On this day: Malta independence | Black Thursday

Events, birthdays and anniversaries for 24 October

On this day in 1937 Jean Batten flew from Australia to Britain in a record time of five days, 18 hours and 18 minutes. Picture: Getty

24 October

United Nations day.

National day of Zambia.

1604: King James VI of Scotland was proclaimed James I, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland.

1795: Poland was partitioned by Prussia, Austria and Russia.

1929: Black Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange, Wall Street, when confidence in American companies collapsed.

1934: Mahatma Gandhi withdrew from Indian National Congress.

1937: Jean Batten flew from Australia to Britain in a record five days, 18 hours, 18 minutes.

1945: United Nations charter went into effect as Soviet Union became 29th nation to ratify it.

1945: Vidkun Quisling, Norwegian premier and Nazi collaborator, executed by firing squad in Oslo.

1947: Twenty-one people were killed in Croydon train crash.

1961: Malta gained independence.

1961: Protests were made at United Nations after Soviet Union exploded largest nuclear bomb ever tested.

1962: United States began blockade of Cuba.

1964: Northern Rhodesia became Republic of Zambia.

1986: Britain broke diplomatic relations with Syria after jury convicted Arab man of trying to blow up an Israeli airliner.

1988: Muslim forces claimed to have seized another provincial capital in Afghanistan.

1988: Lester Piggott was freed from Highpoint Prison, Suffolk after serving 12 months of three-year sentence for tax offences.

1989: Ambulancemen resumed emergency cover in London as ACAS talks began.

1989: Soviet legislature voted overwhelmingly to deny Communist Party its guaranteed majority in Congress of People’s Deputies.

1998: Deep Space 1 comet/asteroid mission was launched.

2003: Concorde made its last commercial flight.

2007: A report into the Scottish Parliament elections chaos when 146,000 Holyrood ballot papers and 38,532 papers for the local council elections were spoilt by puzzled voters criticised Labour ministers in London and Edinburgh for treating the electorate as an “afterthought”. It said responsibility for both elections should pass to the Scottish Executive.

2008: “Bloody Friday” saw many of the world’s stock exchanges experience the worst declines in their history, with drops of around 10 per cent in most indices.

BIRTHDAYS

Sarah Greene, television presenter, 55; Roman Abramovich, oil magnate and owner of Chelsea FC, 47; Ian Baker-Finch, golfer, 53; Barry Davies MBE, television sports commentator, 73; Frank Delaney, Irish writer and broadcaster, 71; Dervla Kirwan, actress, 42; Kevin Kline, actor, 66; Wayne Rooney, footballer, 28; Sir Mark Tully KBE, journalist and broadcaster, 78; Bill Wyman, bass guitarist (formerly Rolling Stones), 77.

ANNIVERSARIES

Births: 1644 William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania; 1882 Dame Sybil Thorndike, stage and screen actress; 1918 Jim Peters, marathon runner; 1923 Sir Robin Day, broadcaster; 1934 Sir Wally Herbert, polar explorer.

Deaths: 1537 Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII; 1725 Alessandro Scarlatti, composer; 1893 Peter Tchaikovsky, composer; 1922 George Cadbury, chocolate manufacturer, social reformer; 1957 Christian Dior, fashion designer; 1958 George Moore, philosopher;1993 Lord Grimond, Liberal elder statesman; 2012 Margaret duPont, American tennis champion.