History of Today 29 June: Important Events, Births and Deaths

Welcome to History of Today 29 June. On this page, you can read important historical events, famous births, notable deaths and general knowledge facts related to 29 June. This information is useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, State PSC and other competitive exams.

Last updated on 29 June 2026, 01:00 AM

Important Events on 29 June in History

29 Jun 2014: The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant self-declares its caliphate in Syria and northern Iraq. Read more
29 Jun 2012: A derecho sweeps across the eastern United States, leaving at least 22 people dead and millions without power. Read more
29 Jun 2007: Apple Inc. releases its first mobile phone, the iPhone. Read more
29 Jun 2006: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld: The U.S. Supreme Court rules that President George W. Bush's plan to try Guantanamo Bay detainees in military tribunals violates U.S. and international law. Read more
29 Jun 2002: Naval clashes between South Korea and North Korea lead to the death of six South Korean sailors and sinking of a North Korean vessel. Read more
29 Jun 1995: Space Shuttle program: STS-71 Mission (Atlantis) docks with the Russian space station Mir for the first time. Read more
29 Jun 1995: The Sampoong Department Store collapses in the Seocho District of Seoul, South Korea, killing 502 and injuring 937. Read more
29 Jun 1987: Vincent van Gogh's painting, the Le Pont de Trinquetaille, is bought for $20.4 million at an auction in London, England. Read more
29 Jun 1976: The Seychelles become independent from the United Kingdom. Read more
29 Jun 1976: The Conference of Communist and Workers Parties of Europe convenes in East Berlin. Read more
29 Jun 1975: Pope Paul VI ordains some 350 priests in St. Peter's Square in the largest ordination in history Read more
29 Jun 1974: Vice President Isabel Perón assumes powers and duties as Acting President of Argentina, while her husband President Juan Perón is terminally ill. Read more
29 Jun 1974: Mikhail Baryshnikov defects from the Soviet Union to Canada while on tour with the Kirov Ballet. Read more
29 Jun 1972: The United States Supreme Court rules in the case Furman v. Georgia that arbitrary and inconsistent imposition of the death penalty violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Read more
29 Jun 1972: A Convair CV-580 and De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter collide above Lake Winnebago near Appleton, Wisconsin, killing 13. Read more
29 Jun 1971: Prior to re-entry (following a record-setting stay aboard the Soviet Union's Salyut 1 space station), the crew capsule of the Soyuz 11 spacecraft depressurizes, killing the three cosmonauts on board. Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev are the first humans to die in space. Read more
29 Jun 1956: The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 is signed by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, officially creating the United States Interstate Highway System. Read more
29 Jun 1952: The first Miss Universe pageant is held. Armi Kuusela from Finland wins the title of Miss Universe 1952. Read more
29 Jun 1950: Korean War: U.S. President Harry S. Truman authorizes a sea blockade of Korea. Read more
29 Jun 1945: The Soviet Union annexes the Czechoslovak province of Carpathian Ruthenia. Read more
29 Jun 1927: The Bird of Paradise, a U.S. Army Air Corps Fokker tri-motor, completes the first transpacific flight, from the mainland United States to Hawaii. Read more
29 Jun 1922: France grants "one square kilometer" at Vimy Ridge "freely, and for all time, to the Government of Canada, the free use of the land exempt from all taxes". Read more
29 Jun 1916: British diplomat turned Irish nationalist Roger Casement is sentenced to death for his part in the Easter Rising. Read more
29 Jun 1915: The North Saskatchewan River flood of 1915 is the worst flood in Edmonton history. Read more
29 Jun 1913: The Bulgarian army launches attacks against Serbian positions, triggering the Second Balkan War. Read more
29 Jun 1889: Hyde Park and several other Illinois townships vote to be annexed by Chicago, forming the largest United States city in area and second largest in population at the time. Read more
29 Jun 1888: George Edward Gouraud records Handel's Israel in Egypt onto a phonograph cylinder, thought for many years to be the oldest known recording of music. Read more
29 Jun 1881: In Sudan, Muhammad Ahmad declares himself to be the Mahdi, the messianic redeemer of Islam. Read more
29 Jun 1880: France annexes Tahiti, renaming the independent Kingdom of Tahiti as "Etablissements de français de l'Océanie". Read more
29 Jun 1874: Greek politician Charilaos Trikoupis publishes a manifesto in the Athens daily Kairoi entitled "Who's to Blame?" leveling complaints against King George. Trikoupis is elected Prime Minister of Greece the next year. Read more
29 Jun 1864: At least 99 people, mostly German and Polish immigrants, are killed in Canada's worst railway disaster after a train fails to stop for an open drawbridge and plunges into the Rivière Richelieu near St-Hilaire, Quebec. Read more
29 Jun 1850: Autocephaly officially granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to the Church of Greece. Read more
29 Jun 1807: Russo-Turkish War: Admiral Dmitry Senyavin destroys the Ottoman fleet in the Battle of Athos. Read more

