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March 24
5 moments across history
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling approximately 11 million gallons of crude oil — the worst oil spill in U.S. history at the time. The disaster contaminated over 1,300 miles of coastline, killed hundreds of thousands of seabirds and marine mammals, and galvanized the environmental movement. It led directly to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
The Exxon Valdez tanker aground on Bligh Reef, Prince William Sound, Alaska, March 1989
Elvis Presley Drafted into the U.S. Army
Elvis Presley receiving his Army induction haircut at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, March 24, 1958
Private Elvis Presley in U.S. Army uniform — the King trades his blue suede shoes for combat boots
On March 24, 1958, Elvis Presley — the biggest rock and roll star on the planet — was inducted into the United States Army at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, and given serial number 53310761. His iconic pompadour was shaved off in front of cameras, symbolizing the end of an era. Despite studio pressure to avoid service, Elvis insisted on serving as a regular soldier, earning enormous respect from the public. He served in West Germany until 1960.
The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III
Allied prisoners crawling through tunnel Harry — the escape route beneath Stalag Luft III, March 1944
Recaptured Allied escapees being marched through the German winter after the Great Escape
On the night of March 24–25, 1944, 76 Allied prisoners of war executed one of the most daring escapes of World War II from Stalag Luft III, a Nazi prison camp in German-occupied Poland. Using a hand-dug tunnel codenamed 'Harry' — over 300 feet long — the men crawled to temporary freedom. Only 3 escaped successfully; 50 were executed on Hitler's direct orders after recapture. The event inspired the classic 1963 film 'The Great Escape.'
Argentina Military Coup — Videla Seizes Power
Argentine military forces seize control of Buenos Aires during the 1976 coup, March 24
Protesters in Buenos Aires on the eve of the military coup that would silence a generation
On March 24, 1976, a military junta led by General Jorge Rafael Videla overthrew President Isabel Perón in Argentina, beginning a brutal seven-year dictatorship. The coup launched the "Dirty War" — a campaign of state terrorism during which an estimated 30,000 people were "disappeared." Political dissidents, activists, and journalists were abducted, tortured, and killed. The day is now commemorated in Argentina as the Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice.
Robert Koch Announces Discovery of TB Bacterium
Dr. Robert Koch in his Berlin laboratory examining tuberculosis cultures through his microscope, 1882
Colorized microscopic view of Mycobacterium tuberculosis — the bacterium Koch identified on this day in 1882
On March 24, 1882, German physician Robert Koch announced to the Berlin Physiological Society that he had identified Mycobacterium tuberculosis — the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis. At the time, TB (also called consumption) was killing one in seven people in Europe. Koch's discovery, achieved using innovative staining and microscopy techniques he developed himself, earned him the Nobel Prize in 1905. March 24 is now World Tuberculosis Day in his honor.