September 24: Heritage Day in South Africa; Independence Day in Guinea-Bissau (1973)Battle of San Juan de Ula1568 At San Juan de Ula (present-day Veracruz, Mexico), a Spanish naval fleet forced English privateers to halt their trade (battle pictured).1789 The Judiciary Act of 1789 was signed into law, establishing the U.S. federal judiciary and setting the number of Supreme Court justices at six.1903 Alfred Deakin became the second Australian prime minister, succeeding Edmund Barton, who left office to become a founding justice of the High Court of Australia.1950 The "Great Smoke Pall", generated by the Chinchaga fire, the largest recorded fire in North American history, was first recorded in present-day Nunavut and may eventually have circled the entire globe.1975 Dougal Haston and Doug Scott of the Southwest Face expedition became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest by ascending one of its faces.Robert of Knaresborough (d.1218)John Rutter (b.1945)Pia Wurtzbach (b.1989)Gennady Yanayev (d.2010)More anniversaries: September 23September 24September 25ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout