November 24

What happened on November 24 in history

5 events fall on November 24, from 1642 to 1974. Read them below, then try to place a historical scene yourself — guess where in the world it happened and in what year.

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Events on November 24

  1. 1642

    Tasman sights Tasmania

    The Dutch navigator reaches the island he names Van Diemen's Land.

    Play the Exploration & revolution round

  2. 1859

    On the Origin of Species is published

    The first edition sells out on the day of publication.

    Darwin had held the argument back for two decades and only published after Alfred Russel Wallace reached the same conclusion independently. On the Origin of Species set out descent with modification by natural selection, using pigeons, barnacles and the fossil record rather than a single dramatic proof.

    Source: Darwin Online

    Play the 19th century round

  3. 1963

    Oswald is shot

    Jack Ruby kills the accused in a Dallas police basement, live on television.

    Play the 20th century round

  4. 1971

    D. B. Cooper jumps

    A hijacker parachutes out of a Boeing 727 over Washington state with the ransom.

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  5. 1974

    Lucy is discovered

    A hominin skeleton 3.2 million years old is found in Ethiopia.

    A survey team in the Afar region of Ethiopia found several hundred fragments of one small hominin skeleton, about 40 per cent complete and around 3.2 million years old. Lucy's pelvis and knee showed she walked upright while keeping a small, ape-sized brain. That settled a long argument: bipedalism came first, big brains much later.

    Source: Smithsonian Human Origins — Australopithecus afarensis

    Play the 20th century round