July 29

July 29 is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 155 days remaining until the end of the year.

• 238 - The Praetorian Guard storm the palace and capture Pupienus and Balbinus, who are then dragged through the streets of Rome and executed.
• 904 - Sack of Thessaloniki - Saracen raiders under Leo of Tripoli sack Thessaloniki, the Byzantine Empire's second-largest city after a short siege, and plunder it for a week.
• 1014 - Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine Emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army. The way he treats 15,000 prisoners is said to have caused Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria to die of a heart attack just over two months later, on October 6.
• 1030 - Battle of Stiklestad: King Olaf II of Norway fights and dies trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes.
• 1565 - Mary, Queen of Scots marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh.
• 1567 - King James VI of Scotland, barely a year old, is crowned in the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling.
• 1588 – The Spanish Armada is defeated.
• 1793 - John Graves Simcoe decides to build a fort and settlement at Toronto, having sailed into the bay there.
• 1836 - Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.
• 1848 - Tipperary Revolt during the Irish Potato Famine: An unsuccessful national revolt against British rule is put down by police.
• 1851 - Annibale de Gasparis discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia.
• 1864 - American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained in Old Capitol Prison, Washington, DC.
• 1894 - First Sino-Japanese War: Japanese troops defeat Chinese troops in the Battle of Seonghwan.
• 1899 - The first Hague Convention is signed.
• 1900 – King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by anarchist Gaetano Bresci.

• 1907 - Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout Camp in Dorset on the South coast of England. This is regarded as the founding of the Scouting movement.
• 1914 - The first transcontinental telephone service begins with first conversation between New York City and San Francisco.
• 1921 – Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the Nazi Party.
• 1937 - Tongzhou Incident: In Tongzhou, China, the East Hopei Army attacks Japanese troops and civilians.
• 1948 - The 1948 Summer Olympics in London begin.
• 1954 - J. R. R. Tolkien's novel, Lord of the Rings is first published.
• 1957 - The International Atomic Energy Agency is founded.
• 1958 - Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• 1959 - Hawaii holds its first elections to the United States Congress. It becomes a state on August 21.
• 1967 - Off North Vietnam the military ship USS Forrestal catches fire, killing 134 people.
• 1967 – An earthquake strikes Caracas and kills 500 people.
• 1968 - The Arenal volcano in Costa Rica erupts, destroying settlements in Pueblo Nuevo and Tabacon.
• 1973 - Most voters in Greece choose to get rid of their monarchy and become a republic.
• 1973 - At the Dutch Grand Prix, Roger Williamson is killed in the race, after his car hits the barriers at high speed.
• 1976 – The first victims of the Son of Sam serial killer are murdered.
• 1980 - The Flag of Iran is modified.
• 1981 – Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales marry.
• 1987 - Margaret Thatcher and Francois Mitterrand sign an agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel.
• 1987 - Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan Prime Minister J. R. Jayewardene sign the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord on ethnic issues.
• 1993 - The Israeli Supreme Court acquits John Demjanjuk, who is later found guilty of war crimes.

• 2004 - Italy decides to get rid of conscription from July 1, 2005.
• 2005 – The discovery of the dwarf planet Eris is announced.
• 2006 - Declaration of Montreal for human rights of LGBT is adopted.
• 2010 - Start of a major flooding disaster in Pakistan.
• 2010 - A overloaded passenger ferry capsizes on the Kasai River, Bandundu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing over 80 people.
• 2014 - Israel-Gaza Conflict: Over 100 people in the Gaza Strip are reported to have been killed in a single day.
• 2015 - Microsoft Windows 10 launches.
• 2018 - Geraint Thomas becomes the first Welsh cyclist to win the Tour de France.
• 2019 - A prison riot in Altamira, Pará, Brazil, results in 57 people being killed.

