History of Today 24 June: Important Events, Births and Deaths

Welcome to History of Today 24 June. On this page, you can read important historical events, famous births, notable deaths and general knowledge facts related to 24 June. This information is useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, State PSC and other competitive exams.

Last updated on 24 June 2026, 01:01 AM

Important Events on 24 June in History

• 24 Jun 2023: The Wagner Group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin launches an insurrection against the Russian government. Read more
• 24 Jun 2022: In Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the U.S. Constitution does not assign the authority to regulate abortions to the federal government, thereby returning such authority to the individual states. This overturns the prior decisions in Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). Read more
• 24 Jun 2021: The Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida suffers a sudden partial collapse, killing 98 people inside. Read more
• 24 Jun 2013: Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is found guilty of abusing his power and engaging in sex with an underage prostitute, and is sentenced to seven years in prison. Read more
• 24 Jun 2012: Death of Lonesome George, the last known individual of Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii, a subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise. Read more
• 24 Jun 2010: At Wimbledon, John Isner of the United States defeats Nicolas Mahut of France, in the longest match in professional tennis history. Read more
• 24 Jun 2010: Julia Gillard assumes office as the first female Prime Minister of Australia. Read more
• 24 Jun 2004: In New York, capital punishment is declared unconstitutional. Read more
• 24 Jun 2002: The Igandu train disaster in Tanzania kills 281, the worst train accident in African history. Read more
• 24 Jun 1995: Rugby World Cup: South Africa defeats New Zealand and Nelson Mandela presents Francois Pienaar with the Webb Ellis Cup in an iconic post-apartheid moment. Read more
• 24 Jun 1994: A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress crashes at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Washington, killing four. Read more
• 24 Jun 1989: Jiang Zemin succeeds Zhao Ziyang to become the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. Read more
• 24 Jun 1982: "The Jakarta Incident": British Airways Flight 009 flies into a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung, resulting in the failure of all four engines. Read more
• 24 Jun 1981: The Humber Bridge opens to traffic, connecting Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It remained the world's longest bridge span for 17 years. Read more
• 24 Jun 1978: Ahmad al-Ghashmi, the president of the Yemen Arab Republic, is killed when a bomb exploded in a suitcase carried by a South Yemeni envoy. Read more
• 24 Jun 1975: Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 encounters severe wind shear and crashes on final approach to New York's JFK Airport killing 113 of the 124 passengers on board, making it the deadliest U.S. plane crash at the time. This accident led to decades of research into downburst and microburst phenomena and their effects on aircraft. Read more
• 24 Jun 1973: The UpStairs Lounge arson attack takes place at a gay bar located on the second floor of the three-story building at 141 Chartres Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, US. Thirty-two people die as a result of fire or smoke inhalation. Read more
• 24 Jun 1963: The United Kingdom grants Zanzibar internal self-government. Read more
• 24 Jun 1960: Venezuelan President Rómulo Betancourt is injured in an assassination attempt. Read more
• 24 Jun 1957: In Roth v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment. Read more
• 24 Jun 1954: First Indochina War: Battle of Mang Yang Pass: Viet Minh troops belonging to the 803rd Regiment ambush G.M. 100 of France in An Khê. Read more
• 24 Jun 1950: Apartheid: In South Africa, the Group Areas Act is passed, formally segregating races. Read more
• 24 Jun 1949: The first television western, Hopalong Cassidy, starring William Boyd, is aired on NBC. Read more
• 24 Jun 1948: Cold War: Start of the Berlin Blockade: The Soviet Union makes overland travel between West Germany and West Berlin impossible. Read more
• 24 Jun 1947: Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington. Read more
• 24 Jun 1945: The first Victory Day Parade takes place on Red Square in Moscow, Soviet Union, symbolizing the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany. Read more
• 24 Jun 1943: US military police attempt to arrest a black soldier in Bamber Bridge, England, sparking the Battle of Bamber Bridge mutiny that leaves one dead and seven wounded. Read more
• 24 Jun 1940: World War II: Operation Collar, the first British Commando raid on occupied France, by No 11 Independent Company. Read more
• 24 Jun 1939: Siam is renamed Thailand by Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the country's third prime minister. Read more
• 24 Jun 1938: Pieces of a meteorite land near Chicora, Pennsylvania. The meteorite is estimated to have weighed 450 metric tons when it hit the Earth's atmosphere and exploded. Read more
• 24 Jun 1932: A bloodless revolution instigated by the People's Party ends the absolute power of King Prajadhipok of Siam (now Thailand). Read more
• 24 Jun 1922: The American Professional Football Association is renamed the National Football League. Read more
• 24 Jun 1918: First airmail service in Canada from Montreal to Toronto. Read more
• 24 Jun 1916: Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract. Read more
• 24 Jun 1913: Greece and Serbia annul their alliance with Bulgaria. Read more
• 24 Jun 1894: Assassination of the French President, Sadi Carnot by Sante Caserio during the Ère des attentats (1892–1894). Read more
• 24 Jun 1880: First performance of O Canada at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français. The song would later become the national anthem of Canada. Read more
• 24 Jun 1866: Battle of Custoza: An Austrian army defeats the Italian army during the Austro-Prussian War. Read more
• 24 Jun 1859: Battle of Solferino (Battle of the Three Sovereigns): Sardinia and France defeat Austria in Solferino, northern Italy. Read more
• 24 Jun 1839: An Egyptian army under Ibrahim Pascha routs an Ottoman army under Hafiz Pasha in the battle of Nezib. Read more
• 24 Jun 1821: Battle of Carabobo: Decisive battle in the war of independence of Venezuela from Spain. Read more
• 24 Jun 1813: Battle of Beaver Dams: A British and Indian combined force defeats the United States Army. Read more
• 24 Jun 1812: Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon's Grande Armée crosses the Neman river beginning the invasion of Russia. Read more

Famous Births on 24 June

• 24 Jun 2005: Fran González, Spanish footballer Francisco Javier González Pérez is a Spanish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Real Madrid B. Read more
• 24 Jun 2004: Erika Andreeva, Russian tennis player Erika Aleksandrovna Andreeva is a Russian tennis player.
  She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 65, reached on 21 October 2024. She also has a best doubles ranking of No. 274, achieved on 11 December 2023. Andreeva has won one doubles title on the WTA Challenger Tour, as well as three singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF Circuit. Read more
• 24 Jun 2004: Luke Chambers, English footballer Luke Chambers is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Premier League club Liverpool. He was part of the England national under-19 football team that won the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. Read more
• 24 Jun 1999: Darwin Núñez, Uruguayan footballer Darwin Gabriel Núñez Ribeiro is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed "La Pantera", he is known for his technique, explosive speed and athleticism. Read more
• 24 Jun 1996: Duki, Argentinian rapper Mauro Ezequiel Lombardo, known professionally as Duki, is an Argentine rapper, singer and songwriter. He is the lead voice of Latin trap in Argentina, thanks to his multiple hits with his singles and his particular style of voice and staging. Read more
• 24 Jun 1996: Marcus Coco, Guadeloupean footballer Marcus Regis Coco is a Guadeloupean professional footballer who plays as a right-back or a right winger for Israeli Premier League club Hapoel Tel Aviv and for the Guadeloupe national team. Read more
• 24 Jun 1992: David Alaba, Austrian footballer David Alaba is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the Austria national team. He was previously primarily a left-back, and was considered one of the best in the world at this position. Read more
• 24 Jun 1991: Yasmin Paige, English actress Yasmin Paige is an English actress. She played the film role of Jordana Bevan in Submarine, and has appeared on television as Beth Mitchell in Pramface, and Maria Jackson in The Sarah Jane Adventures. Read more
• 24 Jun 1991: Aidan Sezer, Australian rugby league player Aidan Yüçel Sezer is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a scrum-half and stand-off for Hull FC in the Super League. Read more
• 24 Jun 1990: Michael Del Zotto, Canadian ice hockey player Michael Del Zotto is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted in the first round, 20th overall, by the New York Rangers at the 2008 NHL entry draft. He played in the NHL for the Rangers, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Ottawa Senators. Del Zotto won the Stanley Cup in 2019 with St. Louis. Read more
• 24 Jun 1990: Richard Sukuta-Pasu, German footballer Richard Sukuta-Pasu is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for Regionalliga club Eintracht Hohkeppel. Read more
• 24 Jun 1989: Teklemariam Medhin, Eritrean runner Teklemariam Medhin Weldeslassie is an Eritrean long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. He represented his country at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. Read more
• 24 Jun 1988: Micah Richards, English footballer Micah Lincoln Richards is an English football pundit and former professional player who played as a right-back. Read more
• 24 Jun 1988: Nichkhun, Thai-American singer and actor Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul, better known mononymously as Nichkhun, is a Thai and American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and model. Based in South Korea as a member of the South Korean boy band 2PM, Nichkhun is widely considered to be the first Southeast Asian individual to debut in a K-pop idol group and achieve success. Read more
• 24 Jun 1987: Simona Dobrá, Czech tennis player Simona Dobrá is a retired Czech tennis player. Read more
• 24 Jun 1987: Lionel Messi, Argentinian footballer Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history, Messi has set numerous records for individual accolades won throughout his professional footballing career, including eight Ballons d'Or, six European Golden Shoes, and eight times being named the world's best player by FIFA. In 2025, he was named the All Time Men's World Best Player by the IFFHS. Read more
• 24 Jun 1987: Pierre Vaultier, French snowboarder Pierre Benjamin Florent Vaultier is a French two-time Olympic Gold Champion, and one-time World Gold Champion snowboarder, specializing in snowboard cross. Read more
• 24 Jun 1986: Stuart Broad, English cricketer Stuart Christopher John Broad is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who played Test cricket for the England cricket team and captained the team in One Day and Twenty20 Internationals. Broad was a member of the England team that won the 2010 ICC World Twenty20. His longevity, and highly successful partnership with fellow fast bowler James Anderson cemented him as one of England's greatest ever Test bowlers. Read more
• 24 Jun 1986: Phil Hughes, American baseball player Philip Joseph Hughes is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, and San Diego Padres during a career that spanned from 2007 through 2018. Hughes stands 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall and weighs 240 pounds (110 kg). He was the Yankees' first-round pick in the 2004 MLB draft. Read more
• 24 Jun 1986: Solange Knowles, American singer-songwriter and actress Solange Piaget Knowles, also known mononymously as Solange, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She expressed an interest in music from an early age and had temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, which featured her older sister Beyoncé among its members, before signing with their father Mathew Knowles's label, Music World Entertainment. At 16, Knowles released her first studio album Solo Star (2002). She also appeared in the films Johnson Family Vacation (2004), and Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006). Read more
• 24 Jun 1985: Diego Alves Carreira, Brazilian footballer Diego Alves Carreira, known as Diego Alves, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
• 24 Jun 1985: Tom Kennedy, English footballer Thomas Gordon Kennedy is an English former professional footballer who played as a left-back. He played semi-professionally for Ramsbottom United where he was club captain, before announcing retirement on 8 April 2022. Read more
• 24 Jun 1985: Nate Myles, Australian rugby league player Nate Myles is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s, he last played for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League. A Queensland State of Origin and Australia national representative forward, he previously played for Canterbury-Bankstown, Sydney Roosters, Gold Coast Titans and Manly-Warringah. Read more
• 24 Jun 1985: Vernon Philander, South African cricketer Vernon Darryl Philander is a South African cricket coach, commentator, and former cricketer. He was a right-handed bowling all-rounder; he had previously represented his country at under 19 level. He played for the South Africa national cricket team and Cape Cobras in South African domestic cricket. In December 2019, ahead of a Test series against England, Philander announced that the series would be his last series before retiring from international cricket. Read more
• 24 Jun 1985: Yukina Shirakawa, Japanese model Yukina Shirakawa is a Japanese gravure idol. She is from Shizuoka Pref., Japan. Read more
• 24 Jun 1984: Andrea Raggi, Italian footballer Andrea Raggi is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He was a versatile player, being capable of playing both as a centre back and as a right back. Read more
• 24 Jun 1984: JJ Redick, American basketball player and coach Jonathan Clay "JJ" Redick is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, winning many individual awards, including the Naismith College Player of the Year. Selected 11th overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2006 NBA draft, he played for 15 seasons in the NBA with six teams. In 2024, Redick was appointed head coach of the Lakers. Read more
• 24 Jun 1984: Johanna Welin, Swedish-born German wheelchair basketball player Johanna Welin is a Swedish-born German 2.0 point wheelchair basketball player. She played for USC Munich in the German wheelchair basketball league, and for the national team that won the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, after which President Joachim Gauck awarded the team with the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt. Read more
• 24 Jun 1983: Rebecca Cooke, English swimmer Rebecca Cooke is a retired British swimmer. Read more
