Today in History: November 29

Today in History: November 29

• 526 A possible date for the Antioch earthquake in present-day Syria (then the Byzantine Empire) which killed 200,000 people
• 799 Pope Leo III, aided by Charles the Great, returns to Rome
• 1349 Jews of Augsburg Germany massacred
• 1516 Treaty of Freiburg: French/Swiss "eternal" peace treaty
• 1561 Lofland subjects himself on Sigismund August II of Poland
• 1573 Don Luis de Requesensy Zuniga succeeds duke of Alva as land guardian of Netherlands
• 1581 Doornik (Tournai) surrenders to Duke of Parma
• 1596 King Philip II devalues Spanish currency
• 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie's army moves into Manchester and occupies Carlisle
• 1760 French commandant Beletre surrenders Detroit to Maj R Rogers
• 1775 Sir James Jay invents invisible ink
• 1781 Crew of slave ship Zong murder about 142 African slaves by dumping them into the sea, to claim insurance
• 1791 Chatham Islands sighted by HMS Chatham commanded by William Broughton
• 1803 Dessalines & Christophe declare St Domingue (Haiti) independent

1803 - U.S.A. -- The Louisiana Purchase

Louisiana which was much larger than just Louisiana and included all of present-day Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, plus part of what are now Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Louisiana. It was bought from France in 1803 for a total cost of 15 million dollars

• 1812 Napoleon's Grand Army crosses Berezina River in retreat from Russia
• 1813 Elias Canneman (Lib) becomes minister of Finance
• 1825 1st Italian opera in US, "Barber of Seville" premieres (NYC)
• 1830 November Uprising: An armed rebellion against Russia's rule in Poland begins.
• 1845 The Sonderbund is defeated by the joint forces of other Swiss cantons under General Guillaume-Henri Dufour.
• 1847 Indians kill Washington state pioneers Marcus & Narcissa Whitman, and 12 others in Walla Walla Ore
• 1850 The treaty, Punctation of Olmütz, signed in Olomouc means diplomatic capitulation of Prussia to Austrian Empire, taking over the leadership of German Confederation
• 1863 Battle of Ft Sanders, TN (Ft Loudon), 8-900 causalities
• 1864 4th & last day of skirmishes at Waynesboro, Georgia
• 1864 Battle of Spring Hill, TN (Thomason's Station)
• 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, Colorado militia kills about 150 peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians including Cheyenne chief One-Eye
• 1870 Compulsory education proclaimed in England
• 1872 Indian Wars: The Modoc War begins with the Battle of Lost River.

1877 US inventor Thomas Edison demonstrates his hand-cranked phonograph for the first time

Thomas Edison with his second phonograph, photographed in 1878

• 1887 US receives rights to Pearl Harbor, on Oahu, Hawaii
• 1890 1st US Army - US Navy football game, Score: Navy 24, Army 0 at West Point
• 1893 Ziqiang Institute, today known as Wuhan University, is founded by Zhang Zhidong, governor of Hubei and Hunan Provinces in late Qing Dynasty of China after his memorial to the throne is approved by the Qing Government.
• 1897 1st motorcycle race (Surrey, England)

1900 General Horatio Kitchener assumes command of the British forces in South Africa from General Lord Roberts

Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener

• 1901 East 182nd Street in Bronx is paved & opened
• 1902 Gerhart Hauptmann's play "Der arme Heinrich" premieres in Vienna
• 1909 International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Sydney, Australia: Norman Brookes & Anthony Wilding beat Americans Melville Long & Maurice McLoughlin 12-10, 9-7, 6-3; Australasia unassailable 3-0 lead; win 5-0
• 1910 The first US patent for inventing the traffic lights system is issued to Ernest Sirrine.
• 1913 CFL Grey Cup, AAA Grounds, Hamilton: Hamilton Tigers beat Toronto Parkdale, 44-2; second-largest margin of victory in a Grey Cup final
• 1915 Fire destroys most of the buildings on Santa Catalina Island, California.
• 1916 US declares martial law in Dominican Republic
• 1917 A Supreme Allied War Council meets at Versailles to define war aims
• 1918 Serbia annexes Montenegro
• 1921 Coldest day in November in Netherlands -14.0°C
• 1921 Z Parenteau & Schuyler Green's musical "Kiki" premieres in NYC
• 1923 The Dawes Commission, chaired by the American Banker Charles G. Dawes, is set up to look into the German economic situation and make recommendations that the US can accept
• 1924 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Queen's University wins 3rd straight Championship; defeat Toronto Balmy Beach, 11-3
• 1924 NHL's Montreal Forum opens

1929 Richard E. Byrd sends "My calculations indicate that we have reached vicinity of South Pole" (He was wrong)

• 1935 Michael Joseph Savage becomes the first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand

1935 - France -- England / France Alliance

1935 : It was evident by this time that Great Britain had joined France in defense against Italy-given Italy were to attack. This determination included a warning sent by Premier Laval of France to the Italian Ambassador Vittoria Cerruti while he was in Paris. The warning stated that any unproved attack on France by Italy would be grounds for oil embargo. This condition was placed on Italy during the same time other agreements and negotiations were being made.

1935 Physicist Erwin Schrödinger publishes his famous thought experiment "Schrödinger's cat", a paradox that illustrates the problem of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics

Physicist and Nobel Laureate Erwin Schrödinger

• 1937 Prince Bernhard injured in auto accident in Netherlands
• 1938 Mayor Oud of Rotterdam forbids soccer match between Neth-Germany
• 1939 Cor Klint swims world record 200 m backstroke (2:38.8)
• 1939 USSR drops diplomatic relations with Finlandn This Day In History 29th November
• 1941 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeat Ottawa Rough Riders, 18-16 for their 3rd Championship
• 1941 Passenger ship Lurline sends radio signal of sighting Japanese war fleet
• 1942 US Office of Price Administration rations coffee for everyone, 10 pound a year

1943 Partisan Tito forms temporary government in Jajce, Bosnia

President of Yugoslavia and Revolutionary Josip Broz Tito

• 1943 U-86 sinks in Atlantic Ocean
• 1943 US aircraft carrier Hornet launched
• 1944 Albania liberated from Nazi control (National Day)
• 1944 John Hopkins hospital performs 1st open heart surgery
• 1944 The first surgery (on a human) to correct blue baby syndrome is performed by Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas.
• 1945 Yugoslavian Socialist Republic proclaimed

1945 "The Lost Weekend", based on Charles R. Jackson's novel, directed by Billy Wilder and starring Ray Milland and Jane Wyman premieres in Los Angeles (Academy Awards Best Picture 1946)

• 1946 Minister Drees begins emergency rule of old age facilities
• 1947 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Toronto Argonauts win 3rd straight and 8th title; beat Calgary Stampeders, 10-9

1947 - Israel -- Creation of The State Of Israel

The United Nations votes in favor of partitioning the British controlled Palestine and to allow the creation of an Independent Jewish State of Israel. Arab countries all voted against the creation of Israel and 60 years later the area is still in turmoil.

• 1948 "Kukla, Fran, & Ollie" debuted on NBC
• 1948 1st opera to be televised, "Othello", broadcast from the Met (NYC)
• 1948 KOB TV channel 4 in Albuquerque, NM (NBC) begins broadcasting
• 1949 Nationalist regime of China leaves for Taiwan/Formosa
• 1949 Uranium mine explosions in East Germany kills 3,700
• 1950 National Council of Church of Christ in US forms
• 1951 1st underground atomic explosion at Frenchman Flat in Nevada
• 1952 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Toronto Argonauts prove to be the dominant club in Canada with their record 10th Championship; beat Edmonton Eskimos, 21-11
• 1953 American Airlines begins 1st regular commercial NY-LA air service
• 1953 WSIX TV channel 8 in Nashville, TN (ABC) begins broadcasting
• 1955 Turkish government of Menderes resigns
• 1956 "Bells Are Ringing" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 925 performances
• 1956 Chris Brasher becomes first Briton to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field since 1936; claims 3,000m steeplechase in 8:41.2 at the Melbourne Games; initially disqualified but reversed on appeal

1956 - England -- Petrol Rationing

As a result of the Suez crisis, oil is not getting through from the middle east and petrol rationing is to be introduced in Britain from next month, and is expected to last for four months, and will be controlled through books of coupons.

Normal car users will be allowed enough petrol for 200 miles per month while business travellers will be allowed an additional 100 miles per month. Additional petrol allowance will be allowed for farmers, doctors, midwives and disabled drivers. Almost instantly drivers queued up at local garages before the rationing came in causing even more panic buying and as a result of shortages of supply petrol increased to six shillings a gallon ( 30p ).

• 1957 NY Mayor Robert Wagner forms a committee to replace Dodgers & Giants
• 1958 CFL Grey Cup, Empire Stadium, Vancouver: Winnipeg Blue Bombers beat Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 35-28 for a 4th Championship
• 1959 2nd Grammy Awards: Mack The Knife, Bobby Darin wins
• 1960 26th Heisman Trophy Award: Joe Bellino, Navy (HB)

1960 - U.S.A. -- Spies

Dr. Robert Soble, the brother of convicted spy Jack Soble, did not put up a fight against the FBI when arrested. These two brothers had been charged of being involved in two different Soviet spy rings. Dr. Soble was facing the possibility of the death penalty if found guilty. His brother Jack was sentenced to seven years in prison.

• 1961 Freedom Riders attacked by white mob at bus station in Miss
• 1961 John A McCone replaces Allen W Dulles as 6th director of CIA
• 1961 Mercury-Atlas 5 carries a chimp (Enos) to orbit
• 1961 Following the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion CIA Director Allen Dulles resigns and is replaced by John McCone
• 1962 Baseball decides to revert back to 1 all star game per year
• 1962 Great Britain & France decide to jointly build the Concorde supersonic airliner
• 1963 "I Want to Hold Your Hand" single released by the Beatles in the United Kingdom

1963 - U.S.A. -- Warren Commission

1963 : The Warren Commission led by the Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren. is established to investigate the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. It took 10 months to complete the findings which concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the killing of President John F. Kennedy.

• 1963 Trans-Canada Airlines Flight 831: A Douglas DC-8 carrying 118, crashes after taking-off from Dorval Airport near Montreal, Canada
• 1964 Roman Catholic Church in US replaces Latin with English
• 1965 "Anya" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 16 performances
• 1965 Dale Cummings does 14,118 consecutive sit-ups
• 1966 1st NBA game at Oakland Coliseum Arena - Warriors beat Bulls 108-101
• 1966 SS Daniel J Morrell sinks in a storm on Lake Huron, 28 die, 1 survivor.
• 1967 British troops withdraw from Aden and South Yemen
• 1967 Robert McNamara elected president of World bank

1968 John Lennon and Yoko Ono release their 1st album "Two Virgins" in UK

1972 Co-founder of Atari, Nolan Bushnell releases Pong, the 1st commercially successful video game, in Andy Capp's Tavern in Sunnyvale, California

The original Atari Pong video game upright cabinet

1973 - U.S.A. -- Chrysler Closes Plants

1973 : Chrysler joins other US car makers in closing a number of plants affecting 38,000 workers and announced it was changing the focus to manufacturing smaller more efficient cars to combat the Japanese imports. General Motors had made similar cuts 1 week before.

• 1975 New Zealand general election won by the National Party headed by Robert Muldoon
• 1976 NY Yankees sign free agent Reggie Jackson to 5-year contract
• 1978 UN observes "international day of solidarity with Palestinian people," boycotted by US & about 20 other countries
• 1978 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
• 1979 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
• 1981 "My Fair Lady" closes at Uris Theater NYC after 119 performances
• 1981 Greg Chappell scores 201 v Pakistan at The Gabba (Brisbane)
• 1981 Major Iranian offensive mounted on central front
• 1982 USSR performs underground nuclear test
• 1983 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
• 1984 Javed Miandad completes twin Test Cricket tons, v NZ, Hyderabad
• 1987 "Dreamgirls" closes at Ambassador Theater NYC after 177 performances
• 1987 75th CFL Grey Cup, BC Place, Vancouver: Edmonton Eskimos 10th Championship; defeat Toronto Argonauts, 38-36 on Jerry Kauric's last second field-goal
• 1987 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
• 1987 New Orleans Saints win, assuring their 1st winning NFL season
• 1987 Ranger's Bob Frosse becomes 2nd goalie to score a goal (vs NY Islanders). It is later ruled that he should not be credited with goal.
• 1987 A Korean Air Boeing 707 explodes over the Thai-Burmese border, killing 115
• 1989 8th Largest wrestling crowd UFW U-Cosmos (60,000-Tokyo Dome)
• 1989 Rajiv Gandhi resigns as Prime Minister of India after losing national elections
• 1990 "Shogun - The Musical" opens at Marquis Theater NYC for 72 performances
• 1990 Expos pres Claude Brochu agrees to buy club from Charles Bronfman
• 1990 UN Security Council approves US-sponsored resolution authorizing the use of force in the Persian Gulf if Iraq does not withdrawal from Kuwait by Jan. 15, 1991
• 1991 TV show "Roc" has a gay wedding episode - Can't Help Loving that Man
• 1991 Test Cricket debut of Javagal Srinath, v Australia at the Gabba
• 1992 "Sea Gull" opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 48 performances
• 1992 "Solitary Confinement" closes at Nederlander NYC after 25 performances
• 1992 CFL Grey Cup, SkyDome, Toronto: Calgary Stampeders beat Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 24-10: MVP QB Doug Flutie, 33 of 49 for 480 yards, 2 TDs
• 1993 "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" opens at Beaumont Theater NYC for 40 performances
• 1994 Seoul, Korea, celebrated the 600th anniversary of its founding

Celebrating Birthday's Today

Lionel of Antwerp

Born: November 29, 1338, Antwerp, Belgium

Died: October 7, 1368, Alba, Italy

Known For: Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, KG was the third son, but the second son to survive infancy, of the English king Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. He was named after his birthplace, at Antwerp in the Duchy of Brabant. Lionel was born of a Flemish mother and was a grandson of William I, Count of Hainaut.

