Paavo Lotjonen

July 29

Events

1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, and his subsequent savage treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of shock.
1030 - Ladejarl-Fairhair succession wars: Battle of Stiklestad - King Olaf II fights and dies trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes.
1565 - The widowed Mary Queen of Scots marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Duke of Albany at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1567 - James VI is crowned King of Scotland at Stirling.
1588 - Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines - English naval forces under command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeat the Spanish Armada off the coast of Gravelines, France.
1693 - War of the Grand Alliance: Battle of Landen - France wins a Pyrrhic victory over Allied forces in the Netherlands.
1793 - John Graves Simcoe decides to build a fort and settlement at Toronto, having sailed into the bay there.
1830 - Abdication of Charles X of France.
1836 - Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
1847 - Cumberland School of Law founded in Lebanon, Tennessee, USA. At the end of 1847 only 15 law schools exist in the United States.
1848 - Irish Potato Famine: Tipperary Revolt - in Tipperary, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule is put down by police.
1851 - Annibale de Gasparis discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia.
1858 - United States and Japan sign the Harris Treaty.
1864 - American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, DC.
1899 - The First Hague Convention is signed.
1900 - In Italy, King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by Italian-born anarchist Gaetano Bresci.
1907 - Sir Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. The camp ran from August 1-9, 1907, and is regarded as the founding of the Scouting movement.
1920 - Construction of the Link River Dam begins as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project.
1921 - Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party.
1932 - Great Depression: in Washington, DC, U.S. troops disperse the last of the "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans.
1937 - Tongzhou Incident
1945 - The BBC Light Programme radio station was launched for mainstream light entertainment and music.
1948 - Olympic Games: The Games of the XIV Olympiad - after a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, the first Summer Olympics to be held since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin opened in London.
1957 - The International Atomic Energy Agency is established.
1958 - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
1959 - First United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union.
1965 - Vietnam War: the first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay.
1966 - Bob Dylan is injured in a motorcycle accident near Woodstock, New York.
1967 - Vietnam War: off the coast of North Vietnam the USS Forrestal catches on fire in the worst U.S. naval disaster since World War II, killing 134.
1967 - At the fourth day of celebrating its 400th anniversary, the city of Caracas, Venezuela was shaken by an earthquake, leaving approximately 500 dead.
1976 - In New York City, the "Son of Sam" kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks.
1981 - Marriage of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.
1987 - British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build the tunnel under the English Channel (Eurotunnel).
1987 - Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayawardene sign the Indo-Lankan Pact on ethnic issues.
1993 - The Israeli Supreme Court acquits alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free.
1996 - The controversial child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act (1996) is struck down as too broad by a U.S. federal court.
2005 - Astronomers announce their discovery of Eris.

