July 29

July 29 is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 155 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 238 – The Praetorian Guard storm the palace and capture Pupienus and Balbinus. They are dragged through the streets of Rome and executed. On the same day, Gordian III, age 13, is proclaimed emperor.
• 615 – Pakal ascends the throne of Palenque at age 12.
• 904 – Sack of Thessalonica: Saracen raiders under Leo of Tripoli sack Thessaloniki, the Byzantine Empire's second-largest city, after a short siege, and plunder it for a week.
• 1014 – Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion – Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, and his subsequent treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of a heart attack less than three months later, on October 6.
• 1018 – Count Dirk III defeats an army sent by Emperor Henry II in the Battle of Vlaardingen.
• 1030 – Ladejarl-Fairhair succession wars: Battle of Stiklestad – King Olaf II fights and dies trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes.
• 1565 – The widowed Mary, Queen of Scots, marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Duke of Albany, at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland.
• 1567 – James VI is crowned King of Scotland at Stirling.
• 1588 – Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines – English naval forces under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeat the Spanish Armada off the coast of Gravelines, France.
• 1693 – War of the Grand Alliance: Battle of Landen – France wins a Pyrrhic victory over Allied forces in the Netherlands.
• 1793 – John Graves Simcoe decides to build a fort and settlement at Toronto, having sailed into the bay there.
• 1836 – Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.
• 1847 – Cumberland School of Law is founded in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States, one of only 15 law schools to exist in the United States at the end of 1847.
• 1848 – Irish Potato Famine: Tipperary Revolt – in Tipperary, Ireland, United Kingdom, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule is put down by police.
• 1851 – Annibale de Gasparis discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia.
• 1858 – United States and Japan sign the Harris Treaty.
• 1864 – American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C.
• 1899 – The First Hague Convention is signed.
• 1900 – In Italy, King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by the anarchist Gaetano Bresci.
• 1907 – Sir Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England, United Kingdom. The camp runs from August 1 to August 9, 1907, and is regarded as the foundation of the Scouting movement.
• 1920 – Construction of the Link River Dam begins as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project.
• 1921 – Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party.
• 1932 – Great Depression: in Washington, D.C., troops disperse the last of the "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans.
• 1937 – Tōngzhōu Incident: in Tōngzhōu, China, the East Hopei Army attacks Japanese troops and civilians.
• 1945 – The BBC Light Programme radio station is launched for mainstream light entertainment and music.
• 1948 – Olympic Games: The Games of the XIV Olympiad – after a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, the first Summer Olympics to be held since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, open in London, England, United Kingdom.
• 1950 – Korean War: After four days, the No Gun Ri Massacre ends when the US Army 7th Cavalry Regiment is withdrawn.
• 1957 – The International Atomic Energy Agency is established.
• 1958 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• 1959 – First United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union.
• 1965 – Vietnam War: the first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay.
• 1967 – Vietnam War: off the coast of North Vietnam the USS Forrestal catches on fire in the worst U.S. naval disaster since World War II, killing 134.
• 1967 – During the fourth day of celebrating its 400th anniversary, the city of Caracas, Venezuela is shaken by an earthquake, leaving approximately 500 dead.
• 1973 – Greeks vote to abolish the monarchy, beginning the first period of the Metapolitefsi.
• 1976 – In New York, New York, David Berkowitz (aka the "Son of Sam") kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks.
• 1981 – A worldwide television audience of over 700 million people watch the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London.
• 1987 – British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel (Eurotunnel).
• 1987 – Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and President of Sri Lanka J.R. Jayawardene sign the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord on ethnic issues.
• 1993 – The Supreme Court of Israel acquits alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free.
• 1996 – The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act is struck down by a U.S. federal court as too broad .
• 2005 – Astronomers announce their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris.
• 2010 – An overloaded passenger ferry capsizes on the Kasai River in Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in at least 80 deaths.