Zhu Qizhen

Born: November 29, 1427, Beijing, China

Died: February 23, 1464, Beijing, China

Known For: Zhu Qizhen was the sixth and eighth Emperor of the Ming dynasty. He ascended the throne as the Zhengtong Emperor in 1435, but was forced to abdicate in 1449, in favour of his younger brother the Jingtai Emperor, after being captured by the Mongols during the Tumu Crisis.

• 1484 Joachim Vadian, Swiss humanist (d. 1551)
• 1627 John Ray, English naturalist (d. 1705)
• 1632 Jean-Baptiste Lully, Italian-born French composer (Miserere Suites de Symphonies et Trios), born in Florence, Italy (d. 1687)
• 1690 Christian Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbst, father of Catherine II of Russia (d. 1747)
• 1752 Jemima Wilkinson [Publick Universal Friend], American preacher, founded Universal Friends sect, born in Cumberland, Rhode Island (d. 1819)
• 1761 Fridolin Weber, German composer
• 1762 Pierre André Latreille, French entomologist (first detailed classification of crustaceans and insects), born in Brive-la-Gaillarde, Corrèze, France (d. 1833)
• 1770 Peter Hänsel, German-Austrian violinist and composer, born in Leppe, Silesia Province (d. 1831)
• 1781 Andres Bello, Venezuela poet/diplomat/scholar (Silvas Americanas)
• 1797 Domenico Gaetano Donizetti, Italian opera composer (L'elisir d'amore; Lucia di Lammermoor), born in Bergamo, Cisalpine Republic (d. 1848)
• 1798 Alexander Brullov, Russian painter (d. 1877)
• 1799 Amos Bronson Alcott, US educator/poet (Concord Days)
• 1802 Wilhelm Hauff, German writer, born in Stuttgart (d. 1827)

Christian Doppler

Born: November 29, 1803, Salzburg, Austria

Died: March 17, 1853, Venice, Italy

Known For: Christian Andreas Doppler was an Austrian mathematician and physicist. He is celebrated for his principle – known as the Doppler effect – that the observed frequency of a wave depends on the relative speed of the source and the observer. He used this concept to explain the color of binary stars.

• 1803 Gottfried Semper, German architect (d. 1879)
• 1811 Wendell Phillips, women's suffrage/antislavery/prison reformer
• 1813 Franz von Miklosich, Slovenian linguist (d. 1891)
• 1815 Stephen Augustus Hurlbut, American politician, commander of US Army of the Gulf, Major General (Union Army), born in Charleston, South Carolina (d. 1882)
• 1816 Carl Binder, Austrian composer, born in Vienna (d. 1860)
• 1816 Morrison Waite, American jurist (d. 1888)
• 1818 George Brown, Canadian publisher (Toronto Globe), PM (L) (1858)
• 1825 Jean-Martin Charcot, French neurologist (d. 1893)

Louisa May Alcott

Born: November 29, 1832, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Died: March 6, 1888, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Known For: Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist, short story writer and poet best known as the author of the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys

• 1833 Louis Douglass Watkins, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Tallahassee, Florida, (d. 1868)
• 1834 Thomas Edward Greenfield Ransom, American civil engineer, and Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Norwich, Vermont (d. 1864)
• 1835 Empress Dowager Cixi, Chinese ruler (d. 1908)
• 1838 Aeneas Mackay, Baron/Dutch minister of interior/Colonies
• 1839 Ludwig Anzengruber, Austrian playwright (Der Schandfleck)
• 1849 Ambrose Fleming, inventor (diode)
• 1852 Paul Joseph Guillaume Hillemacher, composer
• 1856 Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, Chancellor of the German Empire (1909-17), born in Hohenfinow, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1921)
• 1857 Theodor Escherich, German pediatrician (d. 1911)
• 1860 Hans Haym, German conductor, born in Halle (d. 1921)
• 1862 Friedrich Klose, German-Swiss composer (König Elf), born in Karlsruhe, Germany (d. 1942)
• 1863 Spyridon Filiskos Samaras, composer
• 1866 Waldemar von Baussnern, composer
• 1870 Andre Lichtenberger, French sociologist/writer (Le petit roi)
• 1870 Harry Graham, Australian cricketer (107 on Test debut Aust v Eng 1893), born in Melbourne
• 1872 Anna Bahr-von Mildenburg, Austrian soprano/director
• 1874 Antonio Egas Moniz, Portuguese lobotomist (Nobel 1949)
• 1874 Francis Dodd, British artist (d. 1949)
• 1879 Sara Allgood, Irish-American actress (Blackmail, How Green Was My Valley), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1950)
• 1879 Jacob Gade, Danish violinist and composer (Jalousie ; Cinema Music), born in Vejle, Denmark (d. 1963)
• 1888 Joe Slater, Australian Rules footballer (d. 1917)
• 1891 Julius Raab, Austrian Chancellor (1953-61)
• 1891 Richard Frank Donovan, composer
• 1894 Lucille Hegamin, American singer and entertainer (d. 1970)
• 1895 Yakima Canutt [Enos Edward], American rodeo cowboy, actor and director (Texas Terror), born in Colfax, Washington (d. 1986)
• 1895 Busby Berkeley, choreographer, born in Los Angeles, California
• 1895 Lodovico Rocca, composer
• 1895 William V S Tubman, (Whig), 17th Liberian president (1943-70)
• 1896 Philip L Carret, Lynn Mass, CEO (Pioneer Fund)
• 1897 Emiel van Hemeldonck, Belgian writer (Little Emperor)

C. S. Lewis 

Born: 29th November 1898 Belfast, Ireland

Died: November 22nd, 1963 Oxford, England

Known For :

A well known writer who amongst other books wrote "The Chronicles of Narnia" . He was also a friend of J. R. R. Tolkien who wrote the "The Lord of the Rings". In his early years he was a great reader of anything Norse, Greek and Irish mythology which does come out in the "The Chronicles of Narnia" books. In his early years he was an atheist who converted back to Christianity, in the seven fantasy novels which make up "The Chronicles of Narnia" for children his faith and Christian ideas are presented in a way that is entertaining as well as showcasing his faith. Although he is primarily known as a writer he was also a member of the English Faculty and a professor at both Oxford and Cambridge.

• 1898 Rod La Rocque, American actor (The Ten Commandments), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1969)
• 1899 Gustave Reese, composer
• 1899 Genevieve Tobin, American actress (Zaza, Great Gambini, Uncertain Lady), born in NYC, New York (d. 1995)
• 1899 Andrija Artuković, Croatian war criminal (d. 1988)
• 1900 Håkan Malmrot, Swedish swimmer (Olympic gold 200m & 400m breaststroke 1920), born in Örebro, Sweden (d. 1987)
• 1901 Mildred Harris, American actress (The Magic Cloak, No, No Nannette), born in Cheyenne, Wyoming (d. 1944)
• 1902 Carlo Levi, Italian painter/novelist (Of Fear & Freedom)
• 1902 Georges Poulet, French/Belgian critic (Temps Humain)
• 1904 Kay Johnson, American actress (Real Glory, Of Human Bondage), born in Mt Vernon, New York (d. 1975)
• 1904 Piet Ketting, pianist/conductor/composer (Glorify Kokila)
• 1904 Egon Eiermann, German architect (d. 1970)
• 1905 Mowbray Henry Gordon Howard, 6th Earl of Effingham
• 1905 Marcel Lefebvre, French Roman catholic bishop (d. 1991)
• 1906 Luis Van Rooten, Mexican-born American actor, author and translator (One Man's Family), born in Mexico City, Mexico (d. 1973)

Adam Clayton Powell Jr.

Born: November 29, 1908, New Haven, Connecticut, United States

Died: April 4, 1972, Miami, Florida, United States

Known For: Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was a Baptist pastor and an American politician, who represented the Harlem neighborhood of New York City in the United States House of Representatives from 1945 until 1971. He was the first African-American to be elected from New York to Congress. 

Jacques Chirac

Born: 29th November 1932 Paris, France

Died: September 26, 2019 (aged 86) Paris, France

Known For: Jacques Chirac former French President who served France as president for 12 years from 1995 - 2007. He is also a former Prime Minister of France who served from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988.

Beji Caid Essebsi

Born: November 29, 1926, Sidi Bou Said, Carthage, Tunisia

Died: July 25, 2019, Hopital Militaire, Tunis, Tunisia

Known For: Mohamed Beji Caid Essebsi was a Tunisian politician who was the President of Tunisia from 31 December 2014 until his death on 25 July 2019. Previously, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1981 to 1986 and as Prime Minister from February 2011 to December 2011.