NOW & THEN
24 FEBRUARY
1530: Charles V was crowned Holy Roman Emperor and King of Italy by Pope Clement VII at Bologna – the last imperial coronation by a pope.
1582: Pope Gregory XIII announced the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, replacing the Julian calendar. That was acknowledged by Scotland in 1600, and adopted by England in 1752, by which time a loss adjustment of 11 days had to be “fixed”.
1809: A fire destroyed part of Drury Lane Theatre, London.
1905: The Simplon Tunnel through the Alps (12.3 miles) was completed.
1920: Viscountess Astor became the first woman to speak in the House of Commons.
1920: Nazi Party was organised in Germany.
1923: Flying Scotsman express went into service.
1932: Sir Malcolm Campbell world land-speed record of 253.96 mph on Daytona Beach.
1945: Egypt’s premier Ahmed Pasha was assassinated after announcing Egypt’s declaration of war against Germany.
1946: Juan Peron elected president of Argentina.
1964: Henry Cooper beat Brian London to win his second Lonsdale Belt.
1981: Prince Charles, 32, and Lady Diana Spencer, 19, announced their engagement.
1990: The United States, the Soviet Union and China announced plans to send 30-man team to sweep Mount Everest clean of rubbish left by four decades of climbers.
1991: In the first parliamentary Soviet elections under a genuine multi-party system, voters in Lithuania rejected Communist rule.
1991: Allies launched threepronged assault deep into Kuwait and Iraq. At least 10,000 Iraqi troops reported to have surrendered.
1992: Australian prime minister Paul Keating was criticised for insulting the Queen with comments about republicanism.
1993: Prime minister Brian Mulroney of Canada resigned as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party after ten years in office.
1999: State of Arizona executed Karl Lagrand, a German national convicted of murder during a botched bank robbery, in spite of Germany’s legal action to attempt to save him.
1999: A China Southern Airlines Tupolev TU-154 airliner crashed on approach to Wenzhou airport in eastern the People’s Republic of China, killing 61.
2000: An independent inquiry was ordered into the cost of the Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood, reported to have risen from £40 million to £220m.
2006: Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-arroyo declared Proclamation 1017 placing the country in a state of emergency in attempt to subdue a possible military coup.
2007: Japan launched its fourth spy satellite, stepping up its ability to monitor potential threats such as North Korea.
2008: Fidel Castro retired as the president of Cuba after nearly 50 years.
2011: Final launch of Space Shuttle Discovery.