March 24, the 83
rd (or 84
th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar, and the 365
th and last day of the year in the Julian calendar.
Events:
1882 – Robert Koch announces the discovery of mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis.
1765 – American Revolutionary War: The Kingdom of Great Britain passes the Quartering Act that requires the Thirteen Colonies to house British troops.
1944 – World War II: In an event later dramatized in the movie The Great Escape, 76 prisoners begin breaking out of Stalag Luft III.
1999 – Kosovo War: NATO commences air bombardment against Yugoslavia, marking the first time NATO has attacked a sovereign country.
Births:
1874 – Harry Houdini, Hungarian-born magician (d. 1926)
1911 – Joseph Barbera, American cartoonist (d. 2006)
Deaths:
1455 – Pope Nicholas V (b. 1397)
1603 – Queen Elizabeth I of England (b. 1533)
1905 – Jules Verne, French author (b. 1828)