Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/August 24
This is a list of selected August 24 anniversaries that appear in the "On this day" section of the Main Page. To suggest a new item, in most cases, you can be bold and edit this page. Please read the selected anniversaries guidelines before making your edit. However, if your addition might be controversial or on a day that is or will soon be on the Main Page, please post your suggestion on the talk page instead.
Please note that the events listed on the Main Page are chosen based more on relative article quality and to maintain a mix of topics, not based solely on how important or significant their subjects are. Only four to five events are posted at a time and thus not everything that is "most important and significant" can be listed. In addition, an event is generally not posted this year if it is also the subject of the scheduled featured article or picture of the day.
To report an error when this appears on the Main Page, see Main Page errors. Please remember that this list defers to the supporting articles, so it is best to achieve consensus and make any necessary changes there first.
August 24: Ghost Festival in the Chinese calendar (2010); Raksha Bandhan (Hinduism, 2010); Independence Day in Ukraine
- 79 – According to estimates based on the Codex Laurentianus Mediceus, the volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae in Italy.
- 1892 – Goodison Park (pictured) in Liverpool, England, one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds, opened.
- 1942 – World War II: Bombers from the United States aircraft carrier Saratoga sank the Japanese aircraft carrier Ryūjō near Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands, helping to lead to an Allied powers victory.
- 1963 – Buddhist crisis: The U.S. State Department cabled Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam, authorizing him to encourage Army of the Republic of Vietnam officers to launch a coup against President Ngo Dinh Diem if he did not willingly remove Ngo Dinh Nhu, architect of the Xa Loi Pagoda raids, from his unofficial position of power.
- 1992 – Hurricane Andrew made landfall in South Florida, the third most powerful Category 5 system to hit the United States during the 20th century.
- 2006 – The International Astronomical Union redefined the term "planet", reclassifying Pluto as a dwarf planet since it has not "cleared the neighbourhood" around its orbit.