69 AD – Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus, the commander of the Danube armies, loyal to Vespasian, defeat the forces of Emperor Vitellius.

1147 – After a siege of 4 months crusader knights led by Afonso Henriques reconquered Lisbon.

1260 – The Cathedral of Chartres is dedicated in the presence of King Louis IX of France; the cathedral is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1260 – Saif ad-Din Qutuz, Mamluk sultan of Egypt, is assassinated by Baibars, who seizes power for himself.

1360 – The Treaty of Brétigny is ratified at Calais, marking the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years' War.

1590 – John White, the governor of the second Roanoke Colony, returns to England after an unsuccessful search for the "lost" colonists.

1648 – The Peace of Westphalia is signed, marking the end of the Thirty Years' War.

1795 – Partitions of Poland: The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is completely divided among Austria, Prussia, and Russia.

1812 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Maloyaroslavets takes place near Moscow.

1851 – William Lassell, discovers the moons Umbriel, and Ariel, orbiting Uranus.

1857 – Sheffield F.C., the world's oldest association football club still in operation, is founded in Sheffield, England.

1861 – The First Transcontinental Telegraph line across the United States is completed, spelling the end for the 18-month-old Pony Express.

1901 – Annie Edson Taylor becomes the first person to go over Niagara Falls, in a barrel.

1911 – Orville Wright, remains in the air 9 minutes and 45 seconds in a Wright Glider, at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

1912 – First Balkan War: The Battle of Kumanovo concludes with the Serbian victory.

1917 – Battle of Caporetto; Italy suffers a catastrophic defeat by the forces of Austria-Hungary and Germany on the Austro-Italian front of World War I (lasts until 19 November - also called Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo).

1926 – Harry Houdini's last performance, which is at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.

1929 – "Black Thursday" stock market crash on the New York Stock Exchange.

1930 – A bloodless coup d'état in Brazil ousts Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa, the last President of the First Republic. Getúlio Dornelles Vargas is then installed as "provisional president."

1931 – The George Washington Bridge opens to public traffic.

1943 – The Provisional Government of Free India formally declared war on Britain and the United States of America.

1944 – World War II: The Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku and the battleship Musashi are sunk by American aircraft in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

1945 – Founding of the United Nations.

1946 – A camera on board the V-2 No. 13 rocket takes the first photograph of earth from outer space.

1947 – Walt Disney testifies before the House Un-American Activities Committee, naming Disney employees he believes to be communists.

1949 – The cornerstone of the United Nations Headquarters is laid.

1954 – Dwight D. Eisenhower pledges United States support to South Vietnam.

1957 – The USAF starts the X-20 Dyna-Soar program.

1960 – Nedelin catastrophe: An R-16 ballistic missile explodes on the launch pad at the Soviet Union's Baikonur Cosmodrome space facility, killing over

Source: http://www..com.ng/index.php/more-news/odd-news-reports/item/738-today-in-history-october-24th