January 24 Birthdays

January 24 in History

41

Roman emperor, Gaius Caesar, better known as Caligula (meaning Little Boot—he used to wear military boots as a child), was murdered.

1848

Gold was first discovered in California, in Sutter's mill. When President Polk announced the news in December, the gold rush began.

1908

Robert Baden-Powell organized the first Boy Scout troop in England.

1943

The Casablanca Conference with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill concluded.

1965

Winston Churchill died in London at age 90.

1972

Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi was discovered in Guam, having spent 28 years hiding in the jungle thinking World War II was still going on.

1986

Voyager Two space probe passes within 51,000 miles of Uranus.

1993

The first African-American to sit on the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall, died.

2003

The Department of Homeland Security, under Tom Ridge, became a cabinet department.