Today April 29th in history click read more below to view detail events, deaths, births, Holidays and observances, and video clips in hisotry. Please comments, last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
1429 – Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans.
1672 – Franco-Dutch War: Louis XIV of France invades the Netherlands.
1770 – James Cook arrives at and names Botany Bay, Australia.
1832 – Évariste Galois released from prison.
1861 – American Civil War: Maryland s House of Delegates votes not to secede from the Union.
1862 – American Civil War: New Orleans, Louisiana falls to Union forces under Admiral David Farragut.
1864 – The Theta Xi fraternity is founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
1882 – The Elektromote – forerunner of the trolleybus – is tested by Ernst Werner von Siemens in Berlin.
1903 – A 30 million cubic-metre landslide kills 70 in Frank, Alberta, Canada.
1916 – World War I: The British 6th Indian Division surrenders to Ottoman Forces at Kut. One of the largest surrenders of British forces up to that point.
1916 – Easter Rebellion: Martial law in Ireland is lifted and the rebellion is officially over with the surrender of Irish nationalists to British authorities in Dublin.
1945 – World War II: The German Army in Italy unconditionally surrenders to the Allies.
1945 – World War II: Start of Operation Manna.
1945 – World War II – Fuehrerbunker: Adolf Hitler marries his long-time partner Eva Braun in a Berlin bunker and designates Admiral Karl Dönitz as his successor. Both Hitler and Braun will commit suicide the next day.
1945 – The Dachau concentration camp is liberated by United States troops.
1946 – Former Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo and 28 former Japanese leaders are indicted for war crimes.
1951 – A Tibetan delegation to the Chinese government is presented with a draft treaty regarding the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
1953 – The first U.S. experimental 3D-TV broadcast showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV.
1965 – Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) successfully launches its seventh rocket in their Rehber series.
1967 – After refusing induction into the United States Army the day before (citing religious reasons), Muhammad Ali is stripped of his boxing title.
1968 – The controversial musical Hair opens on Broadway.
1970 – Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to hunt Viet Cong.
1974 – Watergate Scandal: President Richard Nixon announces the release of edited transcripts of White House tape recordings related to the scandal.
1975 – Vietnam War: Operation Frequent Wind: The U.S. begins to evacuate US citizens from Saigon prior to an expected North Vietnamese takeover. U.S. involvement in the war comes to an end.
1980 – Corazones Unidos Siempre Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority Inc. is founded.
1986 – Roger Clemens then of the Boston Red Sox sets a major league baseball record with 20 strikeouts in nine innings against the Seattle Mariners.
1986 – A fire at the Central library of the City of Los Angeles Public Library damages or destroys 400,000 books and other items.
1991 – 1991 Bangladesh cyclone strikes the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh with winds of around 155 mph, killing at least 138,000 people and leaving as many as 10 million homeless.
1992 – 1992 Los Angeles riots: Riots in Los Angeles, California, following the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King. Over the next three days 53 people are killed and hundreds of buildings are destroyed.
1997 – The Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 enters into force, outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons among its signatories.
1999 – Avala TV Tower near Belgrade is destroyed in NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.
2002 – The United States is re-elected to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, one year after losing the seat it had held for 50 years.
2004 – Dick Cheney and George W. Bush testify before the 9/11 Commission in a closed, unrecorded hearing in the Oval Office.
2004 – Oldsmobile builds its final car ending 107 years of production.
2005 – Syria completes withdrawal from Lebanon, ending 29 years of occupation.
2005 – New Zealand s first civil union takes place.
2007 – Republic Protests in Turkey.
Births
1665 – James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, Irish statesman and soldier (d. 1745)
1667 – John Arbuthnot, English physician and satirist (d. 1735)
1686 – Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English statesman (d. 1742)
1727 – Jean-Georges Noverre, French dancer (d. 1810)
1745 – Oliver Ellsworth, 3rd Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1807)
1758 – Georg Carl von Döbeln, Swedish Lieutenant General and war hero (d. 1820).
