Tidbits of History, February 24

February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 310 days remaining until the end of the year. By Roman custom, February 24 was doubled in a leap year in the Julian calendar.

National Tortilla Chip Day

Feb 24, 1500 was the birthday of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who once said: “I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse.”

1803 – In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court of the United States established the principle of judicial review. Judicial review is the power of the courts to examine the actions of the legislative, executive, and administrative arms of the government and to determine whether such actions are consistent with the Constitution. Actions judged inconsistent are declared unconstitutional and, therefore, null and void.

Arizona was organized as a United States territory on this day in 1863.

Johnson impeached February 24, 1868Andrew Johnson became the first President of the United States to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives on February 24, 1868. He is later acquitted in the Senate on May 16, 1868. Per Wikipedia:

The impeachment and subsequent trial gained a historical reputation as an act of political expedience, rather than necessity, based on Johnson’s defiance of an unconstitutional piece of legislation and with little regard for the will of the public (which, despite the unpopularity of Johnson, opposed the impeachment). Until the impeachment of Bill Clinton 131 years later (which also ended in an acquittal), it was the only impeachment trial of a President in the history of the United States.

That was before the election and attempted impeachment of Donald Trump, 45th President. He was acquitted both times.

1920 – The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, was founded.

1981 Engagement of Prince Charles to Diana SpencerBuckingham Palace announced the engagement of Britain’s Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer. They married July 29, 1981; had two sons, William in 1982 and Harry in 1984; divorced in 1996. Diana died in a car crash August 31, 1997. Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles in April 2005. He became King Charles III upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, on Sept 8, 2022.

1989 – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini offered a US $3 million bounty for the death of The Satanic Verses author, Salman Rushdie.

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