Mark Your Calendar: 10 Historical Anniversaries to Commemorate in 2024
Here’s our rundown of the biggest moments from history to look back on in 2024.
ABBA’s Eurovision Song Contest Victory
Date: 6th April 1974
Anniversary: 50 years ago
In 1974, Swedish pop band ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest, thrusting the quartet into worldwide fame. Their winning song “Waterloo” topped the charts in several countries and is still viewed by many fans as the best song to ever win the contest.
The Birth Of Howard Carter
Date: 9th May 1874
Anniversary: 150 years ago
Howard Carter, a successful historian and Egyptologist was born 150 years ago. Howard famously discovered the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun in 1922 in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb is one of the best-preserved Egyptian tombs ever to be found.
Christopher Columbus Lands In Jamaica
Date: 5th May 1494
Anniversary: 530 years ago
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator who made four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean to explore the Americas. In 1494, during his second voyage, Columbus landed his ship in Jamaica after being told it was a land filled with gold. Columbus soon found out he’d been lied to!
D-Day Normandy Landings
Date: 6th June 1944
Anniversary: 80 years ago
On 6th June 1944, during World War II, the allied forces launched one of the largest “amphibious” invasions in history, known today as the D-Day Landings. The invasion brought together sea, land and air forces on the beaches of Normandy to invade Nazi-occupied France.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Is Assassinated
Date: 28th June 1914
Anniversary: 110 years ago
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. On 28th June 1914, during a visit to Sarajevo, the Archduke was assassinated by members of a secret Serbian group called the Black Hand. The assassination lead to the start of World War I.
World War II Rationing Finally Ends
Date: 4th July 1954
Anniversary: 70 years ago
In January 1940, Britain began to struggle with a national food shortage brought about by World War II. As a result, the British government introduced food rationing to share the food equally. Food rationing continued for another 14 years and didn’t come to an end until 1954, 9 years after the war had ended.
Humans Take First Steps On The Moon
Date: 21st July 1969
Anniversary: 55 years ago
On 21st July 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human being to step foot on the moon. He was joined 19 minutes later by his fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin. The pair spent two hours on the surface of the moon taking pictures and collecting samples of lunar material.
Mount Vesuvius Erupts, Engulfing Pompeii
Date: 24th August 79AD
Anniversary: 1,945 years ago
In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius, a volcano in Italy, erupted. The eruption was so catastrophic that it engulfed the nearby Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum with volcanic debris. The lava flow smothered the towns so quickly that they were left perfectly preserved underneath 6 metres of ash for thousands of years.
World War II Begins
Date: 1st September 1939
Anniversary: 85 years ago
On 1st September 1939, Germany invaded Poland, bringing about the start of the Second World War. Great Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany just 2 days later. The war lasted for six long years, until 1945 when the Allies declared victory over the Axis powers.
Florence Nightingale Arrives At Scutari Hospital
Date: 4th November 1854
Anniversary: 170 years ago
Florence Nightingale was a famous British nurse who founded modern nursing. In 1854, during the Crimean War, she arrived at a military hospital in Scutari with 38 nurses. Here, she trained her nurses, treated wounded soldiers and became famous as “The Lady With The Lamp”.
