ON FEBRUARY 24 ...
In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII issued a papal bull, or edict, outlining his calendar reforms. (The Gregorian calendar is the calendar in general use today.)
In 1803, in Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court ruled itself the final interpreter of constitutional issues.
In 1821 Mexico declared its independence from Spain.
In 1863 Arizona was organized as a territory.
In 1868 the House impeached President Andrew Johnson following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton; Johnson later was acquitted by the Senate.
In 1903 the United States signed an agreement acquiring a naval station at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
In 1920 a fledgling German political party held its first meeting of importance in Munich; it became known as the Nazi Party, and its chief spokesman was Adolf Hitler.
In 1975 the U.S. government announced it would begin an airlift to Phnom Penh, the besieged capital of Cambodia.
In 1980 the U.S. hockey team defeated Finland, 4-2, to clinch the gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.
In 1981 Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Britain’s Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.
In 1983 a congressional commission released a report condemning the internment of JapaneseAmericans during World War II as a “grave injustice.”
In 1988, in a ruling that expanded legal protections for parody and satire, the Supreme Court overturned a $200,000 award that Rev. Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and publisher Larry Flynt.
In 1991 the United States and its Gulf War allies launched a large-scale ground assault against Iraqi troops, many of whom surrendered to the advancing forces.
In 1995, under pressure from farm-state Republicans, House leaders abandoned a campaign promise to disband the food stamp program.
In 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.
In 2014 Harold Ramis, writer, actor and director whose film credits include “Ghostbusters,” “Stripes,” “Caddyshack” and “Animal House,” died near Chicago; he was 69.
In 2015 Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, seeking-reelection, suffered political embarrassment when he failed to get 50 percent of the vote and was forced into a runoff race against littleknown, lesser-funded challenger Jesus “Chuy” Garcia; Emanuel would defeat Garcia in April to retain his office.