Today's Trivia and What Happened on May 29

Today's Puzzle

Today's Puzzle

Name an English word that has three consecutive sets of double letters?

Bookkeeper

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Quote: What a country! You have so many things we never had in Russia - like warning shots. In Soviet Union, they shoot you to warn the other guy. - Yakov Smirnoff

Quote: What a country! You have so many things we never had in Russia - like warning shots. In Soviet Union, they shoot you to warn the other guy. - Yakov Smirnoff Close Large View

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What Happened On

Hillary (left) with Norgay Hillary (left) with Norgay
Photo Credit: Jamling Tenzing Norgay

Hillary (left) with Norgay Hillary (left) with Norgay
Photo Credit: Jamling Tenzing Norgay
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Mount Everest Summit

May 29, 1953

The summit of Mount Everest is first reached, by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
They were the ninth mountaineering expedition to attempt the ascent of Mount Everest, and the first confirmed to have succeeded.
Years before, when George Leigh-Mallory was asked why he wanted to climb Everest, he replied "Because it's there". Mallory disappeared while attempting a summit of Everest in 1924. Some speculate that his team had reached the summit before they disappeared, but this has not been proven.

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Bing Crosby Records White Christmas

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Bing Crosby Records White Christmas

May 29, 1942

Bing Crosby records the song White Christmas. This recording of White Christmas has sold over 50,000,000 copies and is the world's best-selling single of all time. It took only 18 minutes to record and was recorded for Decca Records and featured the John Scott Trotter Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers.
This recording is the only single to top the U.S. charts three times (1942, 1945, 1946).
Crosby would also sing the song in the movies Holiday Inn (1942) and White Christmas (1954).
The song was written by Irving Berlin, who was Jewish. The various versions of the song have sold over 100,000,000 copies.

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The Rite of Spring go to Video for The Rite of Spring

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The Rite of Spring

May 29, 1913

Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring premieres in Paris. Its daring harmonies and shifting rhythms created an uproar that is unequaled in music history. It has been much derided, with many calling it "The Riot of Spring." It is now one of the most recorded works of classical music.

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Mehmed II's entry into Constantinople, by Fausto Zonaro Mehmed II's entry into Constantinople, by Fausto Zonaro

Mehmed II's entry into Constantinople, by Fausto Zonaro Mehmed II's entry into Constantinople, by Fausto Zonaro
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Start of the Renaissance

May 29, 1453

The Turks capture Constantinople marking the end of the Byzantine Empire. After the fall of Constantinople, many scholars, poets, writers, musicians, astronomers, architects, artists, philosophers, scientists, politicians, and theologians fled to Western Europe. This migration is considered to have started the revival of Greek and Roman studies that led to the development of the Renaissance. The Turks were commanded by the 21-year-old Sultan Mehmed II, defeating the army commanded by Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos.

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Secret Underground Bomb Shelter

May 29, 1992

U.S. reveals the existence of a secret underground bomb shelter, which was built for Congress in case of a nuclear attack.

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Michael Jackson Tries to Buy the Elephant Man's Bones Photo Credit: Zoran Veselinovic

Michael Jackson Tries to Buy the Elephant Man's Bones Photo Credit: Zoran Veselinovic
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Michael Jackson Tries to Buy the Elephant Man's Bones

May 29, 1987

The London Hospital Medical College refuses to sell Michael Jackson the remains of Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man.

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Mr. I. Magination go to Video for Mr. I. Magination

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Mr. I. Magination

May 29, 1949

The children's show Mr. I. Magination debuts on CBS, starring Paul Tripp. One of the earliest children's television shows, it ran live as a half-hour weekly show on CBS from 1949 to 1952. On the show, a child would ask about something and Mr. I. Magination (Tripp) would play his magic slide flute, transporting them to Imagination Land where they could learn about it.

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Wisconsin

May 29, 1848

Wisconsin becomes the 30th state. Wisconsin is Chippewa for "grassy place."

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The American Flag

May 29, 1819

The poem The American Flag by Joseph Rodman Drake is first published, in the New York Evening Post.
"When Freedom, from her mountain height,
Unfurled her standard to the air,
She tore the azure robe of night,
And set the stars of glory there!"

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Rhode Island

May 29, 1790

Rhode Island becomes the 13th state.

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The History of New England

May 29, 1630

John Winthrop begins writing The History of New England, which later became the inspiration for Longfellow's New England Tragedies.

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Birthdays

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

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John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Born May 29, 1917 d. 1963

American politician. 35th U.S. President (1961-63), the youngest person elected president (43 years old). He was assassinated in Dallas.