Births

• 869 – Muhammad al-Mahdi, the 12th Imam in Shia Islam (in 'occultation' since 874)
• 1166 – Henry II, Count of Champagne (d. 1197)
• 1605 – Simon Dach, German poet (d. 1659)
• 1646 – Johann Theile, German composer (d. 1724)
• 1763 – Philip Charles Durham, Scottish navy admiral (d. 1845)
• 1797 – Daniel Drew, American financier (d. 1879)
• 1801 – George Bradshaw, English publisher (d. 1853)
• 1805 – Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian and scientist (d. 1859)
• 1806 – Horace Abbott, American iron manufacturer and banker (d. 1887)
• 1817 – Ivan Aivazovsky, Armenian-Russian painter (d. 1900)
• 1843 – Johannes Schmidt, German linguist (d. 1901)
• 1846 – Sophie Menter, German pianist and composer (d. 1918)
• 1846 – Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil (d. 1921)
• 1849 – Max Nordau, Austrian-Hungarian physician, author, and critic, co-founder of the World Zionist Organization (d. 1923)
• 1860 – Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, English politician and administrator (d. 1940)
• 1869 – Booth Tarkington, American novelist and playwright (d. 1946)
• 1872 – Eric Alfred Knudsen, American author, lawyer, and politician (d. 1957)
• 1874 – Auguste Giroux, French rugby player (d. 1953)
• 1874 – J. S. Woodsworth, Canadian politician (d. 1942)
• 1876 – Maria Ouspenskaya, Russian-American actress (d. 1949)
• 1878 – Don Marquis, American author (d. 1937)
• 1880 – John Meyers, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1971)
• 1883 – Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian poet and writer (d. 1942)
• 1883 – Benito Mussolini, Italian politician, Dictator of Italy (d. 1945)
• 1884 – Ralph Austin Bard, American financier (d. 1975)
• 1885 – Theda Bara, American actress (d. 1955)
• 1887 – Sigmund Romberg, Hungarian-American composer (d. 1951)
• 1888 – Vladimir K. Zworykin, Russian-American engineer and inventor, invented the Iconoscope (d. 1982)
• 1890 – Daniel J. Callaghan, American navy officer, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1942)
• 1891 – Bernhard Zondek German-Israeli gynecologist (d. 1966)
• 1892 – William Powell, American actor (d. 1984)
• 1897 – Neil Ritchie, English general (d. 1983)
• 1898 – Isidor Isaac Rabi, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1988)
• 1899 – Walter Beall, American baseball player (d. 1959)
• 1900 – Eyvind Johnson, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1976)
• 1900 – Don Redman, American bandleader, musician, and composer (d. 1964)
• 1904 – J. R. D. Tata, France-Indian aviator and businessman (d. 1993)
• 1904 – Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana, Vipassana meditation master (d. 1982)
• 1905 – Clara Bow, American actress (d. 1965)
• 1905 – Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish diplomat, economist, and author, 2nd Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1961)
• 1905 – Stanley Kunitz, American poet (d. 2006)
• 1905 – Thelma Todd, American actress (d. 1935)
• 1906 – Diana Vreeland, French-American columnist and editor (d. 1989)
• 1907 – Melvin Belli, American lawyer and actor (d. 1996)
• 1909 – Chester Himes, American novelist (d. 1984)
• 1911 – Foster Furcolo, American politician, 60th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1995)
• 1911 – Archbishop Iakovos of America (d. 2005)
• 1913 – Erich Priebke, German Waffen-SS captain
• 1914 – Irwin Corey, American comedian, actor, and activist
• 1915 – Bruce R. McConkie, American member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and writer (d. 1985)
• 1915 – Francis W. Sargent, American politician, 64th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1998)
• 1916 – Budd Boetticher, American director (d. 2001)
• 1916 – Charlie Christian, American guitarist (d. 1942)
• 1917 – Rochus Misch, German courier, bodyguard, and telephone operator for Adolf Hitler, last survivor of the Führerbunker
• 1918 – Edwin O'Connor, American novelist (d. 1968)
• 1920 – Rodolfo Acosta, Mexican actor (d. 1974)
• 1920 – Neville Jeffress, Australian advertising executive, founder of Sentia Media (d. 2007)
• 1921 – Richard Egan, American actor (d. 1987)
