In History, Today on August 24

Pope Innocent III declares the Magna Carta invalid, leading to the First Barons' War in England.

In Cologne, Germany, Jews are blamed for the Black Death and massacred in the Cologne Pogrom.

The printing of the Gutenberg Bible is completed.

The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre begins in Paris, France, where thousands of Huguenots (French Protestants) are killed by Catholic mobs.

During the War of 1812, British forces capture Washington, D.C., and set fire to many public buildings, including the White House and the Capitol.

The Treaty of Córdoba is signed, ratifying the Plan of Iguala and confirming Mexico's independence from Spain.

The Panic of 1857 begins, a financial crisis in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy.

Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera, a significant development in the history of film and entertainment.

France and the Soviet Union sign a treaty of non-aggression.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is established, marking a significant development in post-World War II international relations.

The Communist Control Act is signed into law in the United States, outlawing the Communist Party and criminalizing membership in or support for the party.

France explodes its first hydrogen bomb, becoming the world's fifth thermonuclear power.

Mark David Chapman is sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for the murder of John Lennon.

The Voyager 2 spacecraft made its closest approach to Neptune, providing humanity with its first detailed images of the planet.

Ukraine declares its independence from the Soviet Union.

Pluto was reclassified as a 'dwarf planet' by the International Astronomical Union, reducing the number of planets in the Solar System from nine to eight.

The last American combat brigade withdrew from Iraq, marking the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom and transitioning to Operation New Dawn.

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck central Italy, causing significant destruction and resulting in the deaths of nearly 300 people.

The Republican National Convention began in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Donald Trump was formally nominated for a second term as President of the United States.