May 24

Events

1844 - Samuel F. B. Morse sent the message "What hath God wrought" (a Bible quotation, Numbers 23:23) from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland.
1846 - Mexican-American War: General Zachary Taylor captures Monterrey.
1883 - The Brooklyn Bridge in New York is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction
1900 - Second Boer War: The United Kingdom annexes the Orange Free State.
1911 - The New York Public Library opened.
1915 - World War I: Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary.
1940 - Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight.
1941 - World War II: In the North Atlantic, the German Battleship Bismarck sinks the HMS Hood
1949 - The Soviet Union ends the 11-month Berlin Blockade.
1958 - United Press International is formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.
1968 - FLQ separatists bomb the U.S. consulate in Quebec City.
1976 - London to Washington, DC Concorde service begins.
1993 - Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia.
2000 - Israeli troops driven out of southern Lebanon by Hezbollah after 22 years of occupation.