What Happened on May 24?

May 24 is National Scavenger Hunt Day — and the date the Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883, Samuel Morse sent the first telegraph message in 1844, and Major League Baseball played its first night game under the lights in 1935.

• 1626 — Peter Minuit reportedly purchases Manhattan from Lenape people

  Dutch director-general Peter Minuit is traditionally said to have acquired Manhattan on May 24, 1626, trading goods valued at about 60 guilders with local Lenape leaders. Read the full story →

• 1844 — Samuel Morse sends the first telegraph message

  From the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Samuel Morse telegraphed 'What hath God wrought' to Baltimore on May 24, 1844 — launching the electric communication age. Read the full story →

• 1883 — The Brooklyn Bridge opens to the public

  On May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge linked Manhattan and Brooklyn — the world's longest suspension bridge at the time and an engineering marvel of steel cables and stone towers. Read the full story →

• 1935 — Major League Baseball plays its first night game

  On May 24, 1935, the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2–1 at Crosley Field in the first night game in MLB history — played under electric lights before 20,422 fans. Read the full story →

• 1941 — The German battleship Bismarck sinks HMS Hood in the Denmark Strait

  On May 24, 1941, the Bismarck's guns destroyed the British battlecruiser Hood — killing all but three of 1,418 crew — before British forces pursued and sank the Bismarck days later. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Bob Dylan (1941) · Queen Victoria (1819–1901) · Priscilla Presley (1945) · Jim Broadbent (1949)

Days & observances

National Scavenger Hunt Day · National Brothers Day · National Escargot Day · European Day of Parks