Dnyaneshwar Agashe is an Indian businessman, music director, and former musician. He founded Sarvatra Technologies in 2000, and has served as the company's managing director since its inception.

24/05/1967

Tamer Karadağlı, Turkish actor

Tamer Karadağlı is a Turkish actor and director of Turkish State Theatres.

Andrey Borodin, Russian-English economist and businessman

Andrey Fridrikhovich Borodin is a Russian financial expert, economist and businessman who until 2011 was President of Bank of Moscow. He and his first deputy Dmitri Akulinin were dismissed from office by the court for the period of the investigation due to the Premier Estate criminal case, charged with abuse of authority. In April 2011, the meeting of the bank's shareholders dismissed them.

Eric Close, American actor

Eric Close is an American actor, best known for his roles in television series, particularly as FBI agent Martin Fitzgerald in the CBS mystery drama Without a Trace (2002–2009), Michael Wiseman in the CBS sci-fi drama Now and Again (1999-2000), Teddy Conrad in the ABC musical drama Nashville (2012–2017), and Travis Tanner in Suits (2011–2015).

Heavy D, Jamaican-American rapper, producer, and actor (died 2011)

Dwight Arrington Myers, known professionally as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-American rapper, record producer, and actor. He was the leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a group that included dancers/hype men G-Whiz and "Trouble" T. Roy, as well as DJ and producer Eddie F. The group maintained a sizeable audience in the United States through most of the 1990s. The five albums the group released included production mainly by Teddy Riley, Marley Marl, DJ Premier, Myers's cousin Pete Rock, and "in-house" beatmaker Eddie F. Myers also released four solo albums and discovered Soul for Real and Monifah.

Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan-American baseball player and manager

Carlos Alberto Hernández Almeida [er-NAN-dez] is a Venezuelan former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1990–1996), San Diego Padres (1997–2000) and St. Louis Cardinals (2000).

24/05/1966

Eric Cantona, French footballer and actor

Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French former professional footballer and current actor. In his football career, Cantona was a physically strong and technically skilful player with both creative and goalscoring ability. Mostly utilised as a deep-lying forward, he was also capable of playing as a centre-forward, as a dedicated striker, as an attacking midfielder, or as a central midfielder. Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players in 2004.

Ricky Craven, American race car driver and sportscaster

Richard Allen Craven is an American stock car racing analyst and former driver. Prior to his broadcasting duties, he was a NASCAR driver who won in four different series—the ARCA Menards Series, and the three national series.

24/05/1965

John C. Reilly, American actor

John Christopher Reilly is an American actor. A character actor, he is known for his work with leading and supporting roles in both independent films and major studio features. The recipient of various accolades, Reilly is one of only two people to have been nominated for an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award (EGOT) without winning once.

Shinichirō Watanabe, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter

Shinichirō Watanabe is a Japanese anime television and film director, best known for directing the critically acclaimed and commercially successful anime series Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy, Terror in Resonance, and Carole & Tuesday. Considered an auteur of Japanese animation by film and television critics, Watanabe's work is characterized by evocative uses of music, mature themes, and the incorporation of multiple film genres.

24/05/1964

Liz McColgan, Scottish educator and runner

Elizabeth Nuttall is a British former middle- and long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1991 World Championships and a silver over the same distance at the 1988 Olympic Games. McColgan earned a silver in the 3000 metres at the 1989 World Indoor Championships. She was a two-time gold medalist in the event at the Commonwealth Games, 1992 World Half Marathon champion and a two-time individual medallist at the World Cross Country Championships. She claimed three victories at the World Marathon Majors: at the 1991 New York City Marathon, 1992 Tokyo Marathon and 1996 London Marathon.

Adrian Moorhouse, English swimmer

Adrian David Moorhouse MBE is an English former competitive swimmer who dominated British swimming in the late 1980s. He won the gold medal in the 100-metre breaststroke at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. Since then Moorhouse, a former pupil of Bradford Grammar School, has translated his sporting success to a successful career in the business world, as managing director of Lane4, a consultancy helping individuals and teams around the world reach their fullest potential.

Isidro Pérez, Mexican boxer (died 2013)

Isidro Pérez was a Mexican professional boxer. Pérez is a former WBO Flyweight Champion.

Pat Verbeek, Canadian ice hockey player and manager

Patrick Martin Verbeek is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current general manager of the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). From 1982 to 2002, Verbeek played 20 seasons in the NHL for the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, and Detroit Red Wings as a right winger.

24/05/1963

Ivan Capelli, Italian race car driver and sportscaster

Ivan Franco Capelli is an Italian broadcaster and former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1985 to 1993.

Michael Chabon, American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter

Michael Chabon is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, D.C., he studied at Carnegie Mellon University for one year before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, graduating in 1984. He subsequently received a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of California, Irvine.

Joe Dumars, American basketball player

Joe Dumars III is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is the head of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans. He could play either shooting guard or point guard on offense and was a highly effective defender. He played his entire 14-year career with the Detroit Pistons. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dumars and Isiah Thomas combined to form one of the best backcourts in NBA history, winning two championships together. Dumars was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Rich Rodriguez, American football player and coach

Richard Alan Rodriguez, also known as Rich Rod, is an American college football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach at West Virginia University, his second stint with his alma mater. Rodriguez previously was the head football coach at Salem University, Glenville State College, the University of Michigan, the University of Arizona, and Jacksonville State University. In 2011, Rodriguez worked as an analyst for CBS Sports.

Valerie Taylor, American computer scientist and educator

Valerie Elaine Taylor is an American computer scientist who is the director of the Mathematics and Computer Science Division of Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. Her research includes topics such as performance analysis, power analysis, and resiliency. She is known for her work on "Prophesy," described as "a database used to collect and analyze data to predict the performance on different applications on parallel systems."

24/05/1962

Héctor Camacho, Puerto Rican-American boxer (died 2012)

Héctor Luís Camacho Matías, commonly known by his nickname "Macho Camacho", was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Known for his quickness in the ring and flamboyant style, Camacho competed professionally from 1980 to 2010, and was a world champion in three weight classes. He held the WBC super featherweight title from 1983 to 1984, the WBC lightweight title from 1985 to 1987, and the WBO junior welterweight title twice between 1989 and 1992.

Gene Anthony Ray, American actor, dancer, and choreographer (died 2003)

Gene Anthony Ray was an American actor, dancer, and choreographer. A native of New York City, Ray was best known for his portrayal of dancer Leroy Johnson in both the 1980 film Fame and the Fame television series based upon the film which originally aired from 1982 until 1987.

24/05/1961

Lorella Cedroni, Italian philosopher and theorist (died 2013)

Lorella Cedroni was an Italian political philosopher.

Alain Lemieux, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach

Alain Lemieux is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the St. Louis Blues, Quebec Nordiques, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He is also the older brother of NHL great Mario Lemieux.

24/05/1960

Guy Fletcher, English keyboard player, guitarist, and producer

Guy Edward Fletcher is an English musician, best known for his position as one of the two keyboard players in the rock band Dire Straits from 1984 until the group's dissolution, and his subsequent work with Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler for his many solo releases. Fletcher was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Dire Straits in 2018.

Bill Harrigan, Australian rugby league referee and sportscaster

Bill Harrigan is an Australian former rugby league football referee, and former head of refereeing for the National Rugby League. Unusually for a sports official, in his long career he was accorded the same profile as some of the top players he refereed. A policeman off-field before he resigned to concentrate on rugby league, he is widely recognised as one of Australia's greatest sports umpires. He retired with the record for most State of Origin matches officiated.

Kristin Scott Thomas, English actress

Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas is a British actress. A five-time BAFTA Award and Olivier Award nominee, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and the Olivier Award for Best Actress in 2008 for the Royal Court revival of The Seagull. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in The English Patient (1996).

24/05/1959

Pelle Lindbergh, Swedish-American ice hockey player (died 1985)

Göran Per-Eric "Pelle" Lindbergh was a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who played five seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the first European-born goaltender to be drafted in the NHL entry draft and the first to achieve success in North America.

Barry O'Farrell, Australian politician, 43rd Premier of New South Wales

Barry Robert O'Farrell is an Australian former politician who was Australia's High Commissioner to India and non-resident Ambassador to Bhutan from February 2020 to 30 June 2023. O'Farrell was the 43rd Premier of New South Wales and Minister for Western Sydney from 2011 to 2014. He was the Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party from 2007 to 2014, and was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1995 to 2015, representing Northcott until 1999 and representing Ku-ring-gai on the Upper North Shore of Sydney from 1999 to 2015. He was President and Independent Board Chair of Diabetes Australia, Chair of the Wests Tigers Rugby League Football Club and CEO of Racing Australia Ltd until taking up his role in India.

24/05/1958

Chip Ganassi, American race car driver, team owner and businessman

Floyd "Chip" Ganassi Jr. is an American businessman, former racing driver, current team owner and member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. He has been involved with the North American auto racing scene for over 30 years. He is owner and CEO of Chip Ganassi Racing which operates teams in the IndyCar Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, FIA World Endurance Championship, and Extreme E. He is the only team owner in history to have won the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and even a GT class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

24/05/1956

R. B. Bernstein, American constitutional historian (died 2023)

Richard B. Bernstein was an American constitutional historian, a distinguished adjunct professor of law at New York Law School, and lecturer in law and political science at the City College of New York's Skadden, Arps Honors Program in Legal Studies in its Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.

Larry Blackmon, American singer-songwriter and producer

Larry Ernest Blackmon is an American vocalist and musician, known as the lead singer, founder and frontman of the funk and R&B band Cameo.

Dominic Grieve, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales

Dominic Charles Roberts Grieve is an English barrister and former politician who served as Shadow Home Secretary from 2008 to 2009 and Attorney General for England and Wales from 2010 to 2014. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Beaconsfield from 1997 to 2019 and was the Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee from 2015 to 2019.

Michael Jackson, Irish archbishop

Michael Geoffrey St Aubyn Jackson is a Church of Ireland Anglican bishop. Since 2011, he has served as the Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop of Glendalough in the Church of Ireland. He is also the co-chairman of the Porvoo Communion of Anglican and Lutheran churches.

24/05/1955

Rosanne Cash, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Rosanne Cash is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Cash.

Philippe Lafontaine, Belgian singer and songwriter

Philippe Lafontaine is a Belgian singer and composer.

Rajesh Roshan, Indian composer

Rajesh Roshanlal Nagrath is an Indian music director and composer.

24/05/1953

Alfred Molina, English actor

Alfred Molina is a British-American actor. He is known for roles on the stage and screen. Molina has received a Drama Desk Award as well as nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, a British Independent Film Award, an Independent Spirit Award, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Tony Awards.

24/05/1949

Jim Broadbent, English actor

James Broadbent is an English actor. A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 1972, he came to prominence as a character actor for his many roles in film and television. He has received various accolades including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, an International Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and one Volpi Cup as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award.

Roger Deakins, English cinematographer

Sir Roger Alexander Deakins ASC, BSC is an English cinematographer. Often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential cinematographers in the history of cinema, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and five BAFTA Awards for Best Cinematography. He has collaborated multiple times with directors such as the Coen brothers, Sam Mendes, Michael Radford, and Denis Villeneuve. His best-known works include The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Fargo (1996), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Skyfall (2012), Sicario (2015), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and 1917 (2019), the last two of which earned him Academy Awards.

24/05/1948

Richard Dembo, French director and screenwriter (died 2004)

Richard Dembo was a French director and screenwriter.

24/05/1947

Albert Bouchard, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and drummer

Albert Bouchard is an American musician. He is a founding member and one of the first and most prominent drummers of the hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult and current drummer of The Dictators. He is the older brother of former Blue Öyster Cult bassist Joe Bouchard.

Mike De Leon, Filipino director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer

Miguel "Mike" Pamintuan de Leon was a Filipino film director. He is regarded as one of the most significant filmmakers in the history of Philippine cinema. His films, which include Itim (1976), Kung Mangarap Ka't Magising (1977), Kakabakaba Ka Ba? (1980), Kisapmata (1981), Batch '81 (1981), Sister Stella L. (1984), Bayaning 3rd World (2000), and Citizen Jake (2018), tackle Philippine social and political themes. De Leon also shot and produced Lino Brocka's film Manila in the Claws of Light (1975), considered to be one of the greatest Filipino films.

Mike Reid, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and American football player

Michael Barry Reid is an American country music artist, composer, and former professional football player. He played as a defensive tackle for five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL).

Waddy Wachtel, American guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer

Robert "Waddy" Wachtel is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work. Wachtel has worked as session musician for other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Beth Hart, Stevie Nicks, Miranda Lambert, Kim Carnes, Randy Newman, Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones, Jon Bon Jovi, James Taylor, Iggy Pop, Warren Zevon, Bryan Ferry, Michael Sweet, Jackson Browne, Karla Bonoff, The Motels and Andrew Gold, both in the studio and live.

Martin Winterkorn, German businessman

Martin Winterkorn is a German former business executive who served as chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen AG, the parent company of the Volkswagen Group, as well as chairman of the supervisory board of Audi, and chairman of the board of management of Porsche Automobil Holding SE. He succeeded Bernd Pischetsrieder as CEO of Volkswagen AG in 2007. Prior to that, he had been chairman of the board of management at the Volkswagen Group subsidiary Audi AG.

