This Day In History : March 24

2015 United States

NASA's Opportunity Rover Completes First Martian Marathon

On March 24, 2015, NASA's Opportunity rover becomes the first to complete a marathon distance on Mars, traveling 26.2 miles. This milestone, achieved over 11 years, demonstrates the rover's endurance and the success of its mission in exploring the Martian surface.

Also on This Day in History March 24

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

Births on This Day, March 24
  • 1917 Krafft Arnold Ehricke

    German-born American physicist; rocketry engineer and space-travel theorist.

  • 1884 Peter Debye

    Dutch-American physical chemist whose investigations of dipole moments, X rays, and light scattering in gases brought him the 1936 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

  • 1809 Joseph Liouville

    French mathematician who discovered transcendental numbers (those which are not the roots of algebraic equations having rational coefficients), and that there are infinitely many of them.

  • 1917 John Cowdery Kendrew

    English biochemist who shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for Chemistry (with colleague Max Ferdinand Perutz) “for their studies of the structures of globular proteins.”

  • 1945 Robert T. Bakker

    American paleontologist who was the first to prove that dinosaurs were warm blooded and have more in common with birds than cold-blooded lizards.

Deaths on This Day, March 24
  • 1776 John Harrison

    English horologist who invented the first practical marine chronometer, which enabled navigators to compute accurately their longitude at sea.

  • 1864 Karl Karlovich Klaus

    Russian chemist and biologist who discovered ruthenium (1844), which was the last dense, inert, platinum-like metal to be found.

  • 1962 Auguste Piccard

    Swiss-Belgian physicist who explored both the upper stratosphere and the depths of the sea in ships of his own design.

  • 1956 Edmund Taylor Whittaker

    English mathematician who made pioneering contributions to the area of the special functions, which is of particular interest in mathematical physics.

  • 2004 Jack J. Leedy

    American psychiatrist who was known as the “father of poetry therapy”. He popularized using using poetry as a viable natural healing power for the mind.

1999

NATO Launches First Attack on a Sovereign Country

On March 24, 1999, NATO conducts its first-ever attack on a sovereign nation. This marks a significant shift in military strategy, as NATO intervenes in the Kosovo War. The operation aims to address the humanitarian crisis and conflict in the region, redefining international military engagement norms.
1882

Robert Koch Discovers Bacillus Causing Tuberculosis

On March 24, 1882, German scientist Robert Koch identifies the bacillus responsible for tuberculosis. This groundbreaking discovery provides a critical understanding of the disease and its transmission. Today is commemorated as World Tuberculosis Day, highlighting efforts to combat and eradicate TB.
1992

Space Shuttle Atlantis Launches with First Belgian Astronaut

On March 24, 1992, Space Shuttle STS-45 (Atlantis 11) launches into space, carrying Dirk Frimout, the first Belgian astronaut. The mission, focused on atmospheric and solar observations, marks a notable achievement in Belgium's space exploration history.
1937

National Gallery of Art established by Congress

On March 24, 1937, the United States Congress established the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It was created with the support of financier Andrew W. Mellon, who donated his extensive art collection and funds for the museum's construction. The gallery serves as a national repository of fine art and a cultural institution open to the public.
Holiday
Special day
Discover invention