• 24 Jun 1983: John Lloyd Cruz, Filipino actor John Lloyd Espidol Cruz is a Filipino actor. Regarded as the "King of Contemporary Cinema" by the media, Cruz has top-billed several box-office successes. He has more than ten films with box office grosses of ₱100 million in the Philippines. Read more
• 24 Jun 1983: Gianni Munari, Italian footballer Gianni Munari is an Italian football official and a former player who played as a midfielder. He works as a scout for Parma. Read more
• 24 Jun 1983: Gard Nilssen, Norwegian drummer Gard Nilssen is a Norwegian jazz drummer and composer. He is a member of the bands Gard Nilssen' Acoustic Unity, Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra, Bushman's Revenge, Amgala Temple, and Puma. He also plays in trio format with Bugge Wesseltoft and Arild Andersen. Read more
• 24 Jun 1983: David Shillington, Australian rugby league player David Shillington is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative prop forward, he previously played for the Sydney Roosters and Canberra Raiders. Shillington also works as a columnist for The Canberra Times. Read more
• 24 Jun 1982: Kevin Nolan, English footballer Kevin Anthony Jance Nolan is an English former footballer and manager who was most recently manager of Northampton Town. He has represented England at under-21 level. Read more
• 24 Jun 1982: Jarret Stoll, Canadian ice hockey player Jarret Lee Stoll is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild. Read more
• 24 Jun 1980: Cicinho, Brazilian footballer Cícero João de Cézare, nicknamed Cicinho, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played as a right back. Read more
• 24 Jun 1980: Nina Dübbers, German tennis player Nina Dübbers is a former German tennis player. Read more
• 24 Jun 1980: Andrew Jones, Australian race car driver Andrew Jones is an Australian former racing driver who previously competed in the Supercars Championship and Dunlop Super2 Series, driving with family-owned team Brad Jones Racing for majority of his career. Read more
• 24 Jun 1980: Minka Kelly, American actress Minka Dumont Kelly is an American actress. She received wide recognition for her role as Lyla Garrity on the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights (2006–2009). Kelly appeared as Autumn in the film 500 Days of Summer (2009). She had a recurring role as Gaby on the NBC family drama series Parenthood (2010–2011). She was in the ABC action series revival of Charlie's Angels (2011). She starred in the films The Roommate and Searching for Sonny (2011). Kelly is one of few actresses who portrayed First Lady of the U.S., Jackie Kennedy, in Lee Daniels's The Butler alongside Oprah Winfrey (2013). Kelly played Dawn Granger / Dove in the DC Universe series Titans on Max (2018–2021). Kelly appeared in the recurring role of Samantha in the HBO drama series Euphoria (2022). Kelly stars in the Netflix western romance drama series Ransom Canyon (2025-present). Read more
• 24 Jun 1979: Mindy Kaling, American actress and producer Vera Mindy Chokalingam, known professionally as Mindy Kaling, is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Known for her work on television, she has received a Tony Award and six nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Among other honors, she has also received the National Medal of the Arts in 2021 and the Producers Guild of America's Norman Lear Achievement in Television Award in 2023. Kaling founded the production company Kaling International in 2012. Read more
• 24 Jun 1979: Petra Němcová, Czech model and philanthropist Petra Němcová is a Czech model, television host, and philanthropist who founded the Happy Hearts Fund. In 2017, the Happy Hearts Fund merged with All Hands Volunteers to create All Hands And Hearts – Smart Response, with Němcová assuming the role of co-founder and vice chair. Read more
• 24 Jun 1978: Luis García, Spanish footballer Luis Javier García Sanz is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a winger. Read more
• 24 Jun 1978: Pantelis Kafes, Greek footballer Pantelis Kafes is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Due to his follow to the example of Osvaldo Ardiles, he was known for being one of very few outfield players to have worn the number 1 jersey and has won acclaim for his creative abilities and passing skills. Read more
• 24 Jun 1978: Shunsuke Nakamura, Japanese footballer Shunsuke Nakamura is a Japanese former professional footballer. He is currently working as an assistant coach of the Japan national football team. He is the only person to have been named J.League Most Valuable Player more than once, receiving the award in 2000 and 2013. Renowned as one of Japan's greatest ever footballers, Nakamura was known for his free-kicks; Steve Perryman once remarked that Nakamura "could open a tin of beans with his left foot". Read more
• 24 Jun 1978: Ariel Pink, American singer-songwriter Ariel Marcus Rosenberg, professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi aesthetic and home-recorded albums proved influential to many indie musicians starting in the late 2000s. He is frequently cited as the "godfather" of the hypnagogic pop and chillwave movements, and he is credited with galvanizing a larger trend involving the evocation of the media, sounds, and outmoded technologies of prior decades, as well as an equal appreciation between high and low art in independent music. Read more
• 24 Jun 1978: Juan Román Riquelme, Argentinian footballer Juan Román Riquelme is an Argentine former professional footballer and current president of Boca Juniors. Known for his elegant playing style, passing, vision, creativity, free-kick technique, and ball retention, he is widely considered one of the greatest playmakers of all time. He is a major symbol of the "enganche" figure, a classic attacking midfield role prominent in Argentine football. Read more
• 24 Jun 1978: Emppu Vuorinen, Finnish guitarist and songwriter Erno Matti Juhani "Emppu" Vuorinen is a Finnish guitarist, most famous for being a founding member and occasional songwriter of the symphonic metal band Nightwish. He is the oldest of five children, having a twin brother and three younger sisters. He started to play guitar as a private study at the age of 12 and since then has played in various bands including Nightwish, Brother Firetribe, Barilari, Almah, and Altaria. Read more
• 24 Jun 1977: Dimos Dikoudis, Greek basketball player and manager Dimosthenis "Dimos" Dikoudis, is a former Greek professional basketball player and basketball executive. He is 2.08 m tall, and he played as a power forward-center. Dikoudis was inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame in 2022. Read more
• 24 Jun 1977: Jeff Farmer, Australian footballer Jeff Farmer is a former Australian rules footballer of Aboriginal descent. He was the first Indigenous player to kick 400 goals in the Australian Football League (AFL). Read more
• 24 Jun 1976: Brock Olivo, American football player and coach James Brockman Olivo is an American football coach and former player who currently serves as an assistant special teams coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to his current job, he was the tight ends coach for the Washington University Bears and the running backs coach for the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL). Previously, he played as a running back for the Detroit Lions of the NFL for four seasons. He then played two seasons in the Italian Football League (IFL). Read more
• 24 Jun 1975: Marek Malík, Czech ice hockey player Marek Malík is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1994 to 2009. Read more
• 24 Jun 1975: Federico Pucciariello, Argentinian-Italian rugby player Federico Pucciariello is a former Italian Argentine rugby union footballer. He played at both tighthead and loosehead prop, and played for Munster Rugby up to the end of the 2008–09 season. He previously played for Gloucester Rugby and CS Bourgoin-Jallieu in the Heineken Cup. Read more
• 24 Jun 1974: Dan Byles, English sailor, rower, and politician Daniel Alan Byles is a former British politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Warwickshire from 2010 to 2015. Read more
• 24 Jun 1974: Chris Guccione, American baseball player and umpire Christopher Gene Guccione is an American umpire in Major League Baseball. He wears number 68. Read more
• 24 Jun 1973: Alexis Gauthier, French chef Alexis Pascal Gauthier is a French chef. He is the chef patron of the Gauthier Soho restaurant in Soho, London and was awarded a Michelin star in 2011. He previously held a Michelin star as head chef of the restaurant Roussillon in Pimlico, London, until 2010. He trained under Alain Ducasse at Le Louis XV in Monaco, and has appeared as a judge on two versions of the BBC One television show MasterChef. He became a vegan in 2016 and changed Gauthier Soho to a vegan menu in 2021 and opened 123 Vegan, a vegan cafeteria. Read more
• 24 Jun 1973: Jere Lehtinen, Finnish ice hockey player Jere Kalervo Lehtinen is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. A right winger, he was drafted in the third round, 88th overall, in the 1992 NHL entry draft by the Minnesota North Stars. Lehtinen played his entire 15-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the organization after the franchise moved to Dallas in 1993. A two-way forward, Lehtinen is perhaps best known for his defensive responsibilities, for which he won the Frank J. Selke Trophy three times as the NHL's top defensive forward. After his retirement, he has served as the general manager of the Finnish national ice hockey team. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2018. Read more
• 24 Jun 1972: Robbie McEwen, Australian cyclist Robbie McEwen is an Australian former professional road cyclist. He is a three-time winner of the Tour de France points classification in 2002, 2004 and 2006 and, at the peak of his career, was considered the world's fastest sprinter. Read more
• 24 Jun 1972: Denis Žvegelj, Slovenian rower Denis Žvegelj is an ex-Slovenian rower and Olympic medallist. He was born in Jesenice, SR Slovenia. Read more
• 24 Jun 1970: Glenn Medeiros, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Glenn Alan Medeiros is an American former singer best known for his 1987 George Benson cover, "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You", which reached No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in Canada and the United Kingdom. It also topped the charts in a further four countries in Europe. In 2009, the song was used in France in a television advert for Spontex sponges. Read more
• 24 Jun 1970: Bernardo Sassetti, Portuguese pianist, composer, and educator (died 2012) Bernardo da Costa Sassetti Pais was a Portuguese jazz pianist and film composer. Read more
• 24 Jun 1968: Alaa Abdelnaby, Egyptian-American basketball player and sportscaster Alaa Abdelnaby is an Egyptian-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils followed by a five-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career, and then stints in various other leagues. Abdelnaby is one of two Egyptian-born players in the history of the NBA, along with Abdel Nader. Read more
• 24 Jun 1967: Janez Lapajne, Slovenian director and producer Janez Lapajne (Slovene: [yannez la-pie-nay]; born 24 June 1967 in Celje, Slovenia, grew up in Ljubljana, Slovenia is a Slovenian film director, producer, writer, editor and production designer. Read more
• 24 Jun 1967: John Limniatis, Canadian soccer player and manager Ioannis "John" Limniatis is a retired professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He captained and later became the head coach of the Montreal Impact. Born in Greece, he made 44 appearances scoring one goal for the Canada national team. Read more
• 24 Jun 1966: Hope Sandoval, American singer-songwriter and musician Hope Sandoval is an American singer and songwriter. She was the lead singer of Mazzy Star and Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions. Read more
• 24 Jun 1966: Adrienne Shelly, American actress, director, and screenwriter (died 2006) Adrienne Shelly was an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She gained recognition for her roles in independent films, particularly Hal Hartley's The Unbelievable Truth (1989) and Trust (1990). She later wrote, directed, and co-starred in Waitress (2007), which was released posthumously and later adapted into a Broadway musical. Read more
• 24 Jun 1965: Claude Bourbonnais, Canadian race car driver Claude Bourbonnais, is a former driver in the Toyota Atlantic, Indy Lights, and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1994 CART series with five starts. He also raced in the 1997 Indianapolis 500, which by then had become part of the Indy Racing League, completing nine laps and finishing in thirtieth position. Read more
• 24 Jun 1965: Uwe Krupp, German ice hockey player and coach Uwe Gerd Krupp is a German former professional hockey defenceman and currently the head coach of EV Landshut in Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga 2. Widely considered one of the greatest German players of all time, he was the second German-born player to win the Stanley Cup, and the second German-born professional to play in an National Hockey League All-Star Game. Read more
• 24 Jun 1965: Richard Lumsden, English actor, writer, composer and musician Richard James Lumsden is an English actor, writer, composer and musician. He has made regular appearances on TV and film throughout his career. Notable series include Channel 4's Emmy-award winning Sugar Rush, Is It Legal?, Wonderful You and The Singapore Grip. He played Ray in Radio 4's long-running comedy Clare in the Community. Read more
• 24 Jun 1965: Danielle Spencer, American actress (died 2025) Danielle Louise Spencer was an American actress best known for her role as Dee Thomas on the ABC sitcom What's Happening!!, which ran from 1976 until 1979. She reprised the role on the series' sequel, What's Happening Now!! After her acting career, Spencer became a veterinarian. Read more
• 24 Jun 1964: Jean-Luc Delarue, French television host and producer (died 2012) Jean-Luc Delarue was a French television presenter and producer specialising in televised discussion programmes. Read more
• 24 Jun 1964: Kathryn Parminter, Baroness Parminter, English politician Kathryn Jane Parminter, Baroness Parminter is a Liberal Democrat life peer, and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. Read more
• 24 Jun 1964: Gary Suter, American ice hockey player and scout Gary Lee Suter is an American former professional ice hockey player. As a defenseman, he played over 1,000 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1985 and 2002. He was a ninth round selection of the Calgary Flames, 180th overall, at the 1984 NHL entry draft and played with Calgary for nine years. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in 1986, played in four All-Star Games and was a member of Calgary's Stanley Cup championship team in 1989. He was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1994, then to the San Jose Sharks in 1998, with whom he finished his career. Read more
• 24 Jun 1963: Yuri Kasparyan, Russian guitarist Yuri Dmitriyevich Kasparyan is a Russian musician best known for his time as the guitarist of the Soviet rock band Kino and as a member of Vyacheslav Butusov's group U-Piter. Read more
