September 29 - Baker

Baker

This Day In History

1789

The United States Department of War first establishes a regular army with a strength of several hundred men.

1829

The Metropolitan Police of London, later also known as the Met, is founded.

1885

The first practical public electric tramway in the world is opened in Blackpool, England.

1907

The cornerstone is laid at Washington National Cathedral in the U.S. capital.

1951

The first live sporting event seen coast-to-coast in the United States, a college football game between Duke and the University of Pittsburgh, is televised on NBC.

1954

The convention establishing CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) is signed.

1979

Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to set foot on Irish soil with his pastoral visit to the Republic of Ireland.

1990

Construction of the Washington National Cathedral is completed.

2004

The Burt Rutan Ansari X Prize entry SpaceShipOne performs a successful spaceflight, the first of two required to win the prize.

Famous Birthdays

1240

Margaret of England, Queen consort of Scotland, (d. 1275)

1518

Tintoretto, Italian painter (d. 1594)

1547

Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish author (d. 1616)

1571

Caravaggio, Italian artist (d. 1610)

1758

Horatio Nelson, British admiral (d. 1805)

1803

Mercator Cooper, American sea captain (d. 1872)

1895

Roscoe Turner, American aviator and racer (d. 1970)

1899

László Bíró, Hungarian inventor of the modern ballpoint pen (d. 1985)

1901

Enrico Fermi, Italian physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1954)

1907

Gene Autry, American actor, singer, and businessman (d. 1998)

1923

Stan Berenstain, American children's author (d. 2005)

1930

Colin Dexter, British author of Inspector Morse novels
1935
Jerry Lee Lewis, American musician
1942
Madeline Kahn, American actress (d. 1999)
1943
Lech Wałęsa, President of Poland, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
1944
Mike Post, American composer
1956
Sebastian Coe, British athlete
1962
Roger Bart, American actor
1966
Hersey Hawkins, American basketball player