This Day In History, July 24th

What happened on this day in history: Simón Bolívar is born, Buck and Blanche Barrow are arrested, and more events that happened on this day.

1567: Mary, Queen Of Scots Is Deposed

Mary, Queen of Scots, is removed from power. She was forced from the throne following her marriage to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, who many suspected had orchestrated the death of her second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. As a result, power was handed to Mary’s one-year-old son, James, and the former monarch spent the rest of her life under virtual house arrest in England before Queen Elizabeth I had Mary executed in 1587.


1783: Simón Bolívar Is Born

Today In History July 24

Public DomainSimón Bolívar is known as the El Libertador.

Simón Bolívar is born in Caracas, New Granada (now Venezuela). Called El Libertador, or the Liberator of America, Bolívar spent his life fighting for independence from Spanish rule. Though he liberated New Granada, Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador, and Bolivia, Bolívar was unable to successfully rule over the freed countries and died on his way to European exile in 1830.


1847: Mormon Settlers Arrive In Salt Lake Valley

One hundred and forty-eight Mormon pioneers, led by Brigham Young, arrive in Utah’s Great Salt Lake Valley. The pioneers had set out more than a year earlier, hoping to establish a settlement after the assassination of their leader, Joseph Smith, in Illinois. Young declared that the Great Salt Lake Valley was “the place,” and Mormons celebrate July 24 as Pioneer Day.


1911: Hiram Bingham Arrives At Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Zielonamapa.pl/FlickrNow a popular tourist destination, Machu Picchu was likely once a retreat for Incan leaders.

American archeologist Hiram Bingham comes across Machu Picchu in Peru while searching for a “lost” Incan city. Bingham found the site — once believed to be a retreat for Incan leaders — by asking locals about it. Today, Machu Picchu is considered one of the seven wonders of the modern world and receives half a million visitors per year.


1933: Buck And Blanche Barrow Are Arrested

Buck and Blanche Barrow are arrested in Iowa. Accomplices of Bonnie and Clyde (Buck was Clyde’s brother), Buck and Blanche accompanied the infamous duo on their 1930s crime spree. Though Blanche survived their arrest, Buck later succumbed to his injuries.