July 24
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1851: The Window Tax that backfired
On this day in 1851, England abolished the despised Window Tax that had been in place since 1696. Because it felt too personal to ask how much someone made, the government developed a tax system that included counting windows. More windows generally meant a larger and more expensive house. But that was not always true, especially in urban areas. People resorted to boarding up windows, and new construction lacked ventilation. The government finally saw the light and ended the tax.
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Featured Event
Harlinque/H. Roger-Viollet
Dutch-born dancer and courtesan Mata Hari, whose name became a synonym for the seductive female spy, went on trial this day in 1917, accused of spying for Germany, and was subsequently found guilty and shot by a firing squad. [Read about 10 famous names in the espionage game.]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Bill Janscha/AP Images
Born this day in 1963, American jockey Julie Krone was the first woman to win a U.S. Triple Crown race, capturing the Belmont Stakes in 1993, and in 2003 she became the first woman to win a Breedersâ Cup race.
Famous Birthdays
More on July 24
© Jim WestâUniversal Images Group/Getty Images
2026
Canadian officials held a ceremony to open the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which connects Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, Michigan.
Omar MarquesâSOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
2020
Regis Philbin, who was best known for hosting the talk show Live! With Regis and Kelly and the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, died at age 88. [Take our pop culture quiz.]
© Denver Post/Getty Images
2013
Virginia E. Johnsonâwho, with William H. Masters, formed Masters and Johnson, a pioneering research team noted for their studies on human sexualityâdied at age 88. [Test your knowledge of notable Americans.]
Desiree MartinâAFP/Getty Images
2005
American cyclist Lance Armstrong became the first rider to win the Tour de France seven times. He was, however, later stripped of all his titles after an investigation revealed that he was the key figure in a wide-ranging doping conspiracy. [Sort fact from fiction in our Tour de France quiz.]
© Saving Private Ryan/DreamWorks Pictures/Paramount Pictures
1998
The World War II drama Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks, was released, and it became a critical and commercial success, earning five Academy Awards, including best director for Steven Spielberg. [Test your knowledge of the Academy Awards.]
© Orhan Ăam/stock.adobe.com
1974
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Richard M. Nixon had to provide transcripts of Watergate tapes to special prosecutor Leon Jaworski. [Find out more about Watergateâs legacy.]
© Paul Smith/Featureflash/Shutterstock.com
1969
American actress and singer Jennifer Lopezâwho was one of the highest-paid Latina actresses in the history of Hollywood and later found crossover success in the music industry with a series of pop albumsâwas born. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about A-list actors.]
© Keystone/Getty Images
1959
Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and U.S. Vice President Richard M. Nixon engaged in the âkitchen debateâ at an American exhibition in Moscow. [Find out what a war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union might have looked like.]
Bettmann/Getty Images
1945
Selma Burkeâs bronze relief portrait of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was shown in public for the first time. The image of Roosevelt on the U.S. dime that was released in 1946 resembles her sculpture, though the U.S. Mint denied that Burkeâs work had any influence.
© Stbernardstudio/Dreamstime.com
1944
Soviet forces liberated the Majdanek concentration and extermination camp on the outskirts of the city of Lublin, Poland. [Sort fact from fiction in our World War II quiz.]
Image: EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1923
The Treaty of Lausanne, the final treaty concluding World War I, was signed. [How much do you know about World War I?]
AP/Shutterstock.com
1915
In one of the worst maritime disasters in American history, the passenger liner SS Eastland capsized in the Chicago River, killing more than 840 people. [Watch footage of rescue efforts aboard the Eastland.]
© Adalberto Rios Szalay/Sexto SolâPhotodisc/Getty Images
1911
Led by a local resident, Hiram Bingham reached Machu Picchu in a remote part of the Peruvian Andes. [Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. What else made the list?]
Culver Pictures
1897
Amelia Earhart, one of the worldâs most-celebrated aviators and the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean, was born in Atchison, Kansas. [Test your knowledge of early aviation.]
© North Wind Picture Archives
1847
Brigham Young and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LOT 13407, no. 181)
1567
Mary, Queen of Scots, was formally deposed after rebellious Scottish nobles deserted her army at Carberry Hill and forced her to abdicate in favour of her one-year-old son, James. [Take our quiz about kings and queens.]