February 24

February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 310 days remaining until the end of the year (311 in leap years).

By Roman custom, February 24 is the day added to a leap year in the Julian calendar. The Mensis Intercalaris began on this day or the following day in intercalary years in the pre-Julian calendar. This custom still has some effect around the world; for example, with respect to name days in Hungary.

Events

• 303 – Galerius publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Roman Empire.
• 484 – King Huneric removes the Christian bishops from their offices and banished some to Corsica. A few are martyred, including former proconsul Victorian along with Frumentius and other merchants. They are killed at Hadrumetum after refusing to become Arians.
• 1303 – Battle of Roslin, of the First War of Scottish Independence.
• 1387 – King Charles III of Naples and Hungary is assassinated at Buda.
• 1525 – Spanish-Imperial army defeat French army at Battle of Pavia.
• 1538 – Treaty of Nagyvarad between Ferdinand I and John Zápolya.
• 1582 – Pope Gregory XIII announces the Gregorian calendar.
• 1607 – L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi, one of the first works recognized as an opera, receives its première performance.
• 1711 – The London première of Rinaldo by George Frideric Handel, the first Italian opera written for the London stage.
• 1803 – In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court of the United States establishes the principle of judicial review.
• 1809 – London's Drury Lane Theatre burns to the ground, leaving owner Richard Brinsley Sheridan destitute.
• 1822 – The 1st Swaminarayan temple in the world, Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad, is inaugurated.
• 1826 – The signing of the Treaty of Yandaboo marks the end of the First Burmese War.
• 1831 – The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the first removal treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act, is proclaimed. The Choctaws in Mississippi cede land east of the river in exchange for payment and land in the West.
• 1848 – King Louis-Philippe of France abdicates the throne.
• 1863 – Arizona is organized as a United States territory.
• 1868 – Andrew Johnson becomes the first President of the United States to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives. He is later acquitted in the Senate.
• 1875 – The SS Gothenburg hits the Great Barrier Reef and sinks off the Australian east coast, killing approximately 100, including a number of high profile civil servants and dignitaries.
• 1881 – China and Russia sign the Sino-Russian Ili Treaty.
• 1895 – Revolution breaks out in Baire, a town near Santiago de Cuba, beginning the second war for Cuban independence, that ends with the Spanish-American War in 1898.
• 1917 – World War I: The U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom is given the Zimmermann Telegram, in which Germany pledges to ensure the return of New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona to Mexico if Mexico declares war on the United States.
• 1918 – Estonian Declaration of Independence.
• 1920 – The Nazi Party is founded.
• 1942 – The Battle of Los Angeles, one of the largest documented UFO sightings in history; the event lasted into the early hours of February 25, 1942.
• 1942 – An order-in-council passed under the Defence of Canada Regulations of the War Measures Act gives the Canadian federal government the power to intern all "persons of Japanese racial origin".
• 1944 – Merrill's Marauders: The Marauders begin their 1,000-mile journey through Japanese occupied Burma.
• 1945 – Egyptian Premier Ahmed Maher Pasha is killed in Parliament after reading a decree.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive is halted; South Vietnam recaptures Hué.
• 1971 – The All India Forward Bloc holds an emergency central committee meeting after its chairman, Hemantha Kumar Bose, is killed 3 days earlier. P.K. Mookiah Thevar is appointed as the new chairman.
• 1976 – Cuba: national Constitution is proclaimed.
• 1980 – The United States Olympic Hockey team completes their Miracle on Ice by defeating Finland 4-2 to win the gold medal.
• 1981 – An earthquake registering 6.7 on the Richter scale hits Athens, killing 16 people and destroying buildings in several towns west of the city.
• 1983 – A special commission of the U.S. Congress releases a report that condemns the practice of Japanese internment during World War II.
• 1984 – Tyrone Mitchell perpetrates the 49th Street Elementary School shooting in Los Angeles, killing two children and injuring 12 more.
• 1989 – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini offers a US$3 million bounty for the death of The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie.
• 1989 – United Airlines Flight 811, bound for New Zealand from Honolulu, Hawaii, rips open during flight, blowing 9 passengers out of the business-class section.
• 1996 – The last occurrence of February 24 as a leap day in the European Union and for the Roman Catholic Church.