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Bob Hope

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Bob Hope (Leslie Townes Hope)

Born May 29, 1903 d. 2003

English-born American Emmy-winning comedian, entertainer of the troops. He is often credited with helping create the modern version of American stand-up comedy. Hope was declared an honorary veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces in 1997 by an act of the U.S. Congress in recognition for the 57 USO tours he made between 1941 and 1991. He also won five Oscars for his humanitarian actions and contributions to the industry.

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Ebenezer Butterick

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Revolutionized Home Sewing

Ebenezer Butterick

Born May 29, 1826 d. 1903

American inventor. He and his wife Ellen invented multiple-sized tissue paper clothing patterns (1863). Before then, patterns consisted of a single size for each design and the sewer had to figure out how to resize the pattern to fit their needs. Since many home sewers were unable to resize the patterns themselves, the Butterick's patterns revolutionized home sewing.

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John Walker Photo Credit: Sebastian Ritter

John Walker Photo Credit: Sebastian Ritter
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Inventor of the Friction Match

John Walker

Born May 29, 1781 d. 1859

English chemist. Invented the friction match (1826). His matches consisted of wooden splints or sticks of cardboard tipped with a mixture of sulphide of antimony, chlorate of potash, and gum so that they would ignite when scratched on a rough surface. They were coated in sulfur to cause the flame to ignite the wood.
The price of a box of 50 matches was one shilling. Each box included a folded piece of sandpaper, through which the match had to be drawn to ignite it.
Early matches, including Walker's, were dangerous as flaming balls of fire would sometimes fall to the floor burning carpets and dresses, leading to their ban in France and Germany.
Walker refused to patent his idea, feeling it was too trivial of an invention.

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Patrick Henry

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Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!

Patrick Henry

Born May 29, 1736 d. 1799

American patriot. Known for his famous 1775 quote during the American Revolution: "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

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La Toya Jackson (La Toya Yvonne Jackson)

Born May 29, 1956

American singer.

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John Warnock Hinckley, Jr.

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Would-Be Presidential Assassin

John Warnock Hinckley, Jr.

Born May 29, 1955

American criminal. He shot U.S. President Ronald Reagan and James Brady (1981) in an effort to impress actress Jodie Foster. He was tried and found not guilty by reason of insanity. He was released from institutional psychiatric care in 2016, and will live full-time at his mother's home.

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Maurice Bishop

Born May 29, 1944 d. 1983

Grenadian revolutionary, Prime Minister of Grenada (1979-83). He was killed by the forces of his Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard - A hard-line Marxist. After his execution, Grenada's governor-general Paul Scoon, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), and the nations of Barbados and Jamaica appealed to the U.S. for assistance, leading to the U.S. invasion of Grenada.

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Al Unser Sr.

Born May 29, 1939 d. 2021

American auto racer. Four-time Indy 500 winner (1970-71, 78, 87).

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Eugene A. Marino

Born May 29, 1934 d. 2000

American religious leader. He was the first black American Catholic archbishop (1988-90, Atlanta). After becoming Archbishop, Marino became involved in addressing the sexual misconduct of priests. However, after moving to Atlanta, Marino began an affair with a female lay minister. Marino resigned when this was revealed in 1990.

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Clifton James

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Clifton James

Born May 29, 1920 d. 2017

American actor. Film: Live and Let Die (1973, the bumbling Louisiana sheriff J.W. Pepper) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).

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Alan Roy Dafoe OBE

Born May 29, 1883 d. 1943

Canadian physician. He delivered the world's first known surviving quintuplets (1934, Dionne quintuplets) and provided care for them as they grew up. There have been several radio, TV shows, and a movie based on his work with the quintuplets.

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Pius III

Born May 29, 1439 d. 1503

Italian religious leader, 215th Pope (Sept. - Oct. 1503). He died 26 days after being elected.

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Deaths

Harvey Korman

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Harvey Korman

Died May 29, 2008 b. 1927

American Emmy-winning comedian. TV: The Carol Burnett Show (1967-78) and Mama's Family (1983-84, Ed Higgins). Film: Blazing Saddles (1974, Hedley Lamar), High Anxiety (1977, Dr. Charles Montague), and History of the World, Part 1 (1981, Count de Monet).

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Winfield Scott

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Great Scott!

Winfield Scott

Died May 29, 1866 b. 1786

American general, "Old Fuss and Feathers." He is noted for his service during the War of 1812, Mexican War, and Civil War. He was the last Whig presidential candidate (1852, losing to Franklin Pierce). Some historians believe the term "Great Scott!" originated from one of the soldiers under his command. Scott served on active duty as a general longer than any other person in U.S. history (1841-61). He wrote General Regulations for the Army (1821), the first comprehensive, systematic set of military bylaws that set standards for every aspect of the soldier's life.

