Exactly 100 years ago, in 1924, a crop of famous people were born that would make great impacts on the world. From politicians to actors, athletes to musicians, they made their mark on history, and their paths were as diverse as the reasons for their fame. Most have passed away, though a rare few could still hit the century mark.

So let’s delve into the lives of some of the most celebrated figures of that remarkable cohort, including Shirley Chisholm, Daniel Inouye, and George H. W. Bush. We’ll take a look at the most common occupations of famous Americans born in 1924, where they were born, and the exciting centennial celebrations that lie ahead.

And it all starts with this map built from a list of names, birthdates, and birthplaces:

View American Celebrities Born 100 Years Ago in a full screen map

Most Common Occupations of Famous Americans Born in 1924

The American celebrities born 100 years ago all shared the same birth year. But the reasons for their celebrity varied significantly, though some were more common than others.

• American politician – 22 American celebrities born in 1924
• American actress – 17
• American actor – 17
• American musician – 5
• American basketball player – 5
• American singer – 4
• American female baseball player – 4
• Actress – 4
• American judge – 3
• American female professional baseball player – 3
• American baseball player – 3

The majority of 280+ celebrities born in 1924 were famous for their jobs as politicians, actors, or athletes. Famous politicians born in the year included Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Congress and the first woman to seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for President. Also among this group are Daniel Inouye, Frank Church, and Ed Koch.

However, politicians with more than one occupation are not included among these, such as George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the U.S.

As for athletes, among the five American basketball players is Bob Kurland. Kurland played for the Phillips 66ers and was a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

American’s pastime is also well-represented by the likes of Gil Hodges, Al Rosen, and Pepper Paire, a member of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), which was featured in the movie “A League of Their Own.” Check out the rest of the occupations on the map before moving on to birthplaces.

Where Were They Born?

The map highlights the 281 famous Americans born in 1924, which is certainly the case for the majority (97.5%). Yet several people were born in countries other than the U.S. before moving and making a name for themselves.

The two German-born celebs were German-American physicist and astrophysicist Gerson Goldhaber, born in February and actress Maria Riva, born in December. There are also two Canadians (artist Buddy MacMaster and politician Weston E. Vivian). Additionally, there is one person from Austria, China, and Italy each.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., New York (51), Texas (21), and Illinois (18) are the top three homestates, with N.Y.C. (20), Chicago (11), and Brooklyn (10) being the most popular cities.

Celebs Celebrating Their 100th Birthdays in 2024

Enough about occupations and birthplaces… it’s time for even more personal details about these famous folks born 100 years ago: their ages. Here are the 19 people who may celebrate their 100th birthday in 2024.

Birth Month	Name
January	Charlie Munger
March	William H. Webster, Herbert Gold
May	Priscilla Pointer
June	Leonard Everett Fisher, Charles Norman Shay
July	Charley Winner, Eva Marie Saint, Charles C. Droz, Gloria Stroock, Oscar Wyatt, James L. Greenfield
August	Ella Jenkins, Frank Joseph Guarini, Robert Solow
September	Russell M. Nelson, J. William Middendorf, Merwin Coad
October	Jimmy Carter

July 2024 is gearing up to be the most popular month for centennial birthdays. Turning 100 at the beginning of the month may be football player Charley Winner (2nd), actress Eva Marie Saint (4th), and politician Charles C. Droz (8th). In mid-July, actress Gloria Stroock (10th), businessman, self-made millionaire Oscar Wyatt (11th), and administrator James L. Greenfield (16th) may also celebrate this big birthday.

Looking for another blast from the past? Check out this map of the most impactful 1924 events.

George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Let’s do our best to avoid that, starting by looking at major events from 100 years ago.

Between January and December of 1924, 87 political, sporting, criminal, technological, educational, social, cultural, and more events occurred in the U.S. and internationally that have repercussions today.

View 1924 events in a full screen map

The US’s Political, Social, and Cultural Events

Nellie Tayloe Ross, Calvin Coolidge (both public domain)

Of the 87 major events that took place 100 years ago, 24 are focused on one country: the United States. The most common categories of these U.S.-based events are political, social, and cultural.

Several of the political events surrounded the 35th presidential election, which took place in November of 1924. Democrats nominated John W. Davis of West Virginia for President in July of 1924. However, Republican Calvin Coolidge would go on to defeat both him and Progressive Robert M. La Follette Sr. in November. While not presidential, Wyoming also notably elected the U.S.’s first woman governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross, the same month.

The year was also significant for Greek life and other clubs. For example:

• In Omaha, Nebraska, 14 teenagers founded the oldest Jewish youth fraternity (Aleph Zadik Aleph) as the Jewish community was typically not allowed into Greek fraternities.
• Four students of Loyola University Chicago founded the religious Alpha Delta Gamma fraternity.
• Ralph C. Smedley founded The Toastmasters Club in order to improve the communication skills of the young men under his charge at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California.

There were also two of each of the following types of events that year in the U.S.: disaster, crime, business, and art and music. Check out the rest of the U.S.’s events on the map before moving on to the ones that occurred internationally in 1924.

Major International Incidents

While 24 major 1924 events took place in the U.S., the majority (63) happened internationally, especially politically in the United Kingdom.