• 1166 - Henry II, Count of Champagne, King of Jerusalem (d. 1197)
• 1356 - Martin of Aragon (d. 1410)
• 1580 - Francesco Mochi, Italian sculptor (d. 1654)
• 1605 - Simon Dach, German poet (d. 1659)
• 1793 - Jan Kollar, Slovakian writer (d. 1852)
• 1794 - Thomas Corwin, Governor of Ohio (d. 1865)
• 1796 - Christian Winther, Danish writer and poet (d. 1876)
• 1801 – George Bradshaw, English publisher (d. 1853)
• 1805 – Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian and political scientist (d. 1859)
• 1814 - Hermann Bonitz, German philosopher (d. 1888)
• 1817 - Ivan Aivazovsky, Armenian-Russian painter (d. 1900)
• 1817 - Wilhelm Griesinger, German psychiatrist (d. 1868)
• 1825 - George Pendleton, American legislator (d. 1889)
• 1836 - Wilhelm Kress, Austrian aviation pioneer (d. 1913)
• 1841 – Gerhard Armauer Hansen, Norwegian doctor and scientist (d. 1912)
• 1843 – Johannes Schmidt, German linguist (d. 1901)
• 1846 - Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil (d. 1921)
• 1846 - Sophie Menter, German pianist and composer (d. 1918)
• 1849 – Max Nordau, writer, philosopher and Zionist leader (d. 1923)
• 1860 - Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, Governor of Queensland (d. 1940)
• 1865 – Alexander Glazunov, Russian composer (d. 1936)
• 1869 – Booth Tarkington, writer (d. 1946)
• 1874 – James Shaver Woodsworth, Methodist minister, social worker, and politician (d. 1942)
• 1876 – Maria Ouspenskaya, actress (d. 1949)
• 1878 – Don Marquis, writer (d. 1937)
• 1879 - Giuseppe Garibaldi II, Italian adventurer (d. 1950)
• 1883 – Benito Mussolini, Italian dictator (d. 1945)
• 1883 – Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian poet and writer (d. 1942)
• 1884 – Ralph A. Bard, U.S. Navy Under Secretary (d. 1975)
• 1885 - Theda Bara, American silent movie actress (d. 1955)
• 1887 – Sigmund Romberg, composer (d. 1951)
• 1888 - Vladimir Zworykin, Russian-American physicist and inventor (d. 1982)
• 1889 - Ernst Reuter, German politician (d. 1953)
• 1891 - Bernhard Zondek, German-Israeli gynecologist (d. 1966)
• 1892 – William Powell, actor (d. 1984)
• 1897 – Sir Neil Ritchie, British general (d. 1983)
• 1898 – Isidor Isaac Rabi, Hungarian-born American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1988)
• 1900 – Eyvind Johnson, Swedish writer (d. 1976)
• 1900 - Don Redman, American composer and bandleader (d. 1964)

• 1904 - Mahasi Sayadaw, Burmese Buddhist monk and meditation master (d. 1982)
• 1904 - J. R. D. Tata, French-Indian pilot and businessman (d. 1993)
• 1905 – Clara Bow, American actress (d. 1965)
• 1905 – Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish UN Secretary-General (d. 1961)
• 1905 – Thelma Todd, American actress (d. 1935)
• 1905 – Stanley Kunitz, American poet (d. 2006)
• 1906 – Diana Vreeland, fashion editor (d. 1989)
• 1907 – Melvin Belli, lawyer and actor (d. 1996)
• 1911 - Foster Furcolo, 60th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1995)
• 1913 - Erich Priebke, German SS officer (d. 2013)
• 1914 - Irwin Corey, American comedian, actor and activist (d. 2017)
• 1915 - Francis W. Sargent, 64th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1998)
• 1916 - Rupert Hamer, Australian politician, 39th Premier of Victoria (d. 2004)
• 1917 - Rochus Misch, German SS officer (d. 2013)
• 1921 - Richard Egan, American actor (d. 1987)
• 1921 - Chris Marker, French movie maker (d. 2012)
• 1923 - Edgar Cortright, American scientist and engineer (d. 2014)
• 1923 - Jim Marshall, English founder of Marshall Amplification (d. 2012)
• 1924 – Lloyd Bochner, Canadian actor (d. 2005)
• 1924 - Robert Horton, American actor (d. 2016)
• 1925 – Mikis Theodorakis, Greek composer and political activist
• 1926 – Don Carter, bowler
• 1927 - Harry Mulisch, Dutch writer (d. 2010)
• 1929 – Julio Botelho, Brazilian footballer (d. 2003)
• 1930 – Paul Taylor, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2018)
• 1932 – Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, U.S. Senator
• 1933 - Lou Albano, American professional wrestling manager (d. 2009)
• 1933 - Robert Fuller, American actor
• 1934 - Albert Speer Jr., German architect and urban planner (d. 2017)
• 1935 – Peter Schreier, German tenor
• 1936 – Elizabeth Dole, former United States Senator
• 1937 – Daniel McFadden, American economist
• 1937 – Ryutaro Hashimoto, former Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2006)
• 1938 – Peter Jennings, Canadian-American television news anchor (d. 2005)
• 1938 - Klaus Töpfer, German politician
• 1940 - Ole Lund Kirkegaard, Danish children's book author (d. 1979)
• 1941 – David Warner, actor
• 1942 - Fitzhugh Mullan, American physician and medical writer (d. 2019)
• 1942 – Tony Sirico, American actor
• 1943 – David Taylor, English snooker player
• 1945 – Mircea Lucescu, Romanian football manager
• 1945 - Sharon Creech, American author
• 1946 - Neal Doughty, American musician
• 1947 - Bill Forsyth, Scottish movie director
• 1949 – Vida Blue, American Major League Baseball player
• 1949 – Jamil Mahuad, former President of Ecuador
• 1949 – Marilyn Quayle, wife of former US Vice President Dan Quayle
• 1949 - Sergio Martini, Italian mountaineer
• 1950 - Jenny Holzer, American conceptual artist