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Empress Joséphine

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Empress Joséphine

Died May 29, 1814 b. 1763

French Empress, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Their marriage was dissolved (1809) when she failed to produce an heir. Her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais was guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and she was imprisoned until five days after his execution.

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Gavin MacLeod

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Gavin MacLeod

Died May 29, 2021 b. 1931

American actor. TV: The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-77, Murray Slaughter), The Love Boat (1977-87, Capt. Stubing), and McHale's Navy (1962-64, "Happy" Haines).

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Manuel Noriega

Died May 29, 2017 b. 1934

Panamanian ruler (1983-89). He was the first foreign head of state to be convicted in a U.S. court. In 1992, Noriega was convicted on eight counts of drug smuggling and racketeering and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

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Betsy Palmer (Patricia Betsy Hrunek)

Died May 29, 2015 b. 1926

American actress. TV: I've Got a Secret (panelist) and Knots Landing (Virginia Bullock). Film: Friday the 13th (1980, Jason's mother).

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Dick Beals go to Video for Dick Beals

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Dick Beals (Richard Lee Beals)

Died May 29, 2012 b. 1927

American actor. TV: Davey and Goliath (1960-64, voice of Davey). He was also the voice of Speedy in the Alka-Seltzer radio and TV commercials.

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Dennis Hopper

Died May 29, 2010 b. 1936

American actor, director. Commenting on his 8-day marriage to Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas, "The first seven were pretty good." Film: Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Easy Rider (1969), Apocalypse Now (1979), and Blue Velvet (1986).

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Margaret Chase Smith

Died May 29, 1995 b. 1897

American politician, former U.S. Senator (R-Maine). She was the first woman elected to both houses of the U.S. Congress. Her opposition to the tactics of Joseph McCarthy earned her the nickname "Moscow Maggie."

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Erich Honecker

Died May 29, 1994 b. 1912

East German political leader. He supervised the construction of the Berlin Wall.

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Billy Conn

Died May 29, 1993 b. 1917

American Hall of Fame boxer. In 1941, while leading Joe Louis 8 rounds to 4, instead of playing it safe and taking the decision, he decided to slug it out with the heavyweight champ. Louis quickly knocked him out.

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Romy Schneider (Rosemarie Albach-Retty)

Died May 29, 1982 b. 1938

Austrian actress. Film: Visconti's segment of Boccaccio '70 (1962, for which she gained international acclaim), The Trial (1962), and What's New, Pussycat? (1965).

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Mary Pickford (Gladys Louise Smith)

Died May 29, 1979 b. 1892

Canadian-born American Oscar-winning silent film actress, "America's Sweetheart." She was a co-founder of United Artists (1919).
She married Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in what was called the "Marriage of the Century".

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Fanny Brice

Died May 29, 1951 b. 1891

American actress, singer, dancer. She starred in the Ziegfeld Follies (1910-23). She also played Baby Snooks on radio and her life was the basis for the musical Funny Girl (1968).

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John Barrymore

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John Barrymore (John Sidney Blyth)

Died May 29, 1942 b. 1882

American actor. His portrayals of Hamlet and Richard III are considered the greatest of his time. According to Errol Flynn, when Barrymore died, some of his friends took his body from the funeral home and propped it up in a chair in Flynn's home to frighten him. Quote: "A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams."

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Chubby in School's Out Chubby in School's Out

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Norman Myers Chaney

Died May 29, 1936 b. 1914

American actor. Chubby of The Little Rascals. He appeared in 18 Our Gang films. He had a glandular ailment and continued to gain weight as he got older. His weight climbed to about 300 pounds (140 kg), although his height was only 4 ft 7 in (1.4 m). His weight dropped to less than 140 pounds (64 kg) after undergoing surgery for his ailment in 1935; however, he died a year later at age 21 of myocarditis.

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Baha Ullah (Mirza Husayn Ali)

Died May 29, 1892 b. 1817

Persian prophet, founder of the Baha'i faith (1863).

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Sir Humphry Davy

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Sir Humphry Davy

Died May 29, 1829 b. 1778

English scientist. He discovered the effects of inhaling laughing gas (1799), discovered potassium, sodium (1807), barium, strontium, calcium (1808), gave the first public demonstration of an electric light (1806), and invented the safety lamp for miners (1815).
The word anesthesia is from the Greek for "without sensation".

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