Days Until February 24, 2025

24 February: A Date of Historical Significance

February 24 marks an important day in history. Here are some of the key events that happened on this date:

• 1989 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, issues a fatwa calling for the death of author Salman Rushdie. The controversial novel, The Satanic Verses, had been published in 1988 and was deemed by some to be blasphemous.
• 2008 - Fidel Castro, the former Cuban leader, officially resigns. Castro had ruled the country for nearly five decades and was succeeded by his brother, Raul Castro.
• 1836 - The Battle of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas. Mexican troops launched an attack on a small group of Texans who had barricaded themselves inside a mission. The siege lasted 13 days, and all of the Texans, including famous frontiersman Davy Crockett, were killed.
• 1981 - British tour operator, Thomson Holidays, acquires the iconic travel brand, Lunn Poly. This was a significant acquisition for Thomson Holidays which had ambitions to expand into high street shops in the UK. The Lunn Poly brand became the main high-street travel agency in the UK for many years.
• 2004 - The United States lifts a ban on travel to Libya. The ban had been in place since 1986 due to Libya's ties to terrorism, but was lifted after the country renounced its weapons of mass destruction program.
• 1582 - Pope Gregory XIII announces the Gregorian calendar. The new calendar was designed to correct errors in the Julian calendar, and is still used today.

As these events demonstrate, February 24 has been a significant day throughout history. From political upheaval to travel industry milestones, this date has been marked by a variety of key moments that have had a lasting impact on the world.