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Today in History, February 24th

On February 24, 1868, the House voted to impeach Andrew Johnson, a first for a U.S. president. Plus Marbury v. Madison and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

By Today in History Updated November 10, 2026 3 min read Sources checked

Published February 24, 2026 · Last updated November 10, 2026

February 24 is best known for 1868, when the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Andrew Johnson, the first president ever impeached. The date also saw the Supreme Court decide Marbury v. Madison in 1803 and Russia launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The big story: The House Impeaches Andrew Johnson (1868)

Andrew Johnson and the Republican majority in Congress clashed constantly over how to rebuild the South after the Civil War. In March 1867, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act over his veto. It barred the president from firing officials the Senate had confirmed unless the Senate agreed. Johnson considered the law unconstitutional and moved to get rid of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. On February 21, 1868, he named Lorenzo Thomas to replace him, and Stanton refused to leave his office. Three days later, on February 24, the House voted 126 to 47 to impeach Johnson. In early March it approved 11 articles of impeachment, most of them about the Stanton affair. The Senate trial opened in March with Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presiding. In May, senators voted 35 to 19 to convict, one vote short of the two-thirds needed, and Johnson finished his term.

More events on February 24

Year	What happened
1803	The Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Marshall decided Marbury v. Madison, establishing the power of courts to strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution.
1841	Former President John Quincy Adams began arguing the Amistad case before the Supreme Court on behalf of the African captives who had seized the ship.
1864	The first Union prisoners arrived at Andersonville in Georgia, a camp built for 10,000 men that soon held more than three times that many. Nearly a quarter of its prisoners died.
1917	British officials handed the U.S. ambassador in London a decoded copy of the Zimmermann Telegram, in which Germany offered Mexico U.S. territory in exchange for an alliance.
1968	U.S. and South Vietnamese troops retook the city of Hue after 26 days of street fighting, ending the last major battle of the Tet Offensive.
1988	In Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, the Supreme Court ruled 8–0 that a crude parody of a public figure was protected by the First Amendment.
1991	The U.S.-led coalition launched its ground offensive against Iraqi forces in Kuwait and Iraq. A cease-fire came four days later.
2022	Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine with missile strikes across the country and troops advancing toward Kyiv, beginning the largest ground war in Europe since World War II.