On This Day in History: October 24

Dennis McCaslin

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On This Day in History – October 24

1648 – The Peace of Westphalia is signed, ending the Thirty Years’ War in Europe and recognizing the independence of the Dutch Republic and Switzerland while establishing principles of state sovereignty.

1861 – The first transcontinental telegraph line is completed; Chief Justice Stephen J. Field of California sends a message from San Francisco to President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C., linking the coasts for instantaneous communication.

1901 – Schoolteacher Annie Edson Taylor, age 63, becomes the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel (accompanied by her cat in a test run).

1929 – “Black Thursday” on Wall Street: the Dow Jones Industrial Average drops sharply in a massive sell-off, marking the beginning of the stock market crash that leads into the Great Depression.

1931 – The George Washington Bridge, then the world’s longest suspension bridge, opens to traffic, linking New York City and New Jersey. The same day, gangster Al Capone is sentenced to 11 years in prison for tax evasion.

1945 – The United Nations Charter enters into force after ratification by the required number of nations, formally establishing the United Nations; the date is observed annually as United Nations Day.

1946 – A camera aboard a V-2 rocket launched from White Sands, New Mexico, takes the first photograph of Earth from outer space.

1962 – During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Soviet ships approach but do not cross the U.S. naval blockade of Cuba established by President John F. Kennedy’s proclamation.

1992 – The Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Atlanta Braves to become the first Major League Baseball team based outside the United States to win the World Series.

2003 – The supersonic Concorde makes its final commercial flights, ending the era of regular supersonic passenger air travel.