Today is Tuesday, Feb. 24, the 55th day of 2026. There are 310 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Feb. 24, 1988, the Supreme Court made a ruling that expanded legal protections for parody and satire by overturning a $200,000 award that the Rev. Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and its publisher, Larry Flynt.
Also on this date:
In 1803, the U.S. Supreme Court established the foundational principle of judicial review of the constitutionality of laws and statutes in its landmark Marbury v. Madison decision.
In 1868, President Andrew Johnson was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives for attempting to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. Johnson was later acquitted by the Senate by a single vote.
In 1942, the SS Struma, a charter ship carrying nearly 800 Jewish refugees from Romania to British-mandated Palestine, was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine in the Black Sea, resulting in the death of all but one of the refugees.
In 1981, Jean Harris was found guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of “Scarsdale Diet” author Dr. Herman Tarnower.
In 1991, the United States began ground operations in the Gulf War by entering Iraqi-held Kuwait.
In 2008, Raul Castro was named president of Cuba, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother, Fidel Castro.
In 2011, Discovery, the world’s most traveled spaceship, embarked on its final journey to the International Space Station, marking the beginning of the end of the shuttle era.
In 2020, Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault in New York, a pivotal moment for the #MeToo movement.
In 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, initiating airstrikes and sending troops and tanks from multiple directions.
Today’s birthdays:
- Actor Dominic Chianese is 95.
- Nike co-founder Phil Knight is 88.
- Actor Barry Bostwick is 81.
- Actor Edward James Olmos is 79.
- Musician George Thorogood is 76.
- Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Murray is 70.
- Actor Billy Zane is 60.
- Boxing Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is 49.
- Tennis Hall of Famer Lleyton Hewitt is 45.
- Actor Daniel Kaluuya is 37.
- Singer-songwriter Domenic Innarella is 15.
