So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

June 24th


- Battle of Bannockburn 1314 (Scotland)
- Battle of Carabobo Day (Venezuela)
- Christian Feast Day
- Day of the Caboclo (Amazonas State, Brazil)
- Discovery Day, observed on the nearest Monday (Newfoundland and Labrador)
- Feast of Ra?mat (Bahá'í Faith)
- Manila Day (Manila)
- St John's Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the real summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Northern Europe):
- World UFO Day

June 24th


- 2010 - John Isner of the United States defeats Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon, in the longest match in tennis history.
- 2007 - The Angora Fire starts near South Lake Tahoe, California, destroying over 200 structures in its first 48 hours.
- 2004 - In New York state, capital punishment is declared unconstitutional.
- 2002 - The Igandu train disaster in Tanzania kills 281, the worst train accident in African history.
- 1994 - A United States Air Force B-52 aircraft crashes at Fairchild Air Force Base killing all four members of its crew.
- 1993 - Yale computer science professor Dr. David Gelernter loses his sight in one eye, his hearing in one ear and part of his right hand after receiving a mailbomb from the Unabomber.
- 1985 - STS-51-G Space Shuttle Discovery completes its mission, best remembered for having Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a Payload Specialist.
- 1982 - "The Jakarta Incident": British Airways Flight 9 flies into a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung, resulting in the failure of all four engines.
- 1981 - The Humber Bridge is opened to traffic, connecting Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It would be the world's longest single-span suspension bridge for 17 years.
- 1975 - An Eastern Air Lines Boeing 727 crashes at John F. Kennedy Airport, New York. 113 people die.
- 1963 - The United Kingdom grants Zanzibar internal self-government.
- 1957 - In Roth v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment .
- 1949 - The first Television Western, Hopalong Cassidy, is aired on NBC starring William Boyd.
- 1948 - Start of the Berlin Blockade: the Soviet Union makes overland travel between West Germany and West Berlin impossible.
- 1947 - Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington.
- 1945 - The Moscow Victory Parade takes place.
- 1939 - Siam is renamed to Thailand by Plaek Pibulsonggram, the country's third prime minister.
- 1938 - Pieces of a meteor, estimated to have weighed 450 metric tons when it hit the Earth's atmosphere and exploded, land near Chicora, Pennsylvania.
- 1932 - A bloodless Revolution instigated by the People's Party ends the absolute power of King Prajadhipok of Siam (Thailand).
- 1922 - The American Professional Football Association formally changes its name to the National Football League.
- 1918 - First airmail service in Canada from Montreal to Toronto.
- 1916 - Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to sign a million dollar contract.
- 1916 - World War I: the Battle of the Somme begins with a week-long artillery bombardment on the German Line.
- 1913 - Greece and Serbia annul their alliance with Bulgaria.
- 1902 - King Edward VII of the United Kingdom develops appendicitis, delaying his coronation.
- 1901 - The first exhibition of Pablo Picasso's work opens.
- 1894 - Marie Francois Sadi Carnot is assassinated by Sante Geronimo Caserio.
- 1880 - First performance of O Canada, the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français.
- 1866 - Battle of Custoza: an Austrian army defeats the Italian army during the Austro-Prussian War.
- 1859 - Battle of Solferino (Battle of the Three Sovereigns): Sardinia and France defeat Austria in Solferino, northern Italy.
- 1821 - The Battle of Carabobo takes place. It is the decisive battle in the war of independence of Venezuela from Spain.
- 1813 - Battle of Beaver Dams : a British and Indian combined force defeats the U.S Army.
- 1812 - Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon's Grande Armée crosses the Neman River beginning the invasion of Russia.
- 1794 - Foundation of Bowdoin College.
- 1793 - The first Republican constitution in France is adopted.
- 1748 - John Wesley and his brother Charles open the Kingswood School in Bristol. The school later moves to Bath.
- 1717 - The Premier Grand Lodge of England, the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the world (now the United Grand Lodge of England), is founded in London, England.
- 1692 - Kingston, Jamaica is founded.
- 1664 - The colony of New Jersey is founded.
