Prince Charles and Lady Di were engaged 34 years ago today

Prince Charles and Lady Di were engaged today in 1981

Some pretty momentous things happened on Feb. 24, The Associated Press reminds us in its daily "Today in History" roundup. A notch lower than the Nazi Party holding its first meeting and Andrew Jackson being impeached was the 1981 announcement by Buckingham Palace that Charles, Prince of Wales, was engaged to Lady Diana Spencer. But the ill-fated royal marriage almost certainly touched more people living today, and for good or ill, the British royal family was never the same. See what else happened on this date in years past below. —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.