July 29
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July 29 is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 155 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
- 1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, and his subsequent savage treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of shock.
- 1030 - Ladejarl-Fairhair succession wars: Battle of Stiklestad - King Olaf II fights and dies trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes.
- 1565 - Mary Queen of Scots, widowed, 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 command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeats 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.
- 1830 - Abdication of Charles X of France.
- 1836 - Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
- 1847 - Cumberland School of Law founded in Lebanon, Tennessee, USA. At the end of 1847 only 15 law schools exist in the United States.
- 1848 - Irish Potato Famine: Tipperary Revolt - In Tipperary, 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, DC.
- 1899 - The First Hague Convention is signed.
- 1900 - In Italy, King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by Italian-born anarchist Gaetano Bresci.
- 1907 - Sir Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. The camp ran from August 1-9, 1907, and is regarded as the founding 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, DC, U.S. troops disperse the last of the "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans.
- 1945 - The BBC Light Programme radio station was launched for mainstream light entertainment and music.
- 1947 - After being shut off on November 9, 1946 for a memory upgrade, ENIAC, the world's first all-electronic digital computer, is reactivated. It will remain in continuous operation until October 2, 1955.
- 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 opened in London.
- 1957 - The International Atomic Energy Agency is established.
- 1958 - The U.S. Congress formally creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
- 1959 - First Congressional 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.
- 1966 - Musician Bob Dylan crashes his Triumph motorcycle in upstate New York. He goes into seclusion for over a year before reemerging and reinventing himself artistically.
- 1966 - American magazine Datebook releases issue with the Beatles article from the London Evening Standard four months ago which includes John Lennon's "more popular than Jesus" statement, setting off a furor resulting the trashing and burning of Beatles records and merchandise and the banning of Beatles songs on radio
- 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 - At the fourth day of celebrating its 400th anniversary, the city of Caracas, Venezuela was shaken by an earthquake, leaving approximately 500 dead.
- 1976 - In New York City, the "Son of Sam" kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks.
- 1981 - Lady Diana Spencer marries Charles, Prince of Wales.
- 1987 - British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build the tunnel under the English Channel (Eurotunnel).
- 1987 - Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayawardene sign the Indo-Lankan Pact on ethnic issue.
- 1993 - The Israeli Supreme Court acquits accused Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free.
- 1996 - The controversial child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act (1996) is struck down as too broad by a U.S. federal court.
- 2005 - Astronomers announce their discovery of Eris.
- 2007 - The ruling coalition of Japan lost its majority in the upper house after the election.
- 2007 - The popular, long-running Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast closed on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre to make room for Disney's new musical, The Little Mermaid.
Births
- 1166 - Henry II of Champagne (d. 1197)
- 1605 - Simon Dach, German poet (d. 1659)
- 1763 - Philip Charles Durham, Royal 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 political scientist (d. 1859)
- 1843 - Johannes Schmidt, German linguist (d. 1901)
- 1849 - Max Nordau, Austrian author and Zionist leader (d. 1923)
- 1869 - Booth Tarkington, American author (d. 1946)
- 1872 - Eric Alfred Knudsen, American folklorist (d. 1957)
- 1874 - James Shaver Woodsworth, Canadian politician (d. 1942)
- 1876 - Maria Ouspenskaya, Russian-born actress (d. 1949)
- 1878 - Don Marquis, American author (d. 1937)
- 1883 - Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian poet and writer (d. 1942)