• 1921 – Chris Marker, French writer, photographer, and journalist (d. 2012)
• 1923 – Jim Marshall, English businessman, founder of Marshall Amplification (d. 2012)
• 1923 – Gordon Mitchell, American actor (d. 2003)
• 1924 – Lloyd Bochner, Canadian actor (d. 2005)
• 1924 – Robert Horton, American actor
• 1924 – Elizabeth Short, American waitress and murder victim (d. 1947)
• 1925 – Ted Lindsay, Canadian hockey player
• 1925 – Shivram Dattatreya Phadnis, Indian cartoonist
• 1925 – Mikis Theodorakis, Greek composer
• 1926 – James Wellbeloved, English politician (d. 2012)
• 1927 – Harry Mulisch, Dutch novelist, playwright, and poet (d. 2010)
• 1930 – Paul Taylor, American dancer and choreographer
• 1932 – Nancy Landon Kassebaum, American politician
• 1933 – Lou Albano, Italian-American wrestler, manager, and actor (d. 2009)
• 1933 – Colin Davis, English race car driver (d. 2012)
• 1933 – Robert Fuller, American actor
• 1935 – Peter Schreier, German tenor and conductor
• 1936 – Elizabeth Dole, American politician
• 1937 – Daniel McFadden, American economist, Nobel Prize Laureate
• 1938 – Peter Jennings, Canadian-American journalist (d. 2005)
• 1938 – Jean Rochon, Canadian politician
• 1941 – Jennifer Dunn, American politician (d. 2007)
• 1941 – Goenawan Mohamad, Indonesian poet and journalist
• 1941 – David Warner, English actor
• 1942 – Tony Sirico, American actor
• 1943 – David Taylor, English snooker player
• 1945 – Sharon Creech, American novelist
• 1945 – Mircea Lucescu, Romanian footballer, manager, and coach
• 1946 – Ximena Armas, Chilean painter
• 1946 – Neal Doughty, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (REO Speedwagon)
• 1946 – Diane Keen, English actress
• 1946 – Stig Blomqvist, Swedish World Rally Champion (1984)
• 1947 – Dick Harmon, American golf instructor (d. 2006)
• 1949 – Leslie Easterbrook, American actress
• 1949 – Jamil Mahuad, Ecuadorian lawyer and politician, 51st President of Ecuador
• 1949 – Sergio Martini, Italian mountaineer
• 1950 – Mike Starr, American actor
• 1951 – Dan Driessen, American baseball player
• 1951 – Dean Pitchford, American actor, songwriter, director and writer
• 1952 – Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou, Greek politician
• 1953 – Ken Burns, American director and producer
• 1953 – Tim Gunn, American television host and businessman
• 1953 – Geddy Lee, Canadian singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (Rush and Big Dirty Band)
• 1953 – Patti Scialfa, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (E Street Band)
• 1955 – Jean-Hugues Anglade, French actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1955 – Dave Stevens, American illustrator (d. 2008)
• 1956 – Teddy Atlas, American boxing trainer and commentator
• 1956 – Ronnie Musgrove, American politician, 62nd Governor of Mississippi
• 1956 – Faustino Rupérez, Spanish cyclist
• 1957 – Nellie Kim, Russian gymnast
• 1957 – Alessandra Marc, American soprano
• 1958 – Cynthia Rowley, American fashion designer and author
• 1959 – Sanjay Dutt, Indian actor
• 1959 – Ruud Janssen, Dutch writer and illustrator
• 1959 – Dave LaPoint, American baseball player
• 1959 – John Sykes, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Tygers of Pan Tang, and Blue Murder)
• 1962 – Frank Neubarth, German footballer
• 1962 – Vincent Rousseau, Belgian runner
• 1962 – Scott Steiner, American wrestler
• 1963 – Jim Beglin, Irish footballer
• 1963 – Alexandra Paul, American actress
• 1963 – Graham Poll, English football referee
• 1965 – Luis Alicea, Puerto Rican baseball player and coach
• 1965 – Dean Haglund, Canadian actor
• 1965 – Chang-Rae Lee, Korean-American novelist
• 1965 – Woody Weatherman, American guitarist and songwriter (Corrosion of Conformity)
• 1966 – Richard Steven Horvitz, American voice actor
• 1966 – Martina McBride, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1968 – Paavo Lötjönen, Finnish cellist (Apocalyptica)
• 1968 – Rodney Allen Rippy, American actor
• 1969 – Timothy Omundson, American actor
• 1970 – Jonah Falcon, American actor
• 1970 – Andi Peters, English journalist and producer
• 1970 – John Rennie, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 1971 – Monica Calhoun, American actress
