March 24
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Featured Event
© The Nobel Foundation, Stockholm
Robert Koch introduces germ theory
On this day in 1882, Robert Koch gave a lecture at the Berlin Physiological Society where he introduced the basis of germ theory. He announced that he had discovered the bacterium that caused tuberculosis, a disease responsible for 1 in 7 deaths across Europe and the U.S. at the time. This meant Koch had upended the two prevailing theories of the time: spontaneous generation and miasmatic theory. During the meeting, Koch showed dyed tissue samples of the bacteria he had grown, and he published his findings a few weeks later. His work plays an important role to this day in identifying the microorganisms linked with diseases. [Read today’s edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
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Elizabeth I, who died on this day in 1603, ruled England for some 45 years, during which time the island country established itself as a world power and produced perhaps the most splendid age in English literature.
Famous Birthdays
More on March 24
© Robin van Lonkhuijsen/Pool—AFP/Getty Images
2016
Serbian politician Radovan Karadžić was found guilty of committing war crimes, including genocide, during the civil war that followed Bosnia and Herzegovina’s split from Yugoslavia in 1992; he was sentenced to 40 years in prison. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about European history.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
2008
Bhutan held elections for the National Assembly, thereby completing the country’s transition to a democracy. [Test your knowledge of Asia.]
© Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock.com
2002
Film stars Denzel Washington and Halle Berry became the second and third African Americans to win Academy Awards for performances in leading roles. [Take our Oscars quiz.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1999
A fire began in the Mont Blanc Tunnel, a major Alpine automotive tunnel connecting France and Italy; it took two days to put out the blaze, and 39 people were killed. [How much do you know about European history?]
© Chris Wilkins—AFP/Getty Images
1989
The oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground, spilling some 11 million gallons (41 million liters) of oil into Prince William Sound in Alaska and creating the largest oil spill in U.S. history up to that time.
AP/Shutterstock.com
1980
A vocal critic of the violence during El Salvador’s civil conflict, Archbishop Óscar Romero was assassinated while celebrating mass in San Salvador; he was canonized in 2018. [Test your knowledge of saints.]
Doug Pensinger—Getty Images/Thinkstock
1976
American professional gridiron football player Peyton Manning, one of the game’s premier quarterbacks, was born. [How much do you know about American football?]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1945
With the debut of the Billboard magazine pop album chart, American pianist and singer Nat King Cole’s King Cole Trio became the first record album to appear at No. 1. [Test your knowledge of musical groups.]
© 1963 United Artists Corporation with the Mirisch Company
1944
More than 75 Allied prisoners undertook a daring escape from a POW camp in Sagan, Germany, though most were eventually recaptured; it inspired the classic World War II movie The Great Escape (1963), starring Steve McQueen. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about World War II.]
Boyer/H. Roger-Viollet
1905
Pioneering French science-fiction author Jules Verne died in Amiens, France. [Who wrote what notable literary works?]
UPI—Bettmann/Corbis
1887
American comedian and director Fatty Arbuckle, whose successful career was halted by the first of the major Hollywood scandals, was born. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about movies.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Reproduction no. LC-USZ62-112419)
1874
American magician Harry Houdini, who earned an international reputation for his daring feats of self-extrication from shackles and locked containers, was born. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about famous Americans.]
© World History Archive/Alamy
1603
King James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne as James I following the death of Elizabeth I. [Sort fact from fiction in our English royalty quiz.]