Today in history...
May 29, 2009
* 363 – Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sassanid capital, but is unable to take the city.
* 1167 – Battle of Monte Porzio – A Roman army supporting Pope Alexander III is defeated by Christian of Buch and Rainald of Dassel
* 1176 – Battle of Legnano: The Lombard League defeats Emperor Frederick I.
* 1414 – Council of Constance.
* 1453 – Byzantine-Ottoman Wars: Ottoman armies under Sultan Mehmed II Fatih capture Constantinople after a siege, ending the Byzantine Empire.
* 1660 – English Restoration: Charles II (on his birthday – see below) is restored to the throne of Great Britain.
* 1677 – Treaty of Middle Plantation establishes peace between the Virginia colonists and the local Natives.
* 1727 – Peter II becomes Tsar of Russia.
* 1733 – The right of Canadians to keep Indian slaves is upheld at Quebec City.
* 1780 – American Revolutionary War: At the Battle of Waxhaws Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton massacres Colonel Abraham Buford's continentals allegedly after the continentals surrender. 113 Americans are killed.
* 1790 – Rhode Island becomes the last of the original United States' colonies to ratify the Constitution and is admitted as the 13th U.S. state.
* 1848 – Wisconsin is admitted as the 30th U.S. state.
* 1864 – Emperor Maximilian of Mexico arrives in Mexico for the first time.
* 1867 – The Austro-Hungarian agreement known as Ausgleich ("the Compromise") is born through Act 12, which establishes the Austro-Hungarian Empire; on June 8 Emperor Franz Joseph is crowned King of Hungary.
* 1868 – The assassination of Michael Obrenovich III, Prince of Serbia, in Belgrade.
* 1886 – Chemist John Pemberton places his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, the ad appearing in the Atlanta Journal.
* 1903 – May coup d'etat: Alexander Obrenovich, King of Serbia, and Queen Draga, are assassinated in Belgrade by the Black Hand (Crna Ruka) organization.
* 1913 – Igor Stravinsky's ballet score The Rite of Spring receives its premiere performance in Paris, provoking a riot.
* 1914 – Ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sinks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence with the loss of 1,024 lives.
* 1919 – Einstein's theory of general relativity is tested (later confirmed) by Arthur Eddington's observation of a total solar eclipse in Principe and by Andrew Crommelin in Sobral, Ceará, Brazil.
* 1919 – The Republic of Prekmurje founded
* 1924 – AEK Athens FC is established on the anniversary of the siege of Constantinople by the Turks.
* 1932 – World War I Veterans begin to assemble in Washington, DC in the Bonus Army to request cash bonuses promised to them to be paid in 1945.
* 1935 – The Hoover Dam is completed.
* 1942 – Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra record Irving Berlin's "White Christmas", the best-selling Christmas single in history, for Decca Records in Los Angeles.
* 1948 – Creation of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation
* 1950 – The St. Roch, the first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia .
* 1953 – Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on Tenzing Norgay's (adopted) 39th birthday.
* 1954 – First of the annual Bilderberg conferences.
* 1964 – The Arab League meets in East Jerusalem to discuss the Palestinian situation in Israel, leading to the formation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
* 1969 – General strike in Córdoba, Argentina, leading to the Cordobazo civil unrest.
* 1972 – 26 people are killed and dozens more injured when three Japanese gunmen open fire on crowds at Lod International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.
* 1973 – Tom Bradley is elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles, California.
* 1982 – Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit Canterbury Cathedral.
* 1985 – Heysel Stadium disaster: At the European Cup final in Brussels, Belgium, 39 football fans die and hundreds are injured when a dilapidated retaining wall collapses after Liverpool F.C. fans breach a fence separating them from Juventus F.C. fans.
* 1985 – Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, after 14 months.
* 1988 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins his first visit to the Soviet Union when he arrives in Moscow for a superpower summit with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
* 1990 – The Russian parliament elects Boris Yeltsin president of the Russian SFSR.
* 1999 – Olusegun Obasanjo takes office as President of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian head of state in Nigeria after 16 years of military rule.
* 1999 – Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station.
* 1999 – Charlotte Perrelli wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 for Sweden in Jerusalem, Israel with the song Take Me to Your Heaven.
