• 1479 BC  -  Thutmose III rises to the throne of Egypt

Mummy of Thutmose III

Thutmose III ascended to the throne of Egypt as the sixth Pharaoh in the 18th dynasty.  He was still a boy at that time, therefore, through the usual politics, he ruled as co-regent along with his aunt Hatshepsut, who as the first and only female Pharaoh.  They shared the throne for the first 22 years of his reign until Hatshepsut’s death.  He ruled over Egypt for a total of 54 years and shared the last two of them as co-regent with his son and heir to the throne, Amenhotep II.  He was buried in the Valley of the Kings and has a sculpture at the Temple of Karnak.

• 1184 BC  -  Greeks sneak inside the walls of Troy by hiding inside the Trojan Horse

Trojan Horse

The Greeks had been at war with Troy for 10 years when they had an idea.  They built the Trojan Horse and a number of select soldiers were hidden inside.  The Greeks then acted as if they were giving up and began sailing away.  The Trojans, wallowing in the pride of their success, brought the horse inside their walls as a trophy of their victory against the Greeks.  Once night fell, the Greeks hiding inside came out and opened Troy’s gates allowing the rest of the Greeks that had sailed back under the cover of darkness to enter and destroy the city.

• 1704  -  The Boston News-Letter, the first regular newspaper in America, was published

The Boston News-Letter

The Boston News-Letter published its first issue on April 24, 1704 and was America’s first continuously-published newspaper.  A bookseller and postmaster of Boston, John Campbell, was its first editor, printing the newspaper on what was then referred to as a half-sheet. It originally appeared on a single page, printed on both sides and issued weekly.

• 1800  -  The United States Library of Congress was established

United States Library of Congress

April 24, 1800, President John Adams signed into legislation an allowance of $5,000 to purchase “such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress”.  It currently comprises three separate building and is the largest library in the world by shelf space and number of books held.

• 1898  -  United Stated declares war on Spain

Spanish-American War Veterans

The United States went to war with Spain on April 24, 1898.  The war wa short-lived because Spanish forces could not compete with the powerful U.S. Navy.  Spain gave up the last of its claims to the Americas and turned its attention to solving problems at home.  The United States came out of the war with new territories and a new status as a world power.

• 1915  -  Armenian Genocide

Armenian Genocide

Widely acknowledged to be one of the first modern genocides, Armenians were systematically and indiscriminately killed by the Turkish Ottoman empire just after WWI.  It is estimated that up to 1.5 million Armenians we killed.

• 1953  -  Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II

Winston Churchill

April 24, 1953, at the Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth II invested former Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill, as a Knight of the Garter making him Sir Winston Churchill, KG.  He was also awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature the same year.

• 1990  -  The Hubble Space Telescope is launched into space

Hubble Space Telescope / Ultra Deep Field Image

Named after astronomer Edwin P. Hubble (1889-1953), the Hubble Space Telescope is a large, space-based observatory which has revolutionized astronomy by providing amazingly deep and clear views of the Universe never seen before.  The ultra deep field image you see above puts into perspective our place in the Universe.  The telescope was focused on one small spot of space for a period of time and produced the above image.  Every speck of light is a galaxy.  Never before did we know the full scope of how massive the Universe really is. 

• 2005  -  Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger become the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church

Pope Benedict XVI

Following the death of Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Joseph Alois Ratzinger was elected as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church on April 24, 2005 becoming Pope Benedict XVI.  He celebrated the Papal Inauguration Mass in St. Peter’s Square, during which he was invested with the Pallium and the Ring of the Fisherman.