What Happened on August 24?
On this day, a volcano buried a Roman city and a foreign army burned the White House. It is also the day two record-setting champions were born.
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1814 — British troops burn Washington, D.C.
During the War of 1812, British soldiers captured Washington, D.C. and set fire to the White House and other government buildings. Read the full story →
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1857 — Ohio Life Insurance bank failure starts a financial panic
The collapse of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company set off the Panic of 1857, a nationwide economic crisis. Read the full story →
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1891 — Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera
Thomas Edison received a patent for the Kinetograph, an early movie camera, and the Kinetoscope viewing machine. Read the full story →
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1932 — Amelia Earhart flies across the U.S. nonstop
Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly an airplane nonstop across the United States, from Los Angeles to Newark. Read the full story →
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1949 — NATO treaty enters into force
After enough countries approved it, the North Atlantic Treaty officially took effect, creating NATO. Read the full story →
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1991 — Ukraine declares independence from the Soviet Union
On August 24, 1991, Ukraine's parliament declared independence, later confirmed by a landslide popular vote. Read the full story →
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2006 — Pluto becomes a dwarf planet
Astronomers meeting in Prague voted to define 'planet' for the first time, and Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet. Read the full story →
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1662 — Act of Uniformity takes effect in England
England required all clergy to follow the Book of Common Prayer, and ministers who refused lost their positions. Read the full story →
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1968 — France tests its first hydrogen bomb
France exploded its first hydrogen bomb over a South Pacific atoll, joining the small group of nations with such weapons. Read the full story →
Famous birthdays
Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) · Duke Kahanamoku (1890–1968) · Cal Ripken Jr. (1960) · Yasser Arafat (1929–2004)
Days & observances
Ukraine Independence Day · National Peach Pie Day · Pluto Demoted Day · National Waffle Day