Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on March 24th?

A mysterious atmospheric event causes a dense fog over Europe and the Middle East, believed to have been caused by a volcanic eruption.

The Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Empire, opening the door for Turkish conquest of Asia Minor.

Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, tries to take England but is repelled by King William II.

Anselm of Canterbury becomes Archbishop of Canterbury.

Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is burned at the stake.

Battle of Pavia: Charles V's Imperial army defeats the French, capturing King Francis I of France.

Queen Elizabeth I prohibits foreign vessels from fishing in English waters.

Miguel de Cervantes is released after five years as a captive in Algiers.

Treaty of Lyons: France, Savoy, and Spain agree to end hostilities.

Queen Elizabeth I of England dies; James VI of Scotland ascends to the English throne as James I.

Christiaan Huygens discovers Titan, Saturn's largest moon.

Robert Koch publishes his findings on Tuberculosis, stating that the disease was infectious and caused by a bacterium. The believe at the time was that tuberculosis was an inherited disease. He presented his findings before the German Physiological Society at Berlin, that the causative agent of the disease was the slow-growing Mycobacterium tuberculosis. More

The oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of oil and causing one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history. More

NATO begins airstrikes against Yugoslavia, marking the start of the Kosovo War.

The UN Human Rights Council holds its first session in Geneva, replacing the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

The co-pilot of a German airliner deliberately flies the plane into the French Alps, killing himself and the other 149 people onboard. The Germanwings flight 9525 had been traveling from Barcelona, Spain, to Dusseldorf, Germany. More