- 1883 - Benito Mussolini, Italian dictator (d. 1945)
- 1884 - Ralph A. Bard, U.S. Navy Undersecretary (d. 1975)
- 1885 - Theda Bara, American film actress (d. 1955)
- 1887 - Sigmund Romberg, Hungarian-born composer (d. 1951)
- 1892 - William Powell, American actor (d. 1984)
- 1897 - Sir Neil Ritchie, British general (d. 1983)
- 1898 - Isidor Isaac Rabi, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1988)
- 1900 - Eyvind Johnson, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1976)
- 1900 - Don Redman, American musician (d. 1964)
- 1904 - J. R. D. Tata, Indian industrialist (d. 1993)
- 1905 - Clara Bow, American actress (d. 1965)
- 1905 - Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish 2nd UN Secretary-General, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1961)
- 1905 - Thelma Todd, American actress (d. 1935)
- 1905 - Stanley Kunitz, American poet (d. 2006)
- 1906 - Diana Vreeland, French-born fashion editor (d. 1989)
- 1907 - Melvin Belli, American lawyer and actor (d. 1996)
- 1911 - Iakovos, Archbishop of America (d. 2005)
- 1913 - Erich Priebke, Nazi war criminal
- 1914 - Irwin Corey, American stand-up comedian
- 1916 - Charlie Christian, American jazz guitarist (d. 1942)
- 1916 - Budd Boetticher, American film director (d. 2001)
- 1918 - Edwin O'Connor, American novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner (d. 1968)
- 1920 - Rodolfo Acosta, Mexican actor (d. 1974)
- 1920 - Neville Jeffress, Australian founder of Media Monitors Australia (d. 2007)
- 1921 - Richard Egan, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1923 - Jim Marshall, founder of Marshall Amplification
- 1923 - Gordon Mitchell, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1924 - Lloyd Bochner, Canadian actor (d. 2005)
- 1924 - Elizabeth Short, victim in the Black Dahlia case (d. 1947)
- 1925 - Mikis Theodorakis, Greek composer
- 1925 - Ted Lindsay, Canadian hockey player
- 1927 - Harry Mulisch, Dutch author
- 1929 - Jean Baudrillard, French philosopher
- 1930 - Paul Taylor, American dancer and choreographer
- 1932 - Nancy Kassebaum Baker, United States Senator from Kansas
- 1933 - Lou Albano, American pro wrestling manager
- 1933 - Colin Davis, British racing driver
- 1934 - Robert Fuller, American actor
- 1935 - Peter Schreier, German tenor
- 1936 - Elizabeth Dole, U.S. Senator from North Carolina
- 1937 - Daniel McFadden, American economist, Nobel Prize Laureate
- 1938 - Peter Jennings, Canadian-born journalist (d. 2005)
- 1938 - Jean Rochon, Quebec politician
- 1941 - Jennifer Dunn, American politician (d. 2007)
- 1941 - David Warner, English actor
- 1942 - Tony Sirico, American actor
- 1943 - David Taylor, English snooker player
- 1946 - Neal Doughty, American keyboardist (REO Speedwagon)
- 1947 - Dick Harmon, American golf instructor (d. 2006)
- 1951 - Dan Driessen, American baseball player
- 1953 - Ken Burns, American producer and director
- 1953 - Geddy Lee, Canadian musician (Rush)
- 1953 - Patti Scialfa, American singer, guitarist and songwriter
- 1955 - Dave Stevens, American illustrator
- 1955 - Jean-Hugues Anglade, French actor
- 1956 - Teddy Atlas, American boxing trainer and commentator
- 1956 - Ronnie Musgrove, Former Governor of Mississippi
- 1957 - Nellie Kim, Russian gymnast
- 1957 - Alessandra Marc, American operatic soprano
- 1959 - Sanjay Dutt, Indian actor
- 1959 - Ruud Janssen, Dutch writer and artist
- 1959 - Dave LaPoint, American baseball player
- 1959 - John Sykes, British guitarist (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Tygers of Pan Tang)
- 1962 - Scott Steiner, American professional wrestler
- 1963 - Graham Poll, English referee
- 1963 - Jim Beglin, Irish football commentator
- 1963 - Alexandra Paul, American actress
- 1965 - Chang-Rae Lee, Korean-born author
- 1965 - Luis Alicea, baseball coach
- 1965 - Gail Simone, comic book writer
- 1965 - Dean Haglund, Canadian actor
- 1966 - Martina McBride, American singer
- 1966 - Richard Steven Horvitz, American comic voiceactor
- 1969 - Adele Stevens, English model and erotic actress
- 1971 - Monica Calhoun, American actress
- 1972 - Wil Wheaton, American actor
- 1973 - Stephen Dorff, American actor
- 1973 - Wanya Morris, American singer (Boyz II Men)
- 1974 - Josh Radnor, American actor
- 1975 - Corrado Grabbi, Italian footballer
- 1979 - Karim Essediri, Tunisian footballer
- 1979 - Ronald Murray, American basketball player
- 1980 - Fernando González, Chilean tennis player
- 1980 - Rachel Miner, American actress
