This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride of all the fascinating things that happened today!
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of history. Now, let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 24th June”.
1948: Soviets blockade West Berlin
This was one of the most dramatic standoffs in the history of the Cold War. The Soviet Union blocked all road and rail traffic to and from West Berlin. The blockade turned out to be a terrible diplomatic move by the Soviets, while the United States emerged from the confrontation with renewed purpose and confidence. On May 12, 1949, the Soviets officially ended the blockade.
1953: Jacqueline Bouvier and Senator John F. Kennedy announce engagement
Jacqueline Bouvier and Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy publicly announce their engagement. Kennedy went on to become the 35th president and Jackie, became one of the most popular first ladies ever to grace the White House. The couple got married at St. Mary’s Church in Newport, Rhode Island. Twelve hundred people attended the wedding reception at Hammersmith Farm.
1987: Argentine footballer Lionel Messi is born
Forward player and captain of both Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina National Team, Lionel Messi turns 34 today. Messi has won a record six Ballon d’Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 was named to the Ballon d’Or Dream Team. He has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he has won a club-record 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues. He has scored over 750 senior career goals for club and country, and has the most goals ever by a player for a single club.
1997: US Air Force reports on Roswell
Today almost exactly 50 years earlier, U.S. Air Force officials release a 231-page report dismissing long-standing claims of an alien spacecraft crash in Roswell, New Mexico. Titled “The Roswell Report, Case Closed,” the document stated definitively that there was no Pentagon evidence that any kind of life form was found in the Roswell area in connection with the reported UFO sightings. It said that the bodies recovered were not aliens but dummies used in parachute tests conducted in the region.
2010: Julia Gillard became Australia’s first female Prime Minister
Julia Gillard is an Australian politician. She served as the 27th Prime Minister of Australia and Leader of the Labor Party from 2010 to 2013, the first and only woman to date to hold either role. She previously held the roles of Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for Social Inclusion from 2007 to 2010.