24/05/1946

Tansu Çiller, Turkish politician, Prime Minister of Turkey

Tansu Çiller is a Turkish academic, economist, and politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Turkey from 1993 to 1996. She is Turkey's only female prime minister. As the leader of the True Path Party, she went on to concurrently serve as Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey and as minister of foreign affairs between 1996 and 1997.

Jesualdo Ferreira, Portuguese footballer and manager

Manuel Jesualdo Ferreira is a Portuguese football manager.

Irena Szewińska, Russian-Polish sprinter (died 2018)

Irena Szewińska was a Polish sprinter who was one of the world's foremost track athletes for nearly two decades, in multiple events. She won a total of seven Olympic medals including three golds. She is the only athlete in history, male or female, to have held the world record in the 100 m, the 200 m and the 400 m events. She was voted the Polish Sports Personality of the Year four times. In 2016, she was awarded Poland's highest decoration, the Order of the White Eagle.

24/05/1945

Terry Callier, American soul, folk and jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter (died 2012)

Terrence Orlando "Terry" Callier was an American soul, folk and jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter.

Steven Norris, English engineer and politician

Steven John Norris is a British former politician and businessman. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Oxford East from 1983 to 1987. After narrowly losing that marginal seat he re-entered the House of Commons at a by-election for Epping Forest in 1988, which he held until stepping down to focus on his business career in 1997. Norris was subsequently chosen by Conservative Party members to be their candidate for Mayor of London in 2000 and 2004 in which he secured 42% and 45% of the vote respectively, coming second to Ken Livingstone on both occasions.

Richard Ottaway, English lieutenant and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Sir Richard Geoffrey James Ottaway is a British Conservative Party politician and consultant. He was the Member of Parliament for Croydon South from 1992 to 2015. Ottaway also served as the MP for Nottingham North from 1983 to 1987.

Priscilla Presley, American actress and businesswoman

Priscilla Ann Presley is an American businesswoman and actress. She was married to Elvis Presley from 1967 to 1973. Presley later co-founded and chaired Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), which oversaw the public opening of Graceland as a museum. As an actress, she portrayed Jane Spencer in the Naked Gun film series (1988–1994) and Jenna Wade on the television series Dallas (1983–1988).

24/05/1944

Patti LaBelle, American singer-songwriter and actress

Patricia Louise Holte, known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began her career in the early 1960s as lead singer and frontwoman of the vocal group Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. After the group's name changed to Labelle in the 1970s, they released the US number-one hit "Lady Marmalade". After the group disbanded in 1977, LaBelle began a solo career, achieving mainstream success in the 1980s with singles including "If Only You Knew", "New Attitude" and "Stir It Up". In 1986, she achieved both a US number-one album, Winner in You, and a US number-one single with "On My Own", a duet with Michael McDonald. LaBelle won a 1992 Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her album Burnin', and a second Grammy in 1999 for the live album Live! One Night Only. She reunited with her Labelle bandmates in 2008 for the album Back to Now.

Dominique Lavanant, French actress

Dominique Lavanant is a French film and theatrical actress. She is known for her comedy skills especially with posh and distinguished characters like Rosalind Russell's; characters often defined by the adjective BCBG, bon chic bon genre, and which refers to a particular stereotype of the French upper middle class – to be conservative in both outlook and dress.

24/05/1943

Gary Burghoff, American actor

Gary Rich Burghoff is an American actor who is known for originating the role of Charlie Brown in the 1967 Off-Broadway musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and the character Corporal Walter Eugene "Radar" O'Reilly in the film M*A*S*H, as well as the TV series. He was a regular on television game show Match Game from 1974 to 1979 for 204 episodes, standing in for Charles Nelson Reilly, who was in New York doing a Broadway play, and continued to make recurring appearances afterwards.

24/05/1942

Ali Bacher, South African cricketer and manager

Aron "Ali" Bacher is a former South African Test cricket captain and an administrator of the United Cricket Board of South Africa.

Hannu Mikkola, Finnish race car driver (died 2021)

Hannu Olavi Mikkola was a Finnish champion world rally driver. He was a seven-time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.

Ichirō Ozawa, Japanese lawyer and politician, Japanese Minister of Home Affairs

Ichirō Ozawa is a Japanese politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1969 to 2026, representing Iwate Prefecture.. He is often dubbed the "Shadow Shōgun" due to his back-room influence.

24/05/1941

Bob Dylan, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist, writer, and producer; Nobel Prize laureate

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his 69-year career. With an estimated 125 million records sold worldwide, he is one of the best-selling musicians. Dylan added increasingly sophisticated lyrical techniques to the folk music of the early 1960s, infusing it "with the intellectualism of classic literature and poetry". His lyrics incorporated political, social, and philosophical influences, defying pop music conventions and appealing to the burgeoning counterculture.

Patricia Hollis, Baroness Hollis of Heigham, English academic and politician (died 2018)

Patricia Lesley Hollis, Baroness Hollis of Heigham, PC, DL was a historian and a Labour member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom.

24/05/1940

Joseph Brodsky, Russian-American poet and essayist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1996)

Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky, anglicized as Joseph, was a Russian and American poet and essayist.

24/05/1938

Prince Buster, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer (died 2016)

Cecil Bustamente Campbell, known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary music and created a legacy of work that would be drawn upon later by reggae and ska artists.

Tommy Chong, Canadian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

Thomas Bing Kin Chong is a Canadian comedian, actor, musician and activist. He is known for his role/inspiration in the marijuana industry, his marijuana-themed Cheech & Chong comedy albums and movies with Cheech Marin, and playing the character Leo on Fox's That '70s Show. He became a naturalized United States citizen in the late 1980s.

24/05/1937

Maryvonne Dupureur, French runner and educator (died 2008)

Maryvonne Samson Dupureur, née Maryvonne Samson, was a French middle-distance runner. Competing in the 800 m event she won silver medals at the 1964 Olympics and 1967 European Indoor Games; she also took part in the 1960 and 1968 Olympics.

Archie Shepp, American saxophonist and composer

Archie Shepp is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz.

24/05/1936

Harold Budd, American composer and poet (died 2020)

Harold Montgomory Budd was an American composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles and raised in the Mojave Desert, he became a respected composer in the minimal music and avant-garde scene of Southern California in the late 1960s, and later became better known for his work with figures such as Brian Eno and Robin Guthrie. Budd developed what he called a "soft pedal" technique for playing piano, with use of slow playing and prominent sustain.

24/05/1935

Joan Micklin Silver, American director and screenwriter (died 2020)

Joan Micklin Silver was an American director of films and plays, screenwriter and playwright. Born in Omaha, Silver moved to New York City in 1967 where she began writing and directing films. She is best known for her debut film Hester Street (1975) and the romantic comedy Crossing Delancey (1988).

24/05/1933

Jane Byrne, American lawyer and politician, 50th Mayor of Chicago (died 2014)

Jane Margaret Byrne was an American politician who served as the 50th mayor of Chicago from April 16, 1979, until April 29, 1983. Prior to her tenure as mayor, Byrne served as Chicago's commissioner of consumer sales from 1969 until 1977 under Mayor Richard J. Daley, the only woman in the mayoral cabinet.

Réal Giguère, Canadian television host and actor (died 2019)

Réal Giguère was a Canadian television host and broadcaster.

Aharon Lichtenstein, French-Israeli rabbi and author (died 2015)

Aharon Lichtenstein was an Orthodox rabbi, Israel Prize laureate and rosh yeshiva who was an authority in Jewish law (Halakha).

24/05/1932

Arnold Wesker, English playwright and producer (died 2016)

Sir Arnold Wesker was an English dramatist. He was the author of 50 plays, four volumes of short stories, two volumes of essays, much journalism and a book on the subject, a children's book, some poetry, and other assorted writings. His plays have been translated into 20 languages, and performed worldwide.

24/05/1930

Robert Bateman, Canadian naturalist and painter

Robert McLellan Bateman is a Canadian naturalist and painter, born in Toronto, Ontario.

24/05/1928

William Trevor, Irish novelist, playwright and short story writer (died 2016)

William Trevor Cox was an Irish novelist, playwright, and short story writer. One of the elder statesmen of the Irish literary world, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest contemporary writers of short stories in the English language. Trevor won the Whitbread Prize three times and was nominated five times for the Booker Prize, the last for his novel Love and Summer (2009), which was also shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award in 2011. His name was also mentioned in relation to the Nobel Prize in Literature.

24/05/1926

Stanley Baxter, Scottish actor and screenwriter (died 2025)

Stanley Livingstone Baxter was a Scottish actor, comedian, impressionist and author. Baxter began his career as a child actor on the BBC and later became known for his British television comedy shows The Stanley Baxter Show, The Stanley Baxter Picture Show, The Stanley Baxter Series and Mr Majeika. Baxter also wrote a number of books set in Glasgow.

24/05/1925

Carmine Infantino, American illustrator and educator (died 2013)

Carmine Infantino was an American comics artist and editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creations are the Black Canary and the Silver Age version of the Flash with writer Robert Kanigher, Elongated Man with John Broome, the Barbara Gordon incarnation of Batgirl with writer Gardner Fox, Deadman with writer Arnold Drake, and Christopher Chance, the second iteration of the Human Target, with Len Wein.

Mai Zetterling, Swedish actress and director (died 1994)

Mai Elisabeth Zetterling was a Swedish film director, novelist and actress.

24/05/1924

Philip Pearlstein, American soldier and painter (died 2022)

Philip Martin Pearlstein was an American painter best known for Modernist Realist nudes. Cited by critics as the preeminent figure painter of the 1960s to 2000s, he led a revival in realist art.

24/05/1922

Siobhán McKenna, Irish actress (died 1986)

Siobhán McKenna was an Irish stage and screen actress.

24/05/1918

Coleman Young, American politician, 66th Mayor of Detroit (died 1997)

Coleman Alexander Young was an American politician who served as mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 1974 to 1994. Young was the first African-American mayor of Detroit and has been described as the "single most influential person in Detroit's modern history."

24/05/1917

Alan Campbell, Baron Campbell of Alloway, English lawyer and judge (died 2013)

Alan Robertson Campbell, Baron Campbell of Alloway ERD QC was a British judge, barrister and author who sat in the House of Lords as a Conservative life peer.

24/05/1916

Roden Cutler, Australian lieutenant and politician, 32nd Governor of New South Wales (died 2002)

Sir Arthur Roden Cutler, was an Australian diplomat, the longest-serving Governor of New South Wales and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth armed forces.

24/05/1914

Lilli Palmer, German-American actress (died 1986)

Lilli Palmer was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she later transitioned to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance in But Not for Me (1959).

24/05/1913

Joe Abreu, American baseball player and soldier (died 1993)

Joseph Lawrence Abreu was an American Major League Baseball infielder. He played nine seasons in professional baseball, one at the major league level. He served in the United States Navy during World War II.

24/05/1910

Jimmy Demaret, American golfer (died 1983)

James Newton Demaret was an American professional golfer. He won 31 PGA Tour events in a long career between 1935 and 1957, and was the first three-time winner of the Masters, with titles in 1940, 1947, and 1950.

24/05/1909

Wilbur Mills, American banker and politician (died 1992)

Wilbur Daigh Mills was an American Democratic politician and lawyer who represented Arkansas's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1939 until his retirement in 1977. As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee from 1958 to 1974, he was often called "the most powerful man in Washington".

24/05/1905

George Nakashima, American woodworker and architect (died 1990)

George Katsutoshi Nakashima was an American woodworker and architect. In 1983, he accepted the Order of the Sacred Treasure, an honor bestowed by the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government.

Mikhail Sholokhov, Russian novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1984)

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov was a Russian novelist and winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is known for writing about life and fate of Don Cossacks during the Russian Revolution, the civil war and the period of collectivization, primarily in his most famous novel, And Quiet Flows the Don.

24/05/1904

Chūhei Nambu, Japanese jumper and journalist (died 1997)

Chūhei Nambu was a Japanese track and field athlete. As of 2024, he is the only person to have held world records in both the long jump and the triple jump.

24/05/1902

Lionel Conacher, Canadian football player and politician (died 1954)

Lionel Pretoria Conacher, nicknamed "the Big Train", was a Canadian athlete and politician. Voted the country's top athlete of the first half of the 20th century, he won championships in numerous sports. His first passion was Canadian football; he was a member of the 1921 Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts. He was also a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team that won the International League championship in 1926. In hockey, he won the Memorial Cup in 1920, and the Stanley Cup twice: with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1934 and the Montreal Maroons in 1935. Additionally, he won wrestling, boxing and lacrosse championships during his playing career. He is one of three players, including Joe Miller and Carl Voss, to have their names engraved on both the Grey Cup and Stanley Cup.

