December 29 facts for kids

December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are two days remaining until the end of the year.

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
• 1973 - Pimp C, American rapper (d. 2007)
• 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)
• 2009 – Akmal Shaikh, British citizen executed for drug trafficking in China (b. 1956)
• 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)