May 29Birthdays & History

On this day: May 29 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 363The Roman emperor Julian defeats the Sasanian army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sasanian capital, but is unable to take the city.EuropeMiddle East
2. 526A catastrophic earthquake hits Antioch, killing several thousands including patriarch Euphrasius.Middle East
3. 757Election of pope Paul I following the death of pope Stephen II in the previous month.Europe
4. 1108Battle of Uclés: Almoravid troops under the command of Tamim ibn Yusuf defeat a Castile and León alliance under the command of Prince Sancho Alfónsez.Europe
5. 1138Antipope Victor IV gives up his claim to the papacy due to the instigation of Bernard of Clairvaux.Europe
6. 1167Battle of Monte Porzio: A Roman army supporting Pope Alexander III is defeated by Christian of Buch and Rainald of Dassel.Europe
7. 1176Battle of Legnano: The Lombard League defeats Emperor Frederick I.Europe
8. 1233Mongol–Jin war: The Mongols enter Kaifeng after a successful siege and begin looting in the fallen capital of the Jin dynasty.Asia
9. 1328Philip VI is crowned King of France.Europe
10. 1416Battle of Gallipoli: The Venetians under Pietro Loredan defeat a much larger Ottoman fleet off Gallipoli.Middle East
11. 1453Fall of Constantinople: Ottoman armies under Sultan Mehmed II capture Constantinople after a 53-day siege, ending the Roman Empire after over 2,000 years.Middle EastEurope
12. 1555The Ottoman Empire and the Safavid Empire sign a peace treaty to end the Ottoman–Safavid War of 1532–1555.Middle East
13. 1658Battle of Samugarh: Decisive battle in the struggle for the throne during the Mughal war of succession (1658–1659).Asia
14. 1660English Restoration: Charles II is restored to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland.Europe
15. 1733The right of settlers in New France to enslave natives is upheld at Quebec City.EuropeNorth America
16. 1780American Revolutionary War: At the Waxhaws Massacre, the British continue attacking after the Continentals lay down their arms, killing 113 and critically wounding all but 53 that remained.North AmericaEurope
17. 1790Rhode Island becomes the last of North America's original Thirteen Colonies to ratify the Constitution and become one of the United States.North America
18. 1798United Irishmen Rebellion: Between 300 and 500 United Irishmen are executed as rebels by the British Army in County Kildare, Ireland.Europe
19. 1807Mustafa IV becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.Middle East
20. 1825The Coronation of Charles X of France takes place in Reims Cathedral, the last-ever coronation of a French monarch.Europe
21. 1851Sojourner Truth delivers her famous Ain't I a Woman? speech at the Woman's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.North America
22. 1852Jenny Lind leaves New York after her two-year American tour.North America
23. 1861The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce is founded, in Hong Kong.Asia
24. 1864Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico arrives in Mexico for the first time.Latin America
25. 1867The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 ("the Compromise") is born through Act 12, which establishes the Austro-Hungarian Empire.Europe
26. 1886The pharmacist John Pemberton places his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, which appeared in The Atlanta Journal.North America
27. 1900N'Djamena is founded as Fort-Lamy by the French commander Émile Gentil.Europe
28. 1903In the May Coup, Alexander I, King of Serbia, and Queen Draga, are assassinated in Belgrade by the Black Hand (Crna Ruka) organization.Europe
29. 1913Igor Stravinsky's ballet score The Rite of Spring receives its premiere performance in Paris, France, provoking a near-riot.Europe
30. 1914The ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sinks in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with the loss of 1,012 lives.Europe
31. 1918Armenia defeats the Ottoman Army in the Battle of Sardarabad.EuropeMiddle East
32. 1919Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity is tested (later confirmed) by Arthur Eddington and Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin.EuropeAfricaLatin America
33. 1920The Louth flood of 1920, a severe flash flood in the Lincolnshire market town of Louth, results in 23 fatalities in 20 minutes. It has been described as one of the most significant flood disasters in the United Kingdom during the 20th century.Europe
34. 1931Michele Schirru, a citizen of the United States, is executed by a Royal Italian Army firing squad for intent to kill Benito Mussolini.North AmericaEurope
35. 1932World War I veterans begin to assemble in Washington, D.C., in the Bonus Army to request cash bonuses promised to them to be paid in 1945.North America
36. 1935First flight of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aeroplane.Europe
37. 1945First combat mission of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator heavy bomber.North America
38. 1947United Airlines Flight 521 crashes at LaGuardia Airport, killing 43.North America
39. 1948United Nations Truce Supervision Organization is founded.Middle East
40. 1950The St. Roch, the first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.North America
41. 1953Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on Tenzing Norgay's (adopted) 39th birthday.Asia
42. 1962Chinese police open fire on protesters in Yining, Xinjiang, killing at least five people and wounding a dozen others.Asia
43. 1964The Arab League meets in East Jerusalem to discuss the Palestinian question, leading to the formation of the Palestine Liberation Organization.Middle East
44. 1964Having deposed them in a January coup South Vietnamese leader Nguyễn Khánh has rival Generals Trần Văn Đôn and Lê Văn Kim convicted of "lax morality".Asia
45. 1973Tom Bradley is elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles, California.North America
46. 1974SETA, a Finnish LGBT rights organisation, is founded in Helsinki.Europe
47. 1982Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit Canterbury Cathedral.Europe
48. 1982Falklands War: The British Army defeats the Argentine Army at the Battle of Goose Green.Latin AmericaEurope
49. 1985Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, after 14 months.North AmericaEurope
50. 1985Heysel Stadium disaster: Thirty-nine association football fans die and hundreds are injured when a dilapidated retaining wall collapses.Europe
51. 1988U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins his first visit to the Soviet Union when he arrives in Moscow for a superpower summit with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.North AmericaEurope
52. 1989Signing of an agreement between Egypt and the United States that allows for the manufacture of F-16 Falcon parts in Egypt.Middle EastNorth America
53. 1990The Congress of People's Deputies of Russia elects Boris Yeltsin as President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.North AmericaEurope
54. 1993The Miss Sarajevo beauty pageant is held in war-torn Sarajevo drawing global attention to the plight of its citizens.Europe
55. 1999Olusegun Obasanjo takes office as President of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian head of state in Nigeria after 16 years of military rule.Africa
56. 1999Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station.World
57. 2001The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments.North America
58. 2004The National World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.North America
59. 2005France rejects the Constitution of the European Union in a national referendum.Europe
60. 2008A doublet earthquake, of combined magnitude 6.1, strikes Iceland near the town of Selfoss, injuring 30 people.Europe
61. 2012A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hits northern Italy near Bologna, killing at least 24 people.Europe
62. 2015One World Observatory at One World Trade Center opens.North America
63. 2020An oil spill in Norilsk releases 17,500 tons of diesel oil into nearby rivers.Europe
64. 2021A Cessna Citation I/SP crashes into Percy Priest Lake in Tennessee, killing all six people on board, including actor Joe Lara and his wife Gwen Shamblin Lara.North America
65. 2022Tara Air Flight 197 crashes in Nepal's Mustang District, killing 22.Asia

Source: Wikipedia "May 29" / CC BY-SA 4.0