• 1999 – The State of Arizona executes Karl LaGrand, a German national convicted of murder during a botched bank robbery, in spite of Germany's legal action to attempt to save him.
• 2006 – Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declares Proclamation 1017 placing the country in a state of emergency in attempt to subdue a possible military coup.
• 2007 – Japan launches its fourth spy satellite, stepping up its ability to monitor potential threats such as North Korea.
• 2008 – Fidel Castro retires as the President of Cuba after nearly fifty years.
• 2011 – Final Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery (OV-103).
• 2013 – Patriarch Neofit of Bulgaria is elected and enthroned as a Patriarch of Bulgaria and all Bulgarians.

Births

• 1103 – Emperor Toba of Japan (d. 1156)
• 1304 – Ibn Battuta, Moroccan explorer (d. 1368)
• 1463 – Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Italian philosopher (d. 1494)
• 1500 – Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1558)
• 1545 – John of Austria, son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (d. 1578)
• 1557 – Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1619)
• 1595 – Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, Polish author and poet (d. 1640)
• 1597 – Vincent Voiture, French poet (d. 1648)
• 1619 – Charles Le Brun, French painter (d. 1690)
• 1622 – Johannes Clauberg, German theologian and philosopher (d. 1665)
• 1664 – Thomas Newcomen, English engineer (d.1729)
• 1684 – Matthias Braun, Czech sculptor (d. 1738)
• 1693 – James Quin, English actor (d. 1766)
• 1709 – Jacques de Vaucanson, French engineer (d. 1782)
• 1723 – John Burgoyne, English general (d. 1792)
• 1762 – Charles Frederick Horn, German-English composer and educator (d. 1830)
• 1767 – Buddha Loetla Nabhalai, Thai king (d. 1824)
• 1774 – Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (d. 1850)
• 1786 – Martin W. Bates, American lawyer and politician (d. 1869)
• 1786 – Wilhelm Grimm, German philologist (d. 1859)
• 1810 – Matías Ramos Mejía, Argentinian colonel (d. 1885)
• 1831 – Leo von Caprivi, German politician, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1899)
• 1835 – Julius Vogel, New Zealand politician, 8th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1899)
• 1836 – Winslow Homer, American painter (d. 1910)
• 1837 – Rosalía de Castro, Spanish poet (d. 1885)
• 1842 – Arrigo Boito, Italian journalist, author, and composer (d. 1918)
• 1846 – Luigi Denza, Italian composer (d. 1922)
• 1848 – Andrew Inglis Clark, Australian politician (d. 1907)
• 1852 – George A. Moore, Irish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1933)
• 1866 – Pyotr Nikolaevich Lebedev, Russian physicist (d. 1912)
• 1866 – Hubert Van Innis, Belgian archer (d. 1961)
• 1868 – Édouard Alphonse James de Rothschild, French financier and polo player (d. 1949)
• 1872 – John Arthur Jarvis, English swimmer (d. 1933)
• 1872 – Gustave Sandras, French gymnast (d. 1951)
• 1874 – Honus Wagner, American baseball player (d. 1955)
• 1877 – Rudolph Ganz, Swiss pianist, conductor, and composer (d. 1972)
• 1877 – Ettie Annie Rout, Australian-New Zealand activist (d. 1936)
• 1885 – Charles Daniels, American swimmer (d. 1973)
• 1885 – Chester Nimitz, American admiral (d. 1966)
• 1885 – Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Polish author, poet, and painter (d. 1939)
• 1890 – Marjorie Main, American actress (d. 1975)
• 1896 – Richard Thorpe, American director (d. 1991)
• 1898 – Kurt Tank, German engineer and pilot (d. 1983)
• 1903 – Vladimir Bartol, Slovene author (d. 1967)
• 1908 – Telford Taylor, American lawyer (d. 1998)
• 1909 – August Derleth, American anthologist and author (d. 1971)
• 1909 – Riccardo Freda, Egyptian-Italian director (d. 1999)
• 1911 – Eduardo Vañó Pastor, Spanish cartoonist (d. 1993)
• 1912 – Jiří Trnka, Czech puppet maker, animator, and director (d. 1969)
• 1914 – Ralph Erskine, English architect, designed The Ark and Byker Wall (d. 2005)
