TODAY HISTORY LESSON: FEBRUARY 24
0303 1st official Roman edict for persecution of Christians issued
0786 Pepin the Short of Gaul dies. His dominions are divided between his sons Charles (Charlemagne) and Carloman.
1525 In the first of the Franco-Habsburg Wars, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V captures the French king Francis I at the Battle of Pavia, Italy.
1582 Pope Gregory XIII orders the introduction of the Gregorian calendar
1607 The world’s first opera is premiered. Claudio Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo” is still performed regularly today.
1803 The Supreme Court ruled in Marbury v. Madison that any act of Congress which conflicts with the Constitution is null and void.
1821 Mexico gains independence from Spain.
1863 Arizona Territory created
1868 The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson due to his attempt to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. The U.S. Senate later acquitted Johnson.
1888 Louisville KY becomes 1st government in US to adopt Australian ballot
1895 The Cuban War of Independence begins.
1903 The lease for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was signed.
1916 A film version of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea opens in New York.
1920 The German nazi party is founded. Adolf Hitler became the party’s leader in 1921.
1925 A thermit was used for the first time. It was used to break up a 250,000-ton ice jam that had clogged the St. Lawrence River near Waddington, NY.
1942 Voice of America begins broadcasting (in German)
1956 The city of Cleveland invoked a 1931 law that barred people under the age of 18 from dancing in public without an adult guardian.
1968 The discovery of a pulsar was announced.
1988 The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a $200,000 award to Rev. Jerry Falwell that had been won against “Hustler” magazine. The ruling expanded legal protections for parody and satire.
1989 A Boeing 747 jumbo jet rips open over the Pacific Ocean. United Airlines Flight 811 experienced an explosive decompression, resulting in the death of 9 passengers.
1991 General Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of the coalition army, sends in ground forces during the Gulf War.
1997 The U.S. The Food and Drug Administration named six brands of birth control as safe and effective “morning-after” pills for preventing pregnancy.
2007 The Virginia General Assembly passed a resolution expressing “profound regret” for the state’s role in slavery.
REFERENCE: history.net, onthisday.com, thepeopleshistory.com, timeanddate.com, scopesys.com, on-this-day.com
