1453 The Byzantine Empire maintained an increasingly precarious existence and on May 29, 1453 it was finally overthrown when the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople. The conquest of Constantinople followed a siege that had begun 53 days earlier. The end of the Byzantine Empire marks, for some historians, the end of the Middle Ages.
1453 The magnificent Hagia Sophia in Constantinople was the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years, The Ottoman conqueror of the city, Mehmet II, entered the cathedral on May 29, 1453 and turned it into a mosque. It remained a mosque from 1453 until the 1930s when the Hagia Sophia was secularized and opened as a museum.
1546 In Scotland the Archbishop of St Andrews, Cardinal David Beaton, an inveterate persecutor of 'heretics' was the main obstacle to the Reformation. On May 29, 1546 some frustrated Protestants led by Norman Leslie and his nephew William Kirkaldy stormed his castle at daybreak, burst into his room and butchered the cardinal with their swords before hanging his body out of the window. Beaton's murder was a significant point in the eventual triumph of Scottish Presbyterianism.
1453 The magnificent Hagia Sophia in Constantinople was the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years, The Ottoman conqueror of the city, Mehmet II, entered the cathedral on May 29, 1453 and turned it into a mosque. It remained a mosque from 1453 until the 1930s when the Hagia Sophia was secularized and opened as a museum.
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| An 1857 lithograph |
1546 In Scotland the Archbishop of St Andrews, Cardinal David Beaton, an inveterate persecutor of 'heretics' was the main obstacle to the Reformation. On May 29, 1546 some frustrated Protestants led by Norman Leslie and his nephew William Kirkaldy stormed his castle at daybreak, burst into his room and butchered the cardinal with their swords before hanging his body out of the window. Beaton's murder was a significant point in the eventual triumph of Scottish Presbyterianism.
1606 Renaissance artist Caravaggio had to flee Rome after killing his tennis opponent. On May 29, 1606, he killed, possibly unintentionally, a young man named Ranuccio Tomassoni from Terni (Umbria) in a dispute over a four-handed game. Following the incident, Caravaggio was forced to flee Rome to avoid the legal consequences and potential retribution from the Tomassoni family.
1630 Charles II was born on May 29, 1630 the second but oldest surviving son of Charles I. He was called by Parliament “the Son of the Last” as they thought his father would be the last King of England. After his father's execution in 1649 Charles attempted to regain the English throne by force. Having failed to do so, he lived in exile until the monarchy was restored in 1660.
1651 After Charles II was defeated at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, he eluded capture by hiding in an oak tree at Boscobel House, Shropshire, climbing up the tree by means of a hen roost ladder. He then fled to the continent. On Charles II's 1660 Restoration, Parliament declared May 29 as Royal Oak Day, a public holiday, in celebration of his hiding from Cromwell's troops in an oak tree. The date was chosen as it was the King’s birthday. Its official celebration continued until 1859.
1660 Charles II returned from Holland in 1660 with a fleet of 100 ships and on May 29, 1660, his 30th birthday, he was received in London to public acclaim. He was restored to the throne of England, Scotland and Ireland the same day. Charles marked his Restoration to the throne by riding over London Bridge with 300 gentlemen, brandishing swords and wearing ‘cloth-of-silver’ doublets.
1670 Titus Oates was ordained a Church of England priest on May 29, 1670. He was vicar of the parish of Bobbing in Kent, 1673–74, and then curate to his father at All Saints, Hastings. In 1678 Oates fabricated the "Popish Plot" claiming that the Jesuits and various Catholic nobles were supposedly planning on assassinating King Charles II. As a consequence at least 15 innocent "conspirators" were executed.
1790 On May 29, 1790, Rhode Island became the last of the original United States' colonies to ratify the Constitution and was admitted as the 13th U.S. State. It only ratified the United States constitution after being threatened with a trade embargo by the rest of the United States.
1814 After her divorce from Napoleon in 1810, Joséphine de Beauharnais found herself consigned to the little court of Malmaison where she lived in retirement cultivating the flowers she loved. She died in Rueil-Malmaison, soon after walking with Tsar Alexander I in the gardens of Malmaison. She was buried in the nearby church of Saint Pierre-Saint Paul in Rueil.
1829 Sir Humphry Davy died in a Geneva, Switzerland hotel room on May 29, 1829, having suffered a stroke several months previously. The English chemist discovered several chemical elements and invented the miner's safety lamp. Davy spent the last months of his life writing Consolations in Travel, a compendium of poetry, thoughts on science and philosophy. Published posthumously, the work became a staple of both scientific and family libraries for several decades afterward.
