On This Day: United Nations Inaugurated on October 24

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Today marks Friday, October 24, 2025, which is the 297th day of the year, leaving just 68 more to go.

Today in history:

On this date in 1945, the United Nations was officially established when its charter, endorsed by 51 countries, was activated. Since then, this day has been celebrated globally as United Nations Day.

Also on this date:

In a historical context, back in 1537, Jane Seymour, King Henry VIII’s third wife, passed away just 12 days after delivering a son, Prince Edward, who would become King Edward VI.

Fast forward to 1861, when Chief Justice Stephen J. Field from California sent the first transcontinental telegraph message from San Francisco to President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C., marking a significant achievement in communication.

On this day in 1929, the New York Stock Exchange faced a tumultuous start with a massive sell-off causing chaos among stockbrokers overwhelmed by trading demands. Although some recovery was seen by the day’s end, this “Black Thursday” signaled the onset of the infamous Wall Street Crash.

In 1931, the iconic George Washington Bridge was inaugurated, linking New York City and New Jersey. At the time, it held the title of the world’s longest suspension bridge.

In 1952, Republican presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower vowed to go to Korea as he promised to end the ongoing conflict there. (Eisenhower would indeed visit Korea in December, after winning the election but before his inauguration.)

In 2002, authorities arrested John Allen Muhammad and teenager Lee Boyd Malvo near Myersville, Maryland, in the Washington-area sniper attacks that killed 10 people and wounded three that month. (Malvo was later sentenced to life in prison. Muhammad was sentenced to death and executed in 2009.)

In 2003, a British Airways flight from New York to London marked the final commercial flight of the supersonic Concorde jet.

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy roared across Jamaica and headed toward Cuba on its way to the eastern United States; what became known as Superstorm Sandy was a combination of the hurricane and other storms that struck New York and surrounding areas, killing 147 people, 72 in the eastern U.S.

In 2024, the owner and manager of the cargo ship Dali agreed to pay more than $102 million in cleanup costs to settle a federal government lawsuit stemming from the 2023 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The Dali had crashed into a supporting column, destroying the 1.6-mile span and killing six members of a roadwork crew.