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John Glenn returns to space

Born on This Day

Bob Ross

1942 - 1995

Frizzy-haired artist whose long-running PBS series "The Joy of Painting" inspired millions to pick up a brush.

Fanny Brice

1891 - 1951

"Ziegfeld Follies" star famed for her comedic gifts and songs like "Second Hand Rose." Inspired the 1960s musical "Funny Girl."

Tracee Ellis Ross

1972 -

Actress and daughter of pop diva Diana Ross who starred in the long-running sitcoms "Girlfriends" and "Black-ish."

Bob RossGetty Images

Fanny BriceGetty Images

Tracee Ellis RossWireImage

2024

OCT29

A study published in the journal Antiquities reveals the discovery of a huge 1,500-year-old Mayan city hidden in the jungles of Mexico's Yucatán peninsula. It contains more than 6,000 structures, including pyramids like the ones at Chichén Itzá.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on October 29th

Sir Walter Raleigh executed

Sir Walter Raleigh, English adventurer, writer and favorite courtier of Queen Elizabeth I, is beheaded in London, under a sentence brought against him 15 years earlier for conspiracy against King James I. During Elizabeth’s reign, Raleigh organized three major expeditions to America, including the first English settlement in America, in 1587—the ill-fated Roanoke settlement located […]

President William McKinley’s assassin is executed

On October 29, 1901, President William McKinley’s assassin, Leon Czolgosz, is executed in the electric chair at Auburn Prison in New York. Czolgosz had shot McKinley on September 6, 1901; the president succumbed to his wounds eight days later. McKinley was shaking hands in a long reception line at the Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo, New […]

German sailors begin to mutiny

On October 29, 1918, sailors in the German High Seas Fleet refuse to obey an order from the German Admiralty to go to sea to launch one final attack on the British navy. Their defiance echoes the despondent mood of many on the side of the Central Powers during the last days of World War […]

Stock market crashes on Black Tuesday

Black Tuesday hits Wall Street on October 29, 1929 as investors trade 16,410,030 shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day. Billions of dollars were lost, wiping out thousands of investors, and stock tickers ran hours behind because the machinery could not handle the tremendous volume of trading. In the aftermath of […]

‘Rebel Without a Cause’ released one month after James Dean’s death

On October 29, 1955, almost one month after up-and-coming actor James Dean died in a tragic car crash at the age of 24, Warner Bros. Pictures releases his second major film, Rebel Without a Cause. In the movie, Dean played Jim Stark, a rebellious teenager who moves to Los Angeles, where he clashes with his father, […]

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Israel invades Egypt; Suez Crisis begins

Israeli armed forces push into Egypt toward the Suez Canal, initiating the Suez Crisis. They would soon be joined by French and British forces, creating a serious Cold War problem in the Middle East. The catalyst for the joint Israeli-British-French attack on Egypt was the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egyptian leader General Gamal […]

‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ is published

On October 29, 1965, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” is first published, nine months after its subject’s assassination. The autobiography helped shape the slain civil rights leader’s legacy.

First electronic message is sent via internet precursor ARPANET

On October 29, 1969, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, successfully send the Stanford Research Institute a first-of-its-kind electronic message on ARPANET, the forerunner of the modern internet. At the time, what we now call the internet began as a rudimentary experimental computer network, commissioned and funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency […]

“Chicago Eight” defendant Bobby Seale gagged during his trial

Following several outbursts, the judge orders “Chicago Eight” defendant Bobby Seale gagged and chained to his chair during his trial. Seale and his seven fellow defendants (David Dellinger, Rennie Davis, Thomas Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Lee Weiner, and John Froines) had been charged with conspiracy to cross state lines with intent to cause a […]

Guitarist Duane Allman dies in motorcycle accident

Duane Allman, a slide guitarist and the leader of the Allman Brothers Band, is killed on October 29, 1971 when he loses control of his motorcycle and drives into the side of a flatbed truck in Macon, Georgia. He was 24 years old. After Allman’s death, his band continued to tour and record. In 2004, […]

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LeBron James debuts in the NBA

On October 29, 2003, 18-year-old basketball prodigy LeBron James scores 25 points, grabs six rebounds and dishes out nine assists, but his Cleveland Cavaliers lose to the more experienced Sacramento Kings, 106-92. His debut is one of the most impressive in league history—only months earlier, James had graduated from high school. “I was able to […]

Superstorm Sandy makes landfall in New Jersey

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy barrels into the New Jersey coastline near Brigantine, slightly northeast of Atlantic City. At least 147 people died, and damages totaled more than $62 billion.

China announces the end of its controversial one-child policy

On October 29, 2015, the Chinese government officially announces the end of its one-child policy, ending the most extreme state birth control project in history after 35 years. Adapted from a two-child policy instituted in 1970, these extreme measures were deemed necessary due to concerns over the rapidly expanding Chinese population, which had ballooned from […]

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