• 1951 – Susan Blackmore, British writer, lecturer and psychologist
• 1951 - Jack Blessing, American actor (d. 2017)
• 1951 - Dean Pitchford, American songwriter, movie maker and journalist
• 1952 - Norman Blackwell, Baron Blackwell, English businessman and politician
• 1953 – Ken Burns, American television producer and director
• 1953 – Geddy Lee, musician (Rush)
• 1953 - Patti Scialfa, rock singer
• 1953 - Tim Gunn, American television presenter
• 1955 - Stephen Timms, English politician
• 1955 - Eusèbe Jaojoby, Malagasy composer and singer
• 1956 - Ronnie Musgrove, 62nd Governor of Mississippi
• 1957 - Liam Davison, Australian novelist (d. 2014)
• 1957 – Nellie Kim, Soviet-Russian gymnast
• 1957 - Viktor Gavrikov, Lithuanian-Swiss chess player
• 1957 - Ulrich Tukur, German actor and musician
• 1958 - Piero Marazzo, Italian journalist and politician
• 1959 – Ruud Janssen, teacher, writer, and artist
• 1959 – Sanjay Dutt, Indian actor
• 1963 – Graham Poll, English football referee
• 1965 – Chang-Rae Lee, writer
• 1966 – Martina McBride, American country singer
• 1966 – Sally Gunnell, British athlete
• 1966 - Richard Steven Horvitz, American voice actor
• 1967 – Matthew C. Henderson, American actor and baseball player
• 1968 - Paavo Lötjönen, Finnish cellist
• 1969 - Joel Fan, American pianist
• 1971 - Lisa Ekdahl, Swedish singer
• 1972 – Wil Wheaton, American actor
• 1973 – Stephen Dorff, American actor
• 1974 - Josh Radnor, American actor
• 1974 – Steve-O, American musician and actor

• 1977 – Danger Mouse, American DJ
• 1979 – Abs Breen, singer
• 1980 - Rachel Miner, American actress
• 1980 – Fernando González, Chilean tennis player
• 1981 - Troy Perkins, American soccer player
• 1981 – Fernando Alonso, Spanish race car driver
• 1982 - Allison Mack, American actress
• 1982 - Prince Azim of Brunei
• 1983 - Alexei Kaigorodov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1984 - Oh Beom-Seok, South Korean footballer
• 1984 – Hanna Bessenova, Ukrainian gymnast
• 1984 – Wilson Palacios, Honduran footballer
• 1984 - Viktoria Tolstoy, Swedish jazz singer
• 1988 - Alexander Lee Eusebio, Hong Kong-South Korean singer
• 1988 - Sabrina van der Donk, Dutch model
• 1990 - Shin Se-kyung, South Korean actress
• 1990 - Valentina Golubenko, Russian-Croatian chess player
• 1990 - Matt Prokop, American actor
• 1990 - Joey Essex, English television personality
• 1993 - Dak Prescott, American football player
• 1998 - Anna Murashige, Japanese singer

• 238 – Pupienus and Balbinus, Roman emperors (assassinated)
• 1030 – King Olaf II of Norway (b. 995)
• 1099 – Pope Urban II (b. 1042)
• 1095 - King Ladislaus I of Hungary (b. 1040)
• 1108 – King Philip I of France (b. 1081)
• 1507 – Martin Behaim, navigator and geographer (b. 1459)
• 1573 - John Caius, English physician (b. 1510)
• 1644 – Pope Urban VIII (b. 1568)
• 1694 - Sufi, Shah of Persia (b. 1647)
• 1781 - Johann Kies, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1713)
• 1833 – William Wilberforce, campaigner against slavery (b. 1759)
• 1844 – Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, Austrian composer (b. 1791)
• 1856 – Robert Schumann, German composer (b. 1810)
• 1857 - Charles Lucien Bonaparte, French zoologist and ornithologist (b. 1803)
• 1887 - Agostino Depretis, 9th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1813)
• 1890 – Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter (b. 1853)
• 1895 - Floriano Peixoto, 2nd President of Brazil (b. 1839)
• 1900 – King Umberto I of Italy (b. 1844)

