August 24: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

August 24^th celebrates International Strange Music Day and Waffle Day.

We’ve made it to the 236^th day of the year! There are 129 days left until we reach the new year.

Today in history is full of interesting events; here we’re going to look at historical events on this day, as well as some fun facts about August 24.

Did you know that on this day in 2016, the discovery of the planet Proxima b was announced by astronomers? This Earth-like planet orbits the nearest star to our sun, Proxima Centauri, 4.22 lightyears away.

Keep reading for more interesting facts about August 24^th in history!

What Events Happened On August 24 In History?

2019 American explorer Victor Vescovo became the first person to journey to the deepest points of every ocean.

This wasn't his first challenge either. He's also scaled the highest mountain on each of the world's seven continents and skied to both the North and South poles.

2018 Donald Trump was ordered by singer Steven Tyler to stop playing their Aerosmith songs at rallies.

2017 A Massachusetts lottery player, Mavis Wanczyk, won a staggering $758.7 million, claiming the largest lottery win in the US.

2016 The Central Italy earthquake occured.

The 6.2 magnitude earthquake killed 299 people, injured 388 and left 4,500 homeless.

2016 The discovery of an Earth-like planet named Proxima b was announced by astronomers.

The planet orbits the nearest star to our sun, Proxima Centauri, 4.22 lightyears away.

2015 One billion people logged into Facebook for the first time, surpassing a major milestone.

2014 Nurse William Pooley, who was treating patients in Sierra Leone, flew to London for emergency treatment after contracting Ebola.

1995 The operating system, Windows 95 by Microsoft was released to the public.

1981 Mark David Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for murdering John Lennon.

1944 Allied troops began the attack on Paris during World War II.

1909 The first installment of concrete was poured into the Panama Canal.

Although the project had begun in 1881, the first concrete wasn't poured until 1909. The project was completed decades later and opened for business in 1914.

1853 The first recorded potato chip was created by chef George Crum in Saratoga Springs, New York.

1635 The Great Colonial Hurricane hit the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Jamestown Settlement in New England, USA.

It is considered to be one of the earliest hurricanes to have struck New England.

1456 The first printing of the Gutenberg Bible was completed on this day.

Johannes Gutenberg invented one of the first printing presses in Germany, and he spent four years creating the printing plates for the Gutenberg Bible. This Bible was one of the first books ever printed.

August 23 Aug 23 August 25 Aug 25

Famous People Born On August 24

Are you celebrating your birthday today? If so, did you know that you share the same birthday as Rupert Grint? See what other famous people were born on this day.

1988 Rupert Grint

English Actor

Age:: 33 years old
Born In:: England, UK

2000 Griffin Gluck

American Actor

Age:: 21 years old
Born In:: California, USA

1973 Dave Chappelle

American Comedian

Age:: 48 years old
Born In:: Washington D.C., USA

1934 Kenny Baker

English Actor

Died On:: Aug 13, 2016 (Age 81)
Born In:: England, UK

Special Holidays On August 24

Looking for a reason to celebrate? Well, here’s a few! These unique holidays are sure to bring some enjoyment to your day.

International Strange Music Day

National Waffle Day

August 24 Birthday Facts, Zodiac & Birthstone

Those of you who were born on August 24 share the Virgo star sign.

Virgo is the sixth sign in the zodiac and is represented by the goddess of fertility and agriculture. Did you know that the brightest star in the Virgo constellation is called “Spica” and is the 15^th brightest star in the sky?

Peridot is the birthstone given to people born in August. Peridot is known as the stone of compassion; wearing this gemstone helps calm anger. Its unique healing powers are also believed to help with depression.

For those of you who were born on this day, you were likely conceived the previous year on December 1.