February 24: Shrove Tuesday in Western Christianity and Mardi Gras (2009); Independence Day in Estonia; Flag Day in Mexico * 303 – Roman Emperor Diocletian's first "Edict against the Christians" was published, beginning the Diocletianic Persecution, the last and most severe episode of the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. * 1582 – Pope Gregory XIII issued the papal bull Inter gravissimas to promulgate the Gregorian calendar, a modification of the Julian calendar in use since 45 BC. * 1803 – In their ruling in Marbury v. Madison, the U.S. Supreme Court established judicial review in the United States. * 1848 – Amid a revolt, French King Louis-Philippe abdicated and escaped to England, leading to the creation of the French Second Republic. * 1946 – Colonel Juan