A closer look at key historic events that took place on May 24:
In 2000, Israel ends its occupation of southern Lebanon

It had begun in 1982 during the Lebanese Civil War. This withdrawal marked the end of an 18-year military presence in the region. The pullout was completed in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, which had called for Israel to withdraw its forces and restore international peace and security along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

CORRECTING DATE
LBN01 – 20000526 – ARNOUN, LEBANON : A United Nations armoured personnel carriers convoy passes a Hezbollah flag in the southern Lebanese village of Arnoun 26 May 2000. The UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL have started patrols in the former Israeli-occupied border zone. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) EPA PHOTO AFP/PATRICK BAZ/mro

In 1994, the World Trade Center Bombing trial verdict is ruled
The trial resulted from the bombing that occurred on February 26, 1993, when a truck bomb exploded in the parking garage beneath the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six people, and injuring over a thousand, apart from significant damage to the building. Four men were convicted on May 24 and were each sentenced to 240 years in prison.

Procession of emergency vehicles at the World Trade Center bombing on February 26, 1993. The Tower is on the far right of the frame. Photo taken by Eric Ascalon from an adjacent pedestrian walkway.

In 1956, the first Eurovision Song Contest is held

The competition was held in Lugano, Switzerland, and it marked the beginning of what would become one of the most popular and longest-running international television events in the world. Seven countries participated in the first contest, with each country submitting two songs to be performed live on stage. Switzerland’s own Lys Assia won the first Contest with the song “Refrain.”

In 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge Opens

The bridge spans the East River to connect the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn in New York City, and was one of the earliest suspension bridges of its kind. Designed by John Augustus Roebling, the bridge was initially conceived in the mid-19th century to address the growing need for a reliable transportation link between the two rapidly expanding boroughs. Construction began in 1869, but it faced numerous challenges, including Roebling’s death from a construction-related injury, which led to his son, Washington Roebling, taking over the project.

The grand display of fireworks and illuminations: at the opening of the great suspension bridge between New York and Brooklyn on the evening of May 24th, 1883. Library of Congress

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