* 2001 – U.S. Supreme Court rules that disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments.
* 2004 – The World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
Birthdays today...
* 1594 – Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim, Bavarian general (d. 1632)
* 1627 – Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, French writer and Princess(d. 1693)
* 1630 – Charles II of England (d. 1685)
* 1675 – Humphry Ditton, English mathematician (d. 1715)
* 1716 – Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, French naturalist (d. 1800)
* 1722 – James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, Irish politician (d. 1773)
* 1736 – Patrick Henry, American patriot, statesman, and orator (d. 1799)
* 1773 – Princess Sophia of Gloucester (d. 1844)
* 1794 – Johann Heinrich von Mädler, German astronomer (d. 1874)
* 1823 – John H. Balsley, American carpenter (d. 1895)
* 1860 – Isaac Albéniz, Spanish composer (d. 1909)
* 1863 – Arthur Mold, English cricketer (d. 1921)
* 1874 – G. K. Chesterton, English novelist (d. 1936)
* 1880 – Oswald Spengler, German philosopher (d. 1936)
* 1892 – Alfonsina Storni, Argentine writer (d. 1938)
* 1893 – Max Brand, American author and war correspondent (d. 1944)
* 1894 – Beatrice Lillie, Canadian actress (d. 1989)
* 1894 – Josef von Sternberg, Austrian-born writer and film director (d. 1969)
* 1897 – Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Austrian composer (d. 1957)
* 1903 – Bob Hope, British-born comedian and actor (d. 2003)
* 1905 – Sebastian Shaw, English actor (d. 1994)
* 1906 – T.H. White, British author (d. 1964)
* 1907 – Hartland Molson, Canadian businessman and senator (d. 2002)
* 1911 – Armida, Mexican-American stage, vaudeville and film star (d. 1989)
* 1913 – Tony Zale, American boxer (d. 1997)
* 1914 – Stacy Keach, Sr., American actor (d. 2003)
* 1915 – Karl Münchinger, German conductor (d. 1990)
* 1917 – John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (d. 1963)
* 1920 – John Harsanyi, Hungarian-born economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
* 1922 – Iannis Xenakis, Greek composer and architect, major contributor to musical modernism (d. 2001)
* 1924 – Lars Bo, Danish artist and writer (d. 1999)
* 1926 – Charles Denner, French actor (d. 1995)
* 1927 – Jean Coutu, Quebec businessman (Jean Coutu Group)
* 1929 – Harry Frankfurt, American philosopher
* 1932 – Richie Guerin, former basketball player
* 1932 – Paul R. Ehrlich, American biologist and author who founded the group Zero Population Growth
* 1933 – Helmuth Rilling, German conductor
* 1937 – Charles W. Pickering, American judge
* 1937 – Irmin Schmidt, German musician (Can)
* 1937 – Hibari Misora, Japanese singer
* 1938 – Fay Vincent, baseball commissioner
* 1939 – Al Unser, Sr., American race car driver
* 1940 – Farooq Leghari, President of Pakistan
* 1941 – Doug Scott, British mountaineer
* 1942 – Pierre Bourque, Former mayor of Montreal
* 1942 – Kevin Conway, American actor
* 1943 – Robert W. Edgar, Theologian
* 1945 – Gary Brooker, musician (Procol Harum)
* 1946 – Fernando Buesa, Basque politician (d. 2000)
* 1947 – Gene Robinson, American ecclesiastic
* 1947 – Anthony Geary, American actor
* 1948 – Nick Mancuso, Italian-Canadian actor
* 1949 – Brian Kidd, English footballer
* 1950 – Rebbie Jackson, American musician