- 1622 - Battle of Macau: The Dutch attempt but fail to capture Macau.
- 1604 - Samuel de Champlain discovers the mouth of the Saint John River, site of Reversing Falls and the present day city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
- 1597 - The first Dutch voyage to the East Indies reaches Bantam (on Java).
- 1571 - Miguel Lopez de Legazpi founds Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines.
- 1535 - The Anabaptist state of Münster is conquered and disbanded.
- 1509 - Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon are crowned King and Queen of England.
- 1497 - John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings.
- 1497 - Cornish rebels Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank are executed at Tyburn, London.
- 1441 - King Henry VI of England founds Eton College.
- 1374 - A sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion.
- 1340 - Hundred Years' War: Battle of Sluys – The French fleet is almost destroyed by the English Fleet commanded in person by King Edward III.
- 1314 - First War of Scottish Independence: the Battle of Bannockburn concludes with a decisive victory of the Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce, though England did not recognise Scottish independence until with the signing of the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton.
- 1128 - Battle of São Mamede, near Guimarães: forces led by Alfonso I defeat forces led by his mother Teresa of León and her lover Fernando Pérez de Traba. After this battle, the future king calls himself "Prince of Portugal", the first step towards "official independence" that will be reached in after the Battle of Ourique.
- 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces, takes place.
- 109 - The Aqua Traiana is inaugurated by emperor Trajan, the aqueduct channels water from Lake Bracciano, 40 kilometers (25 miles) north-west of Rome.
- -217 - The Romans, lead by Gaius Flaminius, were ambushed and defeated by Hannibal at the Battle of Lake Trasimene.

June 24th


- 2003 - Marcus Fiesel, American murder victim (d. 2006)
- 1990 - Michael Del Zotto, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988 - Nichkhun Horvejkul, Thai-American singer active in South Korea (2PM)
- 1987 - Serdar Güne?, Turkish footballer
- 1987 - Craig Henderson, New Zealand footballer
- 1987 - Arturo Lupoli, Italian footballer
- 1987 - Lionel Messi, Argentine footballer
- 1986 - Stuart Broad, English cricketer
- 1986 - Phil Hughes, American baseball player
- 1986 - Solange Knowles, American singer
- 1985 - Kyle Searles, American actor
- 1985 - Yukina Shirakawa, Japanese gravure idol
- 1984 - J. J. Redick, American basketball player
- 1983 - John Lloyd Cruz, Filipino actor
- 1983 - Rebecca Cooke, British swimmer
- 1982 - Kevin Nolan, English footballer
- 1982 - Mark Penney, Canadian film director
- 1982 - Jarret Stoll, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982 - Clint Bajada, Maltese television and radio presenter
- 1980 - Cicinho, Brazilian footballer
- 1980 - Liane Balaban, Canadian actress
- 1980 - Andrew Jones, Australian racing driver
- 1980 - Minka Kelly, American actress
- 1979 - Petra N?mcová, Czechoslovakian-born model
- 1979 - Craig Shergold, British internet folklore subject
- 1979 - Mindy Kaling, American actress and TV producer
- 1978 - Luis García, Spanish footballer
- 1978 - Pantelis Kafes, Greek footballer
- 1978 - Shunsuke Nakamura, Japanese footballer
- 1978 - Ariel Pink, American recording artist
- 1978 - Juan Román Riquelme, Argentine footballer
- 1978 - Emppu Vuorinen, Finnish guitarist (Nightwish)
- 1977 - Dimosthenis Dikoudis, Greek basketball player
- 1977 - Cas Jansen, Dutch actor
- 1977 - Jeff Farmer, Australian footballer
- 1976 - Louisa Leaman, English writer and behaviour expert
- 1976 - Brock Olivo, American football player
- 1975 - Federico Pucciariello, Argentine-born Italian rugby player