1848 Wisconsin was admitted as the 30th U.S. State on May 29, 1848. The state's constitution is the oldest of any state west of the Allegheny Mountains. It was adopted in 1848. Wisconsin was the last state entirely east of the Mississippi River (and by extension the last state formed entirely from territory assigned to the U.S. in the 1783 Treaty of Paris) to be admitted to the Union.
1849 French chemist and bacteriologist Louis Pasteur married Marie Laurent, the daughter of a local university rector at Strasbourg on May 29, 1849. Marie worked as her husband's active assistant in his scientific experiments and also served as his secretary. The couple had five children, but only two of them survived to adulthood. The other three died of diseases. These personal tragedies strengthened Pasteur’s resolve to find cures for infectious diseases.
1852 In 1850 P. T. Barnum brought Jenny Lind to the U.S. and 4,476 tickets were auctioned for the first concert by the "Swedish Nightingale" soprano. She eventually left New York after her unprecedented two-year American tour, completing it on May 29, 1852. Under Barnum's management Lind gave 93 concerts in America; for these, she earned about $350,000, donating her profits to her chosen charities, principally the endowment of free schools in Sweden.
1630 Charles II was born on May 29, 1630 the second but oldest surviving son of Charles I. He was called by Parliament “the Son of the Last” as they thought his father would be the last King of England. After his father's execution in 1649 Charles attempted to regain the English throne by force. Having failed to do so, he lived in exile until the monarchy was restored in 1660.
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| Charles II aged 4 months and 15 days painting attributed to Justus van Egmont |
1651 After Charles II was defeated at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, he eluded capture by hiding in an oak tree at Boscobel House, Shropshire, climbing up the tree by means of a hen roost ladder. He then fled to the continent. On Charles II's 1660 Restoration, Parliament declared May 29 as Royal Oak Day, a public holiday, in celebration of his hiding from Cromwell's troops in an oak tree. The date was chosen as it was the King’s birthday. Its official celebration continued until 1859.
1660 Charles II returned from Holland in 1660 with a fleet of 100 ships and on May 29, 1660, his 30th birthday, he was received in London to public acclaim. He was restored to the throne of England, Scotland and Ireland the same day. Charles marked his Restoration to the throne by riding over London Bridge with 300 gentlemen, brandishing swords and wearing ‘cloth-of-silver’ doublets.
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| The arrival of Charles in England from Holland by Lieve Verschuier |
1670 Titus Oates was ordained a Church of England priest on May 29, 1670. He was vicar of the parish of Bobbing in Kent, 1673–74, and then curate to his father at All Saints, Hastings. In 1678 Oates fabricated the "Popish Plot" claiming that the Jesuits and various Catholic nobles were supposedly planning on assassinating King Charles II. As a consequence at least 15 innocent "conspirators" were executed.
1790 On May 29, 1790, Rhode Island became the last of the original United States' colonies to ratify the Constitution and was admitted as the 13th U.S. State. It only ratified the United States constitution after being threatened with a trade embargo by the rest of the United States.
1814 After her divorce from Napoleon in 1810, Joséphine de Beauharnais found herself consigned to the little court of Malmaison where she lived in retirement cultivating the flowers she loved. She died in Rueil-Malmaison, soon after walking with Tsar Alexander I in the gardens of Malmaison. She was buried in the nearby church of Saint Pierre-Saint Paul in Rueil.
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| Portrait of Joséphine later in life by Andrea Appiani |
1829 Sir Humphry Davy died in a Geneva, Switzerland hotel room on May 29, 1829, having suffered a stroke several months previously. The English chemist discovered several chemical elements and invented the miner's safety lamp. Davy spent the last months of his life writing Consolations in Travel, a compendium of poetry, thoughts on science and philosophy. Published posthumously, the work became a staple of both scientific and family libraries for several decades afterward.
1848 Wisconsin was admitted as the 30th U.S. State on May 29, 1848. The state's constitution is the oldest of any state west of the Allegheny Mountains. It was adopted in 1848. Wisconsin was the last state entirely east of the Mississippi River (and by extension the last state formed entirely from territory assigned to the U.S. in the 1783 Treaty of Paris) to be admitted to the Union.
1849 French chemist and bacteriologist Louis Pasteur married Marie Laurent, the daughter of a local university rector at Strasbourg on May 29, 1849. Marie worked as her husband's active assistant in his scientific experiments and also served as his secretary. The couple had five children, but only two of them survived to adulthood. The other three died of diseases. These personal tragedies strengthened Pasteur’s resolve to find cures for infectious diseases.
