On This Day
What Happened on January 24 in History
8 events that happened on January 24, oldest first. Every entry is written in our own words and links to its source.
The Young Republic and the Civil War Era
1848
James Marshall found gold at Sutter's Mill in California, setting off the California Gold Rush.
Marshall, a carpenter from New Jersey, spotted flakes of gold in the American River near Coloma while building a water-powered sawmill for John Sutter. The rush that followed peaked in 1852.
Source: history.com; history.com
The Early 1900s and the World Wars
1908
Robert Baden-Powell published the first part of Scouting for Boys, launching the Boy Scout movement.
The handbook appeared in installments, and thousands of English boys bought it. By the end of April, scores of Boy Scout troops had formed across Britain.
Source: history.com
1943
Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill closed the Casablanca Conference in Morocco.
On the final day the two leaders met the French leaders de Gaulle and Giraud and then held a press conference. Their talks covered Allied military strategy and command as well as French North Africa.
Source: history.state.gov
The Cold War
1956
Look magazine published the confession of the two men acquitted of murdering Emmett Till.
Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, acquitted by an all-white jury in Mississippi, described how they killed the 14-year-old from Chicago. They were reportedly paid $4,000 for the article.
Source: kinginstitute.stanford.edu; history.com
1961
A B-52 bomber broke apart over North Carolina and dropped two hydrogen bombs near Goldsboro.
The right wing failed as the plane prepared to land at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, and three of the eight crewmen died. In one bomb, seven of eight arming devices activated, and only a crew-controlled switch prevented a nuclear explosion.
Source: dncr.nc.gov; pbs.org
1965
Winston Churchill, who led Britain through World War II, died in London at the age of 90.
Born at Blenheim Palace in 1874, Churchill served as a soldier in India, Sudan and South Africa before entering Parliament in 1900. He was first lord of the admiralty on the eve of World War I.
Source: history.com
1984
The Modern Era
2006
Disney agreed to buy Pixar Animation Studios in an all-stock deal valued at $7.4 billion.
Disney had long distributed the films of the studio behind Toy Story and Finding Nemo. Under the terms, Disney would issue 2.3 of its shares for each Pixar share.
Source: sec.gov; history.com