223 years ago today
Marbury v. Madison Establishes Judicial Review
On February 24, 1803, Chief Justice John Marshall delivered the Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in Marbury v. Madison, establishing for the first time that the Court had the authority to strike down acts of Congress as unconstitutional. The case arose from a political dispute over judicial appointments at the end of John Adams's presidency, but Marshall used it to articulate the doctrine of judicial review — the bedrock principle that the Constitution is supreme over ordinary legislation, and that courts are its final interpreters. The ruling effectively created the modern role of the Supreme Court as a co-equal branch of American government with the power to check both the executive and the legislature. Scholars still regard Marbury v. Madison as the single most important decision in American constitutional history.
Steve Jobs
Co-founder of Apple & Pixar
Steve Jobs co-founded Apple Computer, was forced out, and returned to rescue and transform it into the most valuable company in the world with the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. He also co-founded Pixar, which revolutionised animated film.
Wilhelm Grimm
Folklorist & Philologist
Wilhelm Grimm, along with his brother Jacob, collected and published the famous Grimm's Fairy Tales — a landmark anthology of German folk stories including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Hansel and Gretel that shaped global storytelling.
Ibn Battuta
Explorer & Traveller
Ibn Battuta was a Moroccan scholar and explorer who spent nearly 30 years travelling an estimated 75,000 miles across Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, and China — the most extensive journeys of any medieval traveller, recorded in his Rihla.
Winslow Homer
Painter & Illustrator
Winslow Homer was one of the foremost painters in 19th-century America, known for his depictions of the sea, rural life, and the American Civil War. Works like The Life Line and Breezing Up are considered masterpieces of American art.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxer
Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired undefeated with a 50–0 professional record, winning world titles across five weight divisions. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive boxers of all time.
Daniel Kaluuya
Actor
Daniel Kaluuya won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah (2021), having previously been nominated for his lead performance in Get Out (2017).
Battle of Pavia: Charles V Captures Francis I
The Spanish-Imperial army decisively defeated the French at the Battle of Pavia in northern Italy, capturing King Francis I of France — the only time a French king was taken prisoner in battle during the modern era.
Pope Gregory XIII Announces the Gregorian Calendar
Pope Gregory XIII issued the papal bull Inter gravissimas, announcing the reformed Gregorian calendar to correct the accumulated drift of the Julian calendar. The new system, still in worldwide use today, removed ten days from October 1582 and introduced the modern leap-year rule.
Marbury v. Madison Establishes Judicial Review
Chief Justice John Marshall's ruling created the principle of judicial review, giving the US Supreme Court the power to invalidate laws that conflict with the Constitution — one of the most consequential decisions in legal history.
Andrew Johnson Impeached by the House
The US House of Representatives voted to impeach President Andrew Johnson — the first presidential impeachment in American history — over his violation of the Tenure of Office Act. He was later acquitted by the Senate by a single vote.
Cuban War of Independence Begins
A revolution broke out in Baire, Cuba, signalling the start of the Cuban War of Independence against Spanish colonial rule — a conflict that would eventually draw in the United States and lead to the Spanish–American War of 1898.
Nazi Party Founded in Munich
Adolf Hitler announced the founding programme of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) at the Hofbräuhaus in Munich, inaugurating the political movement that would seize power in Germany thirteen years later.
Battle of Los Angeles: Phantom Air Raid Panic
Anti-aircraft guns fired hundreds of rounds into the night sky over Los Angeles after a false alarm triggered fears of a Japanese air attack — a post–Pearl Harbor panic that resulted in five civilian deaths but no enemy aircraft.
Juan Perón Elected President of Argentina
Juan Perón won Argentina's presidential election, founding the Peronist movement that would dominate Argentine politics for decades, blending nationalism, social welfare, and authoritarian tendencies in ways still felt today.
Gulf War Ground Offensive Begins
Coalition forces crossed the Saudi border into Kuwait and Iraq, launching the 100-hour ground campaign that would liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation and bring a swift end to the Gulf War.
Fidel Castro Retires as President of Cuba
Fidel Castro announced his retirement as President of Cuba after 49 years in power, one of the longest tenures of any non-royal head of state in modern history, handing power to his brother Raúl Castro.
Russia Invades Ukraine
Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine on multiple fronts, launching the largest land war in Europe since World War II and triggering a global crisis involving NATO, energy markets, and the international rules-based order.
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Physicist & Chemist
Henry Cavendish discovered hydrogen, determined the composition of water, and measured the gravitational constant in his famous Cavendish experiment — one of the most precise experiments in the history of physics.
Bobby Moore
Footballer
Bobby Moore captained England to their only World Cup victory in 1966 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in football history. He died of bowel cancer at 51.
Dinah Shore
Singer & Television Host
Dinah Shore was one of America's most popular entertainers of the mid-20th century, a dominant figure in radio, recordings, and television whose show ran for years and who was also a passionate golf advocate.
Joshua Chamberlain
Civil War General & Governor of Maine
Joshua Chamberlain became a hero of the Battle of Gettysburg for his defence of Little Round Top and later accepted the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. He served four terms as Governor of Maine and president of Bowdoin College.
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