Today in History: October 24, the United Nations officially launches

Today is Saturday, Oct. 24, the 297th day of 2026. There are 68 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 24, 1945, the United Nations formally came into existence as the Charter of the United Nations, ratified by 51 nations, took effect. The date is now observed as United Nations Day.

Also on this date:

In 1537, Jane Seymour, the third wife of England’s King Henry VIII, died 12 days after giving birth to Prince Edward, later King Edward VI.

In 1861, the first transcontinental telegraph message was sent by Chief Justice Stephen J. Field of California from San Francisco to President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C.

In 1929, a massive sell-off at the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange led to chaos as stockbrokers couldn’t keep up with trade requests. Though the market recovered some losses by the end of the day, “Black Thursday” marked the beginning of the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

In 1931, the George Washington Bridge, connecting New York City with New Jersey, was dedicated. It was the world’s longest suspension bridge at the time.

In 1952, Republican presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower vowed to go to Korea as he promised to end the ongoing conflict there. (Eisenhower would indeed visit Korea in December, after winning the election but before his inauguration.)

In 2002, authorities arrested John Allen Muhammad and teenager Lee Boyd Malvo near Myersville, Maryland, in the Washington-area sniper attacks that killed 10 people and wounded three that month. (Malvo was later sentenced to life in prison. Muhammad was sentenced to death and executed in 2009.)

In 2003, the supersonic Concorde jet made its last commercial flight, flying from New York to London.

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy roared across Jamaica and headed toward Cuba on its way to the eastern United States; what became known as Superstorm Sandy was a combination of the hurricane and other storms that struck New York and surrounding areas, killing 147 people, 72 in the eastern U.S.

In 2024, the owner and manager of the cargo ship Dali agreed to pay more than $102 million in cleanup costs from the 2023 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge near the port of Baltimore, Maryland. The Dali had crashed into the bridge, destroying the 1.6-mile span and killing six members of a roadwork crew.

Today’s Birthdays: Rock musician Bill Wyman is 90. Actor F. Murray Abraham is 87. Actor Kevin Kline is 79. Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota is 72. Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon is 70. Actor B.D. Wong is 66. Actor Raul Esparza is 56. English soccer manager and former star midfielder Wayne Rooney is 41. Singer Monica Arnold is 46. Fashion designer Zac Posen is 46. Singer-rapper Drake is 40. NBA player Nikola Vučević is 36. Actor Ashton Sanders is 31. NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown is 30. Singer Daya is 28. Actor Hudson Yang is 23.