* 1951 – Peter Chernin, President of News Corporation
* 1953 – Danny Elfman, American musician (Oingo Boingo)
* 1953 – Aleksandr Abdulov, Russian actor (d. 2008)
* 1955 – John Hinckley, Jr., American attempted assassin
* 1955 – Sut Jhally, Kenyan-born American educator
* 1955 – Ken Schrader, American race car driver
* 1956 – LaToya Jackson, American musician
* 1957 – Jeb Hensarling, Current Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas
* 1957 – Ted Levine, American actor
* 1958 – Annette Bening, American actress
* 1958 – Willem Holleeder, Dutch criminal
* 1959 – Rupert Everett, English actor
* 1959 – Adrian Paul, English actor
* 1960 – Carol Kirkwood, Scottish weather presenter
* 1961 – Melissa Etheridge, American musician
* 1962 – Eric Davis, American baseball player
* 1962 – John D. LeMay, American actor
* 1962 – Fandi Ahmad, Singapore footballer
* 1963 – Blaze Bayley, British singer (ex-Iron Maiden)
* 1963 – Tracey E. Bregman, American actress
* 1963 – Ukyo Katayama, Japanese racing driver
* 1963 – Lisa Whelchel, American actress
* 1964 – Howard Mills III, New York State politician
* 1967 – Noel Gallagher, English musician (Oasis)
* 1967 – Mike Keane, Canadian hockey player
* 1969 – Chan Kinchla, Canadian musician (Blues Traveler)
* 1970 – Natarsha Belling, Australian news presenter
* 1971 – Eric Lucas, Quebec professional boxer
* 1972 – Közi, Japanese visual kei artist
* 1972 – Stanislas Renoult, French singer
* 1972 – Bill Curley, American basketball player
* 1973 – Anthony Azizi, American actor
* 1973 – Mark Lee, American musician (guitarist for Third Day)
* 1973 – Alpay Özalan, Turkish footballer
* 1974 – Myf Warhurst, Australian radio presenter on Triple J and TV personality on Spicks and Specks
* 1974 – Marc Gené, Spanish Formula One driver
* 1975 – Melanie Brown, English musician and actress
* 1975 – Daniel Tosh, American comedian
* 1975 – Anthony Wall, English golfer
* 1976 – David Buckner, American musician (Papa Roach)
* 1976 – Caçapa, Brazilian footballer
* 1976 – Jerry Hairston Jr., American baseball player
* 1976 – Yūsuke Iseya, Japanese model and actor
* 1977 – Antonio Lebo-Lebo, Angolan footballer
* 1977 – Scott Allen, American firefighter
* 1977 – Massimo Ambrosini, Italian footballer
* 1977 – Danny Gerard, American actor
* 1978 – Pelle Almqvist, Swedish musician (The Hives)
* 1978 – Sébastien Grosjean, French tennis player
* 1978 – Lorenzo Odone, American patient (d. 2008)
* 1978 – Adam Rickitt, British actor
* 1979 – Brian Kendrick, American professional wrestler
* 1979 – Arne Friedrich, German football player
* 1979 – John Rheinecker, Major League Baseball player
* 1979 – Casey Sheehan, American soldier; son of Cindy Sheehan (d. 2004)
* 1979 – Ahmad Latiff, Singapore footballer
* 1981 – Andrei Arshavin, Russian footballer
* 1982 – Ana Beatriz Barros, Brazilian model
* 1982 – Joanne Borgella, American plus-sized model and singer
* 1982 – Matt Macri, American baseball player
* 1984 – Carmelo Anthony, American basketball player
* 1986 – Jaslene Gonzalez, Puerto Rican/American fashion model
* 1986 – Hornswoggle, American professional wrestler
* 1986 – Valy, Iranian/German singer
* 1987 – Kelvin Maynard, Dutch footballer
* 1987 – Alessandra Toreson, American actress
* 1989 – Riley Keough, American model
* 1991 – Kristen Alderson, American actress
Famous deaths...
