PORTRAIT - ASTRONAUT GROUP 16 (NEW AND OLD) - MSC

1958

NASA created

Born on This Day

Peter Jennings Promotional Photo For ABC News

Peter Jennings

1938 - 2005

Canadian-born journalist whose calm demeanor was on display as the longtime anchor of "ABC World News Tonight."

Walter Hunt 1796-1859 American Inventor Mechanic

Walter Hunt

1796 - 1859

Prolific inventor best known for creation of the safety pin and his work on the first modern sewing machine.

Reclining Clara

Clara Bow

1905 - 1965

Actress known as the "It Girl," whose youthful, carefree film roles made her a poster child for the Roaring Twenties.

1954

JUL

29

"The Fellowship of the Ring," first volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, is published. Although the book is a huge success, nearly 50 years will pass before a movie version is released.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on July 29th

1862

Confederate spy Belle Boyd is captured

Confederate spy Marie Isabella “Belle” Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. It was the first of three arrests for this skilled spy who provided crucial information to the Confederates during the war. The Virginian-born Boyd was just 17 when the war began. She was from […]

1900

Italian American assassinates Italian king

In Monza, Italy, King Umberto I is shot to death by Gaetano Bresci, an Italian-born anarchist who resided in America before returning to his homeland to murder the king. Crowned in 1878, King Umberto became increasingly authoritarian in the late 19th century. He enacted a program of suppression against the radical elements in Italian society, […]

1909

General Motors buys Cadillac

On July 29, 1909, the newly formed General Motors Corporation (GM) acquires the country’s leading luxury automaker, the Cadillac Automobile Company, for $4.5 million. Cadillac was founded out of the ruins of automotive pioneer Henry Ford’s second failed company (his third effort, the Ford Motor Company, finally succeeded). When the shareholders of the defunct Henry […]

1914

Kaiser Wilhelm and Czar Nicholas exchange frantic telegrams, trying to avoid WWI

In the early hours of July 29, 1914, Czar Nicholas II of Russia and his first cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, begin a frantic exchange of telegrams regarding the newly erupted war in the Balkan region—and the possibility of its escalation into a general European war. One day prior, Austria-Hungary had declared war on […]

1921

Adolf Hitler becomes the leader of the Nazi Party

On July 29, 1921, Adolf Hitler becomes the leader of the National Socialist German Workers’ (Nazi) Party. Under Hitler, the Nazi Party grew into a mass movement and ruled Germany as a totalitarian state from 1933 to 1945. Hitler’s early years did not seem to predict his rise as a political leader. Born on April […]

1965

101st Airborne Division arrives in Vietnam

The first 4,000 paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay. They made a demonstration jump immediately after arriving, observed by Gen. William Westmoreland and outgoing Ambassador (formerly General) Maxwell Taylor. Taylor and Westmoreland were both former commanders of the division, which was known as the “Screaming Eagles.” The […]

1967

Rocket causes deadly fire on aircraft carrier

A fire on a United States Navy carrier stationed off the coast of Vietnam kills 134 service members on July 29, 1967. The deadly fire on the USS Forrestal began with the accidental launch of a rocket. During the Vietnam War, the USS Forrestal was often stationed off the coast of North Vietnam, conducting combat […]

1967

The Doors score their first #1 hit with “Light My Fire”

On July 29, 1967, The Doors’ song “Light My Fire,” from their debut album, earns the top spot in the Billboard Hot 100, becoming their first bona fide smash hit and propelling The Doors from cult favorites of the rock cognoscenti into international pop stars and avatars of the ’60s counterculture. By the beginning of […]

1976

Son of Sam’s first murder

David Berkowitz, later to be known as the “Son of Sam,” pulls a gun from a paper bag and fires five shots at Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti of the Bronx while they are sitting in a car, talking. Lauria died and Valenti was seriously wounded in the first in a series of shootings by […]

1981

Prince Charles marries Lady Diana

Nearly one billion television viewers in 74 countries tune in to witness the marriage of Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, to Lady Diana Spencer, a young English kindergarten teacher’s assistant. Married in a grand ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral in the presence of 2,650 guests, the couple was—for that moment at least—the envy of […]

1996

Carl Lewis wins fourth consecutive long jump at 35

On July 29, 1996, track and field legend Carl Lewis wins his fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal in the long jump. It was the ninth and final Olympic gold of his storied career. Frederick Carlton Lewis was born July 11, 1961, in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in a middle-class community in New Jersey. As a […]

2000

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston wed

On July 29, 2000, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, one of Hollywood’s highest-profile couples, marry at the Malibu, California, estate of the producer Marcy Carsey (The Cosby Show). The two actors reportedly met on a blind date in 1998 and quickly became favorites of the tabloid media once they went public with their romance. Their […]

History Every Day

Sign Up for "This Day in History"

Uncover fascinating moments from the past every day! Learn something new with key events in history, from the American Revolution to pop culture, crime and more.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Global Media. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details: Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact Us