• 1914 – Weldon Kees, American poet, author, painter, and pianist (d. 1955)
• 1914 – Zachary Scott, American actor (d. 1965)
• 1919 – Árpád Bogsch, Hungarian-American civil servant (d. 2004)
• 1919 – Nellie Connally, Wife of Texas Governor John Connally
• 1919 – Betty Marsden, English actress (d. 1998)
• 1920 – Ernst Reiss, Swiss mountaineer (d. 2010)
• 1921 – Gaston Reiff, Belgian runner (d. 1992)
• 1921 – Abe Vigoda, American actor
• 1921 – Douglass Watson, American actor (d. 1989)
• 1922 – Richard Hamilton, English painter (d. 2011)
• 1922 – Steven Hill, American actor
• 1922 – Esperanza Magaz, Cuban-Venezuelan actress (d. 2013)
• 1923 – David Soyer, American cellist (d. 2010)
• 1924 – Erik Nielsen, Canadian politician, 3rd Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (d. 2008)
• 1925 – Bud Day, American pilot and colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2013)
• 1926 – Jean Alexander, English actress
• 1926 – John Gunther Dean, German-American diplomat
• 1926 – Balys Gajauskas, Lithuanian politician
• 1927 – Emmanuelle Riva, French actress
• 1928 – Barbara Lawrence, American actress
• 1929 – Kintaro Ohki, South Korean wrestler (d. 2006)
• 1929 – Ludwig Zausinger, German footballer (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Barbara Lawrence, American actress and singer (d. 2013)
• 1931 – Dominic Chianese, American actor
• 1932 – Michel Legrand, French pianist, composer, and conductor
• 1932 – Zell Miller, American sergeant and politician, 79th Governor of Georgia
• 1932 – John Vernon, Canadian-American actor (d. 2005)
• 1933 – Judah Folkman, American scientist (d. 2008)
• 1933 – David "Fathead" Newman, American saxophonist (d. 2009)
• 1934 – Bettino Craxi, Italian politician, 45th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 2000)
• 1934 – Linda Cristal, Argentinian-American actress
• 1934 – Renata Scotto, Italian soprano and director
• 1938 – James Farentino, American actor (d. 2012)
• 1938 – Phil Knight, American businessman, co-founded Nike, Inc.
• 1938 – Kathleen Richardson, Baroness Richardson of Calow
• 1939 – Jamal Nazrul Islam, Bangladeshi physicist and cosmologist (d. 2013)
• 1939 – Joy Mukherjee, Indian actor and director (d. 2012)
• 1940 – Pete Duel, American actor (d. 1971)
• 1940 – Denis Law, Scottish footballer
• 1940 – Ludwig Leitner, German skier (d. 2013)
• 1940 – Nicolae Martinescu, Romanian wrestler (d. 2013)
• 1941 – Joanie Sommers, American singer and actress
• 1942 – Colin Bond, Australian race car driver
• 1942 – Paul Jones, English singer, harmonica player, and actor (Manfred Mann, The Blues Band, and The Manfreds)
• 1942 – Joe Lieberman, American politician
• 1942 – Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Indian theorist and philosopher
• 1943 – Kent Haruf, American author
• 1943 – Pablo Milanés, Cuban singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1943 – Hristo Prodanov, Bulgarian mountaineer (d. 1984)
• 1943 – Terry Semel, American businessman
• 1944 – Nicky Hopkins, English pianist (All-Stars, Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages, and Quicksilver Messenger Service) (d. 1994)
• 1945 – Steve Berrios, American drummer (d. 2013)
• 1945 – Barry Bostwick, American actor
• 1946 – Grigory Margulis, Russian mathematician
• 1946 – John Stapleton, English journalist
• 1947 – Mike Fratello, American basketball coach and sportscaster
• 1947 – Rupert Holmes, English singer-songwriter and playwright
• 1947 – Edward James Olmos, American actor and director
• 1948 – Jayalalithaa, Indian actress and politician, 16th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
• 1948 – François Lacombe, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1948 – Walter Smith, Scottish footballer and manager
• 1948 – Tim Staffell, English singer and guitarist (Smile, Humpy Bong, and Morgan)
• 1948 – Dennis Waterman, English actor and singer
• 1950 – George Thorogood, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1950 – Steve McCurry, American photographer and journalist