* 1259 – King Christopher I of Denmark (b. 1219)
* 1379 – King Henry II of Castile (b. 1334)
* 1405 – Philippe de Mézières, advisor to Charles V of France
* 1425 – Hongxi Emperor of China (b. 1378)
* 1453 – Constantine XI Palaeologus, last Byzantine Emperor (b. 1404)
* 1500 – Bartolomeu Dias, Portuguese explorer
* 1546 – David Beaton, Scottish Catholic cardinal
* 1593 – John Penry, Welsh Protestant leader (b. 1559)
* 1660 – Frans van Schooten, Dutch mathematician (b. 1615)
* 1691 – Cornelis Tromp, Dutch admiral (b. 1629)
* 1790 – Israel Putnam, American Revolutionary War general (b. 1718)
* 1796 – Carl Fredrik Pechlin, Swedish politician (b. 1720)
* 1814 – Joséphine de Beauharnais, Empress of France (b. 1763)
* 1829 – Humphry Davy, English chemist (b. 1778)
* 1847 – Emmanuel, marquis de Grouchy, French marshal (b. 1766)
* 1866 – Winfield Scott, American general (b. 1786)
* 1868 – Michael Obrenovich III, Prince of Serbia (b. 1823)
* 1882 – Vasily Perov, Russian painter (b. 1833)
* 1892 – Bahá'u'lláh, Persian founder of the Bahá'í Faith (b. 1817)
* 1896 – Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, French geologist (b. 1814)
* 1903 – Draga Mašin, Queen of Serbia (b. 1864)
* 1903 – Bruce Price, American architect (b. 1845)
* 1910 – Mily Balakirev, Russian composer (b. 1837)
* 1911 – William S. Gilbert, English dramatist (b. 1836)
* 1917 – Kate Harrington, American teacher, writer and poet (b. 1831)
* 1919 – Robert Bacon, 39th United States Secretary of State (b. 1860)
* 1935 – Josef Suk, Czech composer and violinist (b. 1874)
* 1939 – Ursula Julia Ledochowska, Polish-Austrian Catholic saint (b. 1865)
* 1942 – John Barrymore, American actor (b. 1882)
* 1946 – Martin Gottfried Weiss, Commandant of Dachau concentration camp (b. 1905)
* 1948 – Dame May Whitty, English actress (b. 1865)
* 1951 – Fanny Brice, American singer/comedian (b. 1891)
* 1953 – Man Mountain Dean, American professional wrestler (b. 1891)
* 1958 – Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1881)
* 1970 – John Gunther, American writer (b. 1901)
* 1972 – Moe Berg, American baseball player and spy (b. 1902)
* 1972 – Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-born mechanical engineer (b. 1878)
* 1973 – P. Ramlee, Malaysian film actor, director, singer and songwriter. (b. 1929)
* 1977 – Ba Maw, Burmese politician (b. 1893)
* 1979 – Mary Pickford, Canadian-born American actress and studio founder (b. 1892)
* 1979 – John H. Wood, Jr., American federal judge (b. 1916)
* 1982 – Romy Schneider, Austrian actress (b. 1938)
* 1983 – Arvīds Pelše, Soviet Latvian statesman (b. 1899)
* 1989 – John Cipollina, American musician (Quicksilver Messenger Service) (b. 1943)
* 1993 – Billy Conn, American boxer (b. 1917)
* 1994 – Erich Honecker, leader of East Germany (b. 1912)
* 1996 – Tamara Toumanova, Ballet star and actress (b. 1919)
* 1997 – Jeff Buckley, American musician (drowned) (b. 1966)
* 1997 – George Fenneman, American radio and television announcer (b. 1919)
* 1998 – Barry M. Goldwater, U.S. Senator from Arizona and presidential candidate (b. 1909)
* 2002 – Mildred Benson, American writer (b. 1905)
* 2003 – David Jefferies, British motorcycle racer (b. 1972)
* 2004 – Archibald Cox, Watergate special prosecutor (b. 1912)
* 2004 – Samuel Dash, American Congressional counsel (b. 1925)
* 2005 – George Rochberg, American composer (b. 1918)
* 2005 – Hamilton Naki, South African medical assistant (b. 1926)
* 2006 – Steve Mizerak, American pool player (b. 1944)
* 2006 – Jacques Bouchard, Quebec advertising executive (b. 1930)
* 2007 – Dave Balon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1938)
* 2007 – Lois Browne-Evans, Bermudian politician (b. 1927)
* 2008 – Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1987)
* 2008 – Harvey Korman, American actor (b. 1927)
Holidays and observances...
* International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
* Bahá'í Faith: Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh
* Nepal: Republic Day
* Nigeria: Democracy Day
* Rhode Island, Wisconsin: Statehood Day
* United Kingdom: Oak Apple Day (historic, not widely observed today)
Have a great Friday.
~Brian
