Updated March 23, 2012, 2:28 pm
On March 24, 1989, one of the nation’s worst oil spills occurred as the supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound and began leaking 11 million gallons of crude.
Go to article »On March 24, 1874, Harry Houdini, the Hungarian-born magician and escape artist, was born. Following his death on Oct. 31, 1926, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1765 Britain enacted the Quartering Act, requiring American colonists to provide temporary housing to British soldiers. 1882 German scientist Robert Koch announced in Berlin that he had discovered the bacillus responsible for tuberculosis. 1883 Long-distance telephone service was inaugurated between Chicago and New York City. 1955 “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” by Tennessee Williams opened on Broadway. 1958 Elvis Presley was inducted into the Army in Memphis, Tenn. 1973 The album “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd was released. 1977 Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, was named archbishop of Munich and Freising in Germany. 1999 NATO launched airstrikes against Yugoslavia – the first time the alliance had attacked a sovereign country. 2001 Apple Computer Inc.’s operating system Mac OS X went on sale. 2002 Halle Berry became the first African-American performer to win a best actress Oscar, for her work in “Monster’s Ball.” 2005 The U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal from the parents of Terri Schiavo to have a feeding tube reinserted into the severely brain-damaged woman. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actor Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”) turns 39 years old today.
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Actress Jessica Chastain turns 35 years old today.
AP Photo/Dan Steinberg
1926 Dario Fo, Nobel Prize winning playwright, turns 86 1939 Bob Mackie, Fashion designer, turns 73 1947 Christine Gregoire, Governor of Washington, turns 65 1948 Lee Oskar, Rock musician (War), turns 64 1949 Nick Lowe, Rock singer, turns 63 1951 Tommy Hilfiger, Fashion designer, turns 61 1953 Louie Anderson, Comedian, turns 59 1954 Robert Carradine, Actor, turns 58 1954 Donna Pescow, Actress, turns 58 1960 Kelly LeBrock, Actress, turns 52 1962 Star Jones, TV personality, turns 50 1970 Lara Flynn Boyle, Actress, turns 42 1974 Alyson Hannigan, Actress (“How I Met Your Mother,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), turns 38 1976 Peyton Manning, Football player, turns 36 1984 Chris Bosh, Basketball player, turns 28 1990 Keisha Castle-Hughes, Actress (“The Whale Rider”), turns 22
Historic Birthdays
Harry Houdini 3/24/1874 – 10/31/1926 American magician and escape artist.Go to obituary »
61 Georgius Agricola 3/24/1494 – 11/21/1555
German scholar and scientist known as the “father of mineralogy”72 Rufus King 3/24/1755 – 4/29/1827
American founding father; helped frame the Constitution64 Thos.Spencer Baynes 3/24/1823 – 5/31/1887
English editor of 9th edition of Encyclopedia Britannica62 William Morris 3/24/1834 – 10/3/1896
English designer, craftsman and poet82 Andrew Mellon 3/24/1855 – 8/26/1937
American financier, philanthropist and secretary of the treasury86 Emile Fabre 3/24/1869 – 9/25/1955
French playwright and administrator of the Comedie-Francaise71 Edward Weston 3/24/1886 – 1/1/1958
American photographer46 Fatty Arbuckle 3/24/1887 – 6/29/1933
American silent film actor60 Wilhelm Reich 3/24/1897 – 11/3/1957
Austrian psychologist68 Thomas E. Dewey 3/24/1902 – 3/16/1971
Governor of New York (1943-55); and unsuccessful presidential contender (1944,48)25 Clyde Barrow 3/24/1909 – 5/23/1934
American small-time robber