• 1951 – Tony Holiday, German singer-songwriter (d. 1990)
• 1951 – Debra Jo Rupp, American actress
• 1951 – Helen Shaver, Canadian actress and director
• 1954 – Plastic Bertrand, Belgian singer-songwriter and producer
• 1954 – Sid Meier, Canadian-American game designer and programmer, created the Civilization series
• 1955 – Steve Jobs, American businessman, co-founded Apple Inc. and Pixar (d. 2011)
• 1955 – Eddie L. Johnson, American basketball player
• 1955 – Alain Prost, French race car driver
• 1956 – Judith Butler, American philosopher
• 1956 – Eddie Murray, American baseball player
• 1956 – Peter Pagel, German footballer (d. 2010)
• 1956 – Paula Zahn, American journalist
• 1956 – Sharon Kane, American bondage model and pornographic actress
• 1958 – Sammy Kershaw, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1958 – Mark Moses, American actor
• 1959 – Beth Broderick, American actress
• 1960 – Nick Esasky, American baseball player
• 1962 – Outi Mäenpää, Finnish actress
• 1962 – Michelle Shocked, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1962 – Teri Weigel, American porn actress
• 1963 – Line Beauchamp, Canadian politician
• 1963 – Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro
• 1963 – Dirk Greiser, German footballer
• 1963 – Mike Vernon, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1964 – Andy Crane, English radio and television host
• 1964 – Todd Field, American actor and director
• 1964 – Russell Ingall, Australian race car driver
• 1965 – Kristin Davis, American actress
• 1965 – Lloyd McGrath, English footballer
• 1965 – Jane Swift, American politician, 69th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
• 1966 – René Arocha, Cuban baseball player
• 1966 – Ben Miller, English comedian, actor, and director
• 1966 – Billy Zane, American actor and producer
• 1967 – Brian Schmidt, Australian astrophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1967 – Fernando Tejero, Spanish actor
• 1968 – Mitch Hedberg, American comedian and actor (d. 2005)
• 1970 – Jeff Garcia, American football player
• 1970 – Kienast quintuplets, American quintuplets
• 1970 – Jonathan Ward, American actor
• 1970 – Neil Sullivan, English-born Scottish footballer
• 1971 – Josh Bernstein, American explorer, author, and television host
• 1971 – Pedro de la Rosa, Spanish race car driver
• 1971 – Thomas Franck, German footballer
• 1971 – Brian Savage, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1972 – Manon Rhéaume, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1973 – Richard Clapp, Canadian baseball player
• 1973 – Chris Fehn, American drummer (Slipknot and Will Haven)
• 1973 – Alexei Kovalev, Russian ice hockey player
• 1973 – Christína Papadáki, Greek tennis player
• 1973 – Yordan Yovchev, Bulgarian gymnast
• 1974 – Chad Hugo, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (N*E*R*D)
• 1974 – Mike Lowell, Puerto Rican baseball player
• 1974 – Bonnie Somerville, American actress and singer
• 1975 – Ashley MacIsaac, Canadian singer-songwriter and fiddler
• 1976 – Marco Campos, Brazilian race car driver (d. 1995)
• 1976 – Crista Flanagan, American actress
• 1976 – Eric Griffin, American guitarist (Murderdolls and Wednesday 13)
• 1976 – Zach Johnson, American golfer
• 1976 – Bradley McGee, Australian cyclist
• 1976 – Matt Skiba, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Alkaline Trio and Heavens)
• 1977 – Jason Akermanis, Australian footballer
• 1977 – Bronson Arroyo, American baseball player
• 1977 – Jay Kenneth Johnson, American actor
• 1977 – Floyd Mayweather Jr, American boxer
• 1978 – Shinya, Japanese drummer and songwriter (Dir en grey)
• 1978 – John Nolan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Straylight Run and Taking Back Sunday)
• 1978 – Gary, South Korean singer and rapper (Leessang)
• 1978 – DeWayne Wise, American baseball player
• 1978 – Leon Constantine, English footballer
• 1979 – Jesse Billauer, American surfer
• 1979 – Claire Cooper, English actress
• 1979 – Vitor Ribeiro, Brazilian mixed martial artist
