1731: The death of Daniel Defoe, English novelist and author of Robinson Crusoe, his most famous novel. Robinson Crusoe is second only to the Bible in its number of translations.
1915: The Ottoman Empire begins its systematic extermination of Armenians
An estimated 1 million people were killed in the Armenian Massacres during and after World War I. The event is considered one of the first genocides in modern history.
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1916: On Easter Monday in Dublin, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret organization of Irish nationalists led by Patrick Pearse, launches the so-called Easter Rebellion, an armed uprising against British rule. Assisted by militant Irish socialists under James Connolly, Pearse and his fellow Republicans rioted and attacked British provincial government headquarters across Dublin and seized the Irish capital’s General Post Office.
1953: On the 24th of April 1953, Sir Winston Churchill was knighted at Buckingham Palace, a momentous occasion that brought together the most influential people in the country. The Queen herself bestowed the honor upon Churchill, recognizing his invaluable contributions to British society and politics.
1957: The Suez Canal reopens after the Suez Crisis. The conflict between Egypt on the one hand and France, the United Kingdom, and Israel on the other, erupted in October 1956 when Egypt announced that the canal will be nationalized.
1980: An ill-fated military operation to rescue the 52 American hostages held in Tehran ends with eight U.S. servicemen dead and no hostages rescued. With the Iran Hostage Crisis stretching into its sixth month and all diplomatic appeals to the Iranian government failing, President Jimmy Carter ordered the military mission as a last-ditch attempt to save the hostages.
1990: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched into Earth orbit. Unhindered by the impurities and distortions of Earth’s atmosphere, the 2.4 meter (7.9 feet) aperture telescope has delivered some of the most spectacular images of the far reaches of the Universe.
1995: On April 24, 1995, the final bomb linked to the Unabomber exploded inside the Sacramento, California, offices of a lobbying group for the wood products industry, killing chief lobbyist Gilbert B. Murray. (Theodore Kaczynski was later sentenced to four lifetimes in prison for a series of bombings that killed three people and injured 29 others.)
2005: Installation of Pope Benedict XVI. On this day in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger), successor to John Paul II, formally assumed his position as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church during a mass in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
2013: A garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, collapsed. The disaster claimed the lives of 1,134 people, and more than 2,500 were injured. The event caused many protests worldwide, demanding changes to improve working conditions for people working in garment factories.
2014: The Ethiopian government’s brutal crackdown on the Oromo people began when police beat and shot peaceful protestors demonstrating against plans to expand Addis Ababa over Oromo lands. In all, 140 Oromo protestors will be killed before the capital city expansion plan is discarded in 2016.
BIRTHS ON THIS DAY APRIL 24
Kelly Clarkson, 42 years
Kelly Brianne is an American singer, songwriter, television personality, and author, born on 24 April 1982 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. She rose to fame after winning the first season of American Idol in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA Records.
Stella Damasus Aboderin, 46 years
Stella Damasus is a Nigerian actress and singer who was born on 24 April 1978 in Asaba, Nigeria. She was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009. She won the Award for Best Actress at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards in 2007.
Barbra Streisand, 82 years
Barbara Joan “Barbra” Streisand is an American singer, actress, songwriter, film and television producer, and director. She was born on 24 April 1942 in Brooklyn, New York, United States. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment and is among the few performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
Gabriel Okara (24 April 1921 – 5 March 2019)
Gabriel Imomotimi Okara was a Nigerian poet and novelist who was born in Bumoundi in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Anglophone Africa’s first Modernist poet drew upon African folklore and thought. He was called “the Nigerian Negritudist” for his devotion to the Negritude school that honours black consciousness. He died at the age of 97.
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