Tidbits of History, March 24

March 24 is:

Palm Sunday Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, where he would be crucified five days later. According to the Gospels, Jesus rode into town on a donkey as exuberant crowds hailed him as the Messiah and spread out palm branches and cloaks in his path.

National Cake Pop Day

Feast day of Saint Gabriel, archangel of the Annunciation; patron saint of postmen, messengers, radio, telegraph, and telephone workers.

March 24, 1603 – Queen Elizabeth I of England died at age 69, without children. Her cousin, James VI of Scotland, became James I of England.

Roger Williams was granted a charter to colonize Rhode Island on March 24, 1664. He was an early proponent of religious freedom and of the separation of church and government. He asserted that the civil magistrates must not punish any sort of “sins” such as idolatry, false worship, and blasphemy.

The Acts of Union 1707 was signed, officially uniting the Kingdoms of England and Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Britain enacted Quartering Act of 1765 which required colonists to provide temporary housing to British soldiers. When 1500 British troops arrived at New York City in 1766, the Assembly refused to comply with the Quartering Act and would not provide housing for the troops.

In Hiram, Ohio a group of men beat, tarred and feathered Mormon leader Joseph Smith on March 24, 1832.

In 1837, Canada gave its black citizens the right to vote

On March 24, 1874, Harry Houdini, the Hungarian-born magician and escape artist, was born.

The Planet Pluto (discovered February 18, 1930) was named after the god of the underworld. Pluto has five known natural satellites (moons): Charon, first identified in 1978 by astronomer James Christy; Nix and Hydra, both discovered in 2005, Kerberos, identified by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2011, and Styx, discovered in 2012. In 2006 Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet.

Elvis Presley joined the army (serial number 53310761) on this day in 1958.

March 24, 1989 – The Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground at Prince William Sound in Alaska, causing a devastating oil spill.

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