December 29 facts for kids
December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; two days remain until the end of the year.
Contents
Events
Up to 1900
- 1170 – Thomas Becket, is slain in his own cathedral on orders from Henry II of England.
- 1778 - American Revolutionary War: 3,000 British soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell capture Savannah, Georgia, US.
- 1786 - French Revolution: The Assembly of the Notables is convened.
- 1813 – War of 1812: British soldiers burn Buffalo, New York.
- 1837 – The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, is destroyed by fire.
- 1845 – Texas is admitted as the 28th U.S. state.
- 1851 – The first American-based YMCA opens, in Boston, Massachusetts
- 1860 – The first British seagoing iron-clad warship, the HMS Warrior is launched.
- 1874 - Alfonso XII of Spain is declared as King.
- 1876 – The Ashtabula River Railroad bridge disaster, 64 injured, 92 dead at Ashtabula, Ohio.
- 1890 – Wounded Knee Massacre: The United States soldiers massacre over 400 men, women and children of the Great Sioux Nation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
- 1891 – Thomas Edison patents the radio.
1901 – 2000
- 1911 – Sun Yat-sen becomes the first President of the Republic of China.
- 1911 – Mongolia becomes independent.
- 1913 – The first movie serial, The Unwelcome Throne is released by Seligs Polyscope Company.
- 1921 – William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes Prime Minister of Canada for the first time.
- 1930 - Muhammad Iqbal's presidential address in Allahabad introduces the two-nation theory and outlines a vision for what would become Pakistan.
- 1934 – The first college basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York City is played, between the University of Notre Dame and New York University.
- 1934 – Japan renounces the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930.
- 1937 – The Irish Free State is replaced by a new state called Ireland when a new constitution is adopted.
- 1940 – Battle of Britain: Luftwaffe firebombs London, killing almost 3000 civilians.
- 1949 – KC2XAK of Bridgeport, Connecticut becomes the first Ultra high frequency (UHF) television station to operate a daily schedule.
- 1959 - The Lisbon Metro begins operating.
- 1972 – An Eastern Airlines Lockheed Tristar crashed on approach to Miami International Airport, Florida, killing 101
- 1975 – A bomb explodes at New York City's LaGuardia Airport killing 11.
- 1978 – The first post-Franco constitution in Spain becomes effective.
- 1981 - Singapore Changi Airport opens.
- 1987 – Yuri Romanenko of USSR remained in outer space for 326 days and came back to Earth on this day that year.
- 1989 – Václav Havel becomes President of Czechoslovakia
- 1989 – Riots break-out after Hong Kong decides to forcibly repatriate Vietnamese refugees.
- 1989 – On the final day of trading for the year and decade, the Japanese Nikkei 225 Average closes at an all-time high of 38,915.87.
- 1992 – Fernando Collor de Mello, President of Brazil, resigns.
- 1993 – Construction of the Tian Tan Buddha, the world's tallest outdoor bronze statue of the seated Buddha, is completed.
- 1993 – Garry Kasparov wins the world champion chess title from Anatoly Karpov.
- 1996 – Guatemala and leaders of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union sign a peace accord that ends a 36-year civil war.
- 1997 – Hong Kong begins to kill all the nation's chickens (1.25 million) to stop the spread of a potentially deadly influenza strain.
- 1998 – Leaders of the Khmer Rouge apologize for the genocide in Cambodia that claimed over 1 million lives in the 1970s.
From 2001
- 2001 – A fire at the Mesa Redonda Shopping Centre in Lima, Peru, kills 292 people.
- 2003 – The last speaker of the Akkala Sami language dies, making the language extinct.
- 2007 - The New England Patriots defeated the New York Giants 38-35 and became the first team with 16 wins and no losses.
- 2009 – Akmal Shaikh becomes the first citizen of a present-day European Union country to be executed in the People's Republic of China for over 50 years.
- 2011 – This date is followed by December 31 in Samoa and Tokelau, as the International Date Line is shifted.
- 2013 - Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is severely injured in a skiing accident in the French Alps.
- 2014 - Politicians in Greece are unable to elect a President, with main candidate Stavros Dimas failing to get enough votes. New elections are called for January 2015.
Births
Up to 1900
- 1709 – Empress Elizabeth of Russia (d. 1762)
- 1721 – Madame de Pompadour, mistress to King Louis XV of France (d. 1764)
- 1766 - Charles Macintosh, Scottish inventor (d. 1843)
- 1778 – Friedrich Ast, German philosopher (d. 1841)
- 1788 - Christian Jürgensen Thomsen, Danish historian (d. 1865)
- 1788 - Tomas de Zumalacarregui, Spanish general (d. 1835)
- 1796 – Johann Christian Poggendorff, German physicist (d. 1877)
- 1800 – Charles Goodyear, American inventor of the vulcanization of rubber (d. 1860)
- 1808 – Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States (d. 1875)
- 1809 – William Ewart Gladstone, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1897)
- 1813 - Alexander Parkes, English metallurgist and inventor (d. 1890)
- 1813 - Karel Sabina, Czech journalist, politician and writer (d. 1877)
- 1816 - Carl Ludwig, German physician (d. 1895)
- 1840 – Anton Dohrn, zoologist (d. 1909)
- 1843 - Elisabeth of Wied, Queen of Romania and novelist (d. 1916)
- 1856 - Thomas Joannes Stieltjes, Dutch-French mathematician and academic (d. 1894)
- 1859 – Venustiano Carranza, President of Mexico (d. 1920)
- 1876 – Pablo Casals, Catalan cellist and conductor (d. 1973)
- 1879 – Billy Mitchell, United States Army officer, United States Air Force pioneer (d. 1936)
- 1881 – Jess Willard, boxing champion (d. 1968)
- 1890 – Käthe Dorsch, German actress (d. 1957)
- 1899 - Nie Rongzhen, Chinese Communist leader (d. 1992)
1901 – 1950
- 1908 – Helmut Gollwitzer, German theologian (d. 1993)
- 1910 – Ronald Coase, British economist (d. 2013)
- 1910 – Gunnar Thoroddsen, Icelandic politician (d. 1983)
- 1911 – Klaus Fuchs, German-British theoretical physicist and atomic spy (d. 1988)
- 1913 – Pierre Werner, Prime Minister of Luxembourg (d. 2002)
- 1914 – Billy Tipton, jazz musician (d. 1989)
- 1914 – Albert Tucker, Australian artist (d 1999)
- 1917 – Tom Bradley, Mayor of Los Angeles, California (d. 1998)
- 1919 - Alfred de Grazia, American political scientist and author (d. 2014)
- 1920 – Ratu Iosefa Iloilo, President of Fiji (d. 2011)
- 1920 – Viveca Lindfors, Swedish actress (d. 1995)
- 1921 - Dobrica Cosic, 1st President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (d. 2014)
- 1921 - Robert C. Baker, American chef, inventor of the Chicken nugget (d. 2006)
- 1923 - Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegalese historian, anthropologist and physicist (d. 1986)
- 1927 – Andy Stanfield, American athlete (d. 1985)
- 1928 - Bernard Cribbins, English actor
- 1931 – Prince Gu of Korea (d. 2005)
- 1934 – Ed Flanders, American actor (d. 1995)
- 1936 – Mary Tyler Moore, American actress (The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Tyler Moore)
- 1936 – Ray Nitschke, American football player (d. 1998)
- 1937 – Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, former President of the Maldives
- 1937 – Dieter Thomas Heck, German singer and entertainer
- 1937 – Barbara Steele, British actress
- 1938 – Jon Voight, American actor
- 1942 - Rajesh Khanna, Indian actor (d. 2012)
- 1942 – Rick Danko, Canadian musician ("The Band") (d. 1999)
- 1942 - Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, Honduran cardinal
- 1946 – Marianne Faithfull, British singer
- 1947 – Ted Danson, American actor
- 1948 – Peter Robinson, Northern Irish politician, First Minister of Northern Ireland
1951 – 1975
- 1951 – Mike deGruy, American documentary movie maker (d. 2012)
- 1952 – Gelsey Kirkland, American dancer
- 1953 - Thomas Bach, German fencer and IOC President
- 1953 - Matthias Platzeck, German politician
- 1953 - Alan Rusbridger, British newspaper editor
- 1954 – Roger Voudouris, American singer-songwriter
- 1954 – Prince Takamado of Japan (d. 2002)
- 1954 – Albrecht Böttcher, German mathematician
- 1956 - Fred MacAulay, Scottish comedian and radio presenter
- 1957 - Iain Paxton, Scottish rugby player and coach
- 1957 – Bruce Beutler, American Nobel Prize-winning immunologist
- 1958 - Nancy J. Currie, American colonel, engineer and astronaut
- 1959 – Patricia Clarkson, American actress
- 1959 - Keith Crossan, Irish rugby player
- 1959 - Paula Poundstone, American comedienne, actress and author
- 1960 - Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, Congolese militia leader
- 1961 - Jim Reid, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1962 – Wynton Rufer, New Zealand footballer
- 1965 – Dexter Holland, American singer and musician
- 1967 – Andy Wachowski, American director (The Matrix)
- 1969 – Allan McNish, Scottish racing driver
- 1970 – Aled Jones, Welsh singer
- 1970 – Kevin Weisman, American actor
- 1970 – Enrico Chiesa, Italian footballer
- 1972 – Jason Kreis, American soccer player
- 1972 – Jude Law, British actor
- 1974 – Richie Sexson, American Major League Baseball All-Star
- 1974 - Mekhi Phifer, American actor and producer
From 1976
- 1976 - Danny McBride, American actor, screenwriter and producer
- 1978 – Kieron Dyer, English footballer
- 1978 - Danny Higginbotham, English footballer
- 1979 - Diego Luna, Mexican actor
- 1981 – Shizuka Arakawa, Japanese figure skater
- 1981 – Angela Via, American singer
- 1983 – Dereck Chisora, British boxer
- 1983 – Gonzalo Olave, Chilean actor (d. 2009)
- 1985 – Alexa Ray Joel, American musician
- 1987 - Iain De Caestecker, Scottish actor
- 1989 - Jane Levy, American actress
- 1989 - Kei Nishikori, Japanese tennis player
- 1990 - Allen Kim, South Korean singer, dancer and actor (U-KISS)
- 1994 – Princess Kako of Akishino of Japan
- 1995 - Rina Ikoma, Japanese singer
- 1995 - Ross Lynch, American actor and singer
- 1996 - Dylan Minnette, American actor
Deaths
Up to 1900
- 721 – Empress Gemmei of Japan (b. 661)
- 1170 – Thomas Becket, English bishop (assassinated) (b. 1118)
- 1565 - Queen Munjeong of Korea (b. 1501)
- 1605 - John Davis, English explorer (b. 1550)
- 1634 - John Albert Vasa, Polish cardinal (b. 1612)
- 1661 - Antoine Girard de Saint-Amant, French poet (b. 1594)
- 1689 - Thomas Sydenham, English physician (b. 1624)
- 1731 - Brook Taylor, English mathematician (b. 1624)
- 1785 – Johan Herman Wessel, Norwegian poet (b. 1742)
- 1825 – Jacques-Louis David, French painter (b. 1748)
- 1891 – Leopold Kronecker, German mathematician (b. 1823)
- 1894 – Christina Rossetti, English poet (b. 1830)
- 1897 - William James Linton, English-American painter, author and activist (b. 1812)
1901 – 2000
- 1910 - Reginald Doherty, English tennis player (b. 1872)
- 1916 – Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk (b. 1869)
- 1924 – Carl Spitteler, Swiss writer (b. 1845)
- 1925 - Félix Vallotton, Swiss-French artist (b. 1865)
- 1926 – Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian writer (b. 1875)
- 1929 - Wilhelm Maybach, German automobile designer (b. 1846)
- 1934 - Alma Tell, American actress (b. 1898)
- 1937 – Don Marquis, writer (b. 1878)
- 1941 - Tullio Levi-Civita, Italian mathematician (b. 1873)
- 1952 - Fletcher Henderson, American pianist, composer and bandleader (b. 1897)
- 1960 – Eden Phillpotts, British writer (b. 1862)
- 1967 – Paul Whiteman, American musician and conductor (b. 1890)
- 1976 – Ivo van Damme, Belgian athlete (b. 1954)
- 1980 – Nadezhda Mandelstam, Russian writer (b. 1899)
- 1980 – Tim Hardin, musician (b. 1941)
- 1986 – Andrei Tarkovsky, Russian director (b. 1932)
- 1986 – Harold Macmillan, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1894)
- 1996 - Mireille Hartuch, French singer and actress (b. 1906)
From 2001
- 2003 – Earl Hindman, American actor (b. 1942)
- 2003 – Bob Monkhouse, British comedian (b. 1928)
- 2004 – Julius Axelrod, American biochemist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recipient (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Liddy Holloway, New Zealand actress (b. 1945)
- 2005 - Gerda Boyesen, Norwegian-English psychotherapist and author (b. 1922)
- 2007 – Phil O'Donnell, Scottish footballer (b. 1972)
- 2008 – Freddie Hubbard, American musician (b. 1938)
- 2010 – Avi Cohen, Israeli footballer (b. 1956)
- 2011 – Leopold Hawelka, Austrian cafetier (b. 1911)
- 2012 - Paulo Rocha, Portuguese director and screenwriter (b. 1935)
- 2012 - Mike Auldridge, American singer and guitarist (b. 1938)
- 2012 - Tony Greig, South African-born cricketer (b. 1946)
- 2013 - Wojciech Kilar, Polish composer (b. 1932)
- 2013 - Mary Wibberley, English novelist (b. 1934)
- 2014 - Odd Iversen, Norwegian footballer (b. 1945)
- 2015 - Pavel Srnicek, Czech footballer (b. 1968)
- 2015 - Elzbieta Krzesinska, Polish athlete (b. 1934)
- 2015 - Frank Malzone, American baseball player (b. 1930)
- 2015 - Kim Yang-gon, North Korean politician (b. 1942)
Observances
- Independence Day (Mongolia)
- Constitution Day (Republic of Ireland)
See also
In Spanish: 29 de diciembre para niños
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December 29 Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.