Births

1166 - Henry II of Champagne (d. 1197)
1605 - Simon Dach, German poet (d. 1659)
1763 - Philip Charles Durham, Royal Navy Admiral (d. 1845)
1797 - Daniel Drew, American financier (d. 1879)
1801 - George Bradshaw, English publisher (d. 1853)
1805 - Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian and political scientist (d. 1859)
1843 - Johannes Schmidt, German linguist (d. 1901)
1849 - Max Nordau, Austrian author and Zionist leader (d. 1923)
1869 - Booth Tarkington, American author (d. 1946)
1872 - Eric Alfred Knudsen, American folklorist (d. 1957)
1874 - James Shaver Woodsworth, Canadian politician (d. 1942)
1876 - Maria Ouspenskaya, Russian-born actress (d. 1949)
1878 - Don Marquis, American author (d. 1937)
1883 - Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian poet and writer (d. 1942)
1883 - Benito Mussolini, Italian dictator (d. 1945)
1884 - Ralph A. Bard, U.S. Navy Undersecretary (d. 1975)
1885 - Theda Bara, American film actress (d. 1955)
1887 - Sigmund Romberg, Hungarian-born composer (d. 1951)
1892 - William Powell, American actor (d. 1984)
1897 - Sir Neil Ritchie, British general (d. 1983)
1898 - Isidor Isaac Rabi, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1988)
1899 - Walter Beall, American baseball player (d. 1959)
1900 - Eyvind Johnson, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1976)
1900 - Don Redman, American musician (d. 1964)
1904 - J. R. D. Tata, Indian industrialist (d. 1993)
1905 - Clara Bow, American actress (d. 1965)
1905 - Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish 2nd UN Secretary-General, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1961)
1905 - Thelma Todd, American actress (d. 1935)
1905 - Stanley Kunitz, American poet (d. 2006)
1906 - Diana Vreeland, French-born fashion editor (d. 1989)
1907 - Melvin Belli, American lawyer and actor (d. 1996)
1911 - Foster Furcolo, 60^th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1995)
1911 - Iakovos, Archbishop of America (d. 2005)
1913 - Erich Priebke, Nazi war criminal
1914 - Irwin Corey, American stand-up comedian
1915 - Bruce R. McConkie, LDS apostle and author (d. 1985)
1915 - Francis W. Sargent, 64^th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1998)
1916 - Charlie Christian, American jazz guitarist (d. 1942)
1916 - Budd Boetticher, American film director (d. 2001)
1918 - Edwin O'Connor, American novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner (d. 1968)
1920 - Rodolfo Acosta, Mexican actor (d. 1974)
1920 - Neville Jeffress, Australian founder of Media Monitors Australia (d. 2007)
1921 - Richard Egan, American actor (d. 1987)
1923 - Jim Marshall, founder of Marshall Amplification
1923 - Gordon Mitchell, American actor (d. 2003)
1924 - Lloyd Bochner, Canadian actor (d. 2005)
1924 - Robert Horton, American actor
1924 - Elizabeth Short, victim in the Black Dahlia case (d. 1947)
1925 - Mikis Theodorakis, Greek composer
1925 - Ted Lindsay, Canadian hockey player
1927 - Harry Mulisch, Dutch author
1929 - Jean Baudrillard, French philosopher
1930 - Paul Taylor, American dancer and choreographer
1932 - Nancy Kassebaum Baker, United States Senator from Kansas
1933 - Lou Albano, American pro wrestling manager
1933 - Colin Davis, British racing driver
1933 - Robert Fuller, American actor
1935 - Peter Schreier, German tenor
1936 - Elizabeth Dole, U.S. Senator from North Carolina
1937 - Daniel McFadden, American economist, Nobel Prize Laureate
1938 - Peter Jennings, Canadian-born journalist (d. 2005)
1938 - Jean Rochon, Quebec politician
1941 - Jennifer Dunn, American politician (d. 2007)
1941 - David Warner, English actor
1942 - Tony Sirico, American actor
1943 - David Taylor, English snooker player
1946 - Neal Doughty, American musician (REO Speedwagon)
1946 - Diane Keen, English actress
1947 - Dick Harmon, American golf instructor (d. 2006)
1949 - Leslie Easterbrook, American actress
1951 - Dan Driessen, American baseball player
1951 - Dean Pitchford, American songwriter, filmmaker and novelist
1953 - Ken Burns, American producer and director
1953 - Geddy Lee, Canadian bassist and singer (Rush)
1953 - Patti Scialfa, American singer, guitarist and songwriter
1953 - Tim Gunn, American television personality
1955 - Dave Stevens, American illustrator
1955 - Jean-Hugues Anglade, French actor
1956 - Teddy Atlas, American boxing trainer and commentator
1956 - Ronnie Musgrove, Former Governor of Mississippi
1957 - Nellie Kim, Russian gymnast
1957 - Alessandra Marc, American operatic soprano
1959 - Sanjay Dutt, Indian actor
1959 - Ruud Janssen, Dutch writer and artist
1959 - Dave LaPoint, American baseball player
1959 - John Sykes, British guitarist (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Tygers of Pan Tang)
1962 - Vincent Rousseau, Belgian athlete
1962 - Scott Steiner, American professional wrestler
1963 - Graham Poll, English football referee
1963 - Jim Beglin, Irish football commentator
1963 - Alexandra Paul, American actress
1965 - Chang-Rae Lee, Korean-born author
1965 - Luis Alicea, baseball coach
1965 - Dean Haglund, Canadian actor
1966 - Martina McBride, American singer
1966 - Richard Steven Horvitz, American comic voiceactor
1968 - Paavo Lotjonen, Finnish Cellist (Apocalyptica)
1970 - John Rennie, Former Zimbabwean cricketer
1971 - Monica Calhoun, American actress
1971 - Lisa Ekdahl, Swedish singer songwriter
1972 - Wil Wheaton, American actor
1973 - Stephen Dorff, American actor
1973 - Wanya Morris, American singer (Boyz II Men)
1974 - Josh Radnor, American actor
1975 - Corrado Grabbi, Italian footballer
1975 - Lanka de Silva, Former Sri Lankan cricketer
1979 - Karim Essediri, Tunisian footballer
1979 - Ronald Murray, American basketball player
1980 - Ryan Braun, Canadian baseball player
1980 - Fernando González, Chilean tennis player
1980 - Rachel Miner, American actress
1981 - Fernando Alonso, Spanish Formula 1 Driver
1981 - Andrés Madrid, Argentine footballer
1981 - Troy Perkins, American soccer player
1982 - Janez Aljančič, Slovenian footballer
1982 - Jônatas Domingos, Brazilian footballer
1982 - Allison Mack, American actress
1983 - Alexei Kaigorodov, Russian hockey player
1984 - Chad Billingsley, American baseball player
1987 - Sabra Johnson, American dancer
1991 - Miki Ishikawa, American actress