Sylvia Daoust, Canadian sculptor (died 2004)

Sylvia Daoust, CM, CQ RCA was a Canadian sculptor who was one of the first female sculptors in Quebec. She studied at the Council of Arts & Manufactures and the École des Beaux-Arts, with Charles Maillard and Maurice Feliz, and later with Edwin Holgate at the Art Association of Montreal.

24/05/1901

José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer and manager (died 1968)

José Nasazzi Yarza was a Uruguayan footballer who played as a right-back or centre-back. He captained his country when they won the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930.

24/05/1900

Eduardo De Filippo, Italian actor and screenwriter (died 1984)

Eduardo De Filippo OMRI, also known mononymously as Eduardo, was an Italian actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright, best known for his Neapolitan works Filumena Marturano and Napoli milionaria. Considered one of the most important Italian artists of the 20th century, De Filippo was the author of many theatrical dramas staged and directed by himself first and later awarded and played outside Italy. For his artistic merits and contributions to Italian culture, he was named senator for life by the President of the Italian Republic Sandro Pertini.

24/05/1899

Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (died 1938)

Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen was a French tennis player. She was the inaugural world No. 1 from 1921 to 1926, winning eight Grand Slam titles in singles and twenty-one in total. She was also a four-time World Hard Court Champion in singles, and ten times in total. Lenglen won six Wimbledon singles titles, including five in a row from 1919 to 1923, and was the champion in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles at the first two open French Championships in 1925 and 1926. In doubles, she was undefeated with her usual partner, Elizabeth Ryan, highlighted by another six titles at Wimbledon. Lenglen was the first leading amateur to turn professional. She ranked as the greatest women's tennis player from the amateur era in the 100 Greatest of All Time series on the Tennis Channel in 2012.

Henri Michaux, Belgian-French poet and painter (died 1984)

Henri Michaux was a Belgian-born French experimental poet, writer and painter. Michaux is renowned for his strange, highly original poetry and prose, and also for his art: the Paris Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum in New York had shows of his work in 1978. His autobiographical texts that chronicle his psychedelic experiments with LSD and mescaline include Miserable Miracle and The Major Ordeals of the Mind and the Countless Minor Ones. He is recognised for his idiosyncratic travelogues and books of art criticism. Michaux is also known for his stories about Plume – "a peaceable man" – one of the most unenterprising heroes in literature, a character subject to many misfortunes.

24/05/1895

Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr., American publisher, founded Advance Publications (died 1979)

Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr. was an American broadcasting businessman, as well as a magazine and newspaper publisher. He was the founder of Advance Publications.

24/05/1893

Walter Baade, German astronomer (died 1960)

Wilhelm Heinrich Walter Baade was a German astronomer who worked in the United States from 1931 to 1959.

24/05/1892

Elizabeth Foreman Lewis, American author and educator (died 1958)

Elizabeth Foreman Lewis was an American children's writer. She received the Newbery Award and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.

24/05/1891

William F. Albright, American archaeologist, philologist, and scholar (died 1971)

William Foxwell Albright was an American archaeologist, biblical scholar, philologist, and expert on ceramics. He is considered "one of the twentieth century's most influential American biblical scholars," having become known to the public in 1948 for his role in the authentication of the Dead Sea Scrolls. He was a leading theorist and practitioner of biblical archaeology, and is regarded as the founder of the biblical archaeology movement. Albright served as the W. W. Spence Professor of Semitic Languages at Johns Hopkins University from 1930 to 1958 and was the Director of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem for several terms between 1922 and 1936.

24/05/1887

Mick Mannock, Irish soldier and pilot, Victoria Cross recipient (died 1918)

Edward Corringham "Mick" Mannock was a British-Irish flying ace who served in the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force during the First World War. Mannock was a pioneer of fighter aircraft tactics in aerial warfare. At the time of his death he had amassed 61 aerial victories, making him the fifth highest scoring pilot of the war. Mannock was among the most decorated men in the British Armed Forces. He was honoured with the Military Cross twice, was one of the rare three-time recipients of the Distinguished Service Order, and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

24/05/1886

Paul Paray, French organist, composer, and conductor (died 1979)

Paul Marie-Adolphe Charles Paray was a French conductor, organist and composer. After winning France's top musical award, the Prix de Rome, he fought in the First World War and was a prisoner of war for nearly four years. He held a succession of chief conductorships, including those of the Lamoureux and Colonne Orchestras in Paris and the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra in Monaco. For ten years from 1952 he was chief conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, with which he made a celebrated series of recordings for Mercury Records' "Living Presence" series, many of which have been digitally released in the 21st century.

24/05/1879

H. B. Reese, American candy maker, created Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (died 1956)

Harry Burnett Reese was an American inventor and businessman known for creating Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and founding the H. B. Reese Candy Company. In 2009, he was posthumously inducted into the Candy Hall of Fame.

24/05/1878

Lillian Moller Gilbreth, American psychologist and engineer (died 1972)

Lillian Evelyn Gilbreth was an American psychologist, industrial engineer, consultant, and educator who was an early pioneer in applying psychology to time-and-motion studies. She was described in the 1940s as "a genius in the art of living."

24/05/1875

Robert Garrett, American discus thrower and shot putter (died 1961)

Robert S. Garrett was an American athlete, as well as investment banker and philanthropist in Baltimore, Maryland and financier of several important archeological excavations. Garrett was the first modern Olympic champion in discus throw as well as shot put. With six Olympic medals, he is one of the most successful track and field Olympiansof all time.

24/05/1874

Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (died 1878)

Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine was a Hessian and Rhenish princess, a member of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt. She was the youngest child and fifth daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. Her mother was the second daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Marie died of diphtheria and was buried with her mother, who died a few weeks later of the same disease.

24/05/1870

Benjamin N. Cardozo, American lawyer and judge (died 1938)

Benjamin Nathan Cardozo was an American lawyer and jurist who served on the New York Court of Appeals from 1914 to 1932 and as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1932 until his death in 1938. Cardozo is remembered for his significant influence on the development of American common law in the 20th century, as well as for his philosophy and vivid prose style.

Jan Smuts, South African lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of South Africa (died 1950)

Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, was a South African statesman, military officer and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 to 1924 and 1939 to 1948.

24/05/1868

Charlie Taylor, American engineer and mechanic (died 1956)

Charles Edward Taylor was an American inventor, mechanic and machinist. He built the first aircraft engine used by the Wright brothers in the Wright Flyer, and was a vital contributor of mechanical skills in the building and maintaining of early Wright engines and airplanes.

24/05/1863

George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (died 1938)

George Grey Barnard, often written George Gray Barnard, was an American sculptor who trained in Paris. He is especially noted for his heroic sized Struggle of the Two Natures in Man at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, his twin sculpture groups at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, and his Lincoln statue in Cincinnati, Ohio. His major works are largely symbolical in character. His personal collection of medieval architectural fragments became a core part of The Cloisters in New York City.

24/05/1861

Gerald Strickland, 1st Baron Strickland, Maltese lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Malta (died 1940)

Gerald Paul Joseph Cajetan Carmel Antony Martin Strickland, 6th Count della Catena, 1st Baron Strickland,, usually known between 1897 and January 1928 as Sir Gerald Strickland, was a Maltese and British politician and, eventually, peer, who served as Prime Minister of Malta, Governor of the Leeward Islands, Governor of Tasmania, Governor of Western Australia and Governor of New South Wales, in addition to sitting in the House of Commons and later in the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

24/05/1855

Arthur Wing Pinero, English actor, director, and playwright (died 1934)

Sir Arthur Wing Pinero was an English playwright and, early in his career, actor.

24/05/1830

Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter and academic (died 1897)

Alexei Kondratyevich Savrasov was a Russian landscape painter and creator of the lyrical landscape style. The most famous and a celebrated work is The Rooks Have Returned.

24/05/1819

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (died 1901)

Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days, which was longer than those of any of her predecessors, constituted the Victorian era, a period of industrial, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. In 1876, the British parliament voted to grant her the additional title of Empress of India.

24/05/1816

Emanuel Leutze, German-American painter (died 1868)

Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze was a German-born American history painter, best known for his 1851 painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting.

24/05/1810

Abraham Geiger, German rabbi and scholar (died 1874)

Abraham Geiger was a German rabbi and scholar who is considered the founding father of Reform Judaism and the academic field of Quranic studies. Emphasizing Judaism's constant development through its history and universalist traits, Geiger sought to re-formulate received forms and design what he regarded as a religion compliant with modern times.

24/05/1803

Alexander von Nordmann, Finnish biologist and paleontologist (died 1866)

Alexander von Nordmann was a Finnish biologist, who contributed to zoology, parasitology, botany and paleontology.

24/05/1794

William Whewell, English priest and philosopher (died 1866)

William Whewell was an English polymath. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. In his time as a student there, he achieved distinction in both poetry and mathematics.

24/05/1789

Cathinka Buchwieser, German operatic singer and actress (died 1828)

Katharina Buchwieser was a German operatic soprano and actress. She was known as Cathinka, and her married surname was Lacsny von Folkusfálva. She appeared at theatres of Vienna, the Theater an der Wien and the Theater am Kärntnertor, then the court theatre. Franz Schubert dedicated compositions to her.

24/05/1743

Jean-Paul Marat, Swiss-French physician, journalist, and politician (died 1793)

Jean-Paul Marat was a French political theorist, physician, and scientist. A journalist and politician during the French Revolution, he was a vigorous defender of the sans-culottes, a radical voice, and published his views in pamphlets, placards and newspapers. His periodical L'Ami du peuple made him an unofficial link with the radical Jacobin group that came to power after June 1793.

24/05/1689

Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea, English politician, Lord President of the Council (died 1769)

Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea and 3rd Earl of Nottingham,, of Burley House near Oakham in Rutland and of Eastwell Park near Ashford in Kent, was a British peer and politician.

24/05/1686

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, Polish-German physicist and engineer, developed the Fahrenheit scale (died 1736)

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit FRS was a physicist, inventor, and scientific instrument maker. He was born in Poland to a family of German origin, although he spent much of his life in the Dutch Republic. Fahrenheit significantly improved the design and manufacture of thermometers; his were accurate and consistent enough that different observers, each with their own Fahrenheit thermometers, could reliably compare temperature measurements with each other. Fahrenheit is also credited with producing the first successful mercury-in-glass thermometers, which were more accurate than the spirit-filled thermometers of his time and of a generally superior design. The popularity of his thermometers also led to the widespread adoption of his Fahrenheit scale, with which they were provided.

24/05/1671

Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (died 1737)

Gian Gastone de' Medici was the seventh and last Medicean grand duke of Tuscany.

24/05/1669

Emerentia von Düben, Swedish royal favorite (died 1743)

Emerentia von Düben also called Menza, was a Swedish lady-in-waiting, the favourite of Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden. She was known for her influence over Ulrika Eleonora.

24/05/1628

Marek Sobieski, Polish noble (died 1652)

Marek Sobieski was a Polish nobleman, starosta of Krasnystaw and Jaworów, and the older brother of King John III Sobieski of Poland. He graduated from Nowodworek College in Kraków and Kraków Academy, then traveled and studied in Western Europe. After returning to Poland in 1648 he fought against the Cossacks and Tatars at the Siege of Zbaraż and at the Battle of Beresteczko. He was taken captive by Tatars in 1652 and then killed by Cossacks.

24/05/1616

John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale, Scottish politician, Secretary of State, Scotland (died 1682)

John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale was a Scottish statesman.

24/05/1576

Elizabeth Carey, Lady Berkeley, English courtier (died 1635)

Lady Elizabeth Berkeley, was an English courtier and patron of the arts.

24/05/1544

William Gilbert, English physician, physicist, and astronomer (died 1603)

William Gilbert, also known as Gilberd, was an English physician, physicist and natural philosopher. He passionately rejected both the prevailing Aristotelian philosophy and the Scholastic method of university teaching. He is remembered today largely for his book De Magnete (1600).

24/05/1522

John Jewel, English bishop (died 1571)

John Jewel of Devon, England was Bishop of Salisbury from 1559 to 1571.

24/05/1494

Pontormo, Italian painter (died 1557)

Jacopo Carucci or Carrucci, usually known as Jacopo (da) Pontormo or simply Pontormo, was an Italian Mannerist painter and portraitist from the Florentine School. His work represents a profound stylistic shift from the calm perspectival regularity that characterized the art of the Florentine Renaissance. He is famous for his use of twining poses, coupled with ambiguous perspective; his figures often seem to float in an uncertain environment, unhampered by the forces of gravity.

24/05/1335

Margaret of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary (died 1349)

Margaret of Bohemia, also known as Margaret of Luxembourg, was a Queen consort of Hungary by her marriage to Louis I of Hungary. She was the second child of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor by his first wife Blanche of Valois. She was a member of the House of Luxembourg.

01/01/1970

Germanicus, Roman general (died 19)

Germanicus Julius Caesar was a Roman general and politician most famously known for his campaigns against Arminius in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicus was born into an influential branch of the patrician gens Claudia. The agnomen Germanicus was added to his full name in 9 BC when it was posthumously awarded to his father in honor of his victories in Germania. In AD 4 he was adopted by his paternal uncle Tiberius, himself the stepson and heir of Germanicus' great-uncle Augustus; ten years later, Tiberius succeeded Augustus as Roman emperor. As a result of his adoption, Germanicus became an official member of the gens Julia, another prominent family, to which he was related on his mother's side. His connection to the Julii Caesares was further consolidated through a marriage between him and Agrippina the Elder, a granddaughter of Augustus. He was also the father of Caligula, the maternal grandfather of Nero, and the older brother of Claudius.