• 24 Jun 1963: Preki, Serbian-American soccer player and coach Predrag Radosavljević, better known by the nickname Preki, is a former soccer player and coach. He is currently an assistant coach with Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer (MLS). He previously coached Sacramento Republic FC and Saint Louis FC in the United Soccer League and coached in MLS with Toronto FC and Chivas USA. Born in Yugoslavia, he represented the United States national team. Read more
• 24 Jun 1963: Mike Wieringo, American author and illustrator (died 2007) Michael Lance Wieringo, who sometimes signed his work under the name Ringo, was an American comics artist best known for his work on DC Comics' The Flash, Marvel Comics' Spider-Man and Fantastic Four, as well as his own creator-owned series, Tellos. In 2017, the Ringo Awards were created in honor of Wieringo. They are presented at the Baltimore Comic-Con to recognize achievement in the comics industry. Read more
• 24 Jun 1962: Gautam Adani, Indian industrialist and billionaire Gautam Shantilal Adani is an Indian billionaire businessman who is the founder and chairman of the Adani Group, a multinational conglomerate involved in port development and operations in India. As of June 2026, Adani is ranked as the second richest person in India and 24th in the world, with a net worth of $89.6 billion. In 2022, Time magazine included him in the 100 most influential people in the world. Read more
• 24 Jun 1962: Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexican politician Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo is a Mexican politician, energy and climate change scientist, and academic who has been serving as the 66th president of Mexico since 2024. She is the first woman and the first person with Jewish heritage to hold the office. A member of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), she previously served as Head of Government of Mexico City from 2018 to 2023. In 2025, Forbes ranked Sheinbaum as the fifth most powerful woman in the world. Read more
• 24 Jun 1961: Dennis Danell, American singer and guitarist (died 2000) Dennis Eric Danell was an American guitarist and a founding member of the Southern California punk rock band Social Distortion. Read more
• 24 Jun 1961: Iain Glen, Scottish actor Iain Alan Sutherland Glen is a Scottish actor. He has appeared as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the Resident Evil film series (2004–2016) and as Jorah Mormont in the HBO fantasy television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019). Other notable film and television roles include John Hanning Speke in Mountains of the Moon (1990), Larry Winters in Silent Scream (1990) for which he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival, Manfred Powell in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Brother John in Song for a Raggy Boy (2003), the title role in Jack Taylor (2010–2016), Sir Richard Carlisle in Downton Abbey (2011), James Willett in Eye in the Sky (2015), Bruce Wayne in Titans (2019–2021), Magnus MacMillan in The Rig (2023–present), and Dr. Pete Nichols in Silo (2023–2025). Read more
• 24 Jun 1961: Bernie Nicholls, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Bernard Irvine Nicholls is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks from 1981 to 1999. Read more
• 24 Jun 1961: Ralph E. Reed, Jr., American journalist and activist Ralph Eugene Reed Jr. is an American political consultant and lobbyist, best known as the first executive director of the Christian Coalition during the early 1990s. He sought the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia but lost the primary election on July 18, 2006, to State Senator Casey Cagle. Reed started the Faith and Freedom Coalition in June 2009. He is a member of the Council for National Policy. Read more
• 24 Jun 1961: Curt Smith, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Curt Smith is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as the co-lead vocalist, bassist, and co-founding member of the pop rock band Tears for Fears along with childhood friend Roland Orzabal. Smith has co-written several of the band's songs, and sings lead vocals on the hits "Mad World", "Pale Shelter", "Change", "The Way You Are", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", and "Advice for the Young at Heart". Read more
• 24 Jun 1960: Elish Angiolini, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Solicitor General for Scotland Lady Elish Frances Margaret Angiolini is a Scottish lawyer currently serving as Lord Clerk Register, the first woman to hold the role since its creation in the 13th century. She was appointed Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the British Monarch's representative to the Assembly, in 2025, succeeding Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh. Angiolini was a pro-vice chancellor of the University of Oxford from 2017 to 2025, and served as the Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford, from 2012 to 2025; she was also a candidate in the 2024 University of Oxford Chancellor election. From 2011 until June 2022, she was styled as Dame Elish Angiolini. Read more
• 24 Jun 1960: Siedah Garrett, American singer-songwriter and pianist Siedah Garrett is an American singer, songwriter, and composer who has written songs and performed backing vocals for many recording artists in the music industry, such as Michael Jackson, Wang Chung, the Pointer Sisters, Brand New Heavies, Quincy Jones, Tevin Campbell, Donna Summer, Madonna, Jennifer Hudson among others. Garrett has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards for co-writing "Love You I Do" for the 2006 musical film Dreamgirls. She co-wrote Jackson's hit song "Man in the Mirror", which was nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Read more
• 24 Jun 1960: Karin Pilsäter, Swedish accountant and politician Anna Karin Pilsater is a Swedish politician with the Liberal People's Party. She is a former member of the Riksdag since 1991, representing Stockholm County, and was previously the party's spokesperson on economic policy. Read more
• 24 Jun 1960: Erik Poppe, Norwegian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter Erik Poppe is a Norwegian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing critically acclaimed films, including Hawaii, Oslo (2004), A Thousand Times Good Night (2013), The King's Choice (2016) and Utøya: July 22 (2018). Read more
• 24 Jun 1959: Andy McCluskey, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer George Andrew McCluskey is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and bassist of the electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), which he founded alongside keyboardist Paul Humphreys in 1978: McCluskey has been the group's sole constant member. He has sold over 40 million records with OMD, and is regarded as a pioneer of electronic music in the UK. McCluskey is noted for his frenetic onstage "Trainee Teacher Dance". Read more
• 24 Jun 1958: Jean Charest, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada John James "Jean" Charest is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 29th premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012. Prior to that, he was a member of Parliament (MP) between 1984 and 1998. After holding several Cabinet posts from 1986 to 1990 and from 1991 to 1993, he was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998. Read more
• 24 Jun 1958: Silvio Mondinelli, Italian mountaineer Silvio Mondinelli is an Italian climber. In 2007, he became the 13th person to climb the 14 eight-thousanders. He is the 6th person to achieve that feat without using supplemental oxygen and the first mountaineer to climb the Seven Summits and the 14 eight-thousanders. Read more
• 24 Jun 1958: Reed Oliver, governor of Pohnpei State, Micronesia Reed B. Oliver is the current governor of Pohnpei State, Micronesia since 13 January 2020. Read more
• 24 Jun 1958: John Tortorella, American ice hockey player and coach John Tortorella is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Tortorella has also served as head coach of the NHL's New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers. With Tampa Bay, Tortorella won the Stanley Cup in 2004. Hired late into the 2025–26 season by the Golden Knights, Tortorella led the team into the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games; he was not retained after the loss. Read more
• 24 Jun 1957: Mark Parkinson, American lawyer and politician, 45th Governor of Kansas Mark Vincent Parkinson is an American businessman and former politician serving as head of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL). He served as the 47th lieutenant governor of Kansas from 2007 to 2009 and the 45th governor of Kansas from 2009 until 2011. He was also a state legislator. Read more
• 24 Jun 1956: Owen Paterson, English politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Owen William Paterson is a British former politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2010 to 2012 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2012 to 2014 under Prime Minister David Cameron. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North Shropshire from 1997 until his resignation in 2021. Paterson was also the President of the Northern Ireland Conservatives. Read more
• 24 Jun 1955: Chris Higgins, English geneticist and academic Christopher Francis Higgins is a British molecular biologist, geneticist, academic and scientific advisor. He was the Vice-Chancellor of Durham University from 2007 to 2014. He took early retirement on 30 September 2014, following a discussion at Senate on limiting the powers of the Vice Chancellor. He was previously the director of the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre and Head of Division in the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London. Read more
• 24 Jun 1955: Edmund Malura, German footballer and manager Edmund "Eddy" Malura is a former professional German footballer. Read more
• 24 Jun 1955: Loren Roberts, American golfer Loren Lloyd Roberts is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. Read more
• 24 Jun 1953: William E. Moerner, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate William Esco Moerner, also known as W. E. Moerner, is an American physical chemist and chemical physicist with current work in the biophysics and imaging of single molecules. He is credited with achieving the first optical detection and spectroscopy of a single molecule in condensed phases, along with his postdoc, Lothar Kador. Optical study of single molecules has subsequently become a widely used single-molecule experiment in chemistry, physics and biology. In 2014, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Read more
• 24 Jun 1953: Michael Tuck, Australian footballer and coach Michael Tuck is a seven-time premiership-winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) / Australian Football League (AFL). Read more
• 24 Jun 1952: Dianna Melrose, English diplomat, British High Commissioner to Tanzania Dianna Melrose is a British diplomat who has served as the British High Commissioner to Tanzania and as the British Ambassador to Cuba. Read more
• 24 Jun 1952: Bob Neill, English lawyer and politician Sir Robert James MacGillivray Neill KC (Hon) is a British barrister and Conservative Party politician. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bromley and Chislehurst from 2006 to 2024. Read more
• 24 Jun 1951: Raelene Boyle, Australian sprinter Raelene Ann Boyle is an Australian retired athlete, who represented Australia at three Olympic Games as a sprinter, winning three silver medals, and was named one of 100 National Living Treasures by the National Trust of Australia in 1998. Boyle was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996 and subsequently became a board member of Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA). In 2017, she was named a Legend in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Read more
• 24 Jun 1951: Charles Sturridge, English director, producer, and screenwriter Charles B. G. Sturridge is an English director and screenwriter. He is the recipient of a BAFTA Children's Award and four BAFTA TV Awards. He has also been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards. Read more
• 24 Jun 1950: Nancy Allen, American actress Nancy Allen is an American actress. She came to prominence for her performances in several films directed by Brian De Palma in the 1970s and early 1980s. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award nomination and three Saturn Award nominations. Read more
• 24 Jun 1950: Bob Carlos Clarke, Irish-born English photographer (died 2006) Robert Carlos Clarke was a British-Irish photographer who made erotic images of women as well as documentary, portrait, and commercial photography. Read more
• 24 Jun 1950: Jan Kulczyk, Polish businessman (died 2015) Jan Jerzy Kulczyk was a Polish billionaire businessman. He was the founder and owner of Kulczyk Holding and an international investment house Kulczyk Investments with headquarters in Luxembourg and offices in London and Kyiv, Ukraine. According to Forbes, Kulczyk was the richest Pole at the time of his death. Read more
• 24 Jun 1950: Mercedes Lackey, American author Mercedes Ritchie Lackey is an American writer of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar. Her Valdemar novels include interaction between human and non-human protagonists with many different cultures and social mores. Read more
• 24 Jun 1949: John Illsley, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer John Edward Illsley is an English musician, best known as bassist of the rock band Dire Straits. He has received multiple BRIT and Grammy Awards, and a Heritage Award. Read more
• 24 Jun 1949: Betty Jackson, English fashion designer Betty Jackson, RDI is an English fashion designer based in London, England. She was born in Lancashire. In 2007, her success in British fashion was recognised with first an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1987 and later with a CBE for "services to the fashion industry." She is also known for designing many of the costumes worn by Edina and Patsy on the 1990s hit television comedy Absolutely Fabulous. Read more
• 24 Jun 1948: Patrick Moraz, Swiss keyboard player and songwriter Patrick Philippe Moraz is a Swiss musician, film composer and songwriter, best known for his tenures as keyboardist in the rock bands Yes and the Moody Blues. Read more
• 24 Jun 1947: Clarissa Dickson Wright, English chef, author, and television personality (died 2014) Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Johnston Dickson Wright was an English celebrity cook, television personality, writer, businesswoman, and barrister. She was best known as one of the Two Fat Ladies, with Jennifer Paterson, in the television cooking programme from 1996 to 1999. She was an accredited cricket umpire and one of only two women to become a Guild Butcher. Read more
• 24 Jun 1947: Mick Fleetwood, English-American drummer Michael John Kells Fleetwood is an English musician, songwriter and actor. He is the drummer, co-founder and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. His surname was merged with that of the group's bassist John "Mac" McVie to form the name of the band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Fleetwood Mac in 1998. Read more
• 24 Jun 1947: Peter Weller, American actor and director Peter Francis Weller is an American actor and television director. He has appeared in more than 70 films and television series, including RoboCop (1987) and its sequel RoboCop 2 (1990), in which he played the titular character, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). He appeared in such films as Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite (1995), the Oliver Stone-produced The New Age (1994), and David Cronenberg's adaptation of William Burroughs's novel Naked Lunch (1991). Read more