Deaths

238 - Pupienus, Roman Emperor
238 - Balbinus, Roman Emperor
1030 - Olaf II of Norway (b. 995)
1099 - Pope Urban II (b. 1042)
1108 - Philip I of France (b. 1052)
1507 - Martin Behaim, German-born navigator and geographer (b. 1459)
1612 - Jacques Bongars, French scholar and diplomat (b. 1554)
1644 - Pope Urban VIII (b. 1568)
1752 - Peter Warren, British admiral
1781 - Johann Kies, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1713)
1792 - René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, Chancellor of France (b. 1714)
1813 - Jean-Andoche Junot, French general (b. 1771)
1833 - William Wilberforce, English abolitionist (b. 1759)
1839 - Gaspard de Prony, French mathematician (b. 1755)
1844 - Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, Austrian composer (b. 1791)
1856 - Robert Schumann, German composer (b. 1810)
1857 - Thomas Dick, Scottish scientific teacher and writer (b. 1774)
1887 - Agostino Depretis, Italian statesman (d. 1813)
1890 - Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter (b. 1853)
1900 - King Umberto I of Italy (b. 1844)
1913 - Tobias Michael Carel Asser, Dutch jurist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1838)
1918 - Ernest William Christmas, Australian painter (b. 1863)
1934 - Didier Pitre, French Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1883)
1938 - Nikolai Krylenko, Russian/Soviet jurist and politician (b. 1885)
1950 - Joe Fry, British racing driver (b. 1915)
1954 - Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater (b. 1879)
1964 - Vean Gregg, American baseball player (b. 1885)
1970 - John Barbirolli, English conductor (b. 1899)
1973 - Norm Smith, Australian rules footballer and coach (b. 1915)
1973 - Roger Williamson, English racing driver (b. 1948)
1974 - Cass Elliot, American musician (b. 1941)
1974 - Erich Kästner, German author (b. 1899)
1976 - Mickey Cohen, American gangster (b. 1913)
1979 - Herbert Marcuse, German philosopher (b. 1898)
1979 - Bill Todman, American television producer (b. 1916)
1981 - Robert Moses, American urban planner (b. 1888)
1982 - Harold Sakata, Japanese-American actor (b. 1920)
1982 - Vladimir Zworykin, Russian physicist and inventor (b. 1889)
1983 - Luis Buñuel, Spanish director (b. 1900)
1983 - Raymond Massey, Canadian actor (b. 1896)
1983 - David Niven, English actor (b. 1910)
1984 - Fred Waring, American band leader and inventor (b. 1900)
1987 - Bibhutibhushan Mukhopadhyay, Bengali author (b. 1894)
1990 - Bruno Kreisky, Chancellor of Austria (b. 1911)
1992 - Michel Larocque, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1952)
1994 - Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, British chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1910)
1995 - Les Elgart, American jazz musician and bandleader (b. 1917)
1996 - Ric Nordman, Canadian politician (b. 1919)
1996 - Jason Thirsk, American bassist (Pennywise) (b. 1967)
1996 - Marcel-Paul Schützenberger, French mathematician (b. 1920)
1998 - Jerome Robbins, American choreographer (b. 1918)
2001 - Edward Gierek, Polish politician (b. 1913)
2001 - Wau Holland, German computer hacker (b. 1951)
2003 - Foday Sankoh, Sierra Leonean rebel leader (b. 1937)
2004 - Rena Vlahopoulou, Greek actress and singer (b. 1923)
2007 - Mike Reid, English comedian and actor (b. 1940)
2007 - Michel Serrault, French actor (b. 1928)
2007 - Tom Snyder, American television personality (b. 1936)
2007 - Marvin Zindler, American television reporter (b. 1921)
2008 - Ishmeet Singh Sodhi, Indian Playback Singer (b. 1989)

Holidays and observances

Faroe Islands - Ólavsøka: opening of the Løgting session.
National Anthem Day in Romania.

Roman Catholicism

Saint Eugenius, king [Magdeburg]
Saint Felix I, pope, and companions (Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrix, (siblings)), martyrs [common]
Saint Ladislas, king, confessor (Deposition) [Hungary]
Saint Lupus, bishop of Troyes, confessor [Cologne, Constance, Metz, Paris, France]
Saint Olaf II of Norway, king of Norway, martyr, patron of woodcarvers [Sleswig, Scandinavia] - celebrated in Norway as Olsok (St. Olav's Day)
Saint Pantaleon [Paris]
Saint Beatrice of Nazareth
Saint Martha, host of Christ, sister of Lazarus, patron saint of cooks, domestic staff and dieticians [common]
Saint Serafina