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| Marie Pasteur in 1899 |
1852 In 1850 P. T. Barnum brought Jenny Lind to the U.S. and 4,476 tickets were auctioned for the first concert by the "Swedish Nightingale" soprano. She eventually left New York after her unprecedented two-year American tour, completing it on May 29, 1852. Under Barnum's management Lind gave 93 concerts in America; for these, she earned about $350,000, donating her profits to her chosen charities, principally the endowment of free schools in Sweden.
1856 Abraham Lincoln gave a speech at the Bloomington Convention on May 29, 1856, in Bloomington, Illinois. The speech is believed to have been an impassioned condemnation of slavery but it was so enthralling that reporters in the audience stopped taking notes and now we don't know its content.
1884 Oscar Wilde first met Constance Lloyd, daughter of the wealthy QC, Horace Lloyd in 1879. A demure, religious, happy and pretty girl, he fell head over heels in love. He proposed to her and they married on May 29, 1884 in Paddington, London. The couple had two sons, Cyril (1885) and Vyvyan (1886), but Wilde's homosexual affairs were putting a strain on their marriage. They finally broke up because of the scandal involving Wilde and Lord Douglas.
1895 The Schenley Park Casino opened in Pittsburgh on May 29, 1895. The arena's artificial ice surface was the first of its kind in North America. The ice rink offered public skating sessions, which were held only on weekdays. The five cent admission included steel skate frames that were strapped over a person’s winter footwear. In December 17, 1896 a leaking ammonia pipe created an explosion resulting in a fire that destroyed the building.
1903 Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope was born on May 29, 1903, in London, England to a Welsh mother and English father. In 1908, the Hopes migrated to Cleveland, Ohio. From the age of 12, he entered many dancing and amateur talent contests (as Lester Hope) and won a prize in for his impersonation of Charlie Chaplin. He changed his name from Leslie to Bob, because in school they would call the roll as 'Hope, Leslie' and classmates shortened it to hopeless.
1884 Oscar Wilde first met Constance Lloyd, daughter of the wealthy QC, Horace Lloyd in 1879. A demure, religious, happy and pretty girl, he fell head over heels in love. He proposed to her and they married on May 29, 1884 in Paddington, London. The couple had two sons, Cyril (1885) and Vyvyan (1886), but Wilde's homosexual affairs were putting a strain on their marriage. They finally broke up because of the scandal involving Wilde and Lord Douglas.
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| Ice skating at the Schenley Park Casino |
1900 N'Djamena, now the capital of Chad, was founded as Fort-Lamy by French commander Émile Gentil on May 29, 1900. It was named after Amédée-François Lamy, an army officer who had been killed in the Battle of Kousséri a few days earlier.
1911 Comic opera librettist W. S. Gilbert of Gilbert & Sullivan fame died on May 29, 1911 of a heart attack while saving 17-year-old Patricia Preece from drowning in his lake. The young woman became an artist connected with the Bloomsbury Group - and enjoyed a scandalous sex life with artists of both sexes.
1913 Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps ("The Rite of Spring") was written for the 1913 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company. Its premiere at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris on May 29, 1913 caused a tremendous commotion. The avant-garde nature of the music and choreography resulted in such booing from the audience that the Diaghilev dancers could not even hear the orchestra.
1917 John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born May 29, 1917, at 83 Beals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts to businessman/politician Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Sr. (1888–1969) and philanthropist/socialite Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald-Kennedy (1890–1995). He started his college career at Princeton but left after one semester and returned to his home state and attended Harvard.
1918 The Battle of Sardarabad was fought from May 21-29, 1918, between the regular Armenian military units and militia on one side and the Ottoman army that had invaded Eastern Armenia on the other. The Armenian forces triumphed, which not only stopped the Turkish invasion but also prevented the complete destruction of the Armenian nation.
1920 Pope Paul VI was born Giovanni Battista Montini. In 1916, he entered the seminary to become a Roman Catholic priest. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on May 29. 1920 in Brescia and celebrated his first Holy Mass in Brescia in the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Montini's organizational skills saw him named Archbishop of Milan in 1954, the largest Italian diocese and elevated him to the College of Cardinals four years later. He was elected pope in 1963.
1936 Turkey's flag is red, incorporating a white star and crescent. The current design of the Turkish flag is directly derived from the late Ottoman flag, which had been adopted in the late 18th century. The measures, geometric proportions, and exact tone of red were legally standardized with the Turkish Flag Law on May 29, 1936. In regular speech, the Turkish flag is called al bayrak (the red flag), but in the Turkish national anthem it’s called al sancak (the red banner).