• 24 Jun 1946: David Collenette, Canadian civil servant and politician, 32nd Canadian Minister of National Defence David Michael Collenette, PC OOnt is a former Canadian politician. From 1974, until his retirement from politics in 2004, he was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. A graduate from York University's Glendon College in 1969, he subsequently received his MA, in 2004 and LL.D for education in 2015 from the same university. He was first elected in the York East riding of Toronto to the House of Commons on 8 July 1974, in the Pierre Trudeau government and returned to Parliament in 1993 representing Don Valley East. Read more
• 24 Jun 1946: Ellison Onizuka, American engineer, and astronaut (died 1986) Ellison Shoji Onizuka was an American astronaut, engineer, and U.S. Air Force flight test engineer from Kealakekua, Hawaii, who successfully flew into space with the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-51-C. He died in the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger, on which he was serving as Mission Specialist for mission STS-51-L. Onizuka was the first Asian American and the first person of Japanese ancestry to reach space. Read more
• 24 Jun 1946: Robert Reich, American economist and politician, 22nd United States Secretary of Labor Robert Bernard Reich is an American professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator. He worked in the administrations of presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, and he served as secretary of labor in the cabinet of President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997. He was also a member of President Barack Obama's economic transition advisory board. In 2008, Time magazine named him one of the Ten Most Effective Cabinet Members of the century; in the same year The Wall Street Journal placed him sixth on its list of Most Influential Business Thinkers. Read more
• 24 Jun 1945: Colin Blunstone, English singer-songwriter Colin Edward Michael Blunstone is an English singer and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Blunstone came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the rock band the Zombies, which released four singles that entered the Top 75 charts in the United States during the 1960s: "She's Not There", "Tell Her No", "She's Coming Home" and "Time of the Season". Blunstone began his solo career in 1969, releasing three singles under a pseudonym of Neil MacArthur. Since then, he has released ten studio albums under his real name. He was also a recurring guest vocalist with the Alan Parsons Project, appearing on four of their albums between 1978 and 1985. Read more
• 24 Jun 1945: Wayne Cashman, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Wayne Cashman is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played 17 seasons for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) and helped them win the Stanley Cup twice. He was the last active player who started his NHL career in the Original Six era. Read more
• 24 Jun 1945: George Pataki, American lawyer and politician, 53rd Governor of New York George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. He previously served in the State Legislature from 1985 to 1994, and as mayor of Peekskill from 1981 to 1984. Pataki was the third Republican governor of New York since 1923, after Thomas E. Dewey and Nelson Rockefeller, and is currently the most recent one. Read more
• 24 Jun 1945: Betty Stöve, Dutch tennis player Betty Flippina Stöve is a Dutch former professional tennis player. She is best known for reaching the ladies' singles final, the ladies' doubles final and the mixed doubles final during the same year at Wimbledon in 1977, but she lost in all three. She won ten Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles. Read more
• 24 Jun 1944: Jeff Beck, English guitarist and songwriter (died 2023) Geoffrey Arnold Beck was an English guitarist. He rose to prominence as a member of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to an instrumental style with focus on an innovative sound, and his releases spanned genres and styles ranging from blues rock, hard rock, jazz fusion and a blend of guitar-rock and electronica. Read more
• 24 Jun 1944: Kathryn Lasky, American author Kathryn Lasky is an American children's writer who also writes for adults under the names Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann. Her children's books include several Dear America books, The Royal Diaries books, Sugaring Time, The Night Journey, Wolves of the Beyond, and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. Her awards include Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature, National Jewish Book Award, and Newbery Honor. Read more
• 24 Jun 1944: Chris Wood, English saxophonist (died 1983) Christopher Gordon Blandford Wood was a British rock musician, best known as a founding member of the rock band Traffic, along with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Dave Mason. Read more
• 24 Jun 1943: Birgit Grodal, Danish economist and academic (died 2004) Birgit Grodal, was an economics professor at the University of Copenhagen from 1968 until her death in 2004. Read more
• 24 Jun 1942: Arthur Brown, English rock singer-songwriter Arthur Wilton Brown is an English singer and songwriter best known for his flamboyant and theatrical performances, eclectic work and his powerful, wide-ranging operatic voice, in particular his high pitched banshee screams. He is also notable for his unique stage persona, featuring extreme facepaint, movement, dance, costume changes and a burning helmet. Read more
• 24 Jun 1942: Michele Lee, American actress and singer Michele Lee is an American actress, singer, dancer, author, producer and director. She is known for her role as Karen Fairgate MacKenzie on the prime-time soap opera Knots Landing, for which she was nominated for a 1982 Emmy Award and won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Best Actress in 1988, 1991, and 1992. She was the only performer to appear in all 344 episodes of the series. She is also known for her authorship of the best-selling autobiography "My Father was a Blackbelt". Read more
• 24 Jun 1942: Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Chilean engineer and politician, 32nd President of Chile Eduardo Alfredo Juan Bernardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle is a Chilean politician and civil engineer who served as president of Chile from 1994 to 2000. He was also a Senator, fulfilling the role of President of the Senate from 2006 to 2008. He attempted a comeback as the candidate of the ruling Concertación coalition for the 2009 presidential election, but was narrowly defeated. His father was Eduardo Frei Montalva, president of Chile from 1964 to 1970. Read more
• 24 Jun 1942: Colin Groves, Australian academician and educator (died 2017) Colin Peter Groves was a British-Australian biologist and anthropologist. Groves was professor of biological anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. Read more
• 24 Jun 1941: Erkin Koray, Turkish singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2023) Mustafa Erkin Koray was a Turkish singer and guitarist who mainly played Anatolian rock. Read more
• 24 Jun 1941: Julia Kristeva, Bulgarian-French psychoanalyst and author Julia Kristeva is a Bulgarian-French philosopher, literary critic, semiotician, psychoanalyst, feminist, and novelist who has lived in France since the mid-1960s. She has taught at Columbia University, and is now a professor emerita at Université Paris Cité. The author of more than 30 books, including Powers of Horror, Tales of Love, Black Sun: Depression and Melancholia, Proust and the Sense of Time, and the trilogy Female Genius, she has been awarded Commander of the Legion of Honor, Commander of the Order of Merit, the Holberg International Memorial Prize, the Hannah Arendt Prize, and the Vision 97 Foundation Prize, awarded by the Havel Foundation. Read more
• 24 Jun 1941: Graham McKenzie, Australian cricketer Graham Douglas McKenzie – commonly known as "Garth", after the comic strip hero – is an Australian cricketer who played for Western Australia (1960–74), Leicestershire (1969–75), Transvaal (1979–80) and Australia (1961–71) and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1965. He succeeded Alan Davidson as Australia's premier fast bowler and was in turn succeeded by Dennis Lillee, playing with both at either end of his career. McKenzie was particularly noted for his muscular physique and ability to take wickets on good batting tracks. His father Eric McKenzie and uncle Douglas McKenzie also played cricket for Western Australia. Garth was chosen for the Ashes tour of England in 1961 aged only 20. He made his debut in the Second Test at Lord's, where his 5/37 wrapped up the England innings to give Australia a 5-wicket victory. Read more
• 24 Jun 1940: Ian Ross, Australian newsreader (died 2014) Ian Charles "Roscoe" Ross was an Australian television news presenter for Seven News in Sydney and for Nine News. Read more
• 24 Jun 1940: Vittorio Storaro, Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, A.S.C., A.I.C., is an Italian cinematographer, widely recognized as one of the best and most influential in cinema history. Read more
• 24 Jun 1939: Brigitte Fontaine, French singer Brigitte Fontaine is a French singer of avant-garde music. She has employed numerous unusual musical styles, melding rock and roll, folk, jazz, electronica, spoken word poetry, and world. She has collaborated with Stereolab, Michel Colombier, Jean-Claude Vannier, Areski Belkacem, Gotan Project, Sonic Youth, Antoine Duhamel, Grace Jones, Noir Désir, Archie Shepp, Arno, and The Art Ensemble of Chicago.
  She is also a novelist, playwright, poet, and actress. Read more
• 24 Jun 1939: Judy Olson Duhamel, American politician and educator Judy Olson Duhamel is an American politician and educator. She served in the South Dakota State Senate representing Pennington County from 1988 to 1992 and later served as chair of the South Dakota Democratic Party. She served the Rapid City School District for eighteen years, overseeing community engagement and public information programs. She was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2014. Read more
• 24 Jun 1938: Lawrence Block, American author Lawrence Block is an American crime writer best known for two long-running New York-set series about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and the gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. Block was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1994. Block has written in the genres of crime, mystery, and suspense fiction for more than half a century, releasing over 100 books. Read more
• 24 Jun 1938: Abulfaz Elchibey, Azerbaijani politician, 1st democratically elected Azerbaijani President (died 2000) Abulfaz Gadirgulu oghlu Aliyev, commonly known as Abulfaz Elchibey, was a Pan-Turkist Azerbaijani nationalist, politician and Soviet dissident who was the first and, as of early 2026, only democratically elected President in post-Soviet Azerbaijan. He was the leader of the Azerbaijani Popular Front and played an important role in achieving Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union. Read more
• 24 Jun 1938: Ken Gray, New Zealand rugby player (died 1992) Kenneth Francis Gray was an international rugby union player from New Zealand. He represented New Zealand in 24 international games, playing lock and later prop forward. Read more
• 24 Jun 1937: Anita Desai, Indian-American author and academic Anita Desai is an Indian novelist and the emerita John E. Burchard Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times. She received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1978 for her novel Fire on the Mountain, from the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Literature. She won the Guardian Prize for The Village by the Sea (1983). Her other works include Cry, the Peacock, Voices in the City (1963), Fire on the Mountain (1977) and an anthology of short stories, Games at Twilight (1978). She is on the advisory board of the Lalit Kala Akademi and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, London. Since 2020 she has been a Companion of Literature. Read more
• 24 Jun 1936: Robert Downey Sr., American actor and director (died 2021) Robert John Downey Sr. was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. He was known for writing and directing the underground films Putney Swope (1969), a satire on the New York Madison Avenue advertising world, and Greaser's Palace (1972), a surrealist Western. According to film scholar Wheeler Winston Dixon, Downey's films during the 1960s were "strictly take-no-prisoners affairs, with minimal budgets and outrageous satire, effectively pushing forward the countercultural agenda of the day." He was the father of actor Robert Downey Jr.. Read more
• 24 Jun 1935: Terry Riley, American composer and educator Terrence Mitchell Riley is an American composer and performing musician best known as a pioneer of the minimalist school of composition. Influenced by jazz and Indian classical music, his work became notable for its innovative use of repetition, tape delay systems, and improvisation. His best known works are the 1964 composition In C and the 1969 album A Rainbow in Curved Air, both considered landmarks of minimalism and important influences on experimental music, rock, and contemporary electronic music. Read more
• 24 Jun 1935: Jean Milesi, French racing cyclist Jean Milesi is a French former professional racing cyclist. He rode in seven editions of the Tour de France. Read more
• 24 Jun 1935: Charlie Dees, American baseball player Charles Henry Dees is an American former professional baseball player whose career extended from 1957 through 1966. The first baseman appeared in 98 games played in Major League Baseball over parts of three seasons (1963–65) for the Los Angeles/California Angels. He threw and batted left-handed, and was listed as 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and 173 pounds (78 kg). Read more
• 24 Jun 1934: Ferdinand Biwersi, German footballer and referee (died 2013) Ferdinand Biwersi was a German football referee. Read more
• 24 Jun 1934: Jean-Pierre Ferland, Canadian singer-songwriter (died 2024) Jean-Pierre Ferland, was a Québécois singer and songwriter. He was noted for writing over 450 songs and releasing more than 30 albums. He was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007. Read more
• 24 Jun 1934: Gloria Christian, Italian singer Gloria Christian is an Italian canzone napoletana singer, mainly successful between the second half of the 1950s and the 1960s. Read more
• 24 Jun 1933: Bob Cole, Canadian sports announcer (died 2024) Robert Cecil Cole was a Canadian sports television announcer who worked for CBC and Sportsnet and a competitive curler. He was known primarily for his work on National Hockey League's Hockey Night in Canada and Olympic ice hockey. Read more
• 24 Jun 1933: Sam Jones, American basketball player and coach (died 2021) Samuel Jones was an American professional basketball player who was a shooting guard for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A five-time NBA All-Star, he was nicknamed "Mr. Clutch" and "the Shooter" for his quickness and game-winning shots, especially during the NBA playoffs. Jones has the second most NBA championships of any player (10), behind only his teammate Bill Russell (11). He was also one of only three Celtics to be part of each of the Celtics' eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966. Jones is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Read more