- 1981 - Fernando Alonso, Spanish two time formula 1 world champion
- 1981 - Andrés Madrid, Argentine footballer
- 1982 - Jônatas Domingos, Brazilian footballer
- 1982 - Janez Aljančič, Slovenian footballer
- 1982 - Allison Mack, American actress
- 1983 - Alexei Kaigorodov, Russian hockey player
- 1988 - Kevin Mackey, American Philosopher
Deaths
- 238 - Pupienus, Roman Emperor
- 238 - Balbinus, Roman Emperor
- 1030 - Olaf II of Norway (b. 995)
- 1099 - Pope Urban II (b. 1042)
- 1108 - Philip I of France (b. 1052)
- 1507 - Martin Behaim, German-born navigator and geographer (b. 1459)
- 1612 - Jacques Bongars, French scholar and diplomat (b. 1554)
- 1644 - Pope Urban VIII (b. 1568)
- 1752 - Peter Warren, British admiral
- 1781 - Johann Kies, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1713)
- 1792 - René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, Chancellor of France (b. 1714)
- 1813 - Jean-Andoche Junot, French general (b. 1771)
- 1833 - William Wilberforce, English abolitionist (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 scientific teacher and writer (b. 1774)
- 1887 - Agostino Depretis, Italian statesman (d. 1813)
- 1890 - Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter (b. 1853)
- 1900 - King Umberto I of Italy (b. 1844)
- 1913 - Tobias Michael Carel Asser, Dutch jurist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1838)
- 1934 - Didier Pitre, French Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1883)
- 1938 - Nikolai Krylenko, Russian/Soviet jurist and politician (b. 1885)
- 1950 - Joe Fry, British racing driver (b. 1915)
- 1951 - Hozumi Shigeto, Japanese author (b. 1883)
- 1954 - Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater (b. 1879)
- 1964 - Vean Gregg, American baseball player (b. 1885)
- 1970 - John Barbirolli, English conductor (b. 1899)
- 1973 - Roger Williamson, English racing driver (b. 1948)
- 1974 - Cass Elliot, American musician (b. 1941)
- 1974 - Erich Kästner, German author (b. 1899)
- 1975 - James Blish, American writer (b. 1921)
- 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 (b. 1888)
- 1982 - Harold Sakata, Japanese-American actor (b. 1920)
- 1982 - Vladimir Zworykin, Russian physicist and inventor (b. 1889)
- 1983 - Luis Buñuel, Spanish director (b. 1900)
- 1983 - Raymond Massey, Canadian actor (b. 1896)
- 1983 - David Niven, English actor (b. 1910)
- 1984 - Fred Waring, American band leader and inventor (b. 1900)
- 1990 - Bruno Kreisky, Chancellor of Austria (b. 1911)
- 1992 - Michel Larocque, French-Canadian hockey player (b. 1952)
- 1994 - Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, British chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1910)
- 1994 - Megan Kanka, American murder victim (b. 1986)
- 1996 - Ric Nordman, Canadian politician (b. 1919)
- 1996 - Jason Thirsk, American bassist (Pennywise) (b. 1967)
- 1996 - Marcel-Paul Schützenberger, French mathematician (b. 1920)
- 1998 - Jerome Robbins, American choreographer (b. 1918)
- 1998 - Bharathan, Malayalam film director (b. 1947)
- 2001 - Edward Gierek, Polish politician (b. 1913)
- 2001 - Wau Holland, German computer hacker (b. 1951)
- 2003 - Foday Sankoh, Sierra Leonean rebel leader (b. 1937)
- 2004 - Rena Vlahopoulou, Greek actress and singer (b. 1923)
- 2007 - Mike Reid, English comedian and actor (b. 1940)
- 2007 - Michel Serrault, French actor (b. 1928)
- 2007 - Tom Snyder, American television personality (b. 1936)
- 2007 - Marvin Zindler, American television reporter (b. 1921)
Holidays and observations
- Faroe Islands - Ólavsøka: opening of the Løgting session.
- National Anthem Day in Romania.
Liturgical feasts
- Translation of - saint Domnius, bishop of Salona, martyr [Split] (sveti Duje)
- Saint Eugenius =? Saint Eugeus, king [Magdeburg]
- Saint Felix I, pope, and companions (Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrix, (siblings)), martyrs [common]
- Saint Ladislas, king, confessor (Deposition) [Hungary]
- Saint Lupus, bishop of Troyes, confessor [Cologne, Constance, Metz, Paris, France]
- Saint Olaf II of Norway, king of Norway, martyr, patron of woodcarvers [Sleswig, Scandinavia] - celebrated in Norway as Olsok (St. Olav's Day)
- Saint Olaf of Sweden, king (of Sweden), martyr
- Saint Pantaleon [Paris]
- Saint Suliavus, abbot, confessor [St. Pol de Léon]
- Saint William Pinchon, bishop of Saint-Brieuc =?William, bishop (of Brieuc), confessor [Brittany]
- Saint Beatrice of Nazareth
- Saint Martha, host of Christ, sister of Lazarus, patron saint of cooks, domestic staff and dieticians [common]
- Saint Serafina