On This Day August 29

August 29

2006
Rush Limbaugh: On his nationally-syndicated program, the once 325 pound talk show host blames the obesity epidemic on the liberal left, stating, "Didn't teach them how to butcher a -- slaughter a cow to get the butter, we gave them the butter." (Someone should explain to him how butter is made)

2005
Hurricane Katrina: One of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded strikes the U.S. Gulf Coast. The cities of Mobile, Alabama, Waveland and Biloxi, Mississippi, and Slidell, Louisiana were devastated by the storm. Levees separating Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans were breached by the surge, flooding 80% of the city. At least 1,836 people were killed. With the damage estimated at $81.2 billion, it was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

1972
Mark Spitz wins the third of his seven 1972 Olympic gold medals.

1967
The Fugitive: The "one-armed man" is killed by Lt. Gerard on the final episode of the TV series.

1966
The Beatles: The Fab Four give their last U.S. public performance. It was held in San Francisco's Candlestick Park.

1949
Atomic Bomb: The USSR makes their first atomic bomb test. The development was aided by blue prints of the original American Trinity bomb design given to the Russians by the spy Klaus Fuchs, a Los Alamos physicist.

1937
Legless Swimmer: 46-year-old Charles Zimmy (also known as the human fish) arrives in New York City. He had swam from Albany, NY, a distance of 150 miles, taking six days. His legless body provided enough buoyancy to allow him to float while sleeping. He had lost his legs at the age of nine.

1935
Railroad Retirement Board is established.

1896
Chop Suey is invented by Chinese Ambassador Li Hung-Chang's chef. He wanted to serve a meal that would appeal to both American and Chinese tastes.

1893
The shoe clasp lock is patented, the forerunner to the modern zipper. Patent #504,038

1831
The principle of magnetic induction is proved by English scientist Michael Faraday.

Birthdays

1961
Rebecca De Mornay, American actress. Film: Risky Business (1983, as the hooker).

1958
Michael Jackson, American singer, one of the Jackson Five. His Thriller album sold 38,000,000 copies in 1984 making it the biggest selling solo album of all time.

1941
Robin Leach, English reporter. TV: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (host).

1940
James Brady, Pres. Reagan's White House press secretary (1981-86). In 1981, he was shot by John Hinckley, Jr. who was trying to assassinate Reagan to impress Jodie Foster.

1939
Dave Nicholson, American baseball player. He set the record for the longest major-league home run hit during a regular-season game (573 feet in 1964). (source: Guinness Book of World Records)

1938
Elliott Gould (Elliott Goldstein), American actor. Film: M*A*S*H (1970).

1923
Sir Richard Attenborough, English Oscar-winning director. Film: Gandhi (1982).

1915 d. 1982
Ingrid Bergman, Swedish Oscar-Emmy-winning actress. Film: Casablanca (1943, Ilsa Laszlo), Gaslight (1944, Oscar), and Murder on the Orient Express (1974, Oscar).

1891 d. 1982
Joyce Clyde Hall, American businessman, founder of the Hallmark Greeting Card Company (1910). "When you care enough to send the very best."

1811 d. 1888
Henry Bergh, founder and first president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA, 1866) and helped found the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (1875).

1780 d. 1825
Jean Laffite, French pirate, leader of a band of adventurers off the coast of Louisiana. He served with the U.S. in the War of 1812.

Deaths

1987 b. 1924
Lee Marvin, American Oscar-winning actor. Film: Cat Ballou (1965, Oscar) and The Dirty Dozen (1967). TV: M Squad (Lt. Frank Ballinger).

1982 b. 1915
Ingrid Bergman, Swedish Oscar-Emmy-winning actress. Film: Casablanca (1943, Ilsa Laszlo), Gaslight (1944, Oscar), and Murder on the Orient Express (1974, Oscar).

1973 b. 1934
Michael Dunn, American dwarf (3 ft. 10 in.) actor. Film: Ship of Fools (1964). TV: The Wild Wild West (the evil Dr. Loveless).

1967 b. 1889
Charles B. Darrow, American inventor, creator of the game Monopoly (1933). He created his game by copying the rules of a game played by Quakers at the time. Parker Brothers originally rejected the game, citing 52 fundamental errors. Now published in 23 languages and a Braille version, more than 200,000,000 games have been sold.

1930 b. 1884
Rev. William Archibald Spooner, Spoonerisms are named after him (The reversal of the first parts of words in a sentence). He once called Queen Victoria "queer old dean" and asked if it was "kisstomary to cuss the bride."

1877 b. 1801
Brigham Young, Mormon leader. Founder of Salt Lake City and first Gov. of Utah. He left behind 17 widows.

1799 b. 1717
Pius VI, Italian religious leader, 250th Pope (1775-99). He was imprisoned (1798) by Bonaparte, where he died.

1769 b. 1672
Edmund Hoyle, English expert on card games.

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August 29

Events

Birthdays

Deaths