Lives Remembered on 24th May

On 24th May, 102 remarkable people passed away — from 688 to 2025. Remember the lives and legacies of those we lost on this day.

24/05/2025

Gary Pierce, English footballer (born 1951)

Gary Pierce was an English professional football goalkeeper.

24/05/2024

Doug Ingle, American musician (born 1945)

Douglas Lloyd Ingle was an American musician, best known as the founder, organist, primary composer and lead vocalist for the band Iron Butterfly. He wrote the band's hit song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", which was first released in 1968, and was the last surviving member of the band’s 1967–1969 lineup.

Kabosu, Japanese dog and Internet meme celebrity (born 2005)

Kabosu was a Shiba Inu from Japan. Adopted in 2008 by kindergarten teacher Atsuko Sato , she is prominently featured in the original Doge meme and the Dogecoin cryptocurrency.

24/05/2023

Tina Turner, American-Swiss rock and pop singer, dancer, actress and author (born 1939)

Tina Turner was a singer, songwriter, actress and author. Dubbed the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she broke both racial and gender barriers in rock music with her vocal prowess and stage presence. She is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 100 million records worldwide.

24/05/2018

John "TotalBiscuit" Bain, English gaming commentator and critic (born 1984)

John Peter Bain, known as TotalBiscuit, was a British video gaming commentator and game critic on YouTube. He was known for his role in professional shoutcasting and esports, and also known for his gaming commentary audio work on WCradio.com. According to Eurogamer, he gained a large following due to his video commentary on newly developed indie games and analysis of gaming news. Bain voiced strong support for consumer protection in the video gaming industry.

Gudrun Burwitz, daughter of Margarete Himmler and Heinrich Himmler (born 1929)

Gudrun Margarete Elfriede Emma Anna Burwitz was the daughter of Heinrich Himmler and Margarete Himmler. Her father, as Reichsführer-SS, was a leading member of the Nazi Party and chief architect of the Final Solution. After the Allied victory, she was arrested and made to testify at the Nuremberg trials. Never renouncing Nazi ideology, she consistently fought to defend her father's reputation and became closely involved in neo-Nazi groups that gave support to ex-members of the SS. She married Wulf Dieter Burwitz, an official of the extremist NPD. In the 1960s she worked for West Germany's Abteilung des Geheimdienstes (AGD), at its headquarters in Pullach, near Munich.

24/05/2015

Dean Carroll, English rugby player (born 1962)

Dean Carroll was an English professional rugby league footballer and cricketer who played in the 1980s and 1990s.

Kenneth Jacobs, Australian lawyer and judge (born 1917)

Sir Kenneth Sydney Jacobs was an Australian judge who served as a Justice of the High Court of Australia.

Tanith Lee, English author (born 1947)

Tanith Lee was a British science fiction and fantasy writer. She wrote more than 90 novels and 300 short stories, and was the winner of multiple World Fantasy Awards, the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. She also wrote a children's picture book, and many poems. She wrote two episodes of the BBC science fiction series Blake's 7.

24/05/2014

David Allen, English cricketer (born 1935)

David Arthur Allen was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1953 and 1972. He also played 39 Test matches for England between 1960 and 1966.

Stormé DeLarverie, known as the "Rosa Parks of the lesbian community" (born 1920)

Stormé DeLarverie was an American known as the lesbian whose scuffle with police was, according to DeLarverie and many eyewitnesses, the spark that ignited the Stonewall uprising, spurring the crowd to action. Born in New Orleans, to an interracial couple, they are remembered as a gay civil rights icon and entertainer who performed and hosted at the Apollo Theater and Radio City Music Hall. They worked for much of their life as an MC, singer, bouncer, bodyguard, and volunteer street patrol worker, the last of which earned DeLarverie the moniker, "guardian of lesbians in the Village". They are known as "the Rosa Parks of the gay community."

Mahafarid Amir Khosravi, Iranian businessman (born 1969)

Mahafarid Amir Khosravi, also known as Amir Mansour Aria, was an Iranian businessman who was executed for his part in the 2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal. At one time, he was considered the richest man in Iran. An assessment made in April 2012 suggested he would rank as 290th among Forbes' richest people in the world if included on the list.

Knowlton Nash, Canadian journalist and author (born 1927)

Cyril Knowlton Nash was a Canadian journalist, author and news anchor. He was senior anchor of CBC Television's flagship news program, The National from 1978 until his retirement in 1988. He began his career in journalism by selling newspapers on the streets of Toronto during World War II. Before age 20, he was a professional journalist for British United Press (BUP). After some time as a freelance foreign correspondent, he became the CBC's Washington correspondent during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, also covering stories in South and Central America and Vietnam. He moved back to Toronto in 1968 to join management as head of CBC's news and information programming, then stepped back in front of the camera in 1978 as anchor of CBC's late evening news program, The National. He stepped down from that position in 1988 to make way for Peter Mansbridge. Nash wrote several books about Canadian journalism and television, including his own memoirs as a foreign correspondent.

John Vasconcellos, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (born 1932)

John Bernard Vasconcellos Jr. was an American politician from California and member of the Democratic Party. He represented Silicon Valley as a member of the California State Assembly for 30 years and a California State Senator for 8 years. His lifelong interest in psychology led to his advocacy of the self-esteem movement in California politics.

24/05/2013

Helmut Braunlich, German-American violinist and composer (born 1929)

Helmut Braunlich was a German-American violinist, composer, and musicologist.

Ron Davies, Welsh footballer (born 1942)

Ronald Tudor Davies was a Welsh footballer, who played as a centre forward. He spent most of his career with Southampton in the Football League First Division, and also for the Welsh national team.

Gotthard Graubner, German painter (born 1930)

Gotthard Graubner was a German painter, born in Erlbach, in Saxony, Germany.

Haynes Johnson, American journalist and author (born 1931)

Haynes Bonner Johnson was an American journalist, author, and television analyst. He reported on most of the major news stories of the latter half of the 20th century and was widely regarded as one of the top American political commentators.

Pyotr Todorovsky, Ukrainian-Russian director and screenwriter (born 1925)

Pyotr Yefimovich Todorovsky was a Russian film director, screenwriter, and cinematographer.

24/05/2012

Klaas Carel Faber, Dutch-German SS officer (born 1922)

Klaas Carel Faber was a convicted Dutch-German war criminal. He was the son of Pieter and Carolina Josephine Henriëtte Faber, and the brother of Pieter Johan Faber, who was executed for war crimes in 1948. Faber was on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's list of most wanted Nazi war criminals. Faber died in Germany in May 2012, having never been extradited.

Kathi Kamen Goldmark, American journalist and author (born 1948)

Kathi Kamen Goldmark was an American author, columnist, publishing consultant, radio and music producer, songwriter, and musician. Goldmark was the author of the novel And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You, co-authored or contributed to numerous other books, wrote a monthly column for BookPage with her husband, author and musician Sam Barry and produced the radio show West Coast Live. She was a member of the San Francisco band Los Train Wreck, and founding member of the all-author rock band the Rock Bottom Remainders. As President of "Don't Quit Your Day Job" Records, she supervised the production of ten music and spoken-word CDs.

Jacqueline Harpman, Belgian psychoanalyst and author (born 1929)

Jacqueline Harpman was a Belgian writer and psychoanalyst.

Juan Francisco Lombardo, Argentinian footballer (born 1925)

Juan Francisco Lombardo was an Argentine football defender. He played a large part of his career for Argentine giants Boca Juniors and represented Argentina on 37 occasions.

Lee Rich, American production manager and producer (born 1918)

Lee Rich was an American film and television producer, who won the 1973 Outstanding Drama Series Emmy award for The Waltons as the producer. He is also known as the co-founder and former chairman of Lorimar Television.

24/05/2011

Huguette Clark, American heiress, painter, and philanthropist (born 1906)

Huguette Marcelle Clark was an American painter, heiress, and philanthropist. She became well known again late in life as a recluse, living in hospitals for more than 20 years while her various mansions remained unoccupied.

Hakim Ali Zardari, Indian-Pakistani businessman and politician (born 1930)

Hakim Ali Zardari was a Pakistani politician who served as a member of National Assembly of Pakistan from 1972 to 1977,1988 to 1990 and then again from 1993 to 1996.

24/05/2010

Ray Alan, English ventriloquist, actor, and screenwriter (born 1930)

Raymond Alan Whyberd was an English ventriloquist, television entertainer, and writer. His career spanned over half a century, though he was most popular from the 1950s until the 1980s. He was associated primarily with the dummies Lord Charles and Ali Kat and later with the puppets Tich and Quackers.

Paul Gray, American bass player and songwriter (born 1972)

Paul Dedrick Gray, also known as the Pig, was an American musician who was the bassist, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he was designated #2.

Raymond V. Haysbert, American businessman and activist (born 1920)

Raymond V. Haysbert Sr. was an American business executive and civil rights leader during the second half of the 20th century in Baltimore, Maryland. During World War II, he served in Africa and Italy with the renowned Tuskegee Airmen. Haysbert joined Baltimore-based Parks Sausage Company in 1952, becoming CEO as it grew into one of the largest black-owned U.S. businesses. In later years, he was active in politics and the American civil rights movement. Haysbert was chairman of the Greater Baltimore Urban League when he died at age 90 in 2010.

Petr Muk, Czech singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1965)

Petr Muk was a Czech pop musician, composer, and performer, famous in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Muk began playing music at the age of fifteen, performing with various underground punk bands including Dural and Gas, together with classmate and later bandmate Petr Kučera. From 1985 until 1993, he led the Czech synth-pop group Oceán, after which he founded the synth-pop group Shalom (1992–1996). Both these ensembles were heavily influenced by the English synth-pop duo Erasure, a band whose UK tour Oceán had supported between 1989 and 1990. In 2004, Muk released a tribute EP to his idols.

Anneliese Rothenberger, German soprano and actress (born 1926)

Anneliese Rothenberger was a German operatic soprano who had an active international performance career which spanned from 1942 to 1983. She specialized in the lyric coloratura soprano repertoire, and was particularly admired for her interpretations of the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Richard Strauss.

24/05/2009

Jay Bennett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1963)

Jay Walter Bennett was an American multi-instrumentalist, engineer, producer, and singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the band Wilco from 1994 to 2001.

24/05/2008

Dick Martin, American actor, comedian, and director (born 1922)

Thomas Richard Martin was an American comedian and director. He was known for his role as the co-host of the sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973.

Jimmy McGriff, American organist and bandleader (born 1936)

James Harrell McGriff was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader.

Andrew Stephen Wilson, British-American astronomer (born 1947)

Andrew Stephen Wilson was an astronomer from Doncaster, Yorkshire. He earned a doctorate in physics from the University of Cambridge.

24/05/2006

Henry Bumstead, American art director and production designer (born 1915)

Lloyd Henry "Bummy" Bumstead was an American cinematic art director and production designer. In a career that spanned nearly 70 years, Bumstead began as a draftsman in RKO Pictures' art department and later served as an art director or production designer on more than 90 feature films. He won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and The Sting (1973). He was also nominated for Academy Awards for his work on Vertigo (1958) and Unforgiven (1992).

Claude Piéplu, French actor (born 1923)

Claude Léon Auguste Piéplu was a French theatre, film and television actor. He was known for his hoarse and frayed voice.

24/05/2005

Carl Amery, German activist and author (born 1922)

Carl Amery, the pen name of Christian Anton Mayer, was a German writer and environmental activist. Born in Munich, he studied at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU). He was a participant of Gruppe 47. He died in Munich.

Arthur Haulot, Belgian journalist and poet (born 1913)

Baron Arthur Haulot was a Belgian journalist, humanist and poet who served, during World War II as an active member of the Belgian resistance. As president of the Jeunes Socialistes, he was made prisoner and taken to the Dachau concentration camp.

Guy Tardif, Canadian academic and politician (born 1935)

Guy Tardif was a Canadian politician. He was a Parti Québécois member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 1976 to 1985 and was a cabinet minister in the governments of René Lévesque and Pierre-Marc Johnson. He is the grandfather of professional gridiron football guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.

24/05/2004

Henry Ries, German-American photographer (born 1917)

Henry Ries was a photographer who worked for New York Times. His most famous photo was of "The Berlin Air Lift" which was later made into a U.S. Postage Stamp commemorative.

Milton Shulman, Canadian author and critic (born 1913)

Milton Shulman was a Canadian author, film and theatre critic who was based in the United Kingdom from 1943.

Edward Wagenknecht, American critic and educator (born 1900)

Edward (Charles) Wagenknecht was an American literary critic and teacher who specialized in 19th-century American literature. He wrote and edited many books on literature and movies, and taught for many years at various universities, including the University of Chicago and Boston University. He also contributed many book reviews and other writings to such newspapers as the Boston Herald, The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune, and to such magazines as The Yale Review and The Atlantic Monthly.