• 24 Jun 1933: Ngina Kenyatta, 1st First Lady of Kenya Ngìna Kenyatta, popularly known as "Mama Ngìna", is the former First Lady of Kenya. She is the widow of Kenya's first president, Jomo Kenyatta (~1889–1978), and mother of the fourth president Uhuru Kenyatta who served from 2013 to 2022. Read more
• 24 Jun 1932: David McTaggart, Canadian-Italian environmentalist (died 2001) David Fraser McTaggart was a Canadian badminton player and an environmentalist who played a central part in the foundation of Greenpeace International. Read more
• 24 Jun 1931: Billy Casper, American golfer (died 2015) William Earl Casper Jr. was an American professional golfer. He was one of the most prolific tournament winners on the PGA Tour from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. Read more
• 24 Jun 1930: Claude Chabrol, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2010) Claude Henri Jean Chabrol was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues and contemporaries Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Éric Rohmer and Jacques Rivette, Chabrol was a critic for the influential film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma before beginning his career as a filmmaker. Read more
• 24 Jun 1930: Donald Gordon, South African businessman and philanthropist (died 2019) Sir Donald Gordon was a South African-British businessman and philanthropist. He founded Liberty Life Association of Africa in 1957 and Liberty International. Read more
• 24 Jun 1930: William Bernard Ziff, Jr., American publisher (died 2006) William Bernard "Bill" Ziff Jr. was an American publishing executive. His father, William Bernard Ziff Sr., was the co-founder of Ziff Davis Inc. and when the elder Ziff died in 1953, Ziff took over the management of the company. After buying out partner Bernard G. Davis, he led Ziff Davis to become the most successful publisher of technology magazines in the 1970s and 1980s. Read more
• 24 Jun 1929: Carolyn S. Shoemaker, American astronomer (died 2021) Carolyn Jean Spellmann Shoemaker was an American astronomer and a co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9. She discovered 32 comets and more than 500 asteroids. Read more
• 24 Jun 1927: Fernand Dumont, Canadian sociologist, philosopher, and poet (died 1997) Fernand Dumont was a Canadian sociologist, philosopher, theologian, and poet from Quebec. A longtime professor at Université Laval, he won the Governor General's Award for French-language non-fiction at the 1968 Governor General's Awards for Le lieu de l'homme. Read more
• 24 Jun 1927: James B. Edwards, American dentist, soldier, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Energy (died 2014) James Burrows Edwards was an American politician and administrator from South Carolina. He was the first Republican to be elected governor of South Carolina since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era in the 1870s. He later served as the U.S. secretary of energy under Ronald Reagan. Read more
• 24 Jun 1927: Martin Lewis Perl, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2014) Martin Lewis Perl was an American chemical engineer and physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995 for his discovery of the tau lepton. Read more
• 24 Jun 1925: Ogden Reid, American politician (died 2019) Ogden Rogers Reid was an American politician and diplomat. He was the U.S. ambassador to Israel and a six-term United States representative from Westchester County, New York, serving from 1963 to 1975. Read more
• 24 Jun 1924: Kurt Furgler, Swiss politician, 70th President of the Swiss Confederation (died 2008) Kurt Furgler was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1972–1986). Read more
• 24 Jun 1924: Archie Roy, Scottish astronomer and academic (died 2012) Archie Edmiston Roy FRSE, FRAS was Professor Emeritus of Astronomy in the University of Glasgow. Read more
• 24 Jun 1924: Yoshito Takamine, American politician (died 2015) Yoshito Takamine was an American politician and labor leader in Hawaii. Takamine, who was first elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 1958, when the state was still the Territory of Hawaii, served in the state House of Representatives for 12 consecutive terms until his retirement in 1984. Takamine, the longtime chairman of the House Labor Committee, oversaw the creation of the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act of 1974, which made Hawaii the first U.S. state to require minimum standards for the health care benefits offered to workers. Read more
• 24 Jun 1923: Margaret Olley, Australian painter and philanthropist (died 2011) Margaret Hannah Olley was an Australian painter. She held over ninety solo exhibitions during her lifetime. Read more
• 24 Jun 1922: Jack Carter, American actor and comedian (died 2015) Jack Carter was an American comedian, actor and television presenter. Born in Brooklyn, Carter had a long-running comedy act similar to fellow rapid-paced contemporaries Milton Berle and Morey Amsterdam. Read more
• 24 Jun 1922: John Postgate, English microbiologist, author, and academic (died 2014) John Raymond Postgate FRS was an English microbiologist and writer, latterly Professor Emeritus of Microbiology at the University of Sussex. Postgate's research in microbiology investigated nitrogen fixation, microbial survival, and sulphate-reducing bacteria. He worked for the Agricultural Research Council's Unit of Nitrogen Fixation from 1963 until he retired, by then its director, in 1987. In 2011, he was described as a "father figure of British microbiology". Read more
• 24 Jun 1922: Richard Timberlake, American economist (died 2020) Richard Henry Timberlake Jr. was an American economist who was Professor of Economics at the University of Georgia for much of his career. He became a leading advocate of free banking, the belief that money should be issued by private companies, not by a government monopoly. He wrote about the Legal Tender Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court in his book Constitutional Money: A Review of the Supreme Court's Monetary Decisions. Read more
• 24 Jun 1921: Gerhard Sommer, German soldier (died 2019) Gerhard Sommer was a German SS-Untersturmführer in the 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS who was involved in the massacre of 560 civilians on 12 August 1944 in the Italian village of Sant'Anna di Stazzema. He appeared on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's list of most wanted Nazi war criminals. Read more
• 24 Jun 1919: Al Molinaro, American actor (died 2015) Albert Francis Molinaro was an American actor. He played Al Delvecchio on Happy Days and Officer Murray Greshler on The Odd Couple. He also appeared in many television commercials, including On-Cor frozen dinners. Read more
• 24 Jun 1918: Mildred Ladner Thompson, American journalist and author (died 2013) Mildred Ladner Thompson was an American journalist, writer, and columnist with The Wall Street Journal, where she became one of its first female reporters. She also worked as a reporter and columnist for the Associated Press and Tulsa World. Read more
• 24 Jun 1918: Yong Nyuk Lin, Singaporean businessman and politician, Singaporean Minister for Education (died 2012) Yong Nyuk Lin was a Singaporean politician who served as the Minister for Communications between 1968 and 1975, Minister for Health between 1963 and 1968, and Minister for Education between 1959 and 1963. Read more
• 24 Jun 1917: David Easton, Canadian-American political scientist and academic (died 2014) David Easton was a Canadian-born American political scientist. From 1947 to 1997, he served as a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. Read more
• 24 Jun 1917: Lucy Jarvis, American television producer (died 2020) Lucile Jarvis was an American television producer. Read more
• 24 Jun 1917: Ramblin' Tommy Scott, American singer and guitarist (died 2013) Ramblin' Tommy Scott, aka "Doc" Tommy Scott, was an American country and rockabilly musician. Read more
• 24 Jun 1917: Joan Clarke, English cryptanalyst and numismatist (died 1996) Joan Elisabeth Lowther Murray was an English cryptanalyst and numismatist who worked as a code-breaker at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. Although she did not personally seek the spotlight, her role in the Enigma project that decrypted the German secret communications earned her awards and citations, such as appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), in 1946. Read more
• 24 Jun 1916: William B. Saxbe, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 70th United States Attorney General (died 2010) William Bart Saxbe was an American lawyer and politician.
  A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. senator for Ohio from 1969 to 1974 after a career in state politics that included terms as Ohio Attorney General and as a legislator. Saxbe then served as the 70th United States attorney general from 1974 to 1975 under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and as the U.S. ambassador to India from 1975 to 1976. Read more
• 24 Jun 1916: Saloua Raouda Choucair, Lebanese painter and sculptor (died 2017) Saloua Raouda Choucair was a Lebanese painter and sculptor. Read more
• 24 Jun 1915: Fred Hoyle, English astronomer and author (died 2001) Sir Fred Hoyle (24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001) was an English astronomer. With Margaret and Geoffrey Burbidge and William Alfred Fowler, he formulated the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis in the influential B2FH paper. Read more
• 24 Jun 1914: Kari Diesen, Norwegian singer and revue actress (died 1987) Kari Diesen was a Norwegian singer and revue actress. She worked for the revue theatre Chat Noir from 1937 to 1953, and for the Edderkoppen Theatre from 1954 to 1959. She participated in 24 films between 1941 and 1985. Among her best known song recordings is her version of "Hovedøen". Read more
• 24 Jun 1914: Jan Karski, Polish-American activist and academic (died 2000) Jan Karski was a Polish soldier, resistance-fighter, and diplomat during World War II. He is known for having acted as a courier in 1940–1943 to the Polish government-in-exile and to Poland's Western Allies about the situation in German-occupied Poland. He reported about the state of Poland, its many competing resistance factions, and also about Germany's destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto and its operation of extermination camps on Polish soil that were murdering Jews, Poles, and others. Read more
• 24 Jun 1914: Pearl Witherington, French secret agent (died 2008) Cecile Pearl Witherington Cornioley,, code names Marie and Pauline, was an agent in France for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. The purpose of SOE was to conduct espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance in occupied Europe against the Axis powers. SOE agents allied themselves with French Resistance groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from England. Read more
• 24 Jun 1913: Gustaaf Deloor, Belgian cyclist and soldier (died 2002) Gustaaf Deloor was a Belgian road racing cyclist and the winner of the first two editions of the Vuelta a España in 1935 and 1936. The 1936 edition remains the slowest winning finish time of the Vuelta in 150:07:54, the race consisted of 22 stages with a total length of 4,407 km. Gustaaf finished first and his older brother Alfons finished second overall. Read more
• 24 Jun 1912: Brian Johnston, English sportscaster and author (died 1994) Brian Alexander Johnston, nicknamed Johnners, was a British cricket commentator, author, and television presenter. He was most prominently associated with the BBC during a career which lasted from 1946 until his death in January 1994. Read more
• 24 Jun 1912: Mary Wesley, English author (died 2002) Mary Aline Siepmann CBE, known by the pen name Mary Wesley, was an English novelist. During her career, she was one of Britain's most successful novelists, selling three million copies of her books, including ten bestsellers in the last twenty years of her life. Read more
• 24 Jun 1911: Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentinian race car driver (died 1995) Juan Manuel Fangio was an Argentine racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1950 to 1958. Nicknamed "el Chueco" and "el Maestro", Fangio won five Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles and—at the time of his retirement—held the record for most wins (24), pole positions (29), fastest laps (23), and podium finishes (35), among others. Read more
• 24 Jun 1911: Ernesto Sabato, Argentinian physicist and academic (died 2011) Ernesto Sabato was an Argentine novelist, essayist, painter, and physicist. According to the BBC he "won some of the most prestigious prizes in Hispanic literature" and "became very influential in the literary world throughout Latin America". Upon his death El País dubbed him the "last classic writer in Argentine literature". Read more
• 24 Jun 1911: Portia White, Canadian opera singer (died 1968) Portia May White was a Canadian contralto, known for becoming the first Black Canadian concert singer to achieve international fame. Growing up as part of her father's church choir in Halifax, Nova Scotia, White competed in local singing competitions as a teenager and later trained at the Halifax Conservatory of Music. In 1941 and 1944, she made her national and international debuts as a singer, receiving critical acclaim for her performances of both classical European music and African-American spirituals. White later completed tours throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Read more
• 24 Jun 1909: Jean Deslauriers, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (died 1978) Jean Deslauriers was a Canadian conductor, violinist, and composer. As a conductor he had a long and fruitful partnership with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; conducting orchestras for feature films and television and radio programs for more than 40 years. He also worked as a guest conductor with orchestras and opera companies throughout Canada and served on the conducting staff of the Opéra du Québec. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes him as "a conductor with a sober but efficient technique, who was always faithful to the written score [and] equally at ease conducting concerts, opera, and lighter repertoire." His best-known compositions are his Prélude for strings and the song, La Musique des yeux. He is the father of soprano Yolande Deslauriers-Husaruk. Read more
• 24 Jun 1909: William Penney, Baron Penney, English mathematician and physicist (died 1991) William George Penney, Baron Penney, was an English mathematician and professor of mathematical physics at the Imperial College London and later the rector of Imperial College London. He had a leading role in the development of High Explosive Research, Britain's clandestine nuclear programme that started in 1942 during the Second World War which produced the first British atomic bomb in 1952. Read more
• 24 Jun 1909: Betty Cavanna, American author (died 2001) Betty Cavanna was the author of popular teen romance novels, mysteries, and children's books for 45 years. She also wrote under the names Elizabeth Headley and Betsy Allen. She was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile in 1970 and 1972. Read more
