FEB 24
- 303 - Emperor Diocletian issued 1st official Roman edict for persecution of Christians.
- 1500 - Birthday: Charles V, King of Spain (1516-56) born in Ghent, Flanders, Habsburg Netherlands.
- 1582 - Pope Gregory XIII announced New Style (Gregorian) calendar.
- 1786 - Charles Cornwallis appointed governor-general of India.
- 1945 - Egypt & Syria declared war on nazi-Germany.
- 1955 - Birthday: Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apple) born in San Francisco, California.
- 1970 - Switzerland: 29 Swiss Army officers died in avalanche in Reckingen.
- 1974 - Pakistan officially recognized Bangladesh.
- 1976 - Cuba adopted its constitution.
- 1977 - Birthday: Floyd Mayweather Jr., American boxer (26 consecutive wins in world title fights, undefeated record 50-0) born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- 1981 - Prince Charles of Britain announced engagement to Lady Diana Spencer.
- 1985 - Nepal: Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev crowned King.
- 1989 - USA: 150+ million year old fossil egg found in Utah with a fossilized dinosaur embryo inside.
- 1998 - England: Elton John knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
- 2008 - Cuba: Fidel Castro retired as the President due to ill health after 50 years.
- 2010 - Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar scored the first double century (200 n.o.) in One Day International cricket.
- 2018 - Sridevi Kapoor (Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan), Indian actress and film producer occasionally referred to as Indian cinema's "first female superstar" drowned (aged 54) in her hotel room in Dubai.
- 2020 - Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape and a criminal sexual act in case that ignited #MeToo movement.
- 2020 - Scientists identified the first animal that doesn't require oxygen to breathe, a tiny parasite living in salmon tissue.
- 2022 - Russia invaded Ukraine.