Today In History: July 29
1864 β American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C..
1901 β The Socialist Party of America is founded.
1921 β Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party.
1932 β Great Depression: in Washington, D.C., troops disperse the last of the “Bonus Army” of World War I veterans.
1948 β Olympic Games: The Games of the XIV Olympiad β 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, open in London.
1957 β The International Atomic Energy Agency is established.
1958 β 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 β First United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union.
1967 β 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.
1976 β In New York City, David Berkowitz (aka the “Son of Sam”) kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks.
1987 β British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France FranΓ§ois Mitterrand sign the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel (Eurotunnel).
1993 β The Israeli Supreme Court acquits alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free.
1996 β The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act is struck down by a U.S. federal court as too broad .
2005 β Astronomers announce their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris.
Born on July 29:
1883 β Benito Mussolini, Italian fascist dictator (d. 1945)
1938 β Peter Jennings, Canadian-born American journalist (d. 2005)
1953 β Geddy Lee, Canadian bassist and singer (Rush)
1972 β Wil Wheaton, American actor
Today in Alaskan history:
1968 While a Dutch clairvoyant and a Kenai dowser were looking 100 miles in the wrong direction, bush pilot Mort Clement found a lost plane near Simpson Pass, earning a $3000 reward.