• 24 Jun 1908: Hugo Distler, German organist, composer, and conductor (died 1942) August Hugo Distler was a German organist, choral conductor, teacher and composer. Read more
• 24 Jun 1908: Alfons Rebane, Estonian colonel (died 1976) Alfons Vilhelm Robert Rebane was an Estonian military commander. He was the most highly decorated Estonian military officer during World War II, serving in various Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS units of Nazi Germany. Read more
• 24 Jun 1907: Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet and translator (died 1989) Arseny Aleksandrovich Tarkovsky was a Soviet and Russian poet and translator. He was predeceased by his son, film director and screenwriter Andrei Tarkovsky. Read more
• 24 Jun 1906: Pierre Fournier, French cellist and educator (died 1986) Pierre Léon Marie Fournier was a French cellist who was called the "aristocrat of cellists" on account of his elegant musicianship and majestic sound. Read more
• 24 Jun 1906: Willard Maas, American poet and educator (died 1971) Willard Maas was an American experimental filmmaker and poet. Read more
• 24 Jun 1905: Fred Alderman, American sprinter (died 1998) Frederick Pitt Alderman was an American sprint runner who won a gold medal in 4 × 400 m relay at the 1928 Summer Olympics. He also won the NCAA Championships in 100 yd (91 m) and 220 yd (200 m) and IC4A Championships in 440 yd (400 m) in 1927. Read more
• 24 Jun 1904: Phil Harris, American singer-songwriter and actor (died 1995) Wonga Philip "Phil" Harris was an American actor, comedian, bandleader, and musician. He was an orchestra leader and a pioneer in radio situation comedy, first with The Jack Benny Program, then in The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show in which he co-starred with his wife, singer-actress Alice Faye, for eight years. Harris is also noted for his voice acting in animated films. As a voice actor, he voiced Baloo in The Jungle Book (1967), Thomas O'Malley in The Aristocats (1970), Little John in Robin Hood (1973), and Patou in Rock-a-Doodle (1991). As a singer, he recorded a number one novelty hit record, "The Thing" (1950). Read more
• 24 Jun 1904: Olga Olgina, Polish opera singer and teacher (died 1979) Olga Józefowicz, known professionally as Olga Olgina, was a Polish coloratura soprano, teacher and pianist. She made her debut in the title role of Verdi's La traviata at the Vilnius Opera in 1922 at age 18 and retired in 1977. She taught at the Łódź Conservatory, becoming dean of the institution. Teresa Żylis-Gara was one of her students. Read more
• 24 Jun 1901: Marcel Mule, French saxophonist (died 2001) Marcel Mule was a French classical saxophonist. He was known worldwide as one of the greatest classical saxophonists ever, and many pieces were written for him, premiered by him, and arranged by him. Many of these pieces have become staples in the classical saxophone repertoire. He is considered to be the founder of the French Saxophone School and the most representative saxophone soloist of his time, being a fundamental figure in the development of the instrument. Read more
• 24 Jun 1901: Harry Partch, American composer and theorist (died 1974) Harry Partch was an American composer, music theorist, and creator of unique musical instruments. He composed using scales of unequal intervals in just intonation, and was one of the first 20th-century composers in the West to work systematically with microtonal scales, alongside Lou Harrison. He built his own instruments in these tunings on which to play his compositions, and described the method behind his theory and practice in his book Genesis of a Music (1947). Read more
• 24 Jun 1901: Chuck Taylor, American basketball player and salesman (died 1969) Charles Hollis Taylor was an American basketball player and basketball shoe salesman-marketer who was associated with Chuck Taylor All-Stars, which he helped to improve and promote. Read more
• 24 Jun 1900: Wilhelm Cauer, German mathematician and engineer (died 1945) Wilhelm Cauer was a German mathematician and scientist. He is most noted for his work on the analysis and synthesis of electrical filters and his work marked the beginning of the field of network synthesis. Prior to his work, electronic filter design used techniques which accurately predicted filter behaviour only under unrealistic conditions. This required a certain amount of experience on the part of the designer to choose suitable sections to include in the design. Cauer placed the field on a firm mathematical footing, providing tools that could produce exact solutions to a given specification for the design of an electronic filter. Read more
• 24 Jun 1898: Armin Öpik, Estonian-Australian paleontologist and geologist (died 1983) Armin Aleksander Öpik was an Estonian paleontologist who spent the second half of his career at the Bureau of Mineral Resources in Australia. Read more
• 24 Jun 1898: Karl Selter, Estonian politician, 14th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (died 1958) Karl Selter was an Estonian politician and a Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. He served as Minister of Economic Affairs from 1933 to 1938 and as minister of Foreign affairs from 1938 to 1939. His historically most memorable act was to sign a non-aggression and mutual assistance treaty with the Soviet leaders in Moscow in September 1939. This was also his personal and national Estonian most tragic act. It followed a brutal ultimatum from the Soviet Foreign Minister, Vyacheslav Molotov on 24 September. Molotov said to Selter: Estonia gained sovereignty when the Soviet Union was powerless, but you “don’t think that this can last… forever… The Soviet Union is now a great power whose interests need to be taken into consideration. I tell you—the Soviet Union needs enlargement of her security guarantee system; for this purpose she needs an exit to the Baltic Sea … I ask you, do not compel us to use force against Estonia.” The enforced in this manner treaty gave the Soviet army a right to set up military bases in Estonia, and it significantly reduced Estonia's independence until Estonia was formally incorporated into the Soviet Union between June and August 1940. Selter left Estonia in November 1939, resigning both as Foreign Minister and as a member of Parliament. He moved to Geneva, Switzerland as a diplomat. After Germany occupied Estonia between 1941 and 1944, and after it was re-incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1944, he stayed in Switzerland as an exiled diplomat and politician. Read more
• 24 Jun 1895: Jack Dempsey, American boxer and soldier (died 1983) William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey, nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and was world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. He is ranked sixth on The Ring magazine's list of all-time heavyweights and fourth among its Top 100 Greatest Punchers, while in 1950 the Associated Press voted him as the greatest fighter of the past 50 years. Read more
• 24 Jun 1893: Roy O. Disney, American businessman, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (died 1971) Roy Oliver Disney was an American entrepreneur. He co-founded with his younger brother Walt what is now the Walt Disney Company in October 1923. Disney also served as the company's first chief executive officer and was the father of Roy E. Disney. Read more
• 24 Jun 1888: Gerrit Rietveld, Dutch architect, designed the Rietveld Schröder House (died 1964) Gerrit Rietveld was a Dutch furniture designer and architect. Read more
• 24 Jun 1885: Olaf Holtedahl, Norwegian geologist (died 1975) Olaf Holtedahl was a Norwegian geologist. He became a senior lecturer at the University of Oslo in 1914, and was Professor of Geology there from 1920 to 1956. Read more
• 24 Jun 1884: Frank Waller, American runner (died 1941) Frank Laird Waller was an American athlete who specialized in the 400 metres. He later became a vocal coach. Read more
• 24 Jun 1883: Victor Francis Hess, Austrian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1964) Victor Franz Hess was an Austrian–American experimental physicist who shared the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physics with Carl David Anderson for his discovery of cosmic rays. Read more
• 24 Jun 1883: Fritz Löhner-Beda, Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer (died 1942) Fritz Löhner-Beda, born Bedřich Löwy, was an Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer. Once nearly forgotten, many of his songs and tunes remain popular today. He was murdered in Auschwitz III Monowitz concentration camp. Read more
• 24 Jun 1883: Jean Metzinger, French artist (died 1956) Jean Dominique Antony Metzinger was a major 20th-century French painter, theorist, writer, critic and poet, who along with Albert Gleizes wrote the first theoretical work on Cubism. His earliest works, from 1900 to 1904, were influenced by the neo-Impressionism of Georges Seurat and Henri-Edmond Cross. Between 1904 and 1907, Metzinger worked in the Divisionist and Fauvist styles with a strong Cézannian component, leading to some of the first proto-Cubist works. Read more
• 24 Jun 1883: Arthur L. Newton, American runner (died 1956) Arthur Lee Newton was an American athlete who competed mainly in the distance events. He was born in Woodstock, Vermont, but moved to New Rochelle, New York in 1912, where he was an automobile dealer. Read more
• 24 Jun 1883: Frank Verner, American runner (died 1966) William Franklyn "Bill" Verner was an American athlete and middle-distance runner who competed in the early twentieth century. Read more
• 24 Jun 1882: Athanase David, Canadian lawyer and politician (died 1953) Louis-Athanase David was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and businessman. He was a cabinet minister in the Provincial Parliament of Quebec, representing the riding of Terrebonne and serving as Provincial Secretary. In this position, he created Quebec's first cultural policy. He was later a member of the Canadian Senate. Read more
• 24 Jun 1882: Carl Diem, German businessman (died 1962) Carl Diem was a German sports administrator, and as a Secretary General of the Organizing Committee of the Berlin Olympic Games, he was also the chief organizer of the 1936 Olympic Summer Games. Read more
• 24 Jun 1881: George Shiels, Irish-Canadian author, poet, and playwright (died 1949) George Shiels was an Irish dramatist whose plays were a success both in his native Ulster and at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. His most famous plays are The Rugged Path, The Passing Day, and The New Gossoon. Read more
• 24 Jun 1880: Oswald Veblen, American mathematician and academic (g. 1960) Oswald Veblen was an American mathematician, geometer and topologist, whose work found application in atomic physics and the theory of relativity. He proved the Jordan curve theorem in 1905; while this was long considered the first rigorous proof of the theorem, many now also consider Camille Jordan's original proof rigorous. Read more
• 24 Jun 1880: João Cândido, Brazilian revolutionary and sailor (died 1969) João Cândido Felisberto was a Brazilian sailor, best known as the leader of the 1910 "Revolt of the Lash". His name was sometimes given as simply "João Cândido", or "Jean Candido" in non-Portuguese sources. Read more
• 24 Jun 1875: Forrest Reid, Irish novelist, literary critic and translator (died 1947) Forrest Reid was an Irish novelist, literary critic and translator. He was a leading pre-war novelist of boyhood and is still acclaimed as a noted Ulster novelist, being awarded the 1944 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel Young Tom. Read more
• 24 Jun 1872: Frank Crowninshield, American journalist and art and theatre critic (died 1947) Francis Welch Crowninshield was an American journalist and art and theater critic best known for developing and editing the magazine Vanity Fair for 21 years, making it a pre-eminent literary journal. Read more
• 24 Jun 1869: Prince George of Greece and Denmark (died 1957) Prince George of Greece and Denmark was the second son and child of George I of Greece and Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. He served as high commissioner of the Cretan State during its transition towards independence from Ottoman rule and union (Enosis) with Greece. Read more
• 24 Jun 1867: Ruth Randall Edström, American educator and activist (died 1944) Ruth Miriam Edström was an American peace activist and fighter for women's rights. She worked with the pre-work for the third peace conference in The Hague. She participated in the international women's congress in 1915. Ruth was the wife of the head of Asea, J. Sigfrid Edström. Read more
• 24 Jun 1865: Robert Henri, American painter and educator (died 1929) Robert Henri was an American painter and teacher. Read more
• 24 Jun 1858: Hastings Rashdall, English historian, philosopher, and theologian (died 1924) Hastings Rashdall was an English philosopher, theologian, historian, and Anglican priest. He expounded a theory known as ideal utilitarianism, and he was a major historian of the universities of the Middle Ages. He argued for personal idealism and theistic finitism. Read more
• 24 Jun 1856: Henry Chapman Mercer, American archaeologist and author (died 1930) Henry Chapman Mercer was an American archeologist, artifact collector and tile-maker, who was the designer of three distinctive poured concrete structures: Fonthill, his home; the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works; and the Mercer Museum. Read more
• 24 Jun 1854: Eleanor Norcross, American painter (died 1923) Ella Augusta "Eleanor" Norcross was an American painter who studied under William Merritt Chase and Alfred Stevens. She lived the majority of her adult life in Paris, France, as an artist and collector and spent the summers in her hometown of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Norcross painted Impressionist portraits and still lifes, and is better known for her paintings of genteel interiors. Read more
• 24 Jun 1852: Friedrich Loeffler, German bacteriologist and academic (died 1915) Friedrich August Johannes Loeffler was a German bacteriologist at the University of Greifswald. Read more
• 24 Jun 1850: Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, Irish field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Sudan (died 1916) Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. Kitchener came to prominence for his imperial campaigns, his involvement in the Second Boer War, and his central role in the early part of the First World War. Read more
• 24 Jun 1846: Samuel Johnson, Nigerian priest and historian (died 1901) The Rev. Samuel Johnson was an Anglican priest, diplomat, and historian, as well as the great-grandson of Alaafin Abiodun, a powerful king of the Oyo Empire. He is most notable for his magnum opus The History of the Yorubas, published posthumously in 1921, in which Johnson endeavored to record the oral traditions and history of the Yoruba people, which he feared were fast fading into obscurity. Lost, rewritten, and then narrowly escaping destruction during WWI, his history has since become "the most frequently cited and most influential volume about the Yoruba-speaking people". Besides his historical contributions, Johnson led an active life, variously serving as a minister, teacher, and school superintendent in Ibadan, capital city of the Oyo state in Nigeria. During the Yoruba Wars, he was an emissary involved in negotiations between the British, Ibadan chiefs, and the king of Oyo. Read more
