What Happened on October 24?

October 24 is United Nations Day — the UN Charter's 1945 birthday — on the same date the Peace of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years' War in 1648, the transcontinental telegraph was completed in 1861, and Concorde flew its last commercial passengers in 2003.

• 1648 — The Peace of Westphalia treaties end the Thirty Years' War

  On October 24, 1648, treaties gathered as the Peace of Westphalia were signed — ending the Thirty Years' War and reshaping European sovereignty. Read the full story →

• 1861 — The first transcontinental telegraph line is completed

  On October 24, 1861, Western Union completed the first telegraph line spanning North America — linking the East Coast to California in minutes instead of weeks. Read the full story →

• 1929 — Black Thursday: the stock market panic that leads into the Great Crash

  On October 24, 1929 — Black Thursday — panicked selling hit the New York Stock Exchange, beginning the crash that helped usher in the Great Depression. Read the full story →

• 1945 — The United Nations officially comes into existence

  On October 24, 1945, the United Nations Charter took effect after enough nations ratified it — the birthday celebrated as United Nations Day. Read the full story →

• 1946 — A V-2 rocket takes the first photos of Earth from space

  On October 24, 1946, a captured V-2 rocket launched from New Mexico carried a camera that snapped the first photographs of Earth from outer space. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723) · Sarah Josepha Hale (1788–1879) · Kevin Kline (1947) · Drake (1986)

Days & observances

United Nations Day · National Bologna Day · National Food Day · World Development Information Day