On This Day: 24 January

24 January in Indian history

• 1966Air India Flight 101 crashes into Mont Blanc.India
• 1857The University of Calcutta was established as the first modern university in the Indian subcontinent.India

24 January in world history

• 2024An Ilyushin Il-76 crashes in Russia's Korochansky District, killing all 74 people on board.
• 1990Japan launches Hiten, the country's first lunar probe, the first robotic lunar probe since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976, and the first lunar probe launched by a country other than Soviet Union or the United States.
• 1978The Soviet nuclear-powered satellite Kosmos 954 burned up during atmospheric reentry, scattering radioactive debris across Canada's Northwest Territories.
• 1968Vietnam War: The 1st Australian Task Force launched Operation Coburg against the North Vietnamese army and the Viet Cong.
• 1961A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress carrying two Mark 39 nuclear weapons broke up in mid-air near Goldsboro, North Carolina; one bomb was recovered intact, the other disintegrated.
• 1960Algerian War: Some units of European volunteers in Algiers stage an insurrection known as the "barricades week", during which they seize government buildings and clash with local police.
• 1943World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill conclude a conference in Casablanca.
• 1918The Gregorian calendar is introduced in Russia by decree of the Council of People's Commissars effective February 14 (New Style).
• 1916In Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad Co., the Supreme Court of the United States declares the federal income tax constitutional.
• 1915World War I: British Grand Fleet battle cruisers under Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty engage Rear-Admiral Franz von Hipper's battle cruisers in the Battle of Dogger Bank.
• 1900Second Boer War: Boers stop a British attempt to break the Siege of Ladysmith in the Battle of Spion Kop.
• 1859The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (later named Romania) is formed as a personal union under the rule of Domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
• 1848James W. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California, leading to the California gold rush.
• 1458The Estates unanimously proclaimed 14-year-old Matthias Corvinus King of Hungary after being persuaded to do so by his uncle Michael Szilágyi.
• 914The Fatimid Caliphate began their first invasion of Egypt, against the Abbasids, which eventually ended in failure.
• 41Roman emperor Caligula was murdered by Cassius Chaerea and other members of the Praetorian Guard, who proclaimed Claudius to be the new emperor.

Born on 24 January

• 1991Zack Kassian, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1978Kristen Schaal, American actress, voice artist, comedian and writer
• 1945Subhash Ghai, Indian director, producer and screenwriterIndia
• 1935Shivabalayogi, Indian religious leader (died 1994)India
• 1924Karpoori Thakur, Indian politician, 11th Chief Minister of Bihar (died 1988)India
• 1897Paul Fejos, Hungarian-born American director (died 1963)

Died on 24 January

• 2008Usha Narayanan, Burmese-born First Lady of India (born 1922)India
• 1993Thurgood Marshall, American lawyer and jurist, 32nd United States Solicitor General (born 1908)
• 1966Homi J. Bhabha, Indian physicist and academic (born 1909)India
• 1965Winston Churchill, English statesman, soldier, and writer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1874)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 24 January in history?

2024: An Ilyushin Il-76 crashes in Russia's Korochansky District, killing all 74 people on board. 1990: Japan launches Hiten, the country's first lunar probe, the first robotic lunar probe since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976, and the first lunar probe launched by a country other than Soviet Union or the United States. 1978: The Soviet nuclear-powered satellite Kosmos 954 burned up during atmospheric reentry, scattering radioactive debris across Canada's Northwest Territories. 1968: Vietnam War: The 1st Australian Task Force launched Operation Coburg against the North Vietnamese army and the Viet Cong.

What happened on 24 January in Indian history?

1966: Air India Flight 101 crashes into Mont Blanc. 1857: The University of Calcutta was established as the first modern university in the Indian subcontinent.

Which famous people were born on 24 January?

Zack Kassian, Canadian ice hockey player (1991); Kristen Schaal, American actress, voice artist, comedian and writer (1978); Subhash Ghai, Indian director, producer and screenwriter (1945); Shivabalayogi, Indian religious leader (died 1994) (1935).

Which day is observed on 24 January?

National Girl Child Day; National Girl Child Day (India); Day of the Unification of the Romanian Principalities (Romania); Feast of Our Lady of Peace (Roman Catholic Church), and its related observances: Feria de Alasitas (La Paz); Uttar Pradesh Day (Uttar Pradesh, India).