Historical milestones and notable anniversaries of September 24

September 24 marks several significant historical milestones. In 1493, Christopher Columbus began his second expedition to the New World. In 1869, a financial panic occurred on Wall Street, known as Black Friday, after Jay Cooke and Jim Fiske attempted to manipulate gold prices.

In the realm of geopolitics, the United Nations recognized the independence of Guinea-Bissau in 1973. Additionally, in 1971, the British government expelled 90 Soviet diplomats over espionage allegations, leading to retaliatory measures from Moscow.

Notable births on this day include mathematician Girolamo Cardano (1501), author F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896), and pathologist Baron Florey (1898), who later won a Nobel Prize for his work with penicillin.