What Happened on July 24?
July 24 is Pioneer Day in Utah — honoring the 1847 arrival of Mormon pioneers in Salt Lake Valley — on the same date Hiram Bingham reached Machu Picchu in 1911, Apollo 11 splashed down in 1969, and aviator Amelia Earhart was born in 1897.
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1567 — Mary, Queen of Scots, abdicates the Scottish throne
On July 24, 1567, Mary Stuart signed away the crown after rebellious lords implicated her in her husband's murder — her infant son James became king. Read the full story →
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1847 — Mormon pioneers enter the Salt Lake Valley
On July 24, 1847, Brigham Young and the vanguard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley — planting the roots of modern Utah. Read the full story →
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1911 — Hiram Bingham reaches Machu Picchu in Peru
On July 24, 1911, Yale lecturer Hiram Bingham was guided to the lost Inca citadel of Machu Picchu — introducing the world to a mountaintop wonder. Read the full story →
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1950 — The first rocket launches from Cape Canaveral
On July 24, 1950, a Bumper 8 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida — the first launch from what became America's Space Coast. Read the full story →
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1969 — Apollo 11 splashes down safely in the Pacific Ocean
On July 24, 1969, Columbia's command module landed in the Pacific — completing the first round trip from Earth to the Moon with humans aboard. Read the full story →
Famous birthdays
Amelia Earhart (1897–1937) · Jennifer Lopez (1969) · Barry Bonds (1964) · Simón Bolívar (1783–1830)
Days & observances
Pioneer Day · National Amelia Earhart Day · National Cousins Day · National Tequila Day