1942 Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas" for the 1942 film Holiday Inn. Bing Crosby recorded it on May 29, 1942 and it became not only the crooner's signature song, but also the most performed and best-selling Christmas song in history. Berlin foresaw its success when he wrote it, telling his secretary, "I just wrote the best song that anybody’s ever written!"
1913 Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps ("The Rite of Spring") was written for the 1913 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company. Its premiere at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris on May 29, 1913 caused a tremendous commotion. The avant-garde nature of the music and choreography resulted in such booing from the audience that the Diaghilev dancers could not even hear the orchestra.
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| New York Times report of Rite of Spring premiere |
1917 John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born May 29, 1917, at 83 Beals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts to businessman/politician Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Sr. (1888–1969) and philanthropist/socialite Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald-Kennedy (1890–1995). He started his college career at Princeton but left after one semester and returned to his home state and attended Harvard.
1918 The Battle of Sardarabad was fought from May 21-29, 1918, between the regular Armenian military units and militia on one side and the Ottoman army that had invaded Eastern Armenia on the other. The Armenian forces triumphed, which not only stopped the Turkish invasion but also prevented the complete destruction of the Armenian nation.
1920 Pope Paul VI was born Giovanni Battista Montini. In 1916, he entered the seminary to become a Roman Catholic priest. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on May 29. 1920 in Brescia and celebrated his first Holy Mass in Brescia in the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Montini's organizational skills saw him named Archbishop of Milan in 1954, the largest Italian diocese and elevated him to the College of Cardinals four years later. He was elected pope in 1963.
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| Montini on the day of his ordination in 1920 |
1936 Turkey's flag is red, incorporating a white star and crescent. The current design of the Turkish flag is directly derived from the late Ottoman flag, which had been adopted in the late 18th century. The measures, geometric proportions, and exact tone of red were legally standardized with the Turkish Flag Law on May 29, 1936. In regular speech, the Turkish flag is called al bayrak (the red flag), but in the Turkish national anthem it’s called al sancak (the red banner).
1942 Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas" for the 1942 film Holiday Inn. Bing Crosby recorded it on May 29, 1942 and it became not only the crooner's signature song, but also the most performed and best-selling Christmas song in history. Berlin foresaw its success when he wrote it, telling his secretary, "I just wrote the best song that anybody’s ever written!"
1945 William Joyce was an Anglo-Irish Nazi propaganda broadcaster to the UK during World War II. He was captured on May 29, 1945 on the Danish-German border when passing two British Army officers who were gathering sticks in a wood near the German border, he remarked that he too often collected firewood there. One officer said: "You're William Joyce — I'd know your voice anywhere." He became the last civilian in Britain to be hanged for treason the following year.
1945 Mexican priest Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez was born on May 29, 1945. He supported his orphanage as a lucha libre wrestler using the ring name Fray Tormenta for 23 years. Benitez still wears his red and yellow mask during his priestly duties.
1953 On May 29, 1953 New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary and Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the top of Mount Everest. They arrived at the summit after crossing a 40-foot vertical crack in the ice and struggling to the top of the earth, ending a two-month trek up the planet's coldest, wildest, most suffocating wilderness.
1953 Tenzing Norgay was born in the Khumbu region of Nepal, and in the Sherpa community, it was not common to keep track of individual birth dates. Instead, Sherpas typically celebrated their birthdays during specific annual festivals that took place in their communities. As a result, Tenzing Norgay did not have a documented birth date in the Western calendar. After his ascent of Everest on May 29, 1953, he decided to celebrate his birthday on that day thereafter.
2005 23-year-old Danica Patrick became the first female driver to take the lead in the Indianapolis 500 on May 29, 2005. She took the lead with 10 laps left in front of 300,000 screaming fans, but with six laps left, British driver Dan Wheldon passed her. Patrick eventually finished in fourth place.
Danica Patrick's third place in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 is the highest finish there ever by a woman.
2012 Spanish ultrarunner Ricardo Abad holds the world record for running a marathon every day for 607 consecutive days. He started on October 1, 2010 and finished on May 29, 2012. Abad ran all these marathons alongside working 8 hour shifts in a factory.
2021 Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds were married in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral on May 29, 2021. The ceremony was attended by only a small number of guests, including the couple's son, Wilfred. The couple had been engaged since December 2019. It is Boris Johnson's third marriage following ones to Allegra Mostyn-Owen and Marina Wheeler.
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