• 24 Jun 1842: Ambrose Bierce, American short story writer, essayist, and journalist (died 1914) Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American author, journalist, and poet. A prolific and versatile writer, Bierce was regarded as one of the most influential journalists in the United States and as a pioneering writer of realist fiction. For his horror writing, Michael Dirda ranked him alongside Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft. S. T. Joshi speculates that he may well be the greatest satirist America has ever produced, and in this regard can take his place with such figures as Juvenal, Swift, and Voltaire. His war stories influenced Stephen Crane, Ernest Hemingway and others, and he was considered an influential and feared literary critic. In recent decades, Bierce has gained wider respect as a fabulist and poet. Read more
• 24 Jun 1839: Gustavus Franklin Swift, American businessman (died 1903) Gustavus Franklin Swift Sr. was an American business executive. He founded a meat-packing empire in the Midwest during the late 19th century, over which he presided until his death. He is credited with the development of the first practical ice-cooled railroad car, which allowed his company to ship dressed meats to all parts of the country and abroad, ushering in the "era of cheap beef." Swift pioneered the use of animal by-products for the manufacture of soap, glue, fertilizer, various types of sundries, and even medical products. Read more
• 24 Jun 1838: Jan Matejko, Polish painter (died 1893) Jan Alojzy Matejko was a Polish painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include large scale oil paintings such as Stańczyk (1862), Rejtan (1866), Union of Lublin (1869), Astronomer Copernicus, or Conversations with God (1873), or Battle of Grunwald (1878). He was the author of numerous portraits, a gallery of Polish monarchs in book form, and murals in St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków. He is considered by many as the most celebrated Polish painter, and sometimes as the "national painter" of Poland. Read more
• 24 Jun 1835: Johannes Wislicenus, German chemist and academic (died 1902) Johannes Wislicenus was a German chemist, most famous for his work in early stereochemistry. Read more
• 24 Jun 1826: George Goyder, English-Australian surveyor (died 1898) George Woodroffe Goyder was a surveyor in the Colony of South Australia during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Read more
• 24 Jun 1821: Guillermo Rawson, Argentinian physician and politician (died 1890) Guillermo Rawson was a medical doctor and politician in nineteenth-century Argentina. In 1862, when he was the Interior Minister of Argentina, he met Captain Love Jones-Parry and Lewis Jones, who were on their way to Patagonia to investigate whether it was suitable for the creation of a Welsh settlement there. Rawson came to an agreement with them, and this resulted in the creation of a colony in the Chubut Valley in the following years. The city of Rawson, the capital of the province of Chubut, was named after him. Read more
• 24 Jun 1813: Henry Ward Beecher, American minister and reformer (died 1887) Henry Ward Beecher was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery trial. His rhetorical focus on the love of Christ has influenced mainstream Christianity through the 21st century. Read more
• 24 Jun 1813: Francis Boott, American composer (died 1904) Francis Boott was an American classical music composer of art songs and works for chorus. Read more
• 24 Jun 1811: John Archibald Campbell, American lawyer and jurist (died 1889) John Archibald Campbell was an American jurist. He was a successful lawyer in Georgia and Alabama, where he served in the state legislature. Appointed by Franklin Pierce to the United States Supreme Court in 1853, he resigned at the beginning of the American Civil War, traveled south and became an official of the Confederate States of America. After serving six months in a military prison at war's end, he secured a pardon and resumed his law practice in New Orleans, where he also opposed Reconstruction. Read more
• 24 Jun 1804: Stephan Endlicher, Austrian botanist, numismatist, and sinologist (died 1849) Stephan Friedrich Ladislaus Endlicher, also known as Endlicher István László, was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna. The standard author abbreviation Endl. is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name. Read more
• 24 Jun 1804: Willard Richards, American religious leader (died 1854) Willard Richards was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He served as second counselor to church president Brigham Young in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death. Read more

Notable Deaths on 24 June

• 24 Jun 2025: Bobby Sherman, American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1943) Robert Cabot Sherman Jr. was an American singer and actor who was a teen idol in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He had a series of successful singles, notably the million-seller "Little Woman" (1969). Sherman left show business in the 1970s for a career as a paramedic and a deputy sheriff, but performed occasionally into the 1990s. Read more
• 24 Jun 2024: Shifty Shellshock, American vocalist (born 1974) Seth Brooks Binzer, better known by his stage name Shifty Shellshock, was an American rapper and songwriter who cofounded the rap rock band Crazy Town, known for their hit song "Butterfly". He later had a solo career. Binzer struggled with addiction throughout his career and appeared on the reality television series Celebrity Rehab and Sober House. Read more
• 24 Jun 2021: Benigno Aquino III, 15th President of the Philippines (born 1960) Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Cojuangco Aquino III, also known colloquially as PNoy, was the 15th president of the Philippines, serving from 2010 to 2016. A member of the Liberal Party, he was the son of assassinated politician Ninoy Aquino and 11th president Corazon Aquino, and a fourth-generation politician as part of the Aquino family of Tarlac. Read more
• 24 Jun 2021: Trần Thiện Khiêm, 7th Prime Minister of South Vietnam and army officer (born 1925) Trần Thiện Khiêm was a South Vietnamese soldier and politician, who served as a General in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) during the Vietnam War. He was born in Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina. During the 1960s, he was involved in several coups. He helped President Ngô Đình Diệm put down a November 1960 coup attempt and was rewarded with a promotion. In 1963, however, he was involved in the coup that deposed and assassinated Diêm. Read more
• 24 Jun 2015: Cristiano Araújo, Brazilian singer-songwriter (born 1986) Cristiano de Melo Araújo was a Brazilian singer-songwriter. Read more
• 24 Jun 2015: Mario Biaggi, American police officer, politician and criminal (born 1917) Mario Biaggi was an American politician, attorney, and police officer. He served ten terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York from 1969 to 1988. Read more
• 24 Jun 2015: Marva Collins, American author and educator (born 1936) Marva Delores Collins was an American educator. Collins is best known for creating Westside Preparatory School, a widely acclaimed private elementary school in the impoverished Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, which opened in 1975. Read more
• 24 Jun 2015: Susan Ahn Cuddy, American lieutenant (born 1915) Susan Ahn Cuddy was the first female gunnery officer in the United States Navy. She was the eldest daughter of Korean independence activist Ahn Chang-ho and Helen Ahn, the first married Korean couple to immigrate to the United States in 1902. She joined the Navy in 1942 and served until 1946, reaching the rank of lieutenant. She was the first Asian-American woman to join the U.S. Navy and the first Korean-American in U.S. Naval Intelligence. Read more
• 24 Jun 2014: John Clement, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1928) John Twining Clement was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament from 1971 to 1975 and was in the cabinet of premier Bill Davis. Read more
• 24 Jun 2014: Marilyn Fisher Lundy, American businesswoman (born 1925) Marilyn Fisher Lundy was an American businesswoman and philanthropist. As the CEO and president of the League of Catholic Women, Lundy led the development of several organizations for women and children within Michigan, including educational institutions. Read more
• 24 Jun 2014: Olga Kotelko, Canadian runner and softball player (born 1919) Olga Kotelko was a Canadian track and field athlete. She held over 30 world records and won over 750 gold medals in her age category for the Masters competition, age 90–95, and was considered "one of the world's greatest athletes" as a result. She held every track and field world record she attempted for her age group. Read more
• 24 Jun 2014: Ramón José Velásquez, Venezuelan journalist, lawyer, and politician, President of Venezuela (born 1916) Ramón José Velásquez Mujica was a Venezuelan politician, historian, journalist, and lawyer. He served as the president of Venezuela between 1993 and 1994. Read more
• 24 Jun 2014: Eli Wallach, American actor (born 1915) Eli Herschel Wallach was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. Known for his character actor roles, his entertainment career spanned over six decades. He received a BAFTA Award, a Tony Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. He also was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1988 and received the Academy Honorary Award in 2010. Read more
• 24 Jun 2013: Mick Aston, English archaeologist and academic (born 1946) Michael Antony Aston was an English archaeologist who specialised in Early Medieval landscape archaeology. Over the course of his career, he lectured at both the University of Bristol and University of Oxford and published fifteen books on archaeological subjects. A keen populariser of the discipline, Aston was widely known for appearing as the resident academic on the Channel 4 television series Time Team from 1994 to 2011. Read more
• 24 Jun 2013: Emilio Colombo, Italian politician, 40th Prime Minister of Italy (born 1920) Emilio Colombo was an Italian politician. A member of the Christian Democracy party, he served as Prime Minister of Italy from August 1970 to February 1972. In 2003, he was appointed senator for life, a seat he held until his death. Read more
• 24 Jun 2013: Joannes Gijsen, Dutch bishop (born 1932) Joannes Baptist Matthijs Gijsen was a Dutch bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. After being Bishop (emeritus) of Roermond, Limburg, the Netherlands, he became Bishop (emeritus) of the Diocese of Reykjavík (Iceland). His episcopal motto was Parate viam Domini. Read more
• 24 Jun 2013: William Hathaway, American lawyer and politician (born 1924) William Dodd Hathaway was an American politician and lawyer from Maine. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator for Maine from 1973 to 1979, as the U.S. representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district from 1965 to 1973, and as the commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission from 1990 to 1999. Read more
• 24 Jun 2013: James Martin, English-Bermudian computer scientist and author (born 1933) James Martin was a British information technology consultant and author, known for his work on information technology engineering. Read more
• 24 Jun 2013: Alan Myers, American drummer (born 1955) Alan Charles Myers was an American rock drummer whose music career spanned more than 30 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as the third and most prominent drummer of the new wave band Devo, replacing Jim Mothersbaugh. Read more
• 24 Jun 2012: Darrel Akerfelds, American baseball player and coach (born 1962) Darrel Wayne Akerfelds was an American professional baseball pitcher. He also served as the bullpen coach of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres, from 2001 until his death. Akerfelds pitched in the major leagues in parts of five seasons, from 1986 to 1991 for the Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, and Philadelphia Phillies. Read more
• 24 Jun 2012: Gad Beck, German author and educator (born 1923) Gerhard "Gad" Beck was an Israeli-German educator, author, activist, resistance member, and survivor of the Holocaust. Read more
• 24 Jun 2012: Gu Chaohao, Chinese mathematician and academic (born 1926) Gu Chaohao was a Chinese mathematician. He graduated from National Chekiang University in 1948, and received a doctorate in physics and mathematical science from Moscow University in 1959. He was primarily engaged in research on partial differential equations, differential geometry, solitons, and mathematical physics. He served as vice president of Fudan University and from 1988 to 1993 as president of the University of Science and Technology of China. In 1980, he was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He received the Highest Science and Technology Award in 2009. Read more
• 24 Jun 2012: Miki Roqué, Spanish footballer (born 1988) Miguel "Miki" Roqué Farrero was a Spanish professional footballer who played as a central defender. Read more
• 24 Jun 2012: Ann C. Scales, American lawyer, educator, and activist (born 1952) Ann C. Scales was an American lawyer, activist, and law professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law from 2003 to 2012, where she taught in constitutional law, sexual orientation and the law, civil procedure and torts. Read more
• 24 Jun 2012: Lonesome George, last known Pinta Island tortoise (hatched c. 1910) Lonesome George was a male Pinta Island tortoise and the last known individual of the subspecies. In his last years, he was known as the rarest creature in the world. George serves as an important symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos Islands and throughout the world. Read more
• 24 Jun 2011: Tomislav Ivić, Croatian football coach and manager (born 1933) Tomislav Ivić was a Croatian professional football player and manager. Often described as a brilliant strategist, Ivić is credited with helping develop the modern style of the game. In April 2007, Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport proclaimed him as the most successful football manager in history, due to his seven league titles won in five countries. Read more
• 24 Jun 2010: Fred Anderson, American jazz tenor saxophonist (born 1929) Fred Anderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who was based in Chicago, Illinois. Anderson's playing was rooted in the swing music and hard bop idioms, but he also incorporated innovations from free jazz. Anderson was also noted for having mentored numerous young musicians. Critic Ben Ratliff called him "a father figure of experimental jazz in Chicago". Writer John Corbett referred to him as "scene caretaker, underground booster, indefatigable cultural worker, quiet force for good." In 2001, author John Litweiler called Anderson "the finest tenor saxophonist in free jazz/underground jazz/outside jazz today." Read more
• 24 Jun 2009: Roméo LeBlanc, Canadian journalist and politician, 25th Governor General of Canada (born 1927) Roméo-Adrien LeBlanc was a Canadian journalist and politician who served as the 25th governor general of Canada from 1995 to 1999. Read more
