today.nukz.net: Almanac May 29

Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS (born Leslie Townes Hope; May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an English-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel. Throughout his long career, he was honored for his humanitarian work. In 1996, the U.S. Congress honored Bob Hope by declaring him the "first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces." Bob Hope appeared in or hosted 199 known USO shows.

Events

363 – Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sassanid capital, but is unable to take the city.
1167 – Battle of Monte Porzio – A Roman army supporting Pope Alexander III is defeated by Christian of Buch and Rainald of Dassel
1176 – Battle of Legnano: The Lombard League defeats Emperor Frederick I.
1328 – Philip VI is crowned King of France.
1414 – Council of Constance.
1453 – Fall of Constantinople: Ottoman armies under Sultan Mehmed II Fatih captures Constantinople after a 53-day siege, ending the Byzantine Empire.
1660 – English Restoration: Charles II is restored to the throne of England, Scotland and Ireland.
1677 – Treaty of Middle Plantation establishes peace between the Virginia colonists and the local Natives.
1727 – Peter II becomes Tsar of Russia.
1733 – The right of Canadians to keep Indian slaves is upheld at Quebec City.
1780 – American Revolutionary War: At the Battle of Waxhaws, the British continue fighting after the Continentals lay down their arms, killing 113 and critically wounding all but 53 that remained.
1790 – Rhode Island becomes the last of the original United States' colonies to ratify the Constitution and is admitted as the 13th U.S. state.
1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion: Between 300 and 500 United Irishmen are massacred by the British Army in County Kildare, Ireland.
1848 – Wisconsin is admitted as the 30th U.S. state.
1852 – Jenny Lind left New York after her wildly successful two-year American tour.
1861 – The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce was founded, in Hong Kong.
1864 – Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico arrives in Mexico for the first time.
1867 – The Ausgleich ("the Compromise") is born through Act 12, which establishes the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
1868 – The assassination of Michael Obrenovich III, Prince of Serbia, in Belgrade.
1886 – Chemist John Pemberton places his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, the ad appearing in the Atlanta Journal.
1900 – N'Djamena is founded as Fort-Lamy by French commander Émile Gentil
1903 – In the May coup d'etat, Alexander Obrenovich, King of Serbia, and Queen Draga, are assassinated in Belgrade by the Black Hand (Crna Ruka) organization.
1913 – Igor Stravinsky's ballet score The Rite of Spring receives its premiere performance in Paris, provoking a riot.
1914 – Ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sinks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence with the loss of 1,024 lives.
1918 – Armenia defeats the Ottoman Army in the Battle of Sardarapat.
1919 – Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity is tested (later confirmed) by Arthur Eddington and Andrew Crommelin.
1919 – The Republic of Prekmurje founded
1924 – AEK Athens FC is established on the anniversary of the siege of Constantinople by the Turks.
1932 – World 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.
1939 – Albanian fascist leader Tefik Mborja is appointed as member of the Italian Chamber of Fasces and Corporations.
1940 – The first flight of the F4U Corsair.
1942 – Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra record Irving Berlin's "White Christmas", the best-selling Christmas single in history.
1945 – First combat mission of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator heavy bomber.
1948 – Creation of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
1950 – The St. Roch, the first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1953 – Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on Tenzing Norgay's (adopted) 39th birthday.
1954 – First of the annual Bilderberg conferences.
1964 – The Arab League meets in East Jerusalem to discuss the Palestinian question, leading to the formation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
1969 – General strike in Córdoba, Argentina, leading to the Cordobazo civil unrest.
1973 – Tom Bradley is elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles, California.
1982 – Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit Canterbury Cathedral.
1985 – Heysel Stadium disaster: 39 association football fans die and hundreds are injured when a dilapidated retaining wall collapses.
1985 – Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, after 14 months.
1988 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins his first visit to the Soviet Union when he arrives in Moscow for a superpower summit with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
1989 – Signing of an agreement Egypt - U.S. manufacturing parts of the fighter F-16 in Egypt.
1990 – The Russian parliament elects Boris Yeltsin president of the Russian SFSR.
1999 – Olusegun Obasanjo takes office as President of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian head of state in Nigeria after 16 years of military rule.
1999 – Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station.
2001 – U.S. Supreme Court rules that disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments.
2004 – The World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.

Births

1594 – Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim, Bavarian general (d. 1632)
1627 – Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier, French writer and princess (d. 1693)
1630 – King Charles II of England (d. 1685)
1675 – Humphry Ditton, English mathematician (d. 1715)
1716 – Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, French naturalist (d. 1800)
1722 – James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, Irish politician (d. 1773)
1730 – Jackson of Exeter (William Jackson), English organist and composer (d. 1803)
1736 – Patrick Henry, American patriot, 1st & 6th Governor of Virginia (d. 1799)
1773 – Princess Sophia of Gloucester (d. 1844)
1794 – Johann Heinrich von Mädler, German astronomer (d. 1874)
1823 – John H. Balsley, American carpenter (d. 1895)
1860 – Isaac Albéniz, Spanish composer (d. 1909)
1863 – Arthur Mold, English cricketer (d. 1921)
1874 – G. K. Chesterton, English novelist (d. 1936)
1880 – Oswald Spengler, German philosopher (d. 1936)
1892 – Alfonsina Storni, Argentine writer (d. 1938)
1893 – Max Brand, American author and war correspondent (d. 1944)
1894 – Beatrice Lillie, Canadian actress (d. 1989)
1894 – Josef von Sternberg, Austrian-born writer and film director (d. 1969)
1897 – Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Austrian composer (d. 1957)
1903 – Bob Hope, British-born comedian and actor (d. 2003)
1905 – Sebastian Shaw, English actor (d. 1994)
1906 – T.H. White, British author (d. 1964)
1907 – Hartland Molson, Canadian businessman and senator (d. 2002)
1908 – Diana Morgan, British playwright and screenwriter (d. 1996)
1911 – Armida, Mexican-American stage, vaudeville and film star (d. 1989)
1913 – Tony Zale, American boxer (d. 1997)
1914 – Stacy Keach, Sr., American actor (d. 2003)
1915 – Karl Münchinger, German conductor (d. 1990)
1917 – John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (d. 1963)
1920 – John Harsanyi, Hungarian-born economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
1921 – Norman Hetherington, Australian cartoonist and puppeteer (Mr Squiggle) (d. 2010)
1921 – Clifton James, American actor
1922 – Iannis Xenakis, Greek composer and architect (d. 2001)
1923 – Bernard Clavel, French novelist (d. 2010)
1924 – Lars Bo, Danish artist and writer (d. 1999)
1926 – Charles Denner, French actor (d. 1995)
1926 – Abdoulaye Wade, Senegalese politician who was President of Senegal
1927 – Jean Coutu, Quebec businessman (Jean Coutu Group)
1927 – Thanasis Veggos, Greek actor (d. 2011)
1929 – Harry Frankfurt, American philosopher
1932 – Richie Guerin, American basketball player
1932 – Paul R. Ehrlich, American biologist and author
1933 – Helmuth Rilling, German conductor
1934 – Nanette Newman, English actress and author
1937 – Charles W. Pickering, American jurist
1937 – Irmin Schmidt, German musician (Can)
1937 – Hibari Misora, Japanese singer (d. 1989)
1938 – Fay Vincent, American baseball commissioner
1939 – Al Unser, Sr., American race car driver
1940 – Farooq Leghari, Pakistani politician
1940 – Taiho Koki, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 48th Yokozuna
1941 – Doug Scott, British mountaineer
1942 – Pierre Bourque, French-Canadian politician
1942 – Kevin Conway, American actor
1943 – Robert W. Edgar, American theologian
1945 – Gary Brooker, English musician (Procol Harum)
1945 – Joyce Tenneson, American photographer
1946 – Fernando Buesa, Basque politician (d. 2000)
1947 – Gene Robinson, American ecclesiastic
1947 – Anthony Geary, American actor
1948 – Nick Mancuso, Italian-Canadian actor
1949 – Robert Axelrod, American actor
1949 – Andrew Clements, American author
1949 – Brian Kidd, English footballer
1949 – Francis Rossi, British musician
1949 – Cotter Smith, American actor
1950 – Rebbie Jackson, American musician
1951 – Peter Chernin, American television executive
1953 – Danny Elfman, American musician (Oingo Boingo)
1953 – Aleksandr Abdulov, Russian actor (d. 2008)
1954 – Robert Beaser, American composer
1954 – Jerry Moran, American politician, junior senator of Kansas
1955 – John Hinckley, Jr., American attempted assassin
1955 – Sut Jhally, Kenyan-born American educator
1955 – David Kirschner, American film producer
1955 – Ken Schrader, American race car driver
1956 – LaToya Jackson, American singer
1957 – Jeb Hensarling, American politician
1957 – Ted Levine, American actor
1958 – Annette Bening, American actress
1958 – Willem Holleeder, Dutch criminal
1958 – Karen Maruyama, Japanese-American actress and comedienne
1958 – Juliano Mer-Khamis, Israeli actor, director, filmmaker and political activist (d. 2011)
1958 – Uwe Rapolder, German footballer
1959 – Rupert Everett, English actor
1959 – Adrian Paul, English actor
1960 – Carol Kirkwood, Scottish weather presenter
1960 – Neil Crone, Canadian actor
1961 – Melissa Etheridge, American musician
1962 – Eric Davis, American baseball player
1962 – John D. LeMay, American actor
1962 – Fandi Ahmad, Singapore footballer
1963 – Blaze Bayley, British singer (Iron Maiden)
1963 – Tracey E. Bregman, American actress
1963 – Ukyo Katayama, Japanese racing driver
1963 – Lisa Whelchel, American actress
1964 – Howard Mills III, American politician
1964 – Jestoni Alarcon, Filipino actor and politician
1967 – Noel Gallagher, English musician (Oasis)
1967 – Mike Keane, Canadian hockey player
1967 – Steven Levitt, American economist
1967 – Iñaki Ochoa de Olza, Spanish mountaineer (d. 2008)
1968 – Tate George, American basketball player
1969 – Chan Kinchla, Canadian musician (Blues Traveler)
1970 – Roberto Di Matteo, Italian footballer
1971 – Eric Lucas, Canadian boxer
1971 – Bernd Mayländer, German racing driver
1972 – Bill Curley, American basketball player
1972 – Simon Jones, British musician (The Verve)
1972 – Közi, Japanese visual kei artist
1972 – Stanislas Renoult, French singer
1973 – Anthony Azizi, American actor
1973 – Mark Lee, American musician (guitarist for Third Day)
1973 – Alpay Özalan, Turkish footballer
1974 – Stephen Larkham, Australian rugby player
1974 – Aaron McGruder, American cartoonist
1974 – Myf Warhurst, Australian radio presenter TV personality
1975 – Jason Allison, Canadian professional ice hockey
1975 – Natarsha Belling, Australian news presenter
1975 – Melanie Brown, English musician and actress (Spice Girls)
1975 – David Burtka, American actor and chef
1975 – Sven Kubis, German footballer
1975 – Sarah Millican, English comedian
1975 – Daniel Tosh, American comedian
1975 – Anthony Wall, English golfer
1976 – David Buckner, American musician (Papa Roach)
1976 – Caçapa, Brazilian footballer
1976 – Jerry Hairston Jr., American baseball player
1976 – Yusuke Iseya, Japanese model and actor
1976 – Raef LaFrentz, American basketball player
1976 – Egor Titov, Russian footballer
1977 – Scott Allen, American figure skater
1977 – Massimo Ambrosini, Italian footballer
1977 – Danny Gerard, American actor
1977 – Antonio Lebo-Lebo, Angolan footballer
1978 – Pelle Almqvist, Swedish musician (The Hives)
1978 – Sébastien Grosjean, French tennis player
1978 – Lorenzo Odone, American patient (d. 2008)
1978 – Adam Rickitt, British actor
1979 – Arne Friedrich, German footballer
1979 – Shweta Gulati, Indian television actress
1979 – Brian Kendrick, American professional wrestler
1979 – Ahmad Latiff Khamaruddin, Singaporean footballer
1979 – John Rheinecker, American baseball player
1980 – Ernesto Farías, Argentine footballer
1981 – Andrei Arshavin, Russian footballer
1981 – Justin Chon, American actor
1982 – Ailyn, Spanish singer (Sirenia)
1982 – Ana Beatriz Barros, Brazilian model
1982 – Joanne Borgella, American model and singer
1982 – Anita Briem, Icelandic actress
1982 – Matt Macri, American baseball player
1982 – Kim Tae-Kyun, South Korean baseball player
1983 – Joanna Higson, English actress
1983 – Jean Makoun, Cameroonian footballer
1984 – Carmelo Anthony, American basketball player
1984 – Andreas Schäffer, German footballer
1985 – Nathan Horton, Canadian ice hockey player
1986 – Jaslene Gonzalez, Puerto Rican fashion model
1986 – Hornswoggle, American professional wrestler
1987 – Lina Andrijauskaite, Lithuanian athlete
1987 – Kelvin Maynard, Dutch footballer
1987 – Timur Özgöz, German footballer
1987 – Noah Reid, Canadian actor
1987 – Alessandra Torresani, American actress
1988 – Cheng Fei, Chinese gymnast
1989 – Riley Keough, American model and actress
1989 – Brandon Mychal Smith, American actor, singer, and dancer
1989 – Mathew Waters, Australian actor
1991 – Kristen Alderson, American actress
1991 – Saori Hayami, Japanese voice actress and singer
1991 – Tom Ljungman, Swedish actor
1992 – Gregg Sulkin, English actor
1993 – Jana Cepelová, Slovak tennis player