- 1975 - Carla Gallo, American actress
- 1975 - Marek Malik, Czech ice hockey player
- 1973 - Alexander Beyer, German actor
- 1972 - Robbie McEwen, Australian cyclist
- 1972 - Denis Žvegelj, Slovenian rower
- 1971 - Christopher Showerman, American actor
- 1971 - Ji Jin Hee, South Korean actor
- 1970 - Glenn Medeiros, American singer and songwriter
- 1969 - Sissel Kyrkjebø, Norwegian soprano
- 1968 - Alaa Abdelnaby, Egyptian-American basketball player
- 1967 - Bill Huard, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1967 - Richard Z. Kruspe, German guitarist (Rammstein)
- 1967 - Janez Lapajne, Slovenian film director
- 1967 - John Limniatis, Greek-Canadian footballer
- 1967 - Scott Oden, American writer
- 1967 - Sherry Stringfield, American actress
- 1966 - Hope Sandoval, American singer and songwriter (Mazzy Star, Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions)
- 1966 - Adrienne Shelly, American actress, director and screenwriter (d. 2006)
- 1965 - Uwe Krupp, German ice hockey player
- 1964 - Gary Suter, American ice hockey player
- 1963 - Preki (Predrag Radosavljevi?), Serbian-born American soccer player
- 1963 - Mike Wieringo, American comic book artist (d. 2007)
- 1961 - Dennis Danell, American guitarist (Social Distortion) (d. 2000)
- 1961 - Iain Glen, Scottish actor
- 1961 - Bernie Nicholls, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1961 - Ralph Reed, American political figure and religious leader
- 1961 - Curt Smith, English bassist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter (Tears for Fears)
- 1960 - Siedah Garrett, American singer
- 1960 - Trisha Meili, American assault and rape victim, known as the "Central Park Jogger"
- 1960 - Karin Pilsäter, Swedish politician
- 1960 - Erik Poppe, Norwegian film director
- 1958 - Kathy Troccoli, American singer
- 1958 - Tom Lister, Jr., American actor and professional wrestler
- 1958 - Jean Charest, 29th Premier of Québec
- 1958 - John Tortorella, American ice hockey coach
- 1957 - Mark Parkinson, American politician, 45th Governor of Kansas
- 1956 - Joe Penny, English actor
- 1953 - Ivo Lill, Estonian glass artist
- 1952 - Stephen Pusey, British public artist
- 1951 - David Rodigan, Germany-born British radio DJ and actor
- 1950 - Mercedes Lackey, American fantasy writer
- 1950 - Nancy Allen, American actress
- 1949 - John Illsley, English bassist (Dire Straits)
- 1948 - Patrick Moraz, Swiss keyboard player (Yes)
- 1947 - Peter Weller, American actor
- 1947 - Mick Fleetwood, English drummer (Fleetwood Mac)
- 1946 - Ellison Onizuka, American astronaut (d. 1986)
- 1946 - Robert Reich, American politician and political commentator
- 1946 - David Collenette, Canadian politician
- 1945 - Colin Blunstone, English singer and songwriter (The Zombies)
- 1945 - George Pataki, American politician
- 1945 - Wayne Cashman, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1944 - Jeff Beck, English guitarist (The Yardbirds)
- 1944 - Arthur Brown, English singer
- 1944 - John "Charlie" Whitney, English guitarist (Family, Streetwalkers, Axis Point)
- 1944 - Chris Wood, English saxophonist (Traffic) (d. 1983)
- 1942 - Michele Lee, American actress
- 1942 - Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Chilean president
- 1941 - Julia Kristeva, Bulgarian-French philosopher, psychoanalyst and novelist
- 1939 - Michael Gothard, English actor (d. 1992)
- 1939 - HA Schult, German artist
- 1938 - Lawrence Block, American writer
- 1935 - Terry Riley, American composer
- 1934 - Jean-Pierre Ferland, Canadian singer
- 1934 - Ferdinand Biwersi, German football referee
- 1933 - Sam Jones, American basketball player
- 1931 - Billy Casper, American golfer
- 1930 - Claude Chabrol, French film director (d. 2010)
- 1930 - William B. Ziff, Jr., American publishing executive (d. 2006)
- 1927 - Martin Lewis Perl, American physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1924 - Kurt Furgler, member of the Swiss Federal Council (d. 2008)
