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Today May 29th 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
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, in which 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 Indians.
1727 – Peter II becomes Tsar of Russia.
1733 – The right of Canadians to keep Indian slaves is upheld at Quebec City.
1780 – 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 is premiered in Paris, provoking a riot.
1914 – Ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sinks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence; 1,024 lives lost.
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.
1942 – Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra record Irving Berlin s White Christmas, the best-selling Christmas album in history, for Decca Records in Los Angeles.
1948 – Creation of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation
1950 – St. Roch, first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia .
1953 – Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay are 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.
1968 – Manchester United win the European Cup, the first English Club to do so.
1969 – General strike in Cordoba, 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 ever 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 as he arrives in Moscow for a superpower summit with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
1990 – Boris Yeltsin is elected president of the Russian SFSR by the Russian parliament.
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.
2001 – U.S. Supreme Court rules that disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments.
2001 – International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers inaugurated.
2004 – The World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
2004 – The Al-Khobar massacres in Saudi Arabia kill 22.
2005 – France resoundingly rejects the European Constitution.
Births
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 Fitzgerald 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)
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)
1938 – Fay Vincent, baseball commissioner
1939 – Al Unser, Sr., American race car driver
1940 – Farooq Leghari, President of Pakistan
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, American politician
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
1961 – Melissa Etheridge, American musician
1962 – Eric Davis, American baseball player
1962 – John D. LeMay, American actor
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
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
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 – Anthony Wall, English golfer
1976 – David Buckner, American musician (Papa Roach)
1976 – Caçapa, Brazilian footballer
1976 – Jerry Hairston Jr., American baseball player
1976 – Yusuke Iseya, Japanese model and actor
1977 – Antonio Lebo-Lebo, Angolan footballer
1977 – Massimo Ambrosini, Italian footballer
1978 – Pelle Almqvist, Swedish musician (The Hives)
1978 – Sébastien Grosjean, French tennis player
1978 – Adam Rickitt,British/New Zealand 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)
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
1983 – Rama Claproth, Indonesian blues guitarist
1984 – Carmelo Anthony, American basketball player
1986 – Dylan Postl, American professional wrestler
1986 – Jaslene Gonzalez, Puerto Rican/American fashion model
1986 – Valy Hedjasi, Afghan singer
1987 – Alessandra Toreson, American actress
1987 – Kelvin Maynard, Dutch football player
1989 – Danielle Riley Keough, American actress
1990 – Dave Morton, American guitarist
1991 – Kristen Alderson, American actress
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, American politician (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 – Arvids 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 (stroke) (b. 1927)
2007 – Posteal Laskey, American convicted murderer widely believed to be the Cincinnati Strangler of natural causes (b. 1938)
2008 – Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1987)
2008 – Harvey Korman, American actor (b. 1927)
2008 – Dianne Odell, American medical figure (b. 1947)
Holidays and observances
Bahá í Faith: Ascension of Bahá u llah
Nigeria: Democracy Day
United Kingdom: Oak Apple Day.
Blessed Adhemar
Saint Erwin
Saint Maximinus of Trier
Saint Theodosia
Saint Alexander of Alexandria
Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat
International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
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