Deaths

1259 – King Christopher I of Denmark (b. 1219)
1379 – King Henry II of Castile (b. 1334)
1405 – Philippe de Mézières, advisor to Charles V of France
1425 – Hongxi Emperor of China (b. 1378)
1453 – Constantine XI Palaiologos, last Byzantine Emperor (b. 1404)
1500 – Bartolomeu Dias, Portuguese explorer
1546 – David Beaton, Scottish Catholic cardinal
1593 – John Penry, Welsh Protestant leader (b. 1559)
1628 – Anaukpetlun, King of Burma (b. 1578)
1660 – Frans van Schooten, Dutch mathematician (b. 1615)
1691 – Cornelis Tromp, Dutch admiral (b. 1629)
1790 – Israel Putnam, American Revolutionary War general (b. 1718)
1796 – Carl Fredrik Pechlin, Swedish politician (b. 1720)
1814 – Joséphine de Beauharnais, Empress of France (b. 1763)
1829 – Humphry Davy, English chemist (b. 1778)
1847 – Emmanuel, marquis de Grouchy, French marshal (b. 1766)
1866 – Winfield Scott, American general (b. 1786)
1868 – Michael Obrenovich III, Prince of Serbia (b. 1823)
1873 – Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine (b. 1870)
1882 – Vasily Perov, Russian painter (b. 1833)
1892 – Bahá'u'lláh, Persian founder of the Bahá'í Faith (b. 1817)
1896 – Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, French geologist (b. 1814)
1903 – Draga Mašin, Queen of Serbia (b. 1864)
1903 – Bruce Price, American architect (b. 1845)
1910 – Mily Balakirev, Russian composer (b. 1837)
1911 – W. S. Gilbert, English dramatist (b. 1836)
1917 – Kate Harrington, American teacher, writer and poet (b. 1831)
1919 – Robert Bacon, 39th United States Secretary of State (b. 1860)
1935 – Josef Suk, Czech composer and violinist (b. 1874)
1939 – Ursula Julia Ledochowska, Polish-Austrian Catholic saint (b. 1865)
1942 – John Barrymore, American actor (b. 1882)
1946 – Martin Gottfried Weiss, Commandant of Dachau concentration camp (b. 1905)
1948 – Dame May Whitty, English actress (b. 1865)
1951 – Fanny Brice, American singer/comedian (b. 1891)
1951 – Dimitrios Levidis, Greek composer (b. 1885)
1953 – Man Mountain Dean, American professional wrestler (b. 1891)
1958 – Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1881)
1970 – John Gunther, American writer (b. 1901)
1972 – Moe Berg, American baseball player and spy (b. 1902)
1972 – Prithviraj Kapoor Indian Actor (b.1906)
1972 – Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-born mechanical engineer (b. 1878)
1973 – P. Ramlee, Malaysian film actor, director, singer and songwriter. (b. 1929)
1977 – Ba Maw, Burmese politician (b. 1893)
1979 – Mary Pickford, Canadian-born American actress and studio founder (b. 1892)
1979 – John H. Wood, Jr., American federal judge (b. 1916)
1982 – Romy Schneider, Austrian actress (b. 1938)
1983 – Arvids Pelše, Soviet Latvian statesman (b. 1899)
1987 – Charan Singh. Indian Prime Minister(b.1902)
1989 – John Cipollina, American musician (Quicksilver Messenger Service) (b. 1943)
1993 – Billy Conn, American boxer (b. 1917)
1994 – Erich Honecker, leader of East Germany (b. 1912)
1996 – Tamara Toumanova, Ballet star and actress (b. 1919)
1997 – Jeff Buckley, American musician (b. 1966)
1997 – George Fenneman, American radio and television announcer (b. 1919)
1998 – Barry M. Goldwater, U.S. Senator from Arizona and presidential candidate (b. 1909)
2002 – Mildred Benson, American writer (b. 1905)
2003 – David Jefferies, British motorcycle racer (b. 1972)
2004 – Archibald Cox, Watergate special prosecutor (b. 1912)
2004 – Samuel Dash, American Congressional counsel (b. 1925)
2005 – George Rochberg, American composer (b. 1918)
2005 – Hamilton Naki, South African medical assistant (b. 1926)
2006 – Steve Mizerak, American pool player (b. 1944)
2006 – Jacques Bouchard, Quebec advertising executive (b. 1930)
2007 – Dave Balon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1938)
2007 – Lois Browne-Evans, Bermudian politician (b. 1927)
2008 – Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1987)
2008 – Harvey Korman, American actor (b. 1927)
2009 – Karine Ruby, French snowboarder and Olympic champion (b. 1978)
2010 – Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (b. 1936)
2011 – Ferenc Mádl, Hungarian politician, President of Hungary (b. 1931)
2011 – Bill Clements, Governor of Texas (b. 1917)
2011 – Sergei Bagapsh, Abkhazian president (b. 1949)