This Day In History, February 24th.

Five Historical Events That Happened on February 24th.

• The Gregorian calendar is introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Nowadays, the majority of the world uses the Gregorian calendar, which was first introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. The calendar, which was based on the Earth's orbit around the sun, supplanted the Julian calendar, which had been in use since the Roman era.

• In the case of Marbury v. Madison, the US Supreme Court declared that it had the authority to declare federal legislation unconstitutional, establishing judicial review. This ruling created the judicial review premise, which continues to be a mainstay of US legal doctrine today.

• The House of Representatives removes President Andrew Johnson from office in 1868. The House of Representatives passed a resolution to impeach President Andrew Johnson on February 24, 1868, making him the first US president to face such a charge. Johnson's attempts to thwart Congress' Reconstruction programs led to his impeachment.

• 1917: Interception of the Zimmermann Telegram In a covert telegram to the German ambassador in Mexico during World War I, the German foreign minister Arthur Zimmermann suggested that Mexico and Germany form a military alliance. The Americans entered the war thanks to the British sharing the intercepted message with them.

• 1981: Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer's engagement is announced by Buckingham Palace - Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, proposed to Lady Diana Spencer on February 24. Millions of people worldwide witnessed the couple's wedding, which took place later that year.

This Day In History, February 23rd, 1582: Pope Gregory XIII announces the Gregorian calendar - The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most of the world today, and it was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.

Pope Gregory XIII changed the Julian calendar, which had been in use for more than 1,500 years, to the Gregorian calendar in 1582. The Julian calendar progressively became out of step with the solar year due to a tiny inaccuracy in its calculation of leap years. To solve this issue, the Gregorian calendar changed the standards for leap years such that only years that are also divisible by 400 qualify as leap years. The Gregorian calendar now more accurately approximates the duration of the solar year than the Julian calendar, which had previously been used. The Gregorian calendar, which is today the most extensively used calendar worldwide and the recognised civil calendar worldwide.

February 23rd, 1803: The US Supreme Court establishes judicial review - In the case of Marbury v. Madison, the US Supreme Court ruled that it had the power to declare federal laws unconstitutional.

The Marbury v. Madison ruling, which created the judicial review principle and aided in defining the relationship between the several departments of the US government, is regarded as one of the most significant in the history of the US Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Marshall's decision in the case, which involved a disagreement over a judicial appointment made by outgoing President John Adams, effectively established the Supreme Court as the last arbiter of the US Constitution. The ruling continues to be a crucial component of US legal doctrine today and has been referenced in countless following decisions.

1868: The House of Representatives impeaches President Andrew Johnson - President Andrew Johnson was the first US president to be impeached, and the House of Representatives voted to impeach him on February 24th.

The House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson for the first time on February 24, 1868. Johnson and the Republican-led Congress had fought over Johnson's attempts to thwart Reconstruction measures meant to unite and reconstruct the Southern states after the Civil War. In particular, Johnson had been accused of "high crimes and misdemeanors" by Congress after he rejected several important pieces of legislation intended to preserve the rights of recently freed slaves as well as ousted a number of Republican-appointed officials from their jobs. Johnson was acquitted by the Senate following a protracted impeachment trial, narrowly avoiding being removed from office. Yet, Andrew Johnson's impeachment established a crucial precedent for the use of impeachment as a weapon to hold the President accountable to the law and the Constitution.

1917: The Zimmermann Telegram is intercepted - During World War I, the German foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmermann, sent a secret telegram to the German ambassador in Mexico, proposing a military alliance between Germany and Mexico.

The Zimmermann Telegram was a covert message delivered to the German ambassador in Mexico in 1917 by the German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann. Zimmermann vowed to assist Mexico in regaining the territory it had lost to the US during the Mexican-American War and suggested that Mexico join Germany in a military alliance against the US in the telegram. By sharing the intercepted telegraph with the Americans, the British were able to sway public opinion in support of the Allies' entry into World War I. The Zimmermann Telegram remains a crucial illustration of the function of communication and intelligence in international affairs since it had a significant part in the American decision to declare war on Germany in April 1917.

1981: Buckingham Palace announces the engagement of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer - Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, announced his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer.

On February 24th, 1981, Prince Charles, the heir to the British monarchy, declared his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer. The engagement received extensive media coverage and sparked a lot of enthusiasm, especially in the UK. An estimated 750 million people watched the couple's wedding, which took place on July 29th, 1981, in front of a large global audience. The royal wedding was viewed as giving the British royal family a significant boost in popularity and reaffirming their status as markers of continuity and national unity. However, after a protracted period of intense emotional and public anguish, Prince Charles and Lady Diana's marriage finally terminated in divorce in 1996.