• 1913 - Tobias Asser, Dutch writer (b. 1838)
• 1918 - Ernest William Christmas, Australian painter (b. 1863)
• 1924 - Sotirios Krokidas, Greek law professor and acting Prime Minister (b. 1852)
• 1934 - Didier Pitre, French-Canadian ice hockey (b. 1883)
• 1938 - Nikolai Krylenko, Russian lawyer, jurist and politician (b. 1885)
• 1951 - Ali Sami Yen, Turkish sports official (b. 1886)
• 1954 – Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater (b. 1879)
• 1956 - Ludwig Klages, German philosopher and psychologist (b. 1872)
• 1960 - Robert P. Bass, Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1873)
• 1966 - Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigerian military leader (b. 1924)
• 1970 – John Barbirolli, conductor (b. 1899)
• 1970 – George Szell, Hungarian conductor (b. 1897)
• 1973 - Roger Williamson, racing driver (b. 1948)
• 1974 – Mama Cass Elliot, American musician (b. 1941)
• 1974 – Erich Kästner, German writer (b. 1899)
• 1979 – Bill Todman, American game show producer (b. 1916)
• 1981 – Robert Moses, New York public works official (b. 1888)
• 1982 – Vladimir Zworykin, Russian-American physicist and inventor (b. 1889)
• 1983 – David Niven, British actor (b. 1910)
• 1983 – Raymond Massey, Canadian actor (b. 1896)
• 1983 – Luis Buñuel, Spanish director (b. 1900)
• 1984 – Fred Waring, band leader, inventor (b. 1900)
• 1990 – Bruno Kreisky, Chancellor of Austria (b. 1911)
• 1992 - Michel Larocque, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1952)
• 1994 - Dorothy Hodgkin, British chemist (b. 1910)
• 1995 - Severino Varela, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1913)

• 2001 – Edward Gierek, Polish politician (b. 1913)
• 2001 – Wau Holland, German hacker (b. 1951)
• 2003 – Foday Sankoh, Sierra Leonean rebel leader (b. 1937)
• 2004 – Rena Vlahopoulou, Greek comedienne and actress (b. 1923)
• 2007 – Mike Reid, British actor (b. 1940)
• 2007 - Michel Serrault, French actor (b. 1928)
• 2007 - Tom Snyder, American television personality (b. 1936)
• 2010 – Zheng Ji, Chinese nutritionist and biochemist (b. 1900)
• 2013 - Christian Benítez, Ecuadorean footballer (b. 1986)
• 2014 - M. Caldwell Butler, American politician (b. 1925)
• 2014 - Giorgio Gaslini, Italian jazz pianist and composer (b. 1929)
• 2014 - Jon R. Cavaiani, American soldier (b. 1943)
• 2014 - Idris Muhammad, American jazz musician (b. 1939)
• 2014 - Péter Kiss, Hungarian politician (b. 1959)
• 2014 - María Antonia Iglesias, Spanish writer (b. 1945)
• 2015 - Peter O'Sullevan, Irish-British horse racing commentator (b. 1918)
• 2016 - Lucille Dumont, Canadian singer and television host (b. 1919)
• 2017 - Yuri Alekseevich Ryzhov, Soviet-Russian scientist and politician (b. 1930)
• 2017 - Redha Malek, Algerian politician, Prime Minister of Algeria (b. 1931)
• 2017 - Charley Marouani, Tunisian impresario and celebrity agent (b. 1926)
• 2017 - Olivier Strebelle, Belgian sculptor (b. 1927)
• 2017 - Stephen T. Worland, American economist (b. 1923)
• 2018 - Hans Kristian Amundsen, Norwegian politician and newspaper editor (b. 1959)
• 2018 - Brickhouse Brown, American professional wrestler (b. 1960)
• 2018 - Brian Christopher, American professional wrestler (b. 1972)
• 2018 - Ron Dellums, American politician (b. 1935)
• 2018 - Abbas Duzduzani, Iranian politician (b. 1942)
• 2018 - Vibeke Skofterud, Norwegian cross-country skier (b. 1980)
• 2018 - Nikolai Volkoff, Croatian-American professional wrestler (b. 1947)
• 2019 - Egil Danielsen, Norwegian javelin thrower (b. 1933)
• 2019 - Enrique Lafourcade, Chilean writer, critic and journalist (b. 1927)
• 2019 - Mona-Liisa Nousiainen, Finnish cross-country skier (b. 1983)
• 2019 - Tuvya Ruebner, Israeli poet and translator (b. 1924)

• Olavsoka, feast day of Olaf II of Norway - Faroe Islands
• International Tiger Day
• National Anthem Day (Romania)
• National Thai language Day (Thailand)