• 1971 – Bryan Dattilo, American actor
• 1971 – Lisa Ekdahl, Swedish singer-songwriter
• 1971 – Andrea Philipp, German sprinter
• 1972 – Wil Wheaton, American actor
• 1973 – Stephen Dorff, American actor
• 1973 – Wanya Morris, American singer (Boyz II Men)
• 1973 – Denis Urubko, Kazakhstani mountaineer
• 1974 – Afroman, American rapper
• 1974 – Josh Radnor, American actor
• 1975 – Corrado Grabbi, Italian footballer
• 1975 – Lanka de Silva, Sri Lankan cricketer
• 1977 – Rodney Jerkins, American rapper, songwriter, and producer
• 1978 – Mike Adams, American baseball player
• 1978 – Marina Lazarovska, Macedonian tennis player
• 1979 – Karim Essediri, Tunisian footballer
• 1979 – Ronald Murray, American basketball player
• 1980 – Ryan Braun, Canadian-American baseball player
• 1980 – Fernando González, Chilean tennis player
• 1980 – Rachel Miner, American actress
• 1981 – Fernando Alonso, Spanish race car driver
• 1981 – Emily Bauer, American actress and singer
• 1981 – Matt Grice, American mixed martial artist
• 1981 – Dyana Liu, American actress
• 1981 – Andrés Madrid, Argentine footballer
• 1981 – Troy Perkins, American soccer player
• 1982 – Janez Aljančič, Slovenian footballer
• 1982 – Dominic Burgess, English actor
• 1982 – Jônatas Domingos, Brazilian footballer
• 1982 – Allison Mack, American actress
• 1983 – Kim Dong-wook, South Korean actor
• 1983 – Ines Gomez Mont, Mexican journalist and actress
• 1983 – Tania Gunadi, Indonesian-American actress
• 1983 – Alexei Kaigorodov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1983 – Jerious Norwood, American football player
• 1983 – Elise Testone, American singer-songwriter
• 1984 – Oh Beom-Seok, South Korean footballer
• 1984 – Chad Billingsley, American baseball player
• 1984 – Todd Bosley, American actor
• 1984 – Wilson Palacios, Honduran footballer
• 1984 – J. Madison Wright Morris, American actress (d. 2006)
• 1985 – Besart Berisha, Albanian footballer
• 1985 – Simon Santoso, Indonesian badminton player
• 1986 – Adam Weisman, American actor
• 1987 – Sabra Johnson, Dutch-American dancer
• 1987 – Génesis Rodríguez, American actress
• 1988 – Alexander Lee Eusebio, Chinese singer (U-KISS)
• 1988 – Sabrina van der Donk, Dutch model, Miss Earth 2006
• 1990 – Penny Bae Bridges, American actress
• 1990 – Munro Chambers, Canadian actor
• 1990 – Valentina Golubenko, Russian-Estonian-Croatian chess player
• 1990 – Matt Prokop, American actor
• 1990 – Shin Se-kyung, South Korean actress
• 1990 – Anna Selezneva, Russian model
• 1990 – Joseph Wallace, American murder victim (d. 1993)
• 1991 – Maestro Harrell, American actor
• 1991 – Miki Ishikawa, American actress and singer (T-Squad)
• 1992 – Karen Torrez, Bolivian swimmer
• 1994 – Tjaša Šrimpf, Slovenian tennis player
• 1995 – Kiray, Filipino actress

Deaths

• 238 – Balbinus, Roman Emperor (b. 165)
• 238 – Pupienus, Roman Emperor (b. 178)
• 1030 – Olaf II of Norway (b. 995)
• 1095 – Ladislaus I of Hungary (b. 1040)
• 1099 – Pope Urban II (b. 1042)
• 1108 – Philip I of France (b. 1052)
• 1507 – Martin Behaim, German-Bohemian navigator and geographer (b. 1459)
• 1573 – John Caius, English physician (b. 1510)
• 1612 – Jacques Bongars, French scholar and diplomat (b. 1554)
• 1644 – Pope Urban VIII (b. 1568)
• 1752 – Peter Warren, English admiral (b. 1703)
• 1781 – Johann Kies, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1713)
• 1792 – René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, French politician, Chancellor of France (b. 1714)
• 1813 – Jean-Andoche Junot, French general (b. 1771)
• 1833 – William Wilberforce, English politician and philanthropist (b. 1759)
• 1839 – Gaspard de Prony, French mathematician (b. 1755)
• 1844 – Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, Austrian composer (b. 1791)
• 1856 – Robert Schumann, German composer (b. 1810)
• 1857 – Thomas Dick, Scottish minister, scientist, and writer (b. 1774)
• 1887 – Agostino Depretis, Italian politician, 9th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1813)
• 1890 – Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter (b. 1853)
• 1900 – Umberto I of Italy (b. 1844)
