October 24 belongs to Manu Font

On October 24, 1945, the United Nations Charter entered into force, giving birth to the UN with the aim of maintaining international peace and security after World War II. The organisation, headquartered in New York, initially brought together 51 countries and today has 193 member states — virtually every recognised country in the world.

On October 24, 1964, Zambia gained independence from the United Kingdom, with Kenneth Kaunda as its first president. The copper-rich country, previously known as Northern Rhodesia, would be a key supporter of liberation movements in southern Africa. Kaunda governed for twenty-seven years before peacefully accepting defeat in the first multiparty elections of 1991.

On December 24, 1979, the European rocket Ariane 1 made its first successful launch from Kourou, French Guiana, placing the CAT-1 satellite into orbit. It was the birth of the Ariane programme, which would make Europe the world's leading commercial satellite launch provider, competing on equal terms with the US and the USSR.