What Happened On July 29

10 odd things that happened on July 29

• 
  2015 First ever

  The first piece of suspected debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is discovered on Réunion Island.

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  Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

• 
  1899 First ever

  The First Hague Convention is signed.

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  Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

• 
  1565 Oddly true

  The widowed Mary, Queen of Scots marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Duke of Albany, at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland, in a Catholic ceremony.

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  Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

• 
  587 BC First ever

  The Neo-Babylonian Empire sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple.

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  Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

• 
  1981 Oddly true

  An estimated worldwide television audience of 750 million watched the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer (combined coat of arms pictured) at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

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  Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

• 
  1954 First ever

  The Fellowship of the Ring, the first part of J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, was published by Allen & Unwin.

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  Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

• 
  1914 First ever

  The first shots of World War I were fired by the Austro-Hungarian river monitor Bodrog on Serbian defences near Belgrade.

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  Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

• 
  1981 Oddly true

  A worldwide television audience of around 750 million people watch the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

  Read more →

  Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

• 
  1976 First ever

  In New York City, David Berkowitz (a.k.a. the "Son of Sam") kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks.

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  Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

• 
  1973 First ever

  Greeks vote to abolish the monarchy, beginning the first period of the Metapolitefsi.

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  Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

• Christian feast day: Lazarus of Bethany
• Christian feast day: Lupus of Troyes
• Christian feast day: Martha of Bethany (Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran Church)
• Christian feast day: Mary of Bethany
• Christian feast day: Olaf II of Norway
• Christian feast day: Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrix
• Christian feast day: William Pinchon
• Christian feast day: July 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Earliest day on which Somer's Day can fall, while August 4 is the latest; celebrated on Friday before the first Monday in August. (Bermuda)
• International Tiger Day
• Mohun Bagan Day (India)
• National Anthem Day (Romania)
• National Thai Language Day (Thailand)
• Ólavsøka or Olsok, opening of the Løgting session. (Faroe Islands and the Nordic countries)

