May 29th in History

Michael Dobson | May 29

Vought F4U Corsair — first flight, May 29, 1940

Today in History

  • Ottoman armies capture Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire (1453)
  • Charles II is restored to the throne of Great Britain (1660)
  • Rhode Island becomes the 13th US state, the last of the original colonies to ratify the Constitution (1790)
  • Wisconsin becomes the 30th US state (1848)
  • The first advertisement for Coca-Cola appears (1886)
  • A riot breaks out in Paris following the premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet score The Rite of Spring (1913)
  • The Bonus Army begins to assemble in Washington, DC (1932)
  • The Vought F4U Corsair flies for the first time (1940)
  • Bing Crosby records “White Christmas,” which becomes the best-selling Christmas single in history (1942)
  • Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest (1953)
  • Amputee Steve Fonyo completes a cross-Canada marathon after 14 months (1985)

Birthdays

 

  • Charles II, British monarch (1630)
  • Patrick Henry, Virginia governor and speechmaker (1736)
  • G. K. Chesterton, author (1874)
  • Oswald Spengler, historian (1880)
  • Max Brand, Western writer (1893)
  • Bea Lillie, actress (1894)
  • Josef von Sternberg, filmmaker (1894)
  • Bob Hope, comedian (1903)
  • Sebastian Shaw, actor (1905)
  • T. H. White, author (1906)
  • John F. Kennedy, 35th US President (1917)
  • Peter Higgs, boson theorist (1929)
  • Paul Ehrlich, biologist and author (1932)
  • Al Uncer, race car driver (1939)
  • Danny Elfman, singer-songwriter, wrote The Simpsons theme (1953)
  • John Hinckley, Jr., tried to kill Ronald Reagan to impress Jodie Foster (1955)
  • La Toya Jackson, singer-songwriter (1956)
  • Annette Bening, actress (1953)
  • Melissa Etheridge, singer-songwriter (1961)
  • Lisa Whelchel, actress (1963)
  • Melanie Brown, Spice Girl (1975)
  • Daniel Tosh, comedian (1975)
  • Ana Beatriz Barros, supermodel (1982)

Deaths

  • Humphry Davy, chemist (1829)
  • Winfield Scott, US general (1866)
  • بهاء الله‎ (Bahá’u’lláh), founder of Bahá’í (1892)
  • W. S. Gilbert, playwright, Sullivan partner (1911)
  • John Barrymore, actor (1942)
  • Dame May Whitty, actress (1948)
  • Fanny Brice, singer and actress (1951)
  • Man Mountain Dean, wrestler (1953)
  • John Gunther, author (1970)
  • Moe Berg, baseball player and spy (1972)
  • Mary Pickford, actress (1979)
  • Romy Schneider, actress (1982)
  • Barry Goldwater, US presidential candidate (1998)
  • Archibald Cox, Watergate special prosecutor (2004)
  • Samuel Dash, Senate Watergate Committee chief counsel (2004)
  • Harvey Korman, comedian (2004)
  • Dennis Hopper, actor (2010)
  • Doc Watson, singer-songwriter (2012)

Holidays and Celebrations

  • Admission Day (Wisconsin)
  • Ambaravailia Purification Day (ancient Rome)
  • Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh (Bahá’í Faith)
  • Constitution Day (Switzerland)
  • Democracy Day (Nigeria)
  • International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers (United Nations)
  • Luilak, or Lazybones (Belgium)
  • National Day of the Republic (Azerbaijan)
  • Oak Apple Day/Restoration Day/Royal Oak Day/Shick-Shack Day (UK, restoration of the monarchy)
  • Statehood Day (Rhode Island)
Informal and made-up holidays include Coq Au Vin Day, Duel Day, End of the Middle Ages Day, Honor Your Ancestors Day, Learn About Composting Day, Lovey-Dovey Day, Nettle Day, Pink Flamingo Day, Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day, and Squoosh an Ice Cream Sandwich Day.