In January, Ramsay MacDonald became the first Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. One month later, the United Kingdom recognized the Soviet Union. Additionally, in October of 1924, the British press published the Zinoviev letter, a directive from Grigory Zinoviev, head of the Communist International in Moscow, to the Communist Party of Great Britain.

Meanwhile, multiple technological advancements were made in the U.K. In London, the Royal Greenwich Observatory broadcasted a radio time signal for the first time. Later that year, Harry Grindell Matthews attempted to demonstrate his “death ray.”

Even so, the U.K. was not the only non-U.S. country with many major events in 1924: France (6), Germany (5), and Italy (4). And while these may be from different countries, they fall into the same categories.

The 16 Categories of 1924 Events

We’ve mentioned the types before, but here’s the full breakdown of the 16 categories these major 1924 events fall into:

Category	No. of 1924 Events
Politics	36
Sports	6
Crime	5
Technology	4
Social & Culture	4
Education	4
Disaster	4
Conflict	4
Business	4
Exploration	3
Aviation	3
Art & Music	3
Science	2
Massacre	2
Historical	2
Nature	1

Sports is almost always a popular category, and 1924 was no different, especially considering it was an Olympic year. In January, the first Winter Olympics opened in Chamonix, France while the 1924 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies were held in Paris later in the year. During those Summer Olympics, Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi won the 1,500 and 5,000 m runs within two hours of each other.

The year was a big one for Canadian sports as well when Canada’s National Hockey League expanded to the United States for the first time with the inclusion of the Boston Bruins. Earl W. Bascom, rodeo cowboy and artist, also designed and made rodeo’s first one-hand bareback rigging at Stirling, Alberta, Canada the same year.

Group your data in a similar way when you map it with BatchGeo. And don’t miss what you can also learn from years past: 100 years since 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1923.

Most people know that the Bald Eagle represents the United States. But can you name the national bird of Argentina or Luxembourg? A total of 114 countries are represented by one avian species or another—whether officially or unofficially. In fact, some have more than one! Despite a representation that feels unique, some countries have feathered friends in common. So let’s go over the world’s national birds, conveniently plotted on the map below.

View National birds in a full screen map

Official vs. Unofficial National Jays, Falcons, and Storks

Most of the 120 birds on the map are officially designated. Yet some hold only an unofficial status. In total, 91 are official national birds. The remaining 29—though not official—still have meaning to their associated countries. Let’s take a closer look at some of these unofficial birds.

Notably, most Caribbean countries have official national birds, that is, aside from Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican spindalis, also known as reina mora, may be native to the island country, yet it’s still only connected to Puerto Rico unofficially. These birds help in seed dispersal and plant reproduction, making them a key part of the Puerto Rican ecosystem. You can find the species all over the island.

Contrary to the U.S.’s official national bird (the Bald eagle), neighbor-country Canada’s own Canada jay remains unofficial. Canadian Geographic magazine suggested the bird should be validated, but the federal government has yet to acknowledge the proposal.

The 29 countries without an official national bird aren’t only made up of places like Puerto Rico and Canada that have no official national bird. Both Pakistan and Poland have official and unofficial national birds. The Chukar partridge has been officially designated in Pakistan, while the Shaheen falcon is only considered a heritage bird. Moreover, the Polish have anointed the White-tailed eagle officially, though the White stork has yet to be.

Group the map by “Official status” to learn more, because we’re flying to the most bird-happy nations.

Countries with Multiple National Birds

We’ve already mentioned two of the countries with multiple national birds, Pakistan and Poland. Yet there are four more countries that have multiple national birds:

• Trinidad and Tobago: 2 national birds
• Denmark: 2
• Aruba: 2
• Serbia: 2

Trinidad and Tobago’s multiple national birds include the Cocrico and Scarlet ibis, while Denmark’s are that of the Eurasian skylark and Mute swan (while not entirely mute, its name does derive from it being less vocal than other swan species). Aruba, on the other hand, is home to the Prikichi (also known as the Brown-throated Parakeet), along with the Shoco (Burrowing Owl).

As for Serbia, the country’s choices for national birds are the Griffon vulture and Eastern imperial eagle. Speaking of eagles…

Countries with the Same National Storks, Condors, and Eagles

Not only do countries like Aruba and Denmark have multiple national birds, some even share the exact same national bird. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, most of these countries with the same national bird are located near each other, or right next door.

Bird	No. of countries with this national bird
White stork	4
Andean condor	4
Golden eagle	3
African fish eagle	3
Turquoise-browed motmot	2
Saker falcon	2
Eurasian oystercatcher	2
Common nightingale	2
Barn swallow	2

What do Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine have in common, other than their borders? Their national bird is the White stork, though, it’s only officially so in Lithuania. Like the White stork, the Andean condor is the national bird of four countries: Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador. It’s officially recognized in all four countries.

Meanwhile, two more species of national birds, both eagles, are represented by three countries. Specifically, Albania, Mexico, and Scotland have the Golden eagle to represent them, albeit it’s unofficial in Scotland. And then there’s the African fish eagle, the national bird of Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe; all are official.

The Turquoise-browed motmot, Saker falcon, Eurasian oystercatcher, Common nightingale, and Barn swallow are the national birds of two countries.

Want less flying and more running? Check out the National Animals of Every Country on a Map, which includes mythical animals like the double-tailed lion.