• 1980 – Anton Maiden, Swedish singer (d. 2003)
• 1980 – Shinsuke Nakamura, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
• 1980 – Roman Sloudnov, Russian swimmer
• 1981 – Lleyton Hewitt, Australian tennis player
• 1981 – Mauro Rosales, Argentinian footballer
• 1981 – Mohammad Sami, Pakistani cricketer
• 1982 – Nick Blackburn, American baseball player
• 1982 – Fala Chen, Chinese-American model and actress
• 1982 – Kevin O'Neill, New Zealand rugby player
• 1982 – Emanuel Villa, Argentinian footballer
• 1982 – Klára Zakopalová, Czech tennis player
• 1983 – Matt McGinley, American drummer (Gym Class Heroes and Kill The Front Man)
• 1983 – Ingemar Teever, Estonian footballer
• 1984 – Pieter Dirkx, Belgian director, screenwriter and painter
• 1984 – Sterling James Keenan, American wrestler
• 1984 – Clivio Piccione, Monegasque race car driver
• 1984 – Marina Timofeieva, Estonian ice dancer
• 1986 – Bryce Papenbrook, American kick-boxer and voice actor
• 1986 – Wojtek Wolski, Polish-Canadian ice hockey player
• 1987 – Mayuko Iwasa, Japanese model and actress
• 1987 – Chieko Kawabe, Japanese singer and actress
• 1987 – Kim Kyu-jong, South Korean singer, dancer, and actor (SS501)
• 1988 – Emma Hayman, New Zealand tennis player
• 1989 – Trace Cyrus, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Metro Station)
• 1989 – Gabriella Fox, American porn actress
• 1989 – Kosta Koufos, American basketball player
• 1990 – Stefan Müller, German footballer
• 1991 – Madison Hubbell, American ice dancer
• 1994 – Earl Sweatshirt, American rapper (Odd Future)
• 2001 – Ramona Marquez, English Child Actress

Deaths

• 616 – Æthelberht of Kent (b. 560)
• 1386 – Charles III of Naples (b. 1345)
• 1525 – Guillaume Gouffier, seigneur de Bonnivet, French soldier (b. 1488)
• 1563 – Francis, Duke of Guise, French soldier and politician (b. 1519)
• 1588 – Johann Weyer, Dutch physician and occultist (b. 1515)
• 1666 – Nicholas Lanier, English composer and painter (b. 1588)
• 1674 – Matthias Weckmann, German composer (b. 1616)
• 1685 – Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Carlisle, English politician (b. 1629)
• 1704 – Marc-Antoine Charpentier, French composer (b. 1643)
• 1714 – Edmund Andros, English politician, 4th Colonial Governor of New York (b. 1637)
• 1721 – John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, English politician and poet (b. 1648)
• 1732 – Francis Charteris, Scottish soldier (b. 1675)
• 1777 – Joseph I of Portugal (b. 1714)
• 1779 – Paul Daniel Longolius, German editor (b. 1704)
• 1781 – Edward Capell, English critic (b. 1713)
• 1799 – Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, German physicist (b. 1742)
• 1810 – Henry Cavendish, English philosopher and scientist (b. 1731)
• 1812 – Étienne-Louis Malus, French physicist and mathematician (b. 1775)
• 1815 – Robert Fulton, American engineer (b. 1765)
• 1824 – Sir Albemarle Bertie, 1st Baronet, English admiral (b. 1755)
• 1825 – Thomas Bowdler, English physician (b. 1754)
• 1856 – Nikolai Lobachevsky, Russian mathematician (b. 1792)
• 1876 – Joseph Jenkins Roberts, American-Liberian politician, 1st President of Liberia (b. 1809)
• 1879 – Shiranui Kōemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 11th Yokozuna (b. 1825)
• 1914 – Eugène Balme, French target shooter (b. 1874)
• 1914 – Joshua Chamberlain, American general and politician, 32nd Governor of Maine (b. 1828)
• 1925 – Hjalmar Branting, Swedish politician, 16th Prime Minister of Sweden, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1860)
• 1927 – Edward Marshall Hall, English lawyer (b. 1858)
• 1927 – Frank MacKey, American polo player (b. 1852)
• 1929 – André Messager, French pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1853)
• 1953 – Gerd von Rundstedt, German field marshal (b. 1875)
• 1957 – Helen Sewell, American children's author (b. 1896)
• 1970 – Conrad Nagel, American actor (b. 1897)
• 1974 – Margaret Leech, American historian and author (b. 1893)
• 1975 – Nikolai Bulganin, Soviet politician, 6th Premier of the Soviet Union (b. 1895)
