Portal:United States/Anniversaries/May/May 24
- 1626 – Peter Minuit purchases the island of Manhattan from Native Americans.
- 1830 – The nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb, penned by Sarah Josepha Hale, is published.
- 1844 – Samuel Morse (pictured) sends the message "What hath God wrought" (a biblical quotation, Numbers 23:23) from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland to inaugurate the first telegraph line.
- 1941 – Bob Dylan, the singer-songwriter whose music became anthems for the American civil rights and anti-war movements, was born.
- 1962 – As part of Project Mercury, astronaut Scott Carpenter orbits the Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.
- 1976 – The Judgment of Paris takes place in France, launching California as a worldwide force in the production of quality wine.
On this day for the United States
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Events
- 1830 – "Mary Had a Little Lamb" by Sarah Josepha Hale is published.
- 1830 – The first revenue trains in the United States begin service on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road between Baltimore and Ellicott's Mills.
- 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.
- 1856 – John Brown and his men murder five slavery supporters at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Union troops occupy Alexandria, Virginia.
- 1883 – The Brooklyn Bridge in New York is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction.
- 1911 – The New York Public Library opened.
- 1940 – Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single–rotor helicopter flight.
- 1958 – United Press International is formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.
- 1961 – American civil rights movement: Freedom Riders are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi for "disturbing the peace" after disembarking from their bus.
- 1962 – Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbits the Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.
- 1968 – FLQ separatists bomb the U.S. consulate in Quebec City.
- 1980 – The International Court of Justice calls for the release of United States embassy hostages in Tehran. The hostages would not be freed until the following January.
- 1990 – A car carrying American Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney explodes in Oakland, California, critically injuring both.
- 1994 – Four men convicted of bombing New York's World Trade Center in 1993 are each sentenced to 240 years in prison.
- 2001 – The Democrats gain control of the U.S. Senate for the first time since 1994 when Senator James Jeffords of Vermont abandons the Republican Party and declares himself an independent.
- 2002 – Russia and the United States sign the Moscow Treaty.