1762 – Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, French marshal (d. 1833)
1780 – Charles Nodier, French writer (d. 1844)
1784 – Samuel Turell Armstrong, American politician and acting Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1850)
1837 – Georges Boulanger, French general and politician (d. 1891)
1842 – Karl Millöcker, Dutch composer (d. 1899)
1854 – Henri Poincaré, French mathematician and physicist (d. 1912)
1863 – William Randolph Hearst, American publisher (d. 1951)
1863 – Constantine P. Cavafy, Greek poet (d. 1933)
1863 – Maria Theresa Ledochowska, Polish-Austrian Catholic nun (d. 1922)
1872 – Harry Payne Whitney, American businessman (d. 1930)
1875 – Rafael Sabatini, Italian/British writer (d. 1950)
1876 – Zauditu of Ethiopia (d. 1930)
1879 – Thomas Beecham, English conductor (d. 1961)
1882 – Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, Dutch artist and printer (d. 1945)
1885 – Egon Erwin Kisch, Czech journalist and author (d. 1948)
1893 – Harold Urey, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
1895 – Sir Malcolm Sargent, English conductor (d. 1967)
1899 – Duke Ellington, American jazz pianist and bandleader (d. 1974)
1901 – Hirohito, Emperor of Japan (d. 1989)
1907 – Tino Rossi, French singer and actor (d. 1983)
1907 – Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-born American film director (d. 1997)
1908 – Jack Williamson, American writer (d. 2006)
1909 – Tom Ewell, American actor (d. 1994)
1911 – Shri Gurudev Mahendranath, British writer (d. 1991)
1912 – Richard Carlson, American actor (d. 1977)
1915 – Donald Mills, American singer (Mills Brothers) (d. 1999)
1917 – Celeste Holm, American actress
1918 – George Allen, American football player and coach (d. 1990)
1919 – Gérard Oury, French film actor and director (d. 2006)
1920 – Harold Shapero, American composer
1922 – Helmut Krackowizer, Austrian motorcyclist (d. 2001)
1922 – Toots Thielemans, Belgian jazz guitarist and harmonica player
1924 – Al Balding, Canadian golfer (d. 2006)
1924 – Zizi Jeanmaire, French ballet dancer and actress
1925 – Ned Austin, American character actor (d. 2007)
1925 – John Compton, Saint Lucian Prime Minister (d. 2007)
1925 – Iwao Takamoto, American animator, producer and film director (d. 2007)
1928 – Carl Gardner, American singer (The Coasters)
1929 – Ray Baretto, American jazz musician (d. 2006)
1929 – Walter Kempowski, German author (d. 2007)
1929 – Mickey McDermott, American baseball player (d. 2003)
1929 – Peter Sculthorpe, Australian composer
1930 – Jean Rochefort, French actor
1931 – Frank Auerbach, German-born British painter
1931 – Lonnie Donegan, Scottish musician (d. 2002)
1933 – Mark Eyskens, Prime Minister of Belgium
1933 – Rod McKuen, American poet and composer
1934 – Luis Aparicio, Venezuelan baseball player
1934 – Pedro Pires, 3rd President of Cape Verde
1934 – Otis Rush, American musician
1936 – Zubin Mehta, Indian-born conductor
1936 – April Stevens, American singer
1936 – Lane Smith, American actor (d. 2005)
1937 – Jill Paton Walsh, English writer
1938 – Fred Dibnah, English television personality (d. 2004)
1938 – Klaus Voormann, German musician, artist, and record producer
1942 – Galina Kulakova, Soviet cross country skier
1944 – Princess Benedikte of Denmark
1944 – Richard Kline, American actor and director
1944 – Francis Lee, English International Footballer and philantropist
1945 – Tammi Terrell, American singer (d. 1970)
1947 – Serge Bernier, Canadian ice hockey player
1947 – Olavo de Carvalho, Brazilian philosopher
1947 – Tommy James, American musician
1947 – Jim Ryun, American athlete and politician
1948 – Bruce Cutler, American attorney
1948 – Michael Karoli, German guitarist and violinist (Can) (d. 2001)
1950 – Phillip Noyce, Australian film director
1950 – Debbie Stabenow, American politician
1951 – Dale Earnhardt, American race car driver (d. 2001)
1952 – Nora Dunn, American actress
1952 – David Icke, English writer
1952 – Bob McClure, American baseball player
1954 – Jake Burton Carpenter, American snowboarder
1954 – Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian
1955 – Kate Mulgrew, American actress
1955 – Wendee Lee, American voice actress
1955 – Gino Quilico, Canadian baritone
1956 – Sofia Sakorafa, Greek javelin thrower and politician
1956 – Ketil Stokkan, Norwegian singer
1957 – Daniel Day-Lewis, British-Irish actor
1957 – Mark Kendall, American guitarist
1957 – Timothy Treadwell, American bear enthusiast (d. 2003)
1958 – Michelle Pfeiffer, American actress
1958 – Eve Plumb, American actress
1958 – Gary Cohen, Baseball broadcaster
1960 – Phil King, English bassist
1960 – Robert J. Sawyer, Canadian writer
1960 – Caveh Zahedi, American filmmaker
1961 – Fumihiko Tachiki, Japanese seiyu
1963 – Mike Babcock, NHL Coach
1964 – Federico Castelluccio, Italian-American actor
1966 – Phil Tufnell, English cricketer
1967 – Curtis Joseph, Canadian ice hockey player
1967 – Master P, American rapper
1968 – Carnie Wilson, American singer
1969 – Paul Adelstein, American actor
1970 – Andre Agassi, American tennis player
1970 – China Forbes, American singer and songwriter (Pink Martini)
1970 – Uma Thurman, American actress
1971 – Sam Michael, Australian engineer
1972 – Dustin McDaniel, American politician