24/05/2003

Rachel Kempson, English actress (born 1910)

Rachel Redgrave, known primarily by her birth name Rachel Kempson, was an English actress. She married Sir Michael Redgrave, and was the matriarch of the famous acting dynasty.

24/05/2002

Wallace Markfield, American author (born 1926)

Wallace Markfield was an American comic novelist best known for his first novel, To an Early Grave (1964), about four men who spend the day driving across Brooklyn to their friend's funeral. He is also known for Teitlebaum's Window (1970), about a Jewish boy growing up in Brooklyn in the 1930s and 1940s. Markfield was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1965 after the publication of To an Early Grave.

24/05/2000

Kurt Schork, American journalist and scholar (born 1947)

Kurt Schork was an American and Bosnian war correspondent, working for Reuters.

Majrooh Sultanpuri, Indian poet and songwriter (born 1919)

Asrar ul Hassan Khan, better known as Majrooh Sultanpuri, was an Indian Urdu poet and lyricist in the Hindi language film industry. He wrote lyrics for numerous Hindi film soundtracks. He was one of the dominant musical forces in Indian cinema in the 1950s and early 1960s, and was an important figure in the Progressive Writers' Movement. He is considered one of the finest avant-garde Urdu poets of 20th century literature.

24/05/1997

Edward Mulhare, Irish actor (born 1923)

Edward Mulhare was an Irish actor whose career spanned five decades. He is best known for his starring roles in two television series, sitcom The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1968-70) and action drama Knight Rider (1982-86).

24/05/1996

Thomas F. Connolly, American admiral (born 1909)

Vice Admiral Thomas Francis Connolly Jr. was a three-star rank admiral in the United States Navy, aviator, and gymnast. As a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team, he won an Olympic bronze medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics.

Enrique Álvarez Félix, Mexican actor (born 1934)

Enrique Álvarez Félix was a Mexican actor.

Joseph Mitchell, American journalist and author (born 1908)

Joseph Quincy Mitchell was an American writer best known for the work he published in The New Yorker. He is known for his carefully written portraits of eccentrics and people on the fringes of society, especially in and around New York City. He is also known for suffering from writer's block for several decades.

24/05/1995

Harold Wilson, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1916)

James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, was a British politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and from 1974 to 1976. He was Leader of the Labour Party from 1963 to 1976, Leader of the Opposition twice from 1963 to 1964 and again from 1970 to 1974, and a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1945 to 1983. Wilson is the only Labour leader to have formed governments following four general elections.

24/05/1992

Hitoshi Ogawa, Japanese race car driver (born 1956)

Hitoshi Ogawa was a Japanese racing car driver. He is the father of Ryo Ogawa, the 2015 Japanese Formula 3 champion.

24/05/1991

Gene Clark, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1944)

Harold Eugene Clark was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best-known originals from this period, including "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better", "She Don't Care About Time", "Eight Miles High" and "Set You Free This Time".

24/05/1990

Arthur Villeneuve, Canadian painter (born 1910)

Arthur Villeneuve, was a Québécois painter and member of the Order of Canada.

24/05/1988

Freddie Frith, English motorcycle road racer (born 1909)

Frederick Lee Frith OBE was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world champion. A former stonemason and later a motor cycle retailer in Grimsby, he was a stylish rider and five times winner of the Isle of Man TT. Frith was one of the few to win TT races before and after the Second World War. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1950 Birthday Honours.

24/05/1984

Vince McMahon Sr., American wrestling promoter and businessman, founded WWE (born 1914)

Vincent James McMahon, also referred to as Vince McMahon Sr., was an American professional wrestling promoter. He is best known for running the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, later known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the World Wrestling Federation. His father, Jess McMahon, and his son Vince McMahon were also professional wrestling promoters.

24/05/1981

Herbert Müller, Swiss race car driver (born 1940)

Herbert Müller Rebmann was a racing driver from Switzerland. He was born in Reinach and was nicknamed Stumpen-Herbie. Among other successes, he won the Targa Florio twice, in 1966 and 1973, both with Porsche.

24/05/1979

Ernest Bullock, English organist, composer, and educator (born 1890)

Sir Ernest Bullock was an English organist, composer, and teacher. He was organist of Exeter Cathedral from 1917 to 1928 and of Westminster Abbey from 1928 to 1941. In the latter post he was jointly responsible for the music at the coronation of George VI in 1937.

24/05/1976

Denise Pelletier, Canadian actress (born 1923)

Denise Pelletier, OC was a Canadian actress.

24/05/1974

Duke Ellington, American pianist and composer (born 1899)

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Music critic Ralph J. Gleason called him "America's most important composer".

24/05/1965

Sonny Boy Williamson II, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (born 1908)

Alex or Aleck Miller, known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp stylist who recorded successfully in the 1950s and 1960s. Miller used various names, including Rice Miller and Little Boy Blue, before calling himself Sonny Boy Williamson, which was also the name of a popular Chicago blues singer and harmonica player. To distinguish the two, Miller has been referred to as Sonny Boy Williamson II.

24/05/1963

Elmore James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1918)

Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. His slide guitar technique earned him the nickname "King of the Slide Guitar".

24/05/1959

John Foster Dulles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 52nd United States Secretary of State (born 1888)

John Foster Dulles was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat who served as United States secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 until his resignation in 1959. A member of the Republican Party, he was briefly a U.S. senator from New York in 1949. Dulles was a significant figure in the early Cold War era who pushed for an aggressive rollback campaign against communist regimes and their allies throughout the world.

24/05/1958

Frank Rowe, Australian public servant (born 1895)

Francis Harry Rowe was a senior Australian public servant, best known for his time as Director-General of the Department of Social Services.

24/05/1956

Martha Annie Whiteley, English chemist and mathematician (born 1866)

Martha Annie Whiteley, was an English chemist and mathematician. She was instrumental in advocating for women's entry into the Chemical Society, and was best known for her dedication to advancing women's equality in the field of chemistry. She is identified as one of the Royal Society of Chemistry's 175 Faces of Chemistry.

24/05/1951

Thomas N. Heffron, American actor, director, screenwriter (born 1872)

Thomas N. Heffron was a screenwriter, actor, and a director. He was born in Nevada, He worked as an attorney and danced in vaudeville before he began his career in film with Thanhousr in 1911, eventually landing him a role with Paramount Pictures a few years later. He left the movie industry in 1922, making all his movies in the silent era.

24/05/1950

Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, English field marshal and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India (born 1883)

Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell was a senior officer of the British Army. He served in the Second Boer War, the Bazar Valley Campaign and the First World War, during which he was wounded in the Second Battle of Ypres. In the Second World War, he served initially as Commander-in-Chief Middle East, in which role he led British forces to victory over the Italian Army in Eritrea-Abyssinia, western Egypt and eastern Libya during Operation Compass in December 1940, only to be defeated by Erwin Rommel's Panzer Army Africa in the Western Desert in April 1941. He served as Commander-in-Chief, India, from July 1941 until June 1943 and then served as Viceroy of India until his retirement in February 1947.

24/05/1949

Alexey Shchusev, Russian architect, designed Lenin's Mausoleum and Moscow Kazanskaya railway station (born 1873)

Alexey Victorovich Shchusev was a Russian and Soviet architect who was successful during three consecutive epochs of Russian architecture – Art Nouveau, Constructivism, and Stalinist architecture, being one of the few Russian architects to be celebrated under both the Romanovs and the communists, becoming the most decorated architect in terms of Stalin prizes awarded.

24/05/1948

Jacques Feyder, Belgian actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1885)

Jacques Feyder was a Belgian film director, screenwriter and actor who worked principally in France, but also in the US, Britain and Germany. He was a director of silent films during the 1920s, and in the 1930s he became associated with the style of poetic realism in French cinema. He adopted French nationality in 1928.

24/05/1945

Robert Ritter von Greim, German field marshal and pilot (born 1892)

Robert Ritter von Greim was a German Generalfeldmarschall and First World War flying ace. In April 1945, in the last days of World War II in Europe, Adolf Hitler appointed Greim commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe after Hermann Göring had been dismissed for treason. He was the last person to have been promoted to field marshal in the German armed forces. After the surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945, Greim was captured by the Allies. He committed suicide in an American-controlled prison on 24 May 1945.

24/05/1941

Lancelot Holland, English admiral (born 1887)

Vice-Admiral Lancelot Ernest Holland, was a Royal Navy officer who commanded the British force in the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941 against the German battleship Bismarck. Holland was lost when he stayed at his post during the sinking of HMS Hood.

24/05/1939

Fanny Searls, American biologist (born 1851)

Fanny Searls, also known by her married name Fanny Gradle, was an American physician and botanical collector. Dalea searlsiae, Searls' prairie clover, is named after her. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, she attended Northwestern University and the University of Michigan, gaining her medical degree in 1877. She then worked at Bellevue Hospital as a student nurse as there were few opportunities for women to gain medical internships at the time. In the meantime, she had developed skills as a concert pianist and a collector of botanical and geological specimens. In the last capacity, she donated a collection of 215 specimens gathered in Nevada to Northwestern University, including the first subsequently named Searls' prairie clover. She moved to Santa Barbara, dying there in 1939.

24/05/1929

Nikolai von Meck, Russian engineer (born 1863)

Nikolai Karlovich von Meck was a Russian engineer and entrepreneur involved in the development of Russia during the first part of the twentieth century. He was put on trial as part of the Shakhty Trial and executed in 1929.

24/05/1923

Rolf Skår, Norwegian engineer (born 1941)

Rolf Skår was a Norwegian engineer and entrepreneur. He was a co-founder of the computer manufacturing company Norsk Data in 1967, and took over as chief executive officer (CEO) of the company from 1978 to 1989. He was later CEO of the Royal Norwegian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, chaired the Norwegian Polytechnic Society, and was CEO of the Norwegian Space Centre from 1998 to 2006. For his contributions to information technology and space activity, Skår was knighted as in the First Class of the Order of St. Olav in 2010.

24/05/1919

Amado Nervo, Mexican poet, journalist, and educator (born 1870)

Amado Nervo also known as Juan Crisóstomo Ruiz de Nervo, was a Mexican poet, journalist and educator. He also acted as Mexican Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay. His poetry was known for its use of metaphor and reference to mysticism, presenting both love and religion, as well as Christianity and Hinduism. Nervo is noted as one of the most important Mexican poets of the 19th century.

24/05/1915

John Condon, Irish-English soldier (born 1896)

Pte. John Condon was an Irish soldier born in Waterford City. He was mistakenly believed to have been the youngest Allied soldier killed during the First World War, at the age of 14 years; he lied about his age and he claimed to be 18 years old when he signed up to join the army in 1913. He was killed in action in a gas attack during the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915 and his body was not recovered for another ten years; his family were unaware that Condon was in Belgium until they were contacted by the British Army and told that he was missing in action. In 1922, Condon was also posthumously awarded the British War Medal, the Victory Medal and the 1914-15 Star.

24/05/1908

Old Tom Morris, Scottish golfer and architect (born 1821)

Thomas Mitchell Morris, otherwise known as Old Tom Morris, and The Grand Old Man of Golf, was a Scottish golfer. He was born in St Andrews, Fife, the "home of golf" and location of the St Andrews Links, and died there as well. Young Tom Morris, also a golfer, was his son.

24/05/1901

Louis-Zéphirin Moreau, Canadian bishop (born 1824)

Louis-Zéphirin Moreau was a Canadian Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Saint-Hyacinthe from 1875 until his death in 1901. He was also the cofounder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Hyacinthe with Élisabeth Bergeron, and the founder of the Sisters of Sainte Martha.

24/05/1881

Samuel Palmer, English painter and illustrator (born 1805)

Samuel Palmer Hon.RE was a British landscape painter, etcher and printmaker. He was also a prolific writer. Palmer was a key figure in Romanticism in Britain and produced visionary pastoral paintings.

24/05/1879

William Lloyd Garrison, American journalist and activist (born 1805)

William Lloyd Garrison was an American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. His widely read anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator was a driving force that fueled the abolitionist era, which Garrison founded in 1831 and published in Boston until slavery in the United States was abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865. He supported the rights of women, and during the 1870s became a prominent voice for the women's suffrage movement.

24/05/1872

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, German painter and illustrator (born 1794)

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld was a German painter, chiefly of Biblical subjects. As a young man he associated with the painters of the Nazarene movement who revived the florid Renaissance style in religious art. He is remembered for his extensive Picture Bible, and his designs for stained glass windows in cathedrals.

24/05/1861

Elmer E. Ellsworth, American colonel (born 1837)

Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth was a United States Army officer, close personal friend of the 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln, and law clerk who was the first conspicuous casualty and the first Union officer to die in the American Civil War. He was killed while removing a Confederate flag from the roof of the Marshall House in Alexandria, Virginia. He was later buried in his hometown of Mechanicville, New York on May 27, 1861 in Hudson View Cemetery in a family plot.

