This Day in History: 10/29/1998 - John Glenn Returns to Space - HISTORY

In this "This Day in History" video clip learn about different events that have occurred on October 29th. Some of the events include Black Tuesday when the stock market crashed and when Israel invaded the Sinai Peninsula. Also, Muhammad Ali won his first fight and John Glenn returned to space.

FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

RELATED CONTENT

In this "This Day in History" video clip learn about different events that have occurred on November 29th. Some of these events include Richard Bird flying over the South Pole and President Johnson establishing the Warren commission. Also, George Harrison died and Israel is officially called a country.

Russell Mitchell recaps the major historical events that occurred on March 29th in this video clip from This Day In History. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of spying for the USSR, by means of giving the Soviets American nuclear secrets. Comedian Jack Benny made his radio debut on this day along with his violin as a prop. Ending American involvement in the Vietnam War, the last US troops left Vietnam on March 29th. Also, Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian president was declared an enemy by Israel.

This clip from This Day In History, we get to see some remarkable things that have taken place across the globe on June 29th. From the Globe Theater being burned down, to the shaking of hands among old rivals in space. See it all here and learn that everyday something incredible happens on Earth.

In this This Day in History video, take a look at May 29, the day Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the day in 1903 when entertainer Bob Hope was born, and the day in 1973 that Tom Bradley became the first African American mayor of Los Angeles.

On this day in 1936, the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame elects its first members in Cooperstown, New York: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson and Walter Johnson. The Hall of Fame actually had its beginnings in 1935, when plans were made to build a museum devoted to baseball and its 100-year history. A private organization based in Cooperstown called the Clark Foundation thought that establishing the Baseball Hall of Fame in their city would help to reinvigorate the area's Depression-ravaged economy by attracting tourists. To help sell the idea, the foundation advanced the idea that U.S. Civil War hero Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown. The story proved to be phony, but baseball officials, eager to capitalize on the marketing and publicity potential of a museum to honor the game's greats, gave their support to the project anyway. In preparation for the dedication of the Hall of Fame in 1939--thought by many to be the centennial of baseball--the Baseball Writers' Association of America chose the five greatest superstars of the game as the first class to be inducted: Ty Cobb was the most productive hitter in history; Babe Ruth was both an ace pitcher and the greatest home-run hitter to play the game; Honus Wagner was a versatile star shortstop and batting champion; Christy Matthewson had more wins than any pitcher in National League history; and Walter Johnson was considered one of the most powerful pitchers to ever have taken the mound. Today, with approximately 350,000 visitors per year, the Hall of Fame continues to be the hub of all things baseball. It has elected 278 individuals, in all, including 225 players, 17 managers, 8 umpires and 28 executives and pioneers.

The hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro reaches a dramatic climax when U.S. Navy F-14 fighters intercept an Egyptian airliner attempting to fly the Palestinian hijackers to freedom and force the jet to land at a NATO base in Sigonella, Sicily. American and Italian troops surrounded the plane, and the terrorists were taken into Italian custody. On October 7, four heavily armed Palestinian terrorists hijacked the Achille Lauro in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt. Some 320 crewmembers and 80 passengers, including 11 Americans, were taken hostage. Hundreds of other passengers had disembarked the cruise ship earlier that day to visit Cairo and tour the Egyptian pyramids. Identifying themselves as members of the Palestine Liberation Front--a Palestinian splinter group--the gunmen demanded the release of 50 Palestinian militants imprisoned in Israel. If their demands were not met, they threatened to blow up the ship and kill the Americans on board. The next morning, they also threatened to kill the British passengers.