1973 – David Belle, French physical educator
1973 – Johan Hegg, Swedish heavy metal vocalist
1974 – Anggun, Indonesian singer
1974 – Pascal Cygan, French footballer
1974 – Julian Knowle, Austrian tennis player
1974 – Jasper Wood, Canadian violinist
1975 – Béres Zoo, Hungarian radio DJ
1975 – Rafael Betancourt, Venezuelan baseball player
1976 – Jay Orpin, Swedish composer and producer
1977 – Rocío Carrasco, Spanish TV host and socialite
1977 – Claus Jensen, Danish footballer
1978 – Tony Armas, Jr., Venezuelan baseball player
1978 – Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, American tennis players
1979 – Ryan Sharp, Scottish racing driver
1979 – Jo O Meara, British singer (S Club)
1979 – Lee Dong-Gook, Korean footballer
1979 – Matt Tong, English drummer (Bloc Party)
1980 – Mathieu Biron, Canadian ice hockey player
1980 – Kian Egan, Irish singer (Westlife)
1980 – Kelly Shoppach, American baseball player
1981 – George McCartney, Northern Irish footballer
1981 – Émilie Mondor, Canadian athlete (d. 2006)
1981 – Alex Vincent, American actor
1983 – Jay Cutler, American football player
1983 – Yuriko Shiratori, Japanese gravure idol and actress
1983 – David Lee, American basketball player
1983 – Sam Jones III, American Actor
1984 – Taylor Cole, American actress
1984 – Firass Dirani, Lebanese-Australian actor
1984 – Ph?m Van Quy?n, Vietnamese footballer
1986 – Renee Alway, American Model
1987 – Alicia Morton, American actress
1988 – Younha, Korean pop singer
2003 – Barbaro, American thoroughbred racehorse (d. 2007)
2003 – Maud Behn, Princess of Norway
2007 – Infanta Sofía of Spain, Princess of Spain
Deaths
926 – Burchard II, Duke of Swabia
1380 – Catherine of Siena, Italian saint (b. 1347)
1594 – Thomas Cooper, English bishop, lexicographer, and writer
1630 – Agrippa d Aubigné, French poet (b. 1552)
1658 – John Cleveland, English poet (b. 1613)
1676 – Michiel de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (b. 1607)
1688 – Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1620)
1698 – Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, First Lord of the British Admiralty (b. 1655)
1707 – George Farquhar, Irish dramatist (b. 1678)
1743 – Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French writer (b. 1658)
1768 – Georg Brandt, Swedish chemist and minerologist (b. 1694)
1776 – Edward Wortley Montagu, English traveler and writer (b. 1713)
1782 – Richard Kempenfelt, Royal Navy Admiral (b. 1718)
1793 – Yechezkel Landau, Polish rabbi (b. 1713)
1793 – John Michell, English scientist (b. 1724)
1798 – Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus, German entomologist (b. 1723)
1854 – Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English general (b. 1768)
1903 – Paul du Chaillu, French explorer (b. 1835)
1916 – Jørgen Pedersen Gram, Danish mathematician (b. 1850)
1920 – William Henry Seward, Jr., Union Brigadier General in the American Civil War (b. 1839)
1933 – Constantine P. Cavafy, Greek poet (b. 1863)
1935 – Leroy Carr, American blues singer, songwriter and pianist (b. 1905)
1937 – William Gillette, American actor (b. 1853)
1944 – Bernardino Machado, President of Portugal (b. 1851)
1945 – Matthias Kleinheisterkamp, German SS officer (b. 1893)
1951 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-born philosopher (b. 1889)
1956 – Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, German field marshal (b. 1876)
1961 – Cisco Houston, American folk singer (b. 1918)
1966 – William Eccles, English physicist and radio pioneer (b. 1875)
1967 – Anthony Mann, American actor and director (b. 1906)
1967 – J.B. Lenoir, American Blues Musician (b. 1929)
1979 – Hardie Gramatky, American author and animator (b. 1907)
1980 – Alfred Hitchcock, English film director (b. 1899)
1988 – James McCracken, American tenor (b. 1926)
1993 – Mick Ronson, English musician (b. 1946)
1993 – Michael Gordon, American film director (b. 1909)
1997 – Mike Royko, American columnist (b. 1932)
1998 – Hal Laycoe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1922)
2002 – Bob Akin, American industrialist and race car driver (b. 1936)
2002 – Lor Tok, Thai comedian and actor (b. 1914)
2004 – Sid Smith, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1925)
2005 – William J. Bell, American television writer and producer (b. 1927)
2005 – Mariana Levy, Mexican actress, singer, and television show host (b. 1966)
2006 – John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian economist (b. 1908)
2007 – Milt Bocek, American baseball player (b. 1912)
2007 – Josh Hancock, American baseball player (b. 1978)
2007 – Ivica Racan, former Prime Minister of Croatia (b. 1944)
2007 – Arve Opsahl, Norwegian actor, known as the leader of Olsenbanden
2007 – Dick Motz, New Zealand cricketer (b. 1940)
2007 – Zhang Taofang, Chinese sniper (b. 1931)
2008 – Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist, known as the first to synthesize LSD (b. 1906)
Holidays and observances
International Dance Day
Japan (public holiday since 1927, traditionally the start of the Golden Week holiday period)
Roman Empire – second day of the Floralia in honor of Flora
Bahá í Faith – The ninth day of the Festival of Ridván
Netherlands – Queen s Day, only when 30 April is a Sunday
