MARCH 24 | Birthdays and Events

Notable Birthdays for March 24

Rufus King (1755-1827) - Delegate to the Continental Congress and one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution.

Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826-1898) - Activist of women and Native American rights.

John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) - First explorer of the Grand Canyon.

Augustine Sackett (1841-1914) - Inventor of drywall.

Frank Weston Benson (1862-1951) - Realistic and Impressionist painter.

Charles Daniels (1885-1973) - Olympic gold medal swimmer who created  the front crawl swimming style.

John Rock (1890-1984) - Co-developer of birth control.

Lucia Chase (1897-1986) - Ballerina who co-founded the American Ballet Theater.

Ub Iwerks (1901-1971) - Animator and co-creator of Mickey Mouse.

Janet Harmon Bragg (1907-1993) - The first female Black aviator to hold a commercial pilot's license.

Clyde Barrow (1909-1934) - Bank robber, outlaw and half of the crime duo Bonnie and Clyde.

Joseph Barbera (1911-2006) - Co-founder of the Hanna-Barbera animation company.

Dorothy Height (1912-2010) - Credited with being the first leader in the civil rights movement.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919-2021) - Co-founder of the City Lights Bookstore (San Francisco).

Norman Fell (1924-1998) - Actor fondly remembered for his quirky role as Mr. Roper on the Three's Company.

Byron Janis (1928-2024) - Considered one of the most influential pianists of the 20th Century.

Bob Mackie (1940-Still Living) - Fashion designer to the stars.

R. Lee Ermey (1944-2018) - Marine drill instructor turned actor who played Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the movie Full Metal Jacket.

Robert T. Bakker (1945-Still Living) - American paleontologist who studied dinosaurs.

Kitty O'Neil (1946-2018) - Stuntwoman and race car driver who held the record as the fastest woman in the world (land speed) until 2019.

Tommy Hilfiger (1951-Still Living) - Fashion designer and founder of the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation.

Louie Anderson (1953-2022) - Comedian.

Donna Pescow (1954-Still Living) - Actor who played Annette in Saturday Night Fever.

Jim Parsons (1973-Still Living) - Actor who played Sheldon on the sitcom The Big Bang Theory.

Alyson Hannigan (1974-Still Living) - Actress who played Michelle in the American Pie series and Lily in the t.v. series How I Met Your Mother.

Peyton Manning (1976-Still Living) - NFL quarterback nicknamed the "Sheriff."

Memorable Events for March 24

1868  - The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company is formed.

1900 - Ground is broken for the new underground "Rapid Transit Railroad," linking Manhattan and Brooklyn.

1942 - The U.S. government begins moving native-born citizens with Japanese ancestry into detention centres (Executive Order 9066) in order to prevent acts of espionage during the war.

1944 - A total of 76 allied prisoners of war break out of the German camp Stalag Luft III.

1945 - British, US & Canadian paratroopers participate in the largest one-day airborne operation of all time to land in Northern Germany.

1947 - Congress proposes a two-term limit for the Presidency.

1958 - Elvis Presley joins the Army.

1966 - Selective Service gives college deferments based on academic performance.

1977 - Lily Tomlin becomes the first woman to sing a solo on Broadway.

1989 - Exxon tanker 10.8 million gallons of crude oil in Prince William Sound (AK).

2018 - U.S. military use drones for the first time to bomb Al-Qaeda.