Did you know
Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance polymath who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center.
Notable Deaths on May 24
1543 — Nicolaus Copernicus
Polish mathematician and astronomer (born 1473)
May 24 has 102 recorded notable deaths across history, from 688 to 2025. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
102 source records
688 – 2025
Today in history
Major events on May 24
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1961 American civil rights movement: Freedom Riders are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, for "disturbing the peace" after disembarking from their bus. Source
- 1944 Congress of Përmet occurs which establishes a provisional government in Albania in areas under partisan control, the first independent Albanian government since 1939. In honor of this the national emblem of Albania inscribed this date from 1946 until 1992. Source
- 1813 South American independence leader Simón Bolívar enters Mérida, leading the invasion of Venezuela, and is proclaimed El Libertador ("The Liberator"). Source
- 1607 Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in North America, is founded. Source
Did you know
Never renouncing Nazi ideology, she consistently fought to defend her father's reputation and became closely involved in neo-Nazi groups that gave support to ex-members of the SS.
Did you know
Archibald Wavell served in the Second Boer War, the Bazar Valley Campaign and the First World War, during which he was wounded in the Second Battle of Ypres.
Did you know
Robert Ritter von Greim was a German Generalfeldmarschall and First World War flying ace.
Did you know
Stormé DeLarverie was an American known as the lesbian whose scuffle with police was, according to DeLarverie and many eyewitnesses, the spark that ignited the Stonewall uprising, spurring the crowd to action.
More major people who died on May 24
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
2018
Gudrun Burwitz
daughter of Margarete Himmler and Heinrich Himmler (born 1929)
Gudrun Margarete Elfriede Emma Anna Burwitz was the daughter of Heinrich Himmler and Margarete Himmler. Her father, as Reichsführer-SS, was a leading member of the Nazi Party and chief architect of the Final Solution.
1950
Archibald Wavell
1st Earl Wavell, English field marshal and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India (born 1883)
Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell was a senior officer of the British Army.
1945
Robert Ritter von Greim
German field marshal and pilot (born 1892)
Robert Ritter von Greim was a German Generalfeldmarschall and First World War flying ace.
2014
Stormé DeLarverie
known as the "Rosa Parks of the lesbian community" (born 1920)
Stormé DeLarverie was an American known as the lesbian whose scuffle with police was, according to DeLarverie and many eyewitnesses, the spark that ignited the Stonewall uprising, spurring the crowd to action.
1632
Robert Hues
English mathematician and geographer (born 1553)
Robert Hues was an English mathematician and geographer. He attended St. Mary Hall at Oxford, and graduated in 1578.
1351
Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman
Moroccan sultan (born 1297)
Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Uthman, was a sultan of the Marinid dynasty who reigned in parts of what is now Morocco between 1331 and 1348.
1915
John Condon
Irish-English soldier (born 1896)
Pte. John Condon was an Irish soldier born in Waterford City. He was mistakenly believed to have been the youngest Allied soldier killed during the First World War, at the age of 14 years; he lied about his age and he…
1939
Fanny Searls
American biologist (born 1851)
Fanny Searls, also known by her married name Fanny Gradle, was an American physician and botanical collector. Dalea searlsiae, Searls' prairie clover, is named after her.
1806
John Campbell
5th Duke of Argyll, Scottish field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Argyllshire (born 1723)
Field Marshal John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, styled Marquess of Lorne from 1761 to 1770, was a British Army officer and politician.
2010
Petr Muk
Czech singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1965)
Petr Muk was a Czech pop musician, composer, and performer, famous in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
1923
Rolf Skår
Norwegian engineer (born 1941)
Rolf Skår was a Norwegian engineer and entrepreneur. He was a co-founder of the computer manufacturing company Norsk Data in 1967, and took over as chief executive officer (CEO) of the company from 1978 to 1989.
1089
Lanfranc
Archbishop of Canterbury
Lanfranc was an Italian-born English churchman, monk and scholar. Born in Italy, he moved to Normandy to become a Benedictine monk at Bec.
1861
Elmer E. Ellsworth
American colonel (born 1837)
Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth was a United States Army officer, close personal friend of the 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln, and law clerk who was the first conspicuous casualty and the first Union…
1965
Sonny Boy Williamson II
American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (born 1908)
Alex or Aleck Miller, known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter.
1995
Harold Wilson
English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1916)
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, was a British politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and from 1974 to 1976.
2014
Knowlton Nash
Canadian journalist and author (born 1927)
Cyril Knowlton Nash was a Canadian journalist, author and news anchor. He was senior anchor of CBC Television's flagship news program, The National from 1978 until his retirement in 1992.
1612
Robert Cecil
1st Earl of Salisbury, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (born 1563)
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury was an English statesman and alleged spymaster noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart rule (1603).
1627
Luis de Góngora
Spanish poet and cleric (born 1561)
Luis de Góngora y Argote was a Spanish Baroque lyric poet and a Catholic priest at Córdoba Cathedral.
1988
Freddie Frith
English motorcycle road racer (born 1909)
Frederick Lee Frith OBE was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world champion.