Famous Births on 29 June

29 Jun 2006: Sam Lavagnino, American child voice actor Sam Lavagnino is an American actor and YouTuber. He is best known for his roles as Catbug in Bravest Warriors, young Grizz in We Bare Bears, Rolly in the first three seasons of Puppy Dog Pals, and Mr. Muffin in asdfmovie. Read more
29 Jun 2003: Jude Bellingham, English footballer Jude Victor William Bellingham is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and the England national team. He is regarded as one of the best players in the world. Read more
29 Jun 2002: Matt Rempe, Canadian ice hockey player Matthew Rempe is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a centre for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. He was drafted by the Rangers in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL entry draft. Read more
29 Jun 2001: Julian Champagnie, American basketball player Julian Kymani Champagnie is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the St. John's Red Storm, where he was a two-time first-team All-Big East selection and led the conference in scoring in 2021. Read more
29 Jun 2001: Gunnar Henderson, American baseball player Gunnar Randal Henderson is an American professional baseball shortstop and third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022 and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award and a Silver Slugger Award in 2023. He was named an All-Star in 2024. Read more
29 Jun 2001: Aaron Schoupp, Australian rugby league player Aaron Schoupp is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League (NRL). Read more
29 Jun 1998: Michael Porter Jr., American basketball player Michael Lamar Porter Jr., also known as "MPJ", is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers. Porter was ranked as one of the top prospects in the class of 2017. He was selected 14th overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 2018 NBA draft, winning his first NBA championship with them in 2023. After six seasons with Denver, Porter was traded to the Nets in 2025. Read more
29 Jun 1996: Joseph Manu, New Zealand rugby league player Joseph Manu is a New Zealand professional rugby footballer who plays for Racing 92 in the Top 14. He previously played as a centre for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL), with whom he won premierships in 2018 and 2019, and represented New Zealand and the New Zealand Māori at international level. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest centres in the game. Read more
29 Jun 1994: Camila Mendes, American actress and model Camila Carraro Mendes is an American actress and producer. She made her acting debut portraying Veronica Lodge on The CW teen drama series Riverdale (2017–2023), for which she won a Teen Choice Award in 2017. Read more
29 Jun 1993: Harrison Gilbertson, Australian actor Harrison Sloan Gilbertson is an Australian actor. Beginning his career as a stage actor, he is known for his roles in the films Upgrade (2018), In The Tall Grass (2019), Oppenheimer (2023), and Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025). Read more
29 Jun 1993: Oliver Tree, American singer-songwriter (died 2026) Oliver Tree Nickell was an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Tree signed to Atlantic Records in 2017 after his song "When I'm Down" went viral. He released his debut studio album Ugly Is Beautiful in July 2020, which included the RIAA gold- and platinum-certified singles "Alien Boy", "Hurt", "Miracle Man" and "Let Me Down". Classified as a "genre-defying musician", he achieved international recognition with his songs "Life Goes On" in 2021 and "Miss You" in 2022. Tree released his second studio album, Cowboy Tears, in February 2022; his third studio album, Alone in a Crowd, in September 2023; and his fourth studio album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, in April 2026. Read more
29 Jun 1991: Suk Hyun-jun, South Korean footballer Suk Hyun-jun is a South Korean footballer who plays as a forward for K League 2 club, Yongin FC. Read more
29 Jun 1991: Kawhi Leonard, American basketball player Kawhi Anthony Leonard is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion and two-time Finals MVP, he is a seven-time All-Star and seven-time member of the All-NBA Team. Nicknamed the "Claw" or "Klaw" for his ball-hawking skills and exceptionally large hands, Leonard is often regarded as one of the greatest two-way players in NBA history, earning seven All-Defensive Team selections and winning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2015 and 2016. In 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Read more
29 Jun 1991: Addison Timlin, American actress Addison Timlin is an American actress. She played Jami Lerner in The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014), Colleen Lunsford in Little Sister (2016) and Sasha Bingham in Showtime