Discover what happened on March 24 in history, along with notable celebrity birthdays and fun Days of the Year to celebrate.
What Happened on March 24 in History?
Important events on this day include the first telephone call between New York and Chicago, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and the debut of the American version of “The Office.”
MARCH 24 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1868 – Metropolitan Life Insurance Company was formed.
1880 – The first “hail insurance company” was incorporated in Connecticut. It was known as Tobacco Growers’ Mutual Insurance Company.
1882 – In Berlin, German scientist Robert Koch announced the discovery of the tuberculosis germ (bacillus).
1883 – The first telephone call between New York, NY and Chicago, IL took place.
1900 – Mayor Van Wyck of New York, NY broke the ground for the New York subway tunnel that would link Manhattan and Brooklyn.
1900 – In New Jersey, the Carnegie Steel Corporation was formed.
1904 – The cities of Muskegon and Grand Rapids, MI were hit by tornadoes. Five homes lost their roofs or were torn apart on the lakefront at Harrison Street. In Grand Rapids, ten people were injured when the tornado damaged several barns and a church.
1920 – The first U.S. Coast Guard air station was established at Morehead City, NC.
1936 – The Detroit Red Wings played an NHL Stanley Cup playoff game against the Montreal Maroons. The game combined 60 minutes of regulation play along with 116 minutes, 30 seconds of overtime. The game ended at 2:30 am, with Detroit winning 1-0. The Red Wings went on to win the series and their first Stanley Cup.
1947 – Congress proposed the limitation of the Presidency to two terms.
1948 – The river gauges on the Grand River at Comstock Park, MI read 17.75 feet. That was the highest reading ever at Comstock Park. Flood stage is 12 ft.
1955 – The first oil drill seagoing rig was put into service.
1958 – Elvis Presley was sworn in as a private in the U.S. Army.
1960 – A U.S. appeals court ruled that the novel “Lady Chatterly’s Lover” was not obscene and could be sent through the mail.
1965 – Images from the Ranger 9 lunar probe were broadcast live on network television.
1975 – Muhammad Ali beat Chuck Wepner in 15 rounds to retain his world heavyweight crown.
1980 – The late night news television program “Nightline”, with Ted Koppel, premiered on ABC.
1988 – Former national security aides Oliver L. North and John M. Poindexter and businessmen Richard V. Secord and Albert Hakim pleaded innocent to Iran-Contra charges.
1989 – The Exxon Valdez spilled 240,000 barrels (11 million gallons) of crude oil in Alaska’s Prince William Sound after it ran aground and ruptured. The captain had been drinking at the time of the accident.
1992 – A Chicago judge ruled in the Milli-Vanilli class-action suit that $3.00 cash rebates would be given to anyone that could prove that they bought the group’s music before November 27, 1990 (the date the lip-synching scandal broke).
1995 – The House of Representatives passed a welfare reform package that made the most changes in social programs since the New Deal.
1998 – In Jonesboro, AR, two young boys opened fire at students from woods near a school. Four students and a teacher were killed and 10 others were injured. The two boys were 11 and 13 years old cousins.
1998 – A former FBI agent said papers found in James Earl Ray’s car supported a conspiracy theory in the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
1998 – Amway Corp. announced that it had agreed to pay $9 million to settle a lawsuit over the company’s use of songs by top artists in videotaped sales pitches.
2001 – Apple Computer Inc’s operating system MAC OS X went on sale.
2005 – Sandra Bullock received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2005 – The American version of the TV show “The Office” premiered on NBC.
2006 – The Disney Channel premieres a new TV series, “Hannah Montana”, starring country singer Billy Ray Cyrus and his 13-year-old daughter Miley.
2020 – Japan announced that the Summer Olympics in Tokyo would be postponed due to COVID-19.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON MARCH 24:
Carol Kaye – 91 years old (1935) – Bass guitarist
Bob Mackie – 86 years old (1940) – Fashion designer
Robert T. Bakker – 81 years old (1945) – Paleontologist and academic
Dennis Erickson – 79 years old (1947) – Football player and coach
Christine Gregoire – 79 years old (1947) – Lawyer and politician, 22nd governor of Washington
Tabitha King – 77 years old (1949) – Author and poet
Pat Bradley – 75 years old (1951) – Golfer
Tommy Hilfiger – 75 years old (1951) – Fashion designer, founded the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation
Anita L. Allen – 73 years old (1953) – Lawyer, philosopher, and academic
Donna Pescow – 72 years old (1954) – Actress and director
Steve Ballmer – 70 years old (1956) – Businessman
Bill Wray – 70 years old (1956) – Cartoonist and painter
Mike Woodson – 68 years old (1958) – Basketball player and coach
Renaldo Nehemiah – 67 years old (1959) – Hurdler and football player
Barry Horowitz – 66 years old (1960) – Wrestler
Kelly Le Brock – 66 years old (1960) – English-American actress and model
Scott Pruett – 66 years old (1960) – Race car driver
Annabella Sciorra – 66 years old (1960) – Actress
Star Jones – 64 years old (1962) – Lawyer, journalist, and talk show host
Patterson Hood – 62 years old (1964) – Singer-songwriter
Peter Jacobson – 61 years old (1965) – Actor
The Undertaker – 61 years old (1965) – Wrestler and actor
Floyd Heard – 60 years old (1966) – Sprinter and coach
Diann Roffe – 59 years old (1967) – Skier
Lauren Bowles – 56 years old (1970) – Actress
Lara Flynn Boyle – 56 years old (1970) – Actress
Mike Vanderjagt – 56 years old (1970) – Canadian-American football player
Tig Notaro – 55 years old (1971) – Comedian and actor
Megyn Price – 55 years old (1971) – Actress
Steve Karsay – 54 years old (1972) – Baseball player and coach
Jim Parsons – 53 years old (1973) – Actor
Alyson Hannigan – 52 years old (1974) – Actress
Aaron Brooks – 50 years old (1976) – Football player
Peyton Manning – 50 years old (1976) – Football player and entrepreneur
Olivia Burnette – 49 years old (1977) – Actress
Jessica Chastain – 49 years old (1977) – Actress
Amir Arison – 48 years old (1978) – Actor
Lake Bell – 47 years old (1979) – Actress, director, and screenwriter
Norris Hopper – 47 years old (1979) – Baseball player
Andrew Hutchinson – 46 years old (1980) – Ice hockey player
Mike Adams – 45 years old (1981) – Football player
Ron Hainsey – 45 years old (1981) – Ice hockey player
Dirk Hayhurst – 45 years old (1981) – Baseball player
Philip Winchester – 45 years old (1981) – Actor
Jake Hager – 44 years old (1982) – Mixed martial artist and professional wrestler
Corey Hart – 44 years old (1982) – Baseball player
Dustin McGowan – 44 years old (1982) – Baseball player
T. J. Ford – 43 years old (1983) – Basketball player
Chris Bosh – 42 years old (1984) – Basketball player
CJ Perry – 41 years old (1985) – Wrestler, manager, and actress
Starlin Castro – 36 years old (1990) – Baseball player
Lacey Evans – 36 years old (1990) – Wrestler
JonTron – 36 years old (1990) – YouTuber
Myles Turner – 30 years old (1996) – Basketball player
Christopher Briney – 28 years old (1998) – Actor
Ethel Cain – 28 years old (1998) – Singer-songwriter, record producer, and model
Damar Hamlin – 28 years old (1998) – Football player
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR MARCH 24:
No events found for this date.
For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
