October 24 Birthday
On October 24, 1945, the United Nations Charter took effect. The organization had been signed into existence in San Francisco on June 26. The UN replaced the League of Nations, which had failed to prevent World War II. The UN's first resolution established the International Atomic Energy Commission. The UN has 193 member states and has sent 71 peacekeeping missions. It has been criticized for bureaucracy and inaction, but it has also mediated conflicts, fed millions, and eradicated smallpox. On October 24, 1929 — "Black Thursday" — the Dow Jones fell 11% at the opening bell. The crash accelerated on Black Tuesday, October 29, when the market fell 12%. The market would lose 89% of its value by 1932. The crash was not the cause of the Great Depression — the economy was already weak — but it was the signal. People born on October 24 fall under the zodiac sign of Scorpio. The birthstone is Opal and the birth flower is Marigold. Historical events on October 24 include 1945: United Nations formally established (UN Charter goes into effect), 1929: Black Thursday — Wall Street stock market crash begins, 2003: Concorde supersonic airliner makes final commercial flight. Famous people born on October 24 include Bill Wyman (1936), F. Murray Abraham (1939), Kevin Kline (1947).