July 29 facts for kids

July 29 is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from ancient battles and the crowning of young kings to scientific discoveries and the launch of space agencies. Many important people were also born or passed away on this date.

Historical Events on July 29

Ancient Times and Middle Ages

• In 587 BC, the powerful Neo-Babylonian Empire attacked and destroyed the city of Jerusalem and its famous First Temple.
• In 615, a 12-year-old boy named Pakal became the ruler of Palenque, an important ancient Mayan city.
• In 904, Saracen raiders, led by Leo of Tripoli, attacked and plundered Thessaloniki, which was the second-largest city in the Byzantine Empire.
• In 1014, during the Byzantine–Bulgarian wars, the Byzantine emperor Basil II won a major victory against the Bulgarian army at the Battle of Kleidion. It's said that the Bulgarian ruler, Tsar Samuil, was so upset by the defeat and how his soldiers were treated that he died soon after.
• In 1030, King Olaf II of Norway died in the Battle of Stiklestad while trying to get his throne back from the Danes. He is now known as Saint Olaf.
• In 1148, the Second Crusade ended in a big defeat for the crusader forces, which led to the crusade falling apart.
• In 1565, Mary, Queen of Scots, married Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley in a Catholic ceremony at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland.
• In 1567, the very young James VI was crowned King of Scotland in Stirling.
• In 1588, during the Anglo-Spanish War, English naval forces led by Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeated the famous Spanish Armada off the coast of Gravelines, France.

From the 1600s to the 1900s

• In 1693, France won a battle against Allied forces in the Netherlands during the War of the Grand Alliance.
• In 1775, the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps was founded when General George Washington appointed William Tudor as the Judge Advocate of the Continental Army.
• In 1818, French scientist Augustin Fresnel presented his important work on how light spreads, which helped prove the wave theory of light.
• In 1836, the famous Arc de Triomphe was officially opened in Paris, France.
• In 1858, the United States and Japan signed the Harris Treaty, opening up more trade and relations between the two countries.
• In 1862, Confederate spy Belle Boyd was arrested by Union troops during the American Civil War.
• In 1899, the First Hague Convention was signed, which was an important step towards international laws for war and peace.
• In 1900, King Umberto I of Italy was sadly assassinated in Italy. His son, Victor Emmanuel III, became the new king.

The 1900s and Beyond

• In 1907, Sir Robert Baden-Powell started the first Brownsea Island Scout camp in England. This camp is seen as the beginning of the worldwide Scouting movement.
• In 1914, the Cape Cod Canal officially opened, making it easier for ships to travel along the coast of Massachusetts.
• In 1921, Adolf Hitler became the leader of the National Socialist German Workers' Party.
• In 1932, during the Great Depression, troops in Washington, D.C., had to disperse the last of the "Bonus Army" – World War I veterans who were protesting for early payment of their bonuses.
• In 1948, after a 12-year break because of World War II, the Summer Olympics opened in London.
• In 1950, the No Gun Ri massacre ended during the Korean War.
• In 1957, the International Atomic Energy Agency was created to promote the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy.
• In 1958, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a law that created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which is responsible for America's space program.
• In 1967, a terrible fire broke out on the USS Forrestal off the coast of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War, causing many deaths.
• In 1967, a strong earthquake shook Caracas, Venezuela, causing significant damage and loss of life.
• In 1973, people in Greece voted to get rid of their monarchy and become a republic.
• In 1981, about 750 million people around the world watched the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London.
• In 1987, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and French President François Mitterrand signed an agreement to build the Channel Tunnel under the English Channel.
• In 2005, astronomers announced they had discovered a new dwarf planet called Eris.
• In 2015, the first piece of suspected debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was found on Réunion Island.
• In 2021, the International Space Station (ISS) temporarily spun out of control due to an engine problem with a new Russian module.

Famous Births on July 29

Born Before the 1900s

• In 869, Muhammad al-Mahdi, an important figure for Shiite Muslims, was born.
• In 1099, Pope Urban II, who was the Pope during the First Crusade, was born.
• In 1805, Alexis de Tocqueville, a famous French historian and philosopher, was born.
• In 1817, Ivan Aivazovsky, a well-known Armenian-Russian painter, was born.
• In 1849, Max Nordau, a Hungarian physician and writer who helped start the World Zionist Organization, was born.
• In 1883, Benito Mussolini, an Italian politician who became the Prime Minister of Italy, was born.
• In 1885, Theda Bara, an early American actress, was born.
• In 1898, Isidor Isaac Rabi, an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics, was born.
• In 1900, Eyvind Johnson, a Swedish novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature, was born.

Born in the 1900s and Beyond

• In 1905, Clara Bow, a famous American actress from the silent film era, was born.
• In 1905, Dag Hammarskjöld, a Swedish diplomat who became the second Secretary-General of the United Nations and won the Nobel Peace Prize, was born.
• In 1916, Charlie Christian, an influential American jazz guitarist, was born.
• In 1923, Jim Marshall, the English businessman who founded Marshall Amplification (famous for guitar amplifiers), was born.
• In 1925, Mikis Theodorakis, a celebrated Greek composer, was born.
• In 1937, Daniel McFadden, an American economist who won the Nobel Prize in Economics, was born.
• In 1938, Peter Jennings, a well-known Canadian-American journalist and news anchor, was born.
• In 1941, David Warner, a respected English actor, was born.
• In 1953, Ken Burns, a famous American documentary filmmaker, was born.
• In 1953, Geddy Lee, the Canadian musician and lead singer of the band Rush, was born.
• In 1959, Sanjay Dutt, a popular Indian actor, was born.
• In 1981, Fernando Alonso, a Spanish race car driver and two-time Formula One world champion, was born.
• In 1993, Dak Prescott, an American football player who is a quarterback in the NFL, was born.

Notable Deaths on July 29

Died Before the 1900s

• In 238, Balbinus and Pupienus, two Roman emperors, both died.
• In 1030, King Olaf II of Norway, who later became a saint, died in battle.
• In 1099, Pope Urban II, who called for the First Crusade, passed away.
• In 1856, Robert Schumann, a very important German composer and music critic, died.
• In 1890, Vincent van Gogh, the famous Dutch painter known for his unique style, passed away.

Died in the 1900s and Beyond

• In 1913, Tobias Asser, a Dutch lawyer who won the Nobel Peace Prize, died.
• In 1962, Ronald Fisher, an English biologist and statistician who made big contributions to science, passed away.
• In 1974, Cass Elliot, an American singer best known as "Mama Cass" from The Mamas & the Papas, died.
• In 1983, Luis Buñuel, a Spanish film director, and David Niven, a famous English actor, both passed away.
• In 1994, Dorothy Hodgkin, an Egyptian-English biochemist who won the Nobel Prize for her work on penicillin and insulin, died.
• In 2018, Oliver Dragojević, a very popular Croatian singer, passed away.

Holidays and Observances

• Lazarus of Bethany, Lupus of Troyes, Martha of Bethany, Mary of Bethany, Olaf II of Norway, and Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrix are remembered on this Christian feast day.
• International Tiger Day is celebrated to raise awareness and support for tiger conservation.
• Mohun Bagan Day is celebrated in India.
• National Anthem Day is observed in Romania.
• National Thai Language Day is celebrated in Thailand.
• Ólavsøka or Olsok, which is the opening of the Løgting (parliament) session, is celebrated in the Faroe Islands and other Nordic countries.

See also

In Spanish: 29 de julio para niños