This Day In History : August 24

2006 Belgium

The term "planet" is redefined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and as a result, Pluto is now considered a Dwarf Planet

The term "planet" was redefined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on August 24, 2006. As a result of this redefinition, Pluto was reclassified as a Dwarf Planet rather than a full-fledged planet in our solar system.

Also on This Day in History August 24

Discover what happened on August 24 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, August 24
  • 1942 Karen Uhlenbeck

    Karen Keskulla Uhlenbeck is an American mathematician who has been called the founder of geometric analysis.

  • 1917 Ralph Eugene Lapp

    Ralph Eugene Lapp was an American nuclear physicist and author who began his career in high-energy physics research with Arthur H. Compton.

  • 1886 William Francis Gibbs

    American naval architect, one of the most renowned in his time, having designed over 6,000 ships from a fireboat, to freighters, ocean liners and warships.

  • 1899 Albert Claude

    Albert Claude was a Belgian-American cell biologist and medical doctor who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974 with Christian de Duve and George Emil Palade.

  • 1816 Daniel Gooch

    Sir Daniel Gooch, 1st Baronet was an English railway locomotive and transatlantic cable engineer. 

Deaths on This Day, August 24
  • 1997 Louis Essen

    English physicist who invented the quartz crystal ring clock and the first practical atomic clock.

  • 1990 Harold Masursky

    American geologist and senior scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey's astrogeology branch supporting space exploration.

  • 1888 Rudolf Clausius

    who was one of the founders of thermodynamics. In 1850, he stated the second law of thermodynamics.

  • 1832 Sadi Carnot

    Nicolas-Lèonard-Sadi Carnot was a French engineer and physicist became a captain of engineers in the army, and spent much of his life investigating the design of steam engines.

  • 2004 Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

    Swiss-American psychiatrist who was a leading authority on the psychology of dying.

1891

Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera

Thomas Edison did not patent the motion picture camera, but he did invent the kinetograph, an early motion picture camera, and the kinetoscope, a viewing device for motion pictures. The patent for the kinetograph was filed by his assistant, William Kennedy Laurie Dickson, on August 24, 1891, and granted on August 31, 1897. This invention played a significant role in the development of motion pictures.
1991

Ukraine declares independence from the Soviet Union

Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union on August 24, 1991. This declaration marked a significant moment in the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the establishment of Ukraine as an independent sovereign state.
1857

The Panic of 1857 begins and starts one of the most severe economic crises in United States history

The Panic of 1857 was a financial crisis triggered by the collapse of the New York City branch of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company. It caused widespread bank failures, a sharp decline in the stock market, and an economic downturn in the United States and Europe. The panic led to widespread unemployment and social unrest, influencing economic policies and contributing to tensions before the American Civil War.
1936

Australian Antarctic Territory created

On 24 August 1936, the Australian Antarctic Territory was created after a proclamation by Governor-General Alexander Hore-Ruthven. It followed the passage of the Australian Antarctic Territory Acceptance Act 1933 by the Australian Parliament.
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