• 24 Jun 2008: Gerhard Ringel, Austrian mathematician and academic (born 1919) Gerhard Ringel was a German mathematician. He was one of the pioneers in graph theory and contributed significantly to the proof of the Heawood conjecture, a mathematical problem closely linked with the four color theorem. Read more
• 24 Jun 2007: Natasja Saad, Danish rapper and reggae singer (born 1974) Natasja Saad, also known mononymously as Natasja and also as Dou T and Little T, was a Danish rapper, deejay, and singer. While already relatively successful in her native Denmark, her vocals on a popular reggae fusion remix of "Calabria" gained her worldwide fame and a number one spot on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart six months after her death in a car crash in Jamaica. Read more
• 24 Jun 2007: Chris Benoit, Canadian wrestler (born 1967) Christopher Michael Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler who worked for various promotions during his 22-year career. Despite his accomplishments, he is more generally known for murdering his wife and youngest son before committing suicide. Read more
• 24 Jun 2007: Derek Dougan, Northern Irish footballer and manager (born 1938) Alexander Derek Dougan was a Northern Ireland international footballer, football manager, football chairman, pundit, and writer. He was also known by his nickname, "The Doog". He was capped by Northern Ireland at schoolboy, youth, Amateur, and 'B' team level, before he won 43 caps in a 15-year career for the senior team from 1958 to 1973, scoring eight international goals and featuring in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the Shamrock Rovers XI v Brazil exhibition match in July 1973, which he also helped to organise. Read more
• 24 Jun 2005: Paul Winchell, American actor, voice artist, and ventriloquist (born 1922) Paul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, humanitarian, and inventor whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1950 to 1954, he hosted The Paul Winchell Show, which also used two other titles during its prime time run on NBC: The Speidel Show, and What's My Name? From 1965 to 1968, Winchell hosted the children's television series Winchell-Mahoney Time. Read more
• 24 Jun 2004: Ifigeneia Giannopoulou, Greek songwriter and author (born 1957) Ifigeneia Giannopoulou was a Greek songwriter. She also wrote books for children. Giannopoulou worked with great names of Greek music. Read more
• 24 Jun 2002: Pierre Werner, Luxembourgish banker and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Luxembourg (born 1913) Pierre Werner was a Luxembourgish politician of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) who was the prime minister of Luxembourg from 1959 to 1974 and from 1979 to 1984. Read more
• 24 Jun 2001: Konstantin Gerchik, the second head of the world's first cosmodrome — "Baikonur" (1958–1961). Konstantin Vasilyevich Gerchik was a Russian military officer who served in the Red Army and a program manager in the former Soviet space program. He was Colonel-General of the Soviet Army, Professor of the Academy of Military Sciences of Russia, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, and the second head of the Baikonur Cosmodrome (1958–1961). Read more
• 24 Jun 2000: Vera Atkins, British intelligence officer (born 1908) Vera May Atkins was a Romanian-born British intelligence officer who was the Deputy Director of the France Section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) from 1941 to 1945 during the Second World War. Read more
• 24 Jun 2000: David Tomlinson, English actor and comedian (born 1917) David Cecil MacAlister Tomlinson was an English stage, film and television actor, singer and comedian. Having been described as both a leading actor and a character actor, he is primarily remembered for his roles with The Walt Disney Company as the patriarch father George Banks in Mary Poppins (1964), hapless antagonist Peter Thorndyke in The Love Bug (1968) and the friendly con man Professor Emelius Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). Tomlinson was posthumously inducted as a Disney Legend in 2002. Read more
• 24 Jun 2000: Rodrigo Bueno, Argentine cuarteto singer (born 1973) Rodrigo Alejandro Bueno, also known by his stage name Rodrigo or his nickname "El Potro", was an Argentine singer of cuarteto music. He is widely regarded as the best, most famous and most influential singer in the history of this genre. Bueno's style was marked by his on-stage energy and charisma. His short, dyed hair and casual clothes differed from typical cuarteto singers with strident colors and long curly hair. During his career, Bueno expanded cuarteto music to the Argentine national scene, remaining one of the main figures of the genre. The son of Eduardo Alberto Bueno, a record shop owner and music producer, and Beatriz Olave, a songwriter and newsstand owner, Rodrigo Bueno was born into the cuarteto musical scene in Córdoba, Argentina. He first appeared on television at the age of two, on the show Fiesta de Cuarteto, along with family friend Juan Carlos "La Mona" Jiménez. With the help of his father, he recorded an album of children's songs, Disco Baby, at the age of five. During his preteen years he informally joined the local band Chébere during live performances. He dropped out of school at the age of twelve and successfully auditioned for the band Manto Negro. After five years without success in Córdoba, Bueno's father decided to try to launch his son's career as a soloist in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1990, Bueno released his first record, La Foto de tu Cuerpo, on Polygram Records. Bueno introduced his next album, Aprendiendo a Vivir, with a live performance at the nightclub Fantástico Bailable. The performance brought him his first recognition in the tropical music scene. Read more
• 24 Jun 1997: Brian Keith, American actor (born 1921) Robert Alba Keith, known professionally as Brian Keith, was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his six-decade career gained recognition for his work in films such as the Disney family film The Parent Trap (1961); Johnny Shiloh (1963); the comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966); and the adventure saga The Wind and the Lion (1975), in which he portrayed President Theodore Roosevelt. Read more
• 24 Jun 1995: Andrew J. Transue, American politician and attorney Morissette v. United States (born 1903) Andrew Jackson Transue was an American politician and attorney from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives from 1937 to 1939. Read more
• 24 Jun 1994: Jean Vallerand, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (born 1915) Jean Vallerand, CQ was a composer, music critic, violinist, conductor, arts administrator, writer, and music educator from Quebec. As a composer he was active from 1935 to 1969. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he was appointed a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1991. Read more
• 24 Jun 1991: Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian-American author and playwright (born 1917) Sumner Locke Elliott was an Australian novelist and playwright. Read more
• 24 Jun 1991: Rufino Tamayo, Mexican painter and illustrator (born 1899) Rufino del Carmen Arellanes Tamayo was a Mexican painter of Zapotec heritage, born in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico. Tamayo was active in the mid-20th century in Mexico and New York, painting figurative abstraction with surrealist influences. Read more
• 24 Jun 1988: Csaba Kesjár, Hungarian race car driver (born 1962) Csaba Kesjár was a Hungarian racing driver who was born in Budapest and died in Norisring, Nuremberg. Read more
• 24 Jun 1987: Jackie Gleason, American actor, comedian, and producer (born 1916) Herbert John Gleason, known as Jackie Gleason, was an American comedian, actor, writer, and composer also known as "The Great One". Read more
• 24 Jun 1984: Clarence Campbell, Canadian businessman (born 1905) Clarence Sutherland Campbell was a Canadian ice hockey executive and referee, and soldier. He refereed in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1930s, served in the Canadian Army during World War II, then served as the third president of the NHL from 1946 to 1977. His tenure as president included the Richard Riot and the 1967 NHL expansion. His career was recognized with induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966, and the naming of the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl for him. Read more
• 24 Jun 1980: V. V. Giri, Indian lawyer and politician, 4th President of India (born 1894) Varahagiri Venkata Giri, better known as V. V. Giri was an Indian statesman, activist, and diplomat who served as the president of India from 1969 to 1974. He previously served as the vice president of India from 1967 to 1969 and the minister of labour from 1952 to 1954. Read more
• 24 Jun 1978: Robert Charroux, French author and critic (born 1909) Robert Charroux was the best-known pen-name of Robert Joseph Grugeau. He was a French author known for his writings on the ancient astronaut theme. Read more
• 24 Jun 1976: Minor White, American photographer, critic, and academic (born 1908) Minor Martin White was an American photographer, theoretician, critic, and educator. Read more
• 24 Jun 1975: Wendell Ladner, Professional Basketball Player in the ABA Wendell Larry Ladner was an American professional basketball player most notable for his playing time in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1970 to 1975. Read more
• 24 Jun 1969: Frank King, American cartoonist (born 1883) Frank Oscar King was an American cartoonist best known for his comic strip Gasoline Alley. In addition to innovations with color and page design, King introduced real-time continuity in comic strips by showing his characters aging over generations. Read more
• 24 Jun 1969: Willy Ley, German-American historian and author (born 1906) Willy Otto Oskar Ley was a German and American science writer and proponent of space exploration and cryptozoology. The crater Ley on the far side of the Moon is named in his honor. Read more
• 24 Jun 1964: Stuart Davis, American painter and academic (born 1892) Edward Stuart Davis was an American modernist painter. He was associated with early twentieth-century American modernism, including the Ashcan School, and later developed a style characterized by bold color, jazz references, and urban subject matter. In the 1930s, Davis became politically active and participated in federally sponsored art programs during the Great Depression. Read more
• 24 Jun 1962: Volfgangs Dārziņš, Latvian composer, pianist and music critic (born 1906) Volfgangs Dārziņš was a Latvian composer, pianist and music critic. Read more
• 24 Jun 1947: Emil Seidel, American politician, Mayor of Milwaukee (born 1864) Emil Seidel was an American woodworker, patternmaker and politician. Seidel was the mayor of Milwaukee from 1910 to 1912. The first Socialist mayor of a major city in the United States, Seidel became the vice presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America in the 1912 presidential election. Read more
• 24 Jun 1946: Louise Whitfield Carnegie, American philanthropist (born 1857) Louise Whitfield Carnegie was an American philanthropist. She was the wife of Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Read more
• 24 Jun 1943: Camille Roy, Canadian priest and critic (born 1870) Camille Roy was a Canadian priest and literary critic. He wrote extensively about the development of French-Canadian literature, and its importance in the promotion of French language and culture and of Christian ideals. Read more
• 24 Jun 1932: Ernst Põdder, Estonian general (born 1879) Ernst-Johannes Põdder VR I/1 was an Estonian military commander in the 1918–1920 Estonian War of Independence. Read more
• 24 Jun 1931: Otto Mears, Russian-American businessman (born 1840) Otto Mears was a Colorado railroad builder and entrepreneur who played a major role in the early development of southwestern Colorado. Read more
• 24 Jun 1931: Xiang Zhongfa, Chinese politician, 2nd General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (born 1880) Xiang Zhongfa was a Chinese socialist who was one of the early senior leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Read more
• 24 Jun 1923: Edith Södergran, Swedish-Finnish poet (born 1892) Edith Irene Södergran was a Swedish-speaking Finnish poet. One of the first modernists within Swedish-language literature, her influences came from French Symbolism, German expressionism, and Russian futurism. At the age of 24 she released her first collection of poetry entitled Dikter ("Poems"). Södergran died at the age of 31, having contracted tuberculosis as a teenager. She did not live to experience the worldwide appreciation of her poetry, which has influenced many lyrical poets. Södergran is considered to have been one of the greatest modern Swedish-language poets, and her work continues to influence Swedish-language poetry and musical lyrics, for example, in the works of Mare Kandre, Gunnar Harding, Eva Runefelt, Heidi Sundblad-Halme, and Eva Dahlgren. Read more
• 24 Jun 1922: Walther Rathenau, German businessman and politician, 7th German Minister for Foreign Affairs (born 1867) Walther Rathenau was a German industrialist, writer and politician who served as foreign minister of Germany from February 1922 until his assassination in June 1922. Read more
• 24 Jun 1909: Sarah Orne Jewett, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (born 1849) Theodora Sarah Orne Jewett was an American novelist, short story writer and poet, best known for her local color works set along or near the southern coast of Maine. Jewett is recognized as an important practitioner of American literary regionalism. Read more
• 24 Jun 1908: Grover Cleveland, American lawyer and politician, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (born 1837) Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first Democrat elected president after the American Civil War and the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms. Read more
• 24 Jun 1902: George Leake, Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Western Australia (born 1856) George Leake was the third Premier of Western Australia, serving from May to November 1901 and then again from December 1901 to his death. Read more
• 24 Jun 1835: Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Greek admiral and politician (born 1769) Andreas Vokos, better known by his nickname Miaoulis, was a Greek revolutionary, admiral, and politician who commanded Greek naval forces during the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829). Read more
• 24 Jun 1817: Thomas McKean, American lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of Pennsylvania (born 1734) Thomas McKean was an American lawyer, politician, and Founding Father. During the American Revolution he was a Delaware delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, where he signed the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of Confederation. He served as President of Congress for four months in 1781. McKean was at various times a member of the Federalist and the Democratic-Republican parties and served as president of Delaware, chief justice of Pennsylvania, and the second governor of Pennsylvania. He also held numerous other public offices. Read more
• 24 Jun 1803: Matthew Thornton, Irish-American judge and politician (born 1714) Matthew Thornton was an Irish-born Founding Father of the United States who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Hampshire. Read more

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