- 1924 - Brian Bevan, Australian rugby league footballer (d. 1991)
- 1924 - Archie Roy, Scottish astronomer, academic and paranormal researcher
- 1922 - Tata Giacobetti, Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra) (d. 1988)
- 1919 - Al Molinaro, American actor
- 1916 - William B. Saxbe, American politician (d. 2010)
- 1915 - Fred Hoyle, British astronomer (d. 2001)
- 1914 - Pearl Witherington CBE, British World War II secret agent (d. 2008)
- 1913 - Gustaaf Deloor, Belgian cyclist (d. 2002)
- 1912 - Brian Johnston, British cricket commentator (d. 1994)
- 1911 - Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentine Formula One driver and five-time World Champion (d. 1995)
- 1911 - Ernesto Sabato, Argentine writer
- 1908 - Hugo Distler, German composer (d. 1942)
- 1908 - Guru Gopinath, Indian classical dancer (d. 1987)
- 1908 - Alfons Rebane, Estonian military officer (d. 1976)
- 1907 - Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet (d. 1989)
- 1906 - Pierre Fournier, French cellist (d. 1986)
- 1906 - Willard Maas, American educator and experimental filmmaker (d. 1971)
- 1904 - Phil Harris, American singer, songwriter and comedian (d. 1995)
- 1901 - Harry Partch, American composer (d. 1974)
- 1900 - Wilhelm Cauer, German mathematician (d. 1945)
- 1897 - Daniel K. Ludwig, American shipping magnate (d. 1992)
- 1895 - Jack Dempsey, American boxer (d. 1983)
- 1893 - Roy O. Disney, American co-founder of the Walt Disney Company (d. 1971)
- 1888 - Gerrit Rietveld, Dutch architect (d. 1964)
- 1886 - George Shiels, Northern Irish dramatist (d. 1949)
- 1883 - Victor Franz Hess, Austrian-born physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1964)
- 1882 - Carl Diem, German Olympic official (d. 1962)
- 1882 - Athanase David, Canadian politician and businessman (d. 1953)
- 1860 - Mercedes of Orleans, Queen of Spain (d. 1878)
- 1850 - Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, British field marshal (d. 1916)
- 1842 - Ambrose Bierce, American author (disappeared ca. 1914)
- 1826 - George Goyder, surveyor-general of South Australia (d. 1898)
- 1825 - Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1844)
- 1821 - Dr. Guillermo Rawson, medical doctor and one of the most influential politicians in nineteenth century Argentina (d. 1890)
- 1813 - Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman and reformer (d. 1887)
- 1811 - John Archibald Campbell, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1889)
- 1804 - Willard Richards, American religious leader (d. 1854)
- 1803 - George James Webb, English-born composer (d. 1887)
- 1795 - Ernst Heinrich Weber, German anatomist and physiologist (d. 1878)
- 1777 - John Ross, British naval officer and explorer (d. 1856)
- 1774 - François Nicolas Benoît, Baron Haxo, French general (d. 1838)
- 1774 - Antonio González de Balcarce, Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (d. 1819)
- 1704 - Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens, French writer (d. 1771)
- 1694 - Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, Swiss political theorist (d. 1748)
- 1687 - Johann Albrecht Bengel, German scholar (d. 1757)
- 1663 - Jean Baptiste Massillon, French churchman (d. 1742)
- 1587 - William Arnold, English settler of Providence Plantation (d. 1675)
- 1546 - Robert Parsons, English Jesuit priest (d. 1610)
- 1542 - St. John of the Cross, Spanish Carmelite mystic and poet (d. 1591)
- 1535 - Joan of Spain, Spanish-born Queen consort of Portugal (d. 1573)
- 1533 - Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (d. 1588)
- 1519 - Theodore Beza, French theologian (d. 1605)
- 1485 - Johannes Bugenhagen, German reformer (d. 1558)
- 1386 - Giovanni da Capistrano, Italian saint (d. 1456)
- 1343 - Jeanne de Valois, Queen of Navarre (d. 1373)
- 1244 - Henry I of Hesse (d. 1308)