24/05/1848

Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, German author and composer (born 1797)

Baroness Anna Elisabeth Franziska Adolphine Wilhelmine Louise Maria von Droste zu Hülshoff, known as Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, was a 19th-century German Biedermeier poet, novelist, and composer of classical music. Her most famous work is the novella Die Judenbuche.

24/05/1843

Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician and academic (born 1765)

Sylvestre François Lacroix was a French mathematician.

24/05/1806

John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, Scottish field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Argyllshire (born 1723)

Field Marshal John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, styled Marquess of Lorne from 1761 to 1770, was a British Army officer and politician. After serving as a junior officer in Flanders during the War of the Austrian Succession, he was given command of a regiment and was redeployed to Scotland where he opposed the Jacobites at Loch Fyne at an early stage of the Jacobite Rebellion and went on to fight against them at the Battle of Falkirk Muir and then at the Battle of Culloden. He later became adjutant-general in Ireland and spent some 20 years as a Member of Parliament before retiring to Inveraray Castle.

24/05/1792

George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, English admiral and politician, 16th Governor of Newfoundland (born 1718)

Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB was a Royal Navy officer, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his service in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782. It has often been claimed that Rodney pioneered the tactic of breaking the line, though this is disputed.

24/05/1734

Georg Ernst Stahl, German physician and chemist (born 1660)

Georg Ernst Stahl was a German chemist, physician and philosopher. He was a supporter of vitalism, and until the late 18th century his works on phlogiston were accepted as an explanation for chemical processes.

24/05/1665

Mary of Jesus of Ágreda, Spanish Franciscan abbess and mystic (born 1602)

Mary of Jesus of Ágreda, OIC,, was an abbess and spiritual writer. She is best known for her extensive correspondence with King Philip IV of Spain and her reports of bilocation between Spain and New Spain. She was a noted mystic whose popularity has endured.

24/05/1632

Robert Hues, English mathematician and geographer (born 1553)

Robert Hues was an English mathematician and geographer. He attended St. Mary Hall at Oxford, and graduated in 1578. Hues became interested in geography and mathematics, and studied navigation at a school set up by Walter Raleigh. During a trip to Newfoundland, he made observations which caused him to doubt the accepted published values for variations of the compass. Between 1586 and 1588, Hues travelled with Thomas Cavendish on a circumnavigation of the globe, performing astronomical observations and taking the latitudes of places they visited. Beginning in August 1591, Hues and Cavendish again set out on another circumnavigation of the globe. During the voyage, Hues made astronomical observations in the South Atlantic, and continued his observations of the variation of the compass at various latitudes and at the Equator. Cavendish died on the journey in 1592, and Hues returned to England the following year.

24/05/1627

Luis de Góngora, Spanish poet and cleric (born 1561)

Luis de Góngora y Argote was a Spanish Baroque lyric poet and a Catholic priest at Córdoba Cathedral. Góngora and his lifelong rival, Francisco de Quevedo, are widely considered the most prominent Spanish poets of all time. His style is characterized by what was called culteranismo, also known as Gongorismo. This style apparently existed in stark contrast to Quevedo's conceptismo, though Quevedo was highly influenced by his older rival from whom he may have isolated "conceptismo" elements.

24/05/1612

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (born 1563)

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury was an English statesman and alleged spymaster noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart rule (1603). Lord Salisbury served as the Secretary of State of England (1596–1612) and Lord High Treasurer (1608–1612), succeeding his father as Queen Elizabeth I's Lord Privy Seal and remaining in power during the first nine years of King James I's reign until his own death.

24/05/1543

Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish mathematician and astronomer (born 1473)

Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance polymath who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center. The publication of Copernicus's model in his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, just before his death in 1543, was a major event in the history of science, triggering the Copernican Revolution and making a pioneering contribution to the Scientific Revolution. Though a similar heliocentric model had been developed eighteen centuries earlier by Aristarchus of Samos, an ancient Greek astronomer, Copernicus likely arrived at his model independently.

24/05/1456

Ambroise de Loré, French commander (born 1396)

Ambroise de Loré was baron of Ivry in Normandy, a French military commander, and comrade-in-arms of Joan of Arc. A reforming commisar of trades and police and "Garde de la prévôté de Paris", he became Provost of Paris from 1436 to 1446. He also fought at the battles of Agincourt, La Brossinière, Orléans and Patay.

24/05/1425

Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, Scottish politician (born 1362)

Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany was a leading Scottish nobleman, the son of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, and the grandson of King Robert II of Scotland, who founded the Stewart dynasty. In 1389, he became Justiciar North of the Forth. In 1402, he was captured at the Battle of Homildon Hill and would spend 12 years in captivity in England.

24/05/1408

Taejo of Joseon (born 1335)

Taejo, personal name Yi Sŏnggye, later changed to Yi Tan, was the founder and first monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After overthrowing the Goryeo dynasty, he ascended to the throne in 1392 and abdicated six years later during a strife between his sons. He was honored as Emperor Ko following the establishment of the Korean Empire.

24/05/1351

Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman, Moroccan sultan (born 1297)

Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Uthman, was a sultan of the Marinid dynasty who reigned in parts of what is now Morocco between 1331 and 1348. In 1333 he captured Gibraltar from the Castilians, although a later attempt to take Tarifa in 1339 ended in fiasco. In North Africa he extended his rule over Tlemcen and Hafsid Ifriqiya, which together covered the north of what is now Algeria and Tunisia. Under him the Marinid realms in the Maghreb briefly covered an area that rivalled that of the preceding Almohad Caliphate. However, he was forced to retreat due to a revolt of the Arab tribes, was shipwrecked, and lost many of his supporters. His son Abu Inan Faris seized power in Fes. Abu Al-Hasan died in exile in the High Atlas mountains.

24/05/1201

Theobald III, Count of Champagne (born 1179)

Theobald III was Count of Champagne from 1197 to his death. He was designated heir by his older brother Henry II when the latter went to the Holy Land on the Third Crusade, and succeeded him upon his death. He cooperated closely with his uncle and suzerain King Philip II of France. He died young, and was succeeded by a posthumous son, Theobald IV, while his widow, Blanche of Navarre, ruled as regent.

24/05/1153

David I of Scotland (born 1083)

David I was a 12th century ruler and saint who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of King Malcolm III and Queen Margaret, David spent most of his childhood in Scotland but was exiled to England temporarily in 1093. Perhaps after 1100, he became a dependent at the court of King Henry I of England, by whom he was influenced.

24/05/1136

Hugues de Payens, first Grand Master of the Knights Templar (born c. 1070)

Hugo de Paganis, commonly known in French as Hugues de Payens or Payns, was the co-founder and first Grand Master of the Knights Templar.

24/05/1089

Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury

Lanfranc was an Italian-born English churchman, monk and scholar. Born in Italy, he moved to Normandy to become a Benedictine monk at Bec. He served successively as prior of Bec Abbey and abbot of St Stephen's Abbey in Caen, Normandy and then as Archbishop of Canterbury in England, following its conquest by William the Conqueror. He is also variously known as Lanfranc of Pavia, Lanfranc of Bec, and Lanfranc of Canterbury. In his lifetime, he was regarded as the greatest theologian of his generation.

24/05/0688

Ségéne, bishop of Armagh (born c. 610)

Saint Ségéne was the Bishop of Armagh, Ireland from 661 to 24 May 688.

Celebrations & Special Days Worldwide on 24th May

Aldersgate Day/Wesley Day (Methodism)

Aldersgate Day, or Wesley Day, is an anniversary observed by Methodist Christians on 24 May. It recalls the day in 1738 when Church of England priest John Wesley attended a group meeting in Aldersgate, London, where he received an experience of assurance of his new birth. This was the pivotal event in Wesley's life that ultimately led to the development of the Methodist movement in Britain and America, with Wesley "preaching the Gospel to all who would listen with renewed vigour and evangelistic fervour".

Battle of Pichincha Day (Ecuador)

The national public holidays in Ecuador include:

Bermuda Day (Bermuda), celebrated on the nearest weekday if May 24 falls on the weekend.

Bermuda Day is a public holiday in the islands of Bermuda. It is celebrated on the Fourth Friday in May.

Christian feast day: Anna Pak Agi (one of The Korean Martyrs)

Anna Pak Agi is one of 103 Korean Martyrs. Her feast day is May 24, and she is also venerated along with the rest of the 103 Korean martyrs on 20 September.

Christian feast day: Donatian and Rogatian

Donatian and Rogatian were two brothers, martyred in Nantes during the reign of Roman Emperor Maximian, around 288–290, for refusing to deny their faith. They are also known as les enfants nantais. Their feast day is 24 May.

Christian feast day: Jackson Kemper (Episcopal Church)

Jackson Kemper in 1835 became the first missionary bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Especially known for his work with Native American peoples, he also founded parishes in what in his youth was considered the Northwest Territory and later became known as the "Old Northwest", hence one appellation as bishop of the "Whole Northwest". Bishop Kemper founded Nashotah House and Racine College in Wisconsin, and from 1859 until his death served as the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin.

Christian feast day: Joanna

Joanna, the wife of Chuza, is a woman mentioned in the gospels who was healed by Jesus and later supported him and his disciples in their travels. She is one of the women recorded in the Gospel of Luke as accompanying Jesus and the twelve apostles and as a witness to Jesus' resurrection. Her husband was Chuza, who managed the household of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee; this is the origin of the distinguishing epithet commonly attached to her name, differentiating her from other figures named Joanna.

Christian feast day: Juan de Prado

Juan de Prado, OFM was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and a professed member from the Order of Friars Minor. He served as part of the missions in Muslim Morocco at the request of Pope Urban VIII and brought much solace to the small Christian population there before the ruler had him murdered.

Christian feast day: Blessed Louis-Zéphirin Moreau

Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. Beati is the plural form, referring to those who have undergone the process of beatification; they possess the title of "Blessed" before their names and are often referred to in English as "a Blessed" or, plurally, "Blesseds".

Christian feast day: Mary, Help of Christians

Mary Help of Christians is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, based on a devotion now associated with a feast day of the General Roman Calendar on 24 May. John Chrysostom was the first to describe this title, in 345 AD. Don Bosco also propagated the devotion. It is associated with the defense of Christian Europe, North Africa and the Middle East from non-Christians during the Middle Ages.

Christian feast day: Sarah (celebrated by the Romani people of Camargue)

Saint Sarah, also known as Sara-la-Kâli, is the patron saint of the Romani people in Folk Catholicism. The center of her veneration is Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a place of pilgrimage for Roma in the Camargue, in Southern France. Legend identifies her as the servant of one of the Three Marys, with whom she is supposed to have arrived in the Camargue. Saint Sarah also shares her name with the Hindu goddess Kali who is a popular deity in northern India from where the Romani people originate. The name "Sara" itself is seen in the appellation of Durga as Kali in the famed text Durgasaptashati. Despite her popular veneration amongst Romani Catholics, she is not considered a Saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

Christian feast day: Simeon Stylites the Younger

Simeon Stylites the Younger, also known as Simeon of the Admirable Mountain, is a saint in the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church.

Christian feast day: Vincent of Lérins

Vincent of Lérins was a Gallic monk and author of early Christian writings. One example was the Commonitorium, c. 434, which offers guidance in the orthodox teaching of Christianity. Suspected of semi-Pelagianism, he opposed the Augustinian model of grace and was probably the recipient of Prosper of Aquitaine's Responsiones ad Capitula Objectionum Vincentianarum. His feast day is celebrated on 24 May.

Christian feast day: May 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

May 23 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 25

Commonwealth Day (Belize)

This is a list of public holidays in Belize.

Independence Day (Eritrea), celebrates the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia in 1993.

The Independence Day of Eritrea is one of the most important public holidays in the country. It is observed on May 24 every year. On this day in 1991, Eritrean People's Liberation Front forces moved into the capital Asmara, reinstating independence, following a 30-year war against the Ethiopian military regime. Eritrea Independence Day is a national holiday, with workers given a day off.

Lubiri Memorial Day (Buganda)

Lubiri, commonly referred to as the Kabaka's Palace, Mengo Palace, or Twekobe, is the official royal compound of the Kabaka (king) of the Buganda Kingdom in Uganda. Situated on Mengo Hill in the Mengo suburb of Kampala, the sprawling four-square-kilometre site overlooks the city and stands opposite the kingdom's administrative seat, the Bulange.

Saints Cyril and Methodius Day (Eastern Orthodox Church, Julian Calendar) and its related observance: Bulgarian Education and Culture and Slavonic Literature Day (Bulgaria)

The Day of Bulgarian Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture has been celebrated in Bulgaria since 11 May 1851. Today, this holiday is celebrated every year on 24 May and is an official holiday of Bulgaria since 1990. In 2020, the name was changed to Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian alphabet, education and culture and of the Slavonic literature.

Saints Cyril and Methodius Day (Eastern Orthodox Church, Julian Calendar) and its related observance: Saints Cyril and Methodius, Slavonic Enlighteners' Day (North Macedonia)

Public holidays are observed in the Republic of North Macedonia for a number of reasons, including religious and national significance. They are generally accompanied by celebrations. The holidays are regulated by the 1998 Law on Holidays. If a national holiday happens to be observed on a Sunday, the next (working) day (Monday) will be non-working.

