On This Day in History - July 29th - Almanac

Today is Wednesday, July 29, the 211th day of 2020 with 155 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mars, Neptune and Saturn.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include French historian Alexis de Tocqueville in 1805; novelist Booth Tarkington in 1869; Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in 1883; Dag Hammarskjold, second U.N. secretary-general/Nobel Peace Prize laureate, in 1905; actor Clara Bow in 1905; author Chester Himes in 1909; Elizabeth Dole, former U.S. labor secretary/U.S. senator in 1936 (age 84); TV anchorman Peter Jennings in 1938; artist Jenny Holzer in 1950 (age 70); documentary filmmaker Ken Burns in 1953 (age 67); musician Geddy Lee in 1953 (age 67); musician Patti Scialfa in 1953 (age 67); TV host Tim Gunn in 1953 (age 67); country singer Martina McBride in 1966 (age 54); actor Timothy Omundson in 1969 (age 51); actor Wil Wheaton in 1972 (age 48); actor Josh Radnor in 1974 (age 46); Formula 1 champion driver Fernando Alonso in 1981 (age 39); NFL quarterback Dak Prescott in 1993 (age 27).

On this date in history:

In 1588, off the coast of Gravelines, France, Spain's "Invincible Armada" was defeated by an English naval force under the command of Charles Howard and Francis Drake.

In 1794, the first African Methodist Episcopal Church, Mother Bethel, was dedicated in Philadelphia. The church was founded by Black members of St. George's Methodist Church who left the congregation due to racial segregation at the church.

In 1848, at the height of the potato famine in Ireland, an abortive nationalist revolt against English rule was crushed by government police in Tipperary.

In 1900, Italian King Umberto I was shot to death by Gaetano Bresci, an Italian-born anarchist who resided in the United States before returning to his homeland to kill the king.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration -- NASA.

In 1967, a fire aboard the USS Forrestal killed 134 U.S. service members and injured another 161. The super carrier was in the Gulf of Tonkin launching aircraft in missions against targets in North Vietnam.

In 1976, David Berkowitz, the so-called "Son of Sam," fatally shot two people in the Bronx, the first in a series of shootings that would terrorize New York City for months. Berkowitz pleaded guilty to the murders and was sentenced to more than 300 years in prison.

In 1981, British Prince Charles, son of the queen, married Diana Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Diana was killed in a car crash in 1997.

In 1999, a federal judge in Little Rock, Ark., fined U.S. President Bill Clinton $89,000 for lying about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky in his deposition in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case.

In 2004, Democrats nominated Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts to oppose Republican incumbent George W. Bush in the November presidential election.

In 2008, U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, was indicted by a federal grand jury on seven felony counts accusing him of failing to disclose gifts from an oil services company. Stevens died in a 2010 plane crash.

In 2019, "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus broke the record for longest-running Billboard Hot 100 No. 1. The previous record was set by Mariah Carey's "One Sweet Day."

A thought for the day: "Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age." -- American novelist Booth Tarkington