Whitsunday, or Pentecost, is the seventh Sunday after Easter. For Christians, this commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit in tongues of flame upon the apostles. Because the disciples were said to have begun baptizing thousands of people soon afterward, Whitsunday or Pentecost became the traditional time for baptisms. Whit, a corruption of white, refers to the white baptismal garments worn on this day. It is also a time of spring festivals throughout Europe, with echoes of pagan spring rites such as morris dancing and dressing a young boy in greenery (Jack-in-the-Green) and marching him through the village.
Daily Calendar for Sunday, May 24, 2026
Daily Calendar
View daily calendar information including holidays, advice, and daily features.
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Died
- Nicolaus Copernicus (astronomer) –
- William Lloyd Garrison (writer) –
- Duke Ellington (jazz composer, pianist, & bandleader) –
- Milton Shedd (co-founder of Sea World) –
- Dick Martin (comedian) –
- Tina Turner (singer) –
Born
- Queen Victoria (British monarch) –
- George Grey Barnard (sculptor) –
- Bob Dylan (musician) –
- Gary Burghoff (actor) –
- Patti LaBelle (singer) –
- Priscilla Presley (actress) –
- Jim Broadbent (actor) –
- Kristin Scott Thomas (actress) –
- John C. Reilly (actor) –
- Billy Gilman (country singer) –
Events
- Canada’s first medical graduate, William Logie, awarded degree by McGill University –
- Samuel Morse transmitted the first telegraphic message from the U.S. Supreme Court room, Washington, D.C., to Baltimore. The message: What hath God wrought –
- The steamer, Victoria, sank in Thames River near London, Ontario –
- Ohio Anti-Saloon League founded, Oberlin, Ohio –
- The Goodyear B-class (B-1) blimp made its inaugural flight. –
- First major league baseball night game was played in Cincinnati, Ohio –
- Aurora 7 took flight. It was the second U.S. manned orbital space flight –
- United States and USSR agreed to cooperate in space exploration –
- Crop circle discovered in Haysville, Kansas –
- Canada’s famous clock on the Peace Tower of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa stopped for the first time –
Weather
- Snowstorm across Kentucky with accumulations of 4 to 6 inches of snow –
- Hail fell to a depth of 6 to 8 inches near Ada, Oklahoma –
- Snow whitened the Green Mountains of Vermont –
- The high temperature in Callville Bay, Nevada, reached 116 degrees Fahrenheit. –