Pioneer Day commemorates the day in 1847 when Brigham Young led his “pioneer band” of Mormons into the Salt Lake valley to establish a settlement—their new Zion. The Mormons had been driven from New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois and had spent four difficult months traveling 1,073 miles overland to reach the Great Basin, chosen by Young because of its remoteness. It was the most organized and disciplined westward migration in American history, and unlike most emigrants intent on their destination, the Mormon pioneers were equally concerned with improving the trail for those who would follow. Pioneer Day is celebrated as the second most important date in the Mormon calendar, behind April 6, the day Joseph Smith established the church.
Daily Calendar for Thursday, July 24, 2025
Born
- Simón Bolívar (South American liberator) –
- Alexandre Dumas (author) –
- Ruth Buzzi (actress) –
- Chris Sarandon (actor) –
- Lynda Carter (actress) –
- Karl Malone (basketball player) –
- Barry Bonds (baseball player) –
- Kristin Chenoweth (actress) –
- Jennifer Lopez (singer & actress) –
- Eric Szmanda (actor) –
- Anna Paquin (actress) –
- Bindi Irwin (animal activist; daughter of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin) –
Died
- Martin Van Buren (8th U.S. president) –
- Peter Sellers (actor) –
- Isaac Bashevis Singer (writer) –
- Sherman Hemsley (actor) –
Events
- Mary Queen of Scots was deposed–
- Brigham Young and followers arrived at Salt Lake, Utah–
- Tennessee readmitted to Union after Civil War–
- O. Henry released from Ohio State Penitentiary–
- James MacGillivray published first account of Paul Bunyan in the Detroit News–
- Archaeologist Hiram Bingham “discovered” the Machu Picchu Incan ruins in Peru–
- Steamer Eastland overturned in the Chicago River, killing 844 people–
- Debut of Marvin the Martian in Bugs Bunny’s Haredevil Hare–
- 67-pound 8-ounce muskellunge caught in Lac Courte Oreilles, Hayward, Wisconsin–
- The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Richard Nixon did not have the authority to withhold subpoenaed White House tapes and ordered him to surrender the tapes–
- Hulda Crooks climbed Mt Fuji at age 91–
- 9-yr.-old Emma Houlston became youngest person to pilot plane across Canada (Victoria, B.C., to St. John’s, N.L.)–
Weather
- Wahluke, Washington, tied a record high temperature of 118 degrees F–
- 345,000 amperes of electricity were measured in a lightning stroke in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania–
- The record for 24-hour rainfall in the United States was set in Alvin, Texas with 43 inches of rain from hurricane Claudette; the rain ended on July 25–
- Hail the size of oranges fell on Calgary, Alberta.–
- EF2 tornado struck Epsom, New Hampshire, destroying homes and causing at least one death–