• 2024Three children are stabbed to death and 10 other people injured at a dance studio in Southport, England. This incident, coupled with widespread online misinformation, leads to various racially motivated riots across the UK. Wikipedia →
• 2021The International Space Station temporarily spins out of control, moving the ISS 45 degrees out of attitude, following an engine malfunction of Russian module Nauka. Wikipedia →
• 2019The 2019 Altamira prison riot between rival Brazilian drug gangs leaves 62 dead. Wikipedia →
• 2015The first piece of suspected debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is discovered on Réunion Island. Wikipedia →
• 2013Two passenger trains collide in the Swiss municipality of Granges-près-Marnand near Lausanne injuring 25 people. Wikipedia →
• 2010An overloaded passenger ferry capsizes on the Kasai River in Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in at least 80 deaths. Wikipedia →
• 2005Astronomers announce their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris. Wikipedia →
• 1996The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act is struck down by a U.S. federal court as too broad. Wikipedia →
• 1993The Supreme Court of Israel acquits alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free. Wikipedia →
• 1987British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel (Channel Tunnel). Wikipedia →
• 1987Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and President of Sri Lanka J. R. Jayewardene sign the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord on ethnic issues. Wikipedia →
• 1985Space Shuttle Challenger launches on STS-51-F. The shuttle ends up in a lower orbit than planned due to an engine failure during ascent. Wikipedia →
• 1981A worldwide television audience of around 750 million people watch the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London. Wikipedia →
• 1981After impeachment on June 21, Abolhassan Banisadr flees with Massoud Rajavi to Paris, in an Iranian Air Force Boeing 707, piloted by Colonel Behzad Moezzi, to form the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Wikipedia →
• 1980Iran adopts a new "holy" flag after the Islamic Revolution. Wikipedia →
• 1976In New York City, David Berkowitz (a.k.a. the "Son of Sam") kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks. Wikipedia →
• 1973Greeks vote to abolish the monarchy, beginning the first period of the Metapolitefsi. Wikipedia →
• 1973Driver Roger Williamson is killed during the Dutch Grand Prix, after a suspected tire failure causes his car to pitch into the barriers at high speed. Wikipedia →
• 1972Two Avianca Douglas DC-3 airliners collide over Colombia, killing 38. Wikipedia →
• 1967Vietnam 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. Wikipedia →
• 1967During the fourth day of celebrating its 400th anniversary, the city of Caracas, Venezuela is shaken by an earthquake, leaving approximately 500 dead. Wikipedia →
• 1965Vietnam War: The first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay. Wikipedia →
• 1958U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Wikipedia →
• 1957The International Atomic Energy Agency is established. Wikipedia →
• 1957Tonight Starring Jack Paar premieres on NBC with Jack Paar beginning the modern day talk show. Wikipedia →
• 1950Korean War: After four days, the No Gun Ri Massacre ends when the US Army 7th Cavalry Regiment is withdrawn. Wikipedia →
• 1948Olympic 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, open in London. Wikipedia →
• 1947A gas explosion in Harrisonburg, Virginia kills 11 and injures 30. Wikipedia →
• 1945The BBC Light Programme radio station is launched for mainstream light entertainment and music. Wikipedia →
• 1937Tongzhou mutiny: In Tongzhou, China, the East Hebei Army attacks Japanese troops and civilians. Wikipedia →
• 1932Great Depression: In Washington, D.C., troops disperse the last of the "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans using arson, bayonets, sabers, tanks, tear gas, and vomit gas. Wikipedia →
• 1921Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. Wikipedia →
• 1920Construction of the Link River Dam begins as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project. Wikipedia →
• 1914The Cape Cod Canal opened. Wikipedia →
• 1910The two-day Slocum massacre commences in Texas, a race riot in which more than 100 African Americans are murdered. Wikipedia →
• 1907Sir Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. The camp runs from August 1 to August 9 and is regarded as the foundation of the Scouting movement. Wikipedia →
• 1901Land lottery begins in Oklahoma. Wikipedia →
• 1900In Italy, King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by the anarchist Gaetano Bresci. His son, Victor Emmanuel III, 31 years old, succeeds to the throne. Wikipedia →
• 1899The First Hague Convention is signed. Wikipedia →
• 1871The Connecticut Valley Railroad opens between Old Saybrook, Connecticut and Hartford, Connecticut in the United States. Wikipedia →
• 1862American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. Wikipedia →
• 1858United States and Japan sign the Harris Treaty. Wikipedia →
• 1851Annibale de Gasparis discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia. Wikipedia →
• 1848Great Famine of Ireland: Tipperary Revolt: In County Tipperary, Ireland, then in the United Kingdom, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule is put down by police. Wikipedia →
• 1836Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. Wikipedia →
• 1832An Egyptian army under Ibrahim Pascha defeats a larger Ottoman army in the battle of Belen Pass. Wikipedia →
• 1818French physicist Augustin Fresnel submits his prizewinning "Memoir on the Diffraction of Light", precisely accounting for the limited extent to which light spreads into shadows, and thereby demolishing the oldest objection to the wave theory of light. Wikipedia →
• 1775Founding of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps: General George Washington appoints William Tudor as Judge Advocate of the Continental Army. Wikipedia →
• 1693War of the Grand Alliance: Battle of Landen: France wins a victory over Allied forces in the Netherlands. Wikipedia →
• 1602Elizabeth I visits Harefield Place at Hillingdon and the Harefield Entertainment is performed. Wikipedia →
• 1588Anglo-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. Wikipedia →
• 1567The infant James VI is crowned King of Scotland at Stirling. Wikipedia →
• 1565The widowed Mary, Queen of Scots marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Duke of Albany, at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland, in a Catholic ceremony. Wikipedia →
• 1148The Siege of Damascus ends in a decisive crusader defeat and leads to the disintegration of the Second Crusade. Wikipedia →
• 1030Ladejarl-Fairhair succession wars: Battle of Stiklestad: King Olaf II fights and dies trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes. Wikipedia →
• 1018Count Dirk III defeats an army sent by Emperor Henry II in the Battle of Vlaardingen. Wikipedia →
• 1014Byzantine–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. Wikipedia →
• 923Battle of Firenzuola: Lombard forces under King Rudolph II and Adalbert I, margrave of Ivrea, defeat the dethroned Emperor Berengar I of Italy at Firenzuola (Tuscany). Wikipedia →
• 904Sack 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. Wikipedia →
• 615Pakal ascends the throne of Palenque at the age of 12. Wikipedia →
• 238The Praetorian guard revolts against emperors Balbinus and Pupienus and arrests them. Wikipedia →
• 587 BCThe Neo-Babylonian Empire sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple. Wikipedia →