• 1982 – Virginia Bruce, American actress and singer (b. 1910)
• 1984 – Helmut Schelsky, German sociologist (b. 1912)
• 1986 – Tommy Douglas, Scottish-Canadian politician, 7th Premier of Saskatchewan (b. 1904)
• 1987 – Jim Connors, American radio host (b. 1940)
• 1989 – Sparky Adams, American baseball player (b. 1894)
• 1990 – Tony Conigliaro, American baseball player (b. 1945)
• 1990 – Malcolm Forbes, American publisher (b. 1917)
• 1990 – Sandro Pertini, Italian journalist and politician, 7th President of Italy (b. 1896)
• 1990 – Johnnie Ray, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1927)
• 1991 – John Charles Daly, American journalist and game show host (b. 1914)
• 1991 – George Gobel, American comedian and actor (b. 1919)
• 1991 – Webb Pierce, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1921)
• 1993 – Danny Gallivan, Canadian sportscaster (b. 1917)
• 1993 – Bobby Moore, English footballer (b. 1941)
• 1994 – Jean Sablon, French singer and actor (b. 1906)
• 1994 – Dinah Shore, American actress and singer (b. 1916)
• 1998 – Clara Fraser, American activist, co-founded Radical Women (b. 1923)
• 1998 – Antonio Prohías, Cuban-American cartoonist (b. 1921)
• 1998 – Henny Youngman, English-American comedian and violinist (b. 1906)
• 1999 – Andre Dubus, American author (b. 1936)
• 1999 – David Eccles, 1st Viscount Eccles, English politician (b. 1904)
• 1999 – Frank Leslie Walcott, Barbadian politician (b. 1916)
• 2001 – Theodore Marier, American composer and educator, founded the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School (b. 1912)
• 2001 – Claude E. Shannon, American theorist (b. 1916)
• 2002 – Arthur Lyman, American marimba player (b. 1932)
• 2002 – Leo Ornstein, Ukrainian-American pianist and composer (b. 1912)
• 2003 – Bernard Loiseau, French chef (b. 1951)
• 2004 – John Randolph, American actor (b. 1915)
• 2005 – Dan McIvor, Canadian pilot (b. 1911)
• 2006 – Octavia E. Butler, American author (b. 1947)
• 2006 – Don Knotts, American actor (b. 1924)
• 2006 – John Martin, Canadian broadcaster, co-founded MuchMusic (b. 1947)
• 2006 – Denis C. Twitchett, English historian and scholar (b. 1925)
• 2006 – Dennis Weaver, American actor (b. 1924)
• 2007 – Bruce Bennett, American actor (b. 1906)
• 2007 – Leroy Jenkins, American violinist and composer (b. 1932)
• 2007 – Lamar Lundy, American football player (b. 1935)
• 2007 – Damien Nash, American football player (b. 1982)
• 2008 – Larry Norman, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
• 2009 – C. R. Johnson, American skier (b. 1983)
• 2011 – Anant Pai, Indian educator, author, and illustrator (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Jan Berenstain, American author and illustrator (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Dave Charlton, English-South African race car driver (b. 1936)
• 2013 – Denis Forman, Scottish businessman (b. 1917)
• 2013 – Ralph Hotere, New Zealand painter (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Virgil Johnson, American singer (The Velvets) (b. 1935)
• 2013 – Farideh Lashai, Iranian painter (b. 1944)
• 2013 – Con Martin, Irish footballer (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Alexis Nihon, Jr., Canadian wrestler (b. 1946)
• 2013 – Andrew Nisbet, Jr., American politician (b. 1921)
• 2013 – Frank Joseph Polozola, American judge (b. 1942)
• 2013 – Mahmoud Salem, Egyptian author (b. 1929)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Saint Matthias
  • Æthelberht of Kent
  • Modest (Bishop of Trier)
  • Sergius of Cappadocia
  • February 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Dragobete (Romania)
• Flag Day (Mexico)
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Estonia from Russian Empire in 1918; the Soviet period is considered illegal annexation.
• National Artist Day (Thailand)
• Regifugium (Ancient Rome)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to February 24.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada