January 29 facts for kids

January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 336 days remain until the end of the year (337 in leap years).

January 29 is a special day each year, filled with many important moments from history. From big discoveries to the birthdays of famous people, this date has seen a lot happen! Let's explore some of the most interesting events, births, and special days that have taken place on January 29 throughout history.

What Happened on January 29?

Events Before 1900

• 904 – Sergius III became the new pope. He came out of retirement to take over the role.
• 1814 – During the War of the Sixth Coalition, France won a battle against Russia and Prussia in the Battle of Brienne.
• 1819 – Stamford Raffles arrived on the island of Singapore, which later became a very important trading hub.
• 1845 – The famous poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe was published for the first time in The Evening Mirror newspaper.
• 1856 – Queen Victoria created the Victoria Cross. This special award recognizes brave actions by British military members, especially during the Crimean War.
• 1861 – Kansas officially joined the United States as the 34th state.
• 1886 – Karl Benz received a patent for the first successful car powered by gasoline. This was a huge step for transportation!
• 1891 – [[Liliʻuokalani]] was named the last queen of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Events After 1900

• 1907 – Charles Curtis from Kansas became the first Native American to serve as a U.S. Senator.
• 1918 – During the Ukrainian–Soviet War, a small group of Ukrainian military students bravely faced the much larger Bolshevik Red Army at the Battle of Kruty.
• 1936 – The very first members were announced for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• 1943 – In World War II, the Battle of Rennell Island began. The American ship USS Chicago (CA-29) was badly damaged by Japanese planes.
• 1959 – The first Melodifestivalen music competition was held in Stockholm, Sweden. This contest helps choose Sweden's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.
• 1989 – During the Cold War, Hungary became the first country from the Eastern Bloc to start official diplomatic relations with South Korea.
• 1991 – The Battle of Khafji began during the Gulf War. This was the first major ground battle of the war.
• 1996 – French President Jacques Chirac announced that France would stop testing nuclear weapons for good.
• 2001 – Thousands of students in Indonesia protested at parliament, asking President Abdurrahman Wahid to step down because of corruption claims.
• 2002 – In his speech, U.S. President George W. Bush described countries that support terrorism as an Axis of evil. He named Iraq, Iran, and North Korea.
• 2005 – For the first time since 1949, direct commercial flights flew from mainland China to Taiwan.
• 2009 – Rod Blagojevich, the Governor of Illinois, was removed from his job. This happened after he was found guilty of serious issues, including trying to gain personal benefits from his position.
• 2020 – As the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Trump administration created the White House Coronavirus Task Force to help manage the situation.

Famous People Born on January 29

Births Before 1900

• 1499 – Katharina von Bora, who was once a nun, became the wife of the famous religious reformer Martin Luther.
• 1737 – Thomas Paine, an English-American writer and thinker, was born. He was very important during the American Revolution.
• 1749 – Christian VII of Denmark, who became the King of Denmark and Norway.
• 1754 – Moses Cleaveland, an American general and lawyer, was born. He founded the city of Cleveland, Ohio.
• 1843 – William McKinley, who later became the 25th President of the United States, was born.
• 1860 – Anton Chekhov, a famous Russian playwright and short story writer, was born. He wrote many classic plays.
• 1874 – John D. Rockefeller Jr., an American businessman and generous giver, was born.
• 1880 – W. C. Fields, a well-known American actor and comedian, was born.
• 1892 – Ernst Lubitsch, a German-American film director and producer, was born.

Births After 1900

• 1905 – Barnett Newman, an important American painter, was born.
• 1915 – Bill Peet, an American author and illustrator who worked for Disney, was born.
• 1918 – John Forsythe, an American actor famous for his roles in TV shows, was born.
• 1926 – Abdus Salam, a Pakistani-British physicist who won the Nobel Prize for his work, was born.
• 1939 – Germaine Greer, an Australian journalist and author, was born.
• 1940 – Katharine Ross, an American actress known for movies like The Graduate, was born.
• 1945 – Tom Selleck, a popular American actor, was born.
• 1947 – Linda B. Buck, an American biologist who won a Nobel Prize for her discoveries about smell, was born.
• 1949 – Tommy Ramone, the Hungarian-American drummer and producer for the punk band The Ramones, was born.
• 1954 – Oprah Winfrey, a very famous American talk show host, actress, and producer, was born. She founded Harpo Productions.
• 1960 – Greg Louganis, an American diver and author who won Olympic gold medals, was born.
• 1965 – Dominik Hašek, a famous Czech ice hockey player, was born.
• 1970 – Heather Graham, an American actress, was born.
• 1970 – Paul Ryan, an American politician who became the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, was born.
• 1975 – Sara Gilbert, an American actress and talk show host, was born.
• 1979 – Christina Koch, an American engineer and astronaut, was born. She has spent a lot of time in space.
• 1982 – Adam Lambert, an American singer and actor, was born.
• 1985 – Marc Gasol, a Spanish basketball player, was born.
• 1985 – Isabel Lucas, an Australian actress, was born.
• 1985 – Rag'n'Bone Man, an English singer-songwriter, was born.
• 1993 – Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, a popular Japanese singer, was born.

Notable People Who Died on January 29

Deaths Before 1900

• 1119 – Pope Gelasius II passed away.
• 1820 – George III of the United Kingdom, who was the King of Great Britain and Ireland during the American Revolution, died.
• 1888 – Edward Lear, an English poet and illustrator known for his funny nonsense poems, died.
• 1899 – Alfred Sisley, a French-English painter known for his beautiful landscape paintings, died.

Deaths After 1900

• 1906 – Christian IX of Denmark, who was the King of Denmark, passed away.
• 1934 – Fritz Haber, a Polish-German chemist who won the Nobel Prize for his work on making ammonia, died.
• 1946 – Harry Hopkins, an American politician who was a close advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, died.
• 1956 – H. L. Mencken, a well-known American journalist and critic, passed away.
• 1963 – Robert Frost, a famous American poet known for his poems about rural life, died.
• 1964 – Alan Ladd, an American actor, passed away.
• 1969 – Allen Dulles, who was the head of the CIA, died.
• 1977 – Freddie Prinze, an American comedian and actor, passed away.
• 1980 – Jimmy Durante, a beloved American entertainer, died.
• 1992 – Willie Dixon, an American singer-songwriter and producer who was very important in blues music, died.
• 2004 – Janet Frame, a famous New Zealand author and poet, passed away.
• 2009 – Hélio Gracie, a Brazilian martial artist who helped create Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, died.
• 2015 – Colleen McCullough, an Australian author known for her novel The Thorn Birds, passed away.
• 2019 – James Ingram, an American musician and singer, died.
• 2022 – Howard Hesseman, an American actor, passed away.

Special Days on January 29

• Kansas Day is celebrated in Kansas, United States. It marks the day Kansas became a state.

See also

In Spanish: 29 de enero para niños