• 1913 – Tobias Asser, Dutch jurist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1838)
• 1918 – Ernest William Christmas, Australian painter (b. 1863)
• 1924 – Sotirios Krokidas, Greek law professor, interim Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1852)
• 1934 – Didier Pitre, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1883)
• 1938 – Nikolai Krylenko, Russian jurist and politician (b. 1885)
• 1950 – Joe Fry, English race car driver (b. 1915)
• 1954 – Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater (b. 1879)
• 1962 – Leonardo De Lorenzo, Italian flute player and educator (b. 1875)
• 1964 – Vean Gregg, American baseball player (b. 1885)
• 1966 – Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigerian military leader (b. 1924)
• 1966 – Adekunle Fajuyi, Nigerian military governor (b. 1926)
• 1970 – John Barbirolli, English conductor (b. 1899)
• 1973 – Norm Smith, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1915)
• 1973 – Roger Williamson, English race car driver (b. 1948)
• 1974 – Cass Elliot, American singer (The Mamas & the Papas, The Big Three, and The Mugwumps) (b. 1941)
• 1974 – Erich Kästner, German author and poet (b. 1899)
• 1976 – Mickey Cohen, American gangster (b. 1913)
• 1979 – Herbert Marcuse, German philosopher (b. 1898)
• 1979 – Bill Todman, American television producer (b. 1916)
• 1981 – Robert Moses, American urban planner, designed the Northern State Parkway and Southern State Parkway (b. 1888)
• 1982 – Harold Sakata, American wrestler and actor (b. 1920)
• 1982 – Vladimir K. Zworykin, Russian-American engineer, invented the Iconoscope (b. 1889)
• 1983 – Luis Buñuel, Spanish director and writer (b. 1900)
• 1983 – Raymond Massey, Canadian actor (b. 1896)
• 1983 – David Niven, English actor (b. 1910)
• 1984 – Fred Waring, American musician, bandleader, and banker (b. 1900)
• 1987 – Bibhutibhushan Mukhopadhyay, Indian-Bengali writer (b. 1894)
• 1990 – Bruno Kreisky, Austrian politician, 22nd Chancellor of Austria (b. 1911)
• 1992 – Michel Larocque, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1952)
• 1994 – John Britton, American physician (b. 1925)
• 1994 – Dorothy Hodgkin, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
• 1995 – Les Elgart, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1917)
• 1996 – Ric Nordman, Canadian politician (b. 1919)
• 1996 – Marcel-Paul Schützenberger, French mathematician (b. 1920)
• 1996 – Jason Thirsk, American singer and bass player (Pennywise and Humble Gods) (b. 1967)
• 1998 – Jerome Robbins, American choreographer, director, and producer (b. 1918)
• 2001 – Edward Gierek, Polish politician (b. 1913)
• 2001 – Wau Holland, German hacker, co-founded Chaos Computer Club (b. 1951)
• 2003 – Foday Sankoh, Sierra Leonean soldier, founder and leader of Revolutionary United Front (b. 1937)
• 2004 – Rena Vlahopoulou, Greek actress and singer (b. 1923)
• 2007 – Mike Reid, English comedian, actor, and author (b. 1940)
• 2007 – Michel Serrault, French actor (b. 1928)
• 2007 – Tom Snyder, American journalist (b. 1936)
• 2007 – Marvin Zindler, American journalist (b. 1921)
• 2008 – Ishmeet Singh, Indian singer (b. 1988)
• 2009 – Gayatri Devi, England-Indian wife of Sawai Man Singh II (b. 1919)
• 2010 – Charles E. Wicks, American engineer, author, and academic (b. 1925)
• 2012 – John P. Finnegan, American actor (b. 1926)
• 2012 – August Kowalczyk, Polish actor, director, and Holocaust survivor (b. 1921)
• 2012 – James Mellaart, English archaeologist and author (b. 1925)
• 2012 – Vempati Chinna Satyam, Indian dancer and teacher (b. 1929)
• 2012 – John Stampe, Danish footballer and coach (b. 1957)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Lupus of Troyes
  • Martha of Bethany (Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran Church)
  • Olaf II of Norway
  • Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrix
  • July 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• International Tiger Day
• National Anthem Day (Romania)
• National Thai Language Day (Thailand)
• Ólavsøka, opening of the Løgting session. (Faroe Islands)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

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