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April 24
5 moments across history
The Library of Congress Is Established
On April 24, 1800, President John Adams signed legislation establishing the Library of Congress, appropriating $5,000 to purchase books for the use of Congress in the new capital city of Washington. What began as a modest reference collection for lawmakers would grow into the largest library in the world, housing millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps, and manuscripts. When the British burned the original collection in 1814 during the War of 1812, Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library of over 6,000 volumes as a replacement, fundamentally shaping the institution's breadth and intellectual ambition.
The neoclassical facade of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C.
The Hubble Space Telescope Is Deployed
The Hubble Space Telescope being deployed from the cargo bay of Space Shuttle Discovery, April 24, 1990
Astronauts on Space Shuttle Discovery working to release Hubble into orbit above Earth
On April 24, 1990, the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery successfully deployed the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit, launching what would become one of the most important scientific instruments in history. Initially hampered by a flawed mirror that produced blurry images, Hubble was rescued by a dramatic 1993 servicing mission that installed corrective optics. From that point on, Hubble transformed humanity's understanding of the cosmos — revealing the age of the universe, confirming the existence of dark energy, and capturing the iconic Hubble Deep Field image showing thousands of galaxies in a patch of sky no larger than a grain of sand held at arm's length.
Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov Dies Aboard Soyuz 1
Vladimir Komarov in his spacesuit during training for the Soyuz 1 mission, 1967
The Soyuz 1 descent module after its fatal crash landing on April 24, 1967
On April 24, 1967, Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov became the first human to die during a spaceflight when his Soyuz 1 capsule crashed upon re-entry after a parachute failure. The mission had been plagued by problems from the start — solar panels failed to deploy, the navigation system malfunctioned, and the spacecraft tumbled uncontrollably. Komarov, aware that the capsule was doomed, reportedly spent his final hours radioing ground control while his friend Yuri Gagarin waited helplessly at the launch site. The tragedy exposed fatal flaws in the Soviet space program's rush to meet political deadlines and cast a long shadow over the Space Race.
Spain Declares War on the United States
The USS Maine in Havana Harbor before the explosion that helped trigger the Spanish-American War, 1898
American newspapers rallying public support for the war with Spain, April 1898
On April 24, 1898, Spain formally declared war on the United States, marking the beginning of the Spanish-American War. The conflict had been building since the mysterious explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor in February, which American newspapers blamed on Spain and used to fuel public outrage. The war lasted just ten weeks and resulted in a decisive American victory, ending Spain's colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere and marking the emergence of the United States as a global power. The Treaty of Paris gave the U.S. control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, reshaping the geopolitical map of the world.
The Armenian Genocide Begins
The Armenian Genocide Memorial on Tsitsernakaberd Hill in Yerevan, Armenia, standing as a permanent tribute to the victims
Armenian community leaders being detained in Constantinople on April 24, 1915, the event that marked the start of the genocide
On April 24, 1915, Ottoman authorities arrested approximately 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople, an event widely recognized as the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. Over the following years, an estimated 1 to 1.5 million Armenians were systematically killed through mass executions, death marches, and concentration camps. April 24 is now observed internationally as Armenian Remembrance Day. The genocide remains one of the most contested and emotionally charged historical events of the 20th century, with continuing debate over official recognition by governments worldwide.