Victoria Day; celebrated on Monday on or before May 24. (Canada), and its related observance: National Patriots' Day or Journée nationale des patriotes (Quebec)

National Patriots' Day is a statutory holiday observed annually in the Canadian province of Quebec, on the Monday preceding 25 May. The holiday was established by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec-in-Council in 2003, according to the Parti Quebecois premier Bernard Landry: "to underline the importance of the struggle of the patriots of 1837–1838 for the national recognition of our people, for its political liberty and to obtain a democratic system of government." Before 2003, the Monday preceding 25 May of each year was unofficially the Fête de Dollard, a commemoration initiated in the 1920s to coincide with Victoria Day, a federal holiday occurring annually on the same date.

What Happened on 24th May?

57 significant events took place on Wednesday, 24th May — stretching from 919 to 2022. Explore the moments that shaped history on this day.

24/05/2022

A mass shooting occurs at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, United States, resulting in the deaths of 21 people, including 19 children.

On May 24, 2022, a mass shooting occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, United States. Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old former student of the school, fatally shot 19 students and 2 teachers, while injuring 18 others. Ramos was killed 77 minutes after entering the classroom by law enforcement officers.

24/05/2019

Twenty-two students die in a fire in Surat (India).

On 24 May 2019, a fire occurred at a commercial complex in Sarthana Jakatnaka area of Surat in the Gujarat state of India. Twenty-two students died and 19 others were injured in an academic coaching centre located on the building's terrace. The fire was started by a short circuit on the ground floor; the students in the coaching centre were trapped by the destruction of a wooden staircase. Three people were arrested for their alleged involvement or their alleged negligence leading to the fire and the deaths.

Under pressure over her handling of Brexit, British Prime Minister Theresa May announces her resignation as Leader of the Conservative Party, effective as of June 7.

Brexit was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU).

24/05/2014

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake occurs in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey, injuring 324 people.

An earthquake occurred in the northern Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey on May 24, 2014. It had a moment magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). Serious damage was reported on the Turkish island of Imbros and the cities of Edirne and Çanakkale, as well as on the Greek island of Lemnos. The earthquake was felt in Bulgaria and southern Romania. Several aftershocks followed the main shock, the strongest measuring 5.3 ML. This aftershock struck the Gulf of Saros at 12:31 local time.

At least three people are killed in a shooting at Brussels' Jewish Museum of Belgium.

On the afternoon of 24 May 2014, a gunman opened fire at the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels, killing four people in an antisemitic Islamist terrorist attack. Three of them, an Israeli couple on holiday and a French woman, died at the scene. The fourth victim, a Belgian employee of the museum, later died of his injuries in hospital. Six days after the attack, on 30 May 2014, Mehdi Nemmouche, a 29-year-old French national of Algerian origin, was arrested during a routine drugs check in Marseille, France, when he was found to be carrying weapons identical to those used in the shooting. A second suspect, Nacer Bendrer, was later identified and arrested.

24/05/2002

Russia and the United States sign the Moscow Treaty.

The Treaty Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Strategic Offensive Reductions (SORT), also known as the Treaty of Moscow, was a strategic arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia that was in force from June 2003 until February 2011 when it was superseded by the New START treaty.

24/05/2000

Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation.

Southern Lebanon is the area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The Rashaya and Western Beqaa districts, the southernmost districts of the Beqaa Governorate.

24/05/1999

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands indicts Slobodan Milošević and four others for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Kosovo.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was an ad hoc court of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to try their perpetrators. The tribunal was located in The Hague, Netherlands and operated between 1993 and 2017.

24/05/1995

While attempting to return to Leeds Bradford Airport in the United Kingdom, Knight Air Flight 816 crashes in Dunkeswick, North Yorkshire, killing all 12 people on board.

Leeds Bradford Airport is located in Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, about 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Leeds city centre, and about 9 miles (14 km) northeast from Bradford city centre. It serves Leeds and Bradford and the wider Yorkshire region including York, Wakefield and Harrogate, and is the largest airport in Yorkshire. The airport was in public ownership until May 2007, when it was bought by Bridgepoint Capital for £145.5 million. Bridgepoint sold it in 2017 to AMP Capital. In December 2025, Spanish national airport company AENA acquired a majority stake in the airport.

24/05/1994

Four men are convicted of bombing the World Trade Center in New York in 1993; each one is sentenced to 240 years in prison.

On February 26, 1993, Ramzi Yousef and associates carried out a van bomb terrorist attack below the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The 1,336-pound (606 kg) urea nitrate–hydrogen gas enhanced device was intended to make the North Tower collapse onto the South Tower, taking down both skyscrapers and killing tens of thousands of people. While it failed to do so, it was successful in killing six people, and caused over a thousand injuries. About 50,000 people were evacuated from the buildings that day.

24/05/1993

Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia.

Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. Its capital and largest city is Asmara. The country is bordered by Ethiopia to the south, Sudan to the west, and Djibouti to the southeast. The northeastern and eastern parts of Eritrea have an extensive coastline along the Red Sea. The country has a total area of approximately 117,600 km2 (45,406 sq mi), and includes the Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands.

Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo and five other people are assassinated in a shootout at Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport in Mexico.

Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo was an archbishop of the Catholic Church in Mexico who served as the eighth archbishop of the see of Guadalajara and as a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.

24/05/1992

The last Thai dictator, General Suchinda Kraprayoon, resigns following pro-democracy protests.

Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand, and formerly known as Siam until 1939, is a country located in Mainland Southeast Asia. It shares land borders with Myanmar to the west and northwest, Laos to the east and northeast, Cambodia to the southeast, and Malaysia to the south. Its maritime boundaries include the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, as well as maritime borders with Vietnam, Indonesia, and India. Thailand has a population of nearly 66 million people and covers an area of approximately 513,115 km2. The country's capital and largest city is Bangkok.

The ethnic cleansing in Kozarac, Bosnia and Herzegovina begins when Serbian militia and police forces enter the town.

Kozarac is a town in north-western Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, located near the city of Prijedor. It is located 45 kilometres (28 mi) west of Banja Luka. Kozarac is also famous because of the Kozara National Park.

24/05/1991

Israel conducts Operation Solomon, evacuating Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest. Israel's western coast lies on the Mediterranean Sea, its southern tip reaches the Red Sea, and to the east is Earth's lowest point near the Dead Sea. Jerusalem is the government seat and proclaimed capital, while Tel Aviv is Israel's largest urban area and economic centre.

24/05/1988

Section 28 of the United Kingdom's Local Government Act 1988, a controversial amendment stating that a local authority cannot intentionally promote homosexuality, is enacted.

Section 28 refers to a part of the Local Government Act 1988, which stated that local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship". It is sometimes referred to as Clause 28, or as Section 2A in reference to the relevant Scottish legislation.

24/05/1982

Liberation of Khorramshahr: Iranians recapture the port city of Khorramshahr from the Iraqis during the Iran–Iraq War.

The Second Battle of Khorramshahr, also known in Iran as the Liberation of Khorramshahr was the Iranian recapture of the city of Khorramshahr on 24 May 1982, during the Iran–Iraq War. The city had been captured by the Iraqis earlier in the war, on 26 October 1980, shortly after the Iraqi invasion of Iran. The successful retaking of the city was part of Iran's Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas. It is perceived as a turning point in the war; and the liberation of the city is annually celebrated in Iran on 24 May.

24/05/1981

Ecuadorian president Jaime Roldós Aguilera, his wife, and his presidential committee die in an aircraft accident while travelling from Quito to Zapotillo minutes after the president gave a famous speech regarding the 24 de mayo anniversary of the Battle of Pichincha.

Jaime Roldós Aguilera was an Ecuadorian politician who was the 33rd President of Ecuador from August 10, 1979 until his death on May 24, 1981. In his short tenure, he became known for his firm stance on human rights, which led to clashes with other Latin American governments and poor relations with Ronald Reagan's United States administration.

24/05/1976

The Judgment of Paris takes place in France, launching California as a worldwide force in the production of quality wine.

The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, also known as the Judgment of Paris, was a wine competition to commemorate the United States Bicentennial, organized in Paris, France, on 24 May 1976 by Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant, and his American colleague, Patricia Gallagher, in which French oenophiles participated in two blind tasting comparisons: one of top-quality Chardonnays and another of red wines. A Napa County wine was rated best in each category, which caused surprise as France was generally regarded as being the foremost producer of the world's best wines. By the early 1970s, the quality of some California wines was outstanding, but few took notice, as the market favored French brands. Spurrier sold predominantly French wines and believed the California wines would not be favored by the judges.

24/05/1967

Egypt imposes a blockade and siege of the Red Sea coast of Israel.

Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Palestine and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan and the Sahara to the south, and Libya to the west. The Gulf of Aqaba in the northeast separates Egypt from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Cairo is the capital, largest city, and leading cultural centre, while Alexandria is the second-largest city and an important hub of industry and tourism. With over 107 million inhabitants, Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world, third-most populous country in Africa, and 15th-most populated in the world.

Belle de Jour, directed by Luis Buñuel, is released.

Belle de Jour is a 1967 surrealist erotic psychological drama film directed by Luis Buñuel, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jean-Claude Carrière. Based on the 1928 novel of the same name by Joseph Kessel, the film stars Catherine Deneuve in the leading role as Séverine, a young housewife who spends her midweek afternoons as a high-class prostitute, while her husband is at work. It co-stars Jean Sorel, and Michel Piccoli, and features Geneviève Page, Francisco Rabal, Pierre Clémenti, Francis Blanche and Georges Marchal in supporting roles.

24/05/1962

Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbits the Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.

Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Union. Taken over from the US Air Force by the newly created civilian space agency NASA, it conducted 20 uncrewed developmental flights, and six successful flights by astronauts. The program, which took its name from Roman mythology, cost $2.83 billion. The astronauts were collectively known as the "Mercury Seven", and each spacecraft was given a name ending with a "7" by its pilot.

24/05/1961

American civil rights movement: Freedom Riders are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, for "disturbing the peace" after disembarking from their bus.

The civil rights movement was a social movement in the United States from 1954 to 1968 which aimed to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement in the country, which most commonly affected African Americans. The movement had origins in the Reconstruction era in the late 19th century, and modern roots in the 1940s and in Mohandas Gandhi's nonviolent movement in India. After years of nonviolent protests and civil disobedience campaigns, the civil rights movement achieved many of its legislative goals in the 1960s, during which it secured new protections in federal law for the civil rights of all Americans, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

24/05/1960

Following the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, the largest ever recorded earthquake, Cordón Caulle begins to erupt.

The 1960 Valdivia earthquake and tsunami or the Great Chilean earthquake occurred on 22 May 1960. Most studies have placed it at 9.4–9.6 on the moment magnitude scale, making it the strongest earthquake ever recorded, while some studies have placed the magnitude lower than 9.4. It occurred in the afternoon, and lasted 10 minutes. The resulting tsunamis affected southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, eastern New Zealand, southeast Australia, and the Aleutian Islands.

24/05/1958

United Press International is formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.

United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th century until its eventual decline beginning in the early 1980s. At its peak, it had more than 6,000 media subscribers. Since the first of several sales and staff cutbacks in 1982, and the 1999 sale of its broadcast client list to its main U.S. rival, the Associated Press, UPI has concentrated on smaller information-market niches.

24/05/1956

The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland.

The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) since 1956. Each participating broadcaster submits an original song representing its country to be performed live via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks, and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine a winner.

24/05/1948

Arab–Israeli War: Egypt captures the Israeli kibbutz of Yad Mordechai, but the five-day effort gives Israeli forces time to prepare enough to stop the Egyptian advance a week later.

The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, also known as the First Arab–Israeli War, followed the civil war in Mandatory Palestine as the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. The civil war became a war of separate states with the Israeli Declaration of Independence on 14 May 1948, the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight, and the invasion by a military coalition of Arab states into the territory of Mandatory Palestine the following morning. The war formally ended with the 1949 Armistice Agreements which established the Green Line.

24/05/1944

Börse Berlin building burns down after being hit in an air raid during World War II.

Börse Berlin AG, also known as the Berlin Stock Exchange, is a stock exchange based in Berlin, Germany, in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf borough. Founded in 1685 by an edict of Elector Friedrich Wilhelm, it is one of the oldest stock exchanges in Germany.

Congress of Përmet occurs which establishes a provisional government in Albania in areas under partisan control, the first independent Albanian government since 1939. In honor of this the national emblem of Albania inscribed this date from 1946 until 1992.

The Congress of Përmet was a meeting of 188 delegates from the Albanian Communist Party, the National Liberation Movement, and the Brigades convened on May 24, 1944, in Përmet, Albania. The president of the General National Liberation Council called for the congress after a series of military victories by the pro-Albanian forces had severely weakened the Nazi military presence in the country and gained back large amounts of Albanian territory, thereby making a pro-Albanian victory seem almost certain. The delegates discussed aims of their country's liberation war as well as broader political concerns, especially the need for a transition to postwar governance that would be as smooth as possible. They also elected a provisional government. The majority of delegates came from Southern and Central Albania: 25 from Korça, 48 from Vlora-Gjirokastra, 15 from Berat, 8 from Elbasan, 10 from Tirana, 3 from Peza, and 2 from Durrës.

24/05/1941

World War II: Battle of the Atlantic: In the Battle of the Denmark Strait, the German battleship Bismarck sinks the pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood, killing all but three crewmen.

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.

24/05/1940

Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight.

Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian-American aviation pioneer in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. His first success came with the Sikorsky S-2, the second aircraft of his design and construction. His fifth airplane, the S-5, won him national recognition and F.A.I. pilot's license number 64. His S-6-A received the highest award at the 1912 Moscow Aviation Exhibition, and in the fall of that year the aircraft won first prize for its young designer, builder and pilot in the military competition at Saint Petersburg. In 1913, the Sikorsky-designed Russky Vityaz (S-21) became the first successful four-engine aircraft to take flight. He also designed and built the Ilya Muromets family of four-engine aircraft, an airliner which he redesigned to be the world's first four-engine bomber when World War I broke out.

Acting on the orders of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, NKVD agent Iosif Grigulevich orchestrates an unsuccessful assassination attempt on exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky in Coyoacán, Mexico.

The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991. It was the world's third-most populous country, the largest by area, and bordered twelve countries. A diverse multinational state, it was organized as a federal union of national republics, with the largest and most populous being the Russian SFSR. In practice, its government and economy were highly centralized. As a one-party state governed by the Communist Party, it was the flagship communist state. Its capital and largest city was Moscow.

24/05/1935

The first night game in Major League Baseball history is played in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the Cincinnati Reds beating the Philadelphia Phillies 2–1 at Crosley Field.

A night game, also called a nighter, is a sporting event that takes place, completely or partially, after the local sunset. Depending on the sport, this can be done either with floodlights or with the usual low-light conditions. The term "night game" is typically used only in reference to sports traditionally held outdoors. Although indoor sporting events often take place after local sunset, these events are artificially lighted regardless of the time of day they take place.

24/05/1930

Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, Northern Territory, becoming the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia (she left on May 5 for the 11,000 mile flight).

Amy Johnson was a pioneering English pilot who was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia.

24/05/1900

Second Boer War: The United Kingdom annexes the Orange Free State.

The Second Boer War, also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the Boer republics over Britain's influence in Southern Africa.

24/05/1883

The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction.

The Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It was also the longest suspension bridge in the world when opened, with a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m) and a deck 127 ft (38.7 m) above mean high water. The span was originally called the New York and Brooklyn Bridge or the East River Bridge but was officially renamed the Brooklyn Bridge in 1915.

24/05/1873

Patrick Francis Healy becomes the first black president of a predominantly white university in the United States.

Patrick Francis Healy was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who was an influential president of Georgetown University, becoming known as its "second founder". The university's flagship building, Healy Hall, bears his name. Though he considered himself and was widely accepted as White, Healy was posthumously recognized as the first Black American to earn a PhD, as well as the first to enter the Jesuit order and to become the president of a predominantly White university.

24/05/1861

American Civil War: Union troops occupy Alexandria, Virginia, with Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth becoming the first Union officer to be killed during the war.

The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded from the Union to preserve slavery in the United States, which they saw as threatened because of the election of Abraham Lincoln and the growing abolitionist movement in the North. The war ended with Union victory, the dissolution of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery, freeing four million African Americans.

24/05/1856

John Brown and his men kill five slavery supporters at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas.

John Brown was an American Christian abolitionist in the decades preceding the American Civil War. First reaching national prominence in the 1850s for his radical abolitionism and fighting in Bleeding Kansas, Brown was captured, tried, and executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia for a raid and incitement of a slave rebellion at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859.

24/05/1844

Samuel Morse sends the message "What hath God wrought" (a biblical quotation, Numbers 23:23) from a committee room in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland, to inaugurate a commercial telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington D.C.

Samuel Finley Breese Morse was an American inventor and painter. After establishing his reputation as a portrait painter, Morse, in his middle age, contributed to the invention of a single-wire telegraph system based on European telegraphs. He was a co-developer and the namesake of Morse code in 1837 and helped to develop the commercial use of telegraphy.

24/05/1832

The First Kingdom of Greece is declared in the London Conference.

The Kingdom of Greece was the Greek state established in 1832 by the Treaty of Constantinople, which formally recognised Greece as an independent state and established it as a monarchy, following the Greek War of Independence.

24/05/1822

Battle of Pichincha: Antonio José de Sucre secures the independence of the Presidency of Quito.

The Battle of Pichincha took place on 24 May 1822, on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, 3,500 meters above sea-level, right next to the city of Quito, in modern Ecuador.

24/05/1813

South American independence leader Simón Bolívar enters Mérida, leading the invasion of Venezuela, and is proclaimed El Libertador ("The Liberator").

Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar Palacios Ponte y Blanco was a Venezuelan military officer and statesman who led what are currently the countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela to independence from the Spanish Empire. He is known colloquially as El Libertador, or the Liberator of America.

24/05/1798

The Irish Rebellion of 1798 led by the United Irishmen against British rule begins.

The Irish Rebellion of 1798 was a popular insurrection against the British Crown in what was then the separate, but subordinate, Kingdom of Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen. First formed in Belfast by Presbyterians opposed to the landed Anglican establishment, the Society, despairing of reform, sought to secure a republic through a revolutionary union with the country's Catholic majority. The grievances of a rack-rented tenantry drove recruitment.

24/05/1738

John Wesley is converted, essentially launching the Methodist movement; the day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day and a church service is generally held on the preceding Sunday.

John Wesley was an English cleric, theologian, and evangelist who was a principal leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies he founded became the dominant form of the ongoing independent Methodist movement.

24/05/1689

The English Parliament passes the Act of Toleration protecting dissenting Protestants but excluding Roman Catholics.

The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised the English monarch. Great councils were first called Parliaments during the reign of Henry III. By this time, the king required Parliament's consent to levy taxation.

24/05/1683

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, opens as the world's first university museum.

The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University of Oxford in 1677. It is also the world's second university museum, after the establishment of the Kunstmuseum Basel in 1661 by the University of Basel.

24/05/1667

The French Royal Army crosses the border into the Spanish Netherlands, starting the War of Devolution opposing France to the Spanish Empire and the Triple Alliance.

The French Royal Army was the principal land force of the Kingdom of France. It served the Bourbon dynasty from the reign of Louis XIV in the mid-17th century to that of Charles X in the 19th, with an interlude from 1792 to 1814 and another during the Hundred Days in 1815. It was permanently dissolved following the July Revolution in 1830. The French Royal Army became a model for the new regimental system that was to be imitated throughout Europe from the mid-17th century onward. It was regarded as Europe's greatest military force for much of its existence.

24/05/1626

Peter Minuit buys Manhattan.

Peter Minuit was a Walloon merchant and politician who was the 3rd director of the Dutch North American colony of New Netherland from 1626 until 1631, and 3rd Governor of New Netherland. He founded the Swedish colony of New Sweden on the Delaware Peninsula in 1638.

24/05/1621

The Protestant Union is formally dissolved.

The Protestant Union, also known as the Evangelical Union, Union of Auhausen, German Union or the Protestant Action Party, was a coalition of Protestant German states. It was formed on 14 May 1608 by Frederick IV, Elector Palatine in order to defend the rights, land and safety of each member. It included both Calvinist and Lutheran states, and dissolved in 1621.

24/05/1607

Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in North America, is founded.

The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James River, about 2.5 mi (4 km) southwest of present-day Williamsburg. It was established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 4, 1607 O.S. (May 14, 1607 N.S.). It followed earlier, failed English colonization attempts, including the 1585 Roanoke Colony. A river island was selected to evade Spanish naval patrols; however, it was infested with mosquitoes, lacked potable water, and was used by the Paspahegh people. Despite supply missions, only 60 of the original 214 settlers survived the 1609–1610 winter known as Starving Time. In 1612, West Indies tobacco was successfully cultivated, leading to an economic boom for the colony and England.

24/05/1595

Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library.

A nomenclator, in classical times, referred to a slave whose duty was to recall the names of persons his master met during a political campaign. Later, the scope was expanded to include names of people in any social context and also other socially important information about them.

24/05/1567

Erik XIV of Sweden and his guards murder five incarcerated Swedish nobles.

Erik XIV or Eric XIV became King of Sweden following the death of his father, Gustav I, on 29 September 1560. During a 1568 rebellion against him, Erik was incarcerated by his half-brother John III. He was formally deposed by the Riksdag on 26 January 1569. Erik was also ruler of Estonia, after it placed itself under Swedish protection in 1561.

24/05/1487

The ten-year-old Lambert Simnel is crowned in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland, with the name of Edward VI in a bid to threaten King Henry VII's reign.

Lambert Simnel was a pretender to the throne of England. In 1487, his claim to be Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, threatened the newly established reign of Henry VII (1485-1509). Simnel became the figurehead of a Yorkist rebellion organised by John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln. The rebellion was crushed in 1487. Simnel was pardoned because of his tender years, and was thereafter employed by the royal household as a scullion.

24/05/1276

Magnus Ladulås is crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral.

Magnus Ladulås or Magnus Birgersson was King of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290.

24/05/1218

The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.

The Fifth Crusade was a campaign in a series of Crusades by Western Europeans to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering Egypt, ruled by the powerful Ayyubid sultanate, led by al-Adil, brother of Saladin.

24/05/0919

The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom.

Franconia is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect. Franconia is made up of the three Regierungsbezirke of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia in Bavaria, the adjacent, Franconian-speaking South Thuringia, south of the Thuringian Forest—which constitutes the language boundary between Franconian and Thuringian—and the eastern parts of Heilbronn-Franconia in Baden-Württemberg.

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Saim Ayub, Pakistani cricketer

Emily Austin, journalist and social media influencer

Tarjei Sandvik Moe, Norwegian actor

Shu Uchida, Japanese voice actress

Rodrigo De Paul, Argentine footballer

Jarell Martin, American basketball player

Emily Nicholl, Scottish netball player

Daiya Seto, Japanese swimmer

Emily Temple Wood, American 2016 Wikipedian of the Year award

Marcus Bettinelli, English footballer

Aled Davies, Welsh discus thrower

Cody Eakin, Canadian ice hockey player

Mattias Ekholm, Swedish ice hockey player

Joey Logano, American race car driver

G-Eazy, American rapper

Andrew Jordan, English race car driver

Kalin Lucas, American basketball player

Artem Anisimov, Russian ice hockey player

Monica Lin Brown, American sergeant

Billy Gilman, American musician

Lucian Wintrich, American political artist and White House correspondent

Denis Petrić, Slovenian footballer

Guillaume Latendresse, Canadian ice hockey player

Mark Ballas, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, dancer, and actor

Giannis Kontoes, Greek footballer

Tim Bridgman, English race car driver

Sarah Hagan, American actress

Dmitri Kruglov, Estonian footballer

Masaya Takahashi, Japanese wrestler

Custódio Castro, Portuguese footballer

Pedram Javaheri, Iranian-American meteorologist and journalist

Woo Seung-yeon, South Korean model and actress (died 2009)

Issah Gabriel Ahmed, Ghanaian footballer

Rian Wallace, American football player

Andy Lee, Australian comedian, actor, and screenwriter

Jason Babin, American football player

Anthony Minichiello, Australian rugby league player

Tracy McGrady, American basketball player

Kareem McKenzie, American football player

Elijah Burke, American wrestler

Johan Holmqvist, Swedish ice hockey player

Brad Penny, American baseball player

Rose, French singer, songwriter and composer

Jeet Gannguli, Indian score composer, music director and singer

Alessandro Cortini, Italian-American singer and keyboard player

Catherine Cox, New Zealand-Australian netball player

Silje Vige, Norwegian singer

Will Sasso, Canadian actor and comedian

Marc Gagnon, Canadian speed skater

Giannis Goumas, Greek footballer and coach

Maria Lawson, English singer-songwriter

Sébastien Foucan, French runner and actor

Masahide Kobayashi, Japanese baseball player and coach

Magnus Manske, German biochemist and computer programmer, developed MediaWiki

Rodrigo, Argentinian singer-songwriter (died 2000)

Bartolo Colón, Dominican-American baseball player

Shirish Kunder, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter

Vladimír Šmicer, Czech footballer and manager

Greg Berlanti, American director, producer, and screenwriter

Kris Draper, Canadian ice hockey player and manager

Martin McCague, Northern Irish-English cricketer

Jacob Rees-Mogg, English politician

Rich Robinson, American guitarist and songwriter

Mandar Agashe, Indian music director and businessman

Tamer Karadağlı, Turkish actor

Andrey Borodin, Russian-English economist and businessman

Eric Close, American actor

Heavy D, Jamaican-American rapper, producer, and actor (died 2011)

Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan-American baseball player and manager

Eric Cantona, French footballer and actor

Ricky Craven, American race car driver and sportscaster

John C. Reilly, American actor

Shinichirō Watanabe, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter

Liz McColgan, Scottish educator and runner