Today In History
Today is Saturday, Feb. 24, the 55th day of 2024. There are 311 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
On Feb. 24, 1942, the SS Struma, a charter ship attempting to carry nearly 800 Jewish refugees from Romania to British-mandated Palestine, was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine in the Black Sea; all but one of the refugees perished.
ON THIS DATE
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1803: In its Marbury v. Madison decision, the Supreme Court established judicial review of the constitutionality of statutes. ›
1981: A jury in White Plains, New York, found Jean Harris guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of “Scarsdale Diet” author Dr. Herman Tarnower. ›
1986: The Supreme Court struck down, 6-3, an Indianapolis ordinance that would have allowed women injured by someone who had seen or read pornographic material to sue the maker or seller of that material. ›
1993: Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney resigned after more than eight years in office. ›
2002: The Salt Lake City Olympics came to a close, the same day Canada won its first hockey gold in 50 years and three cross-country skiers were thrown out of the games for using a performance-enhancing drug. ›
2008: Cuba’s parliament named Raul Castro president, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel.
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2015: The Justice Department announced that George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Trayvon Martin in a 2012 confrontation, would not face federal charges. ›
2020: Former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted in New York on charges of rape and sexual assault involving two women. ›
2022: Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launching airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending troops and tanks from multiple directions.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Actor-singer Dominic Chianese is 93. Singer Joanie Sommers is 83. Actor Jenny O’Hara is
82. Actor Edward James Olmos is 77. Rock singer-musician George Thorogood is 74. Actor Debra Jo Rupp is 73. Actor Helen Shaver is
73. News anchor Paula Zahn is 68. Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Murray is 68. Country singer Sammy Kershaw is 66. Actor Mark Moses is 66. Actor Beth Broderick is
65. Actor Emilio Rivera is 63. Singer Michelle Shocked is 62. Movie director Todd Field is
60. Actor Billy Zane is
58. Actor Bonnie Somerville is 50. Jazz musician Jimmy Greene is 49. Former boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is 47. Rock musician Matt McGinley (Gym Class Heroes) is
41. Actor Wilson Bethel is 40. Actor Alexander Koch is 36. Actor Daniel Kaluuya (Film: “Get Out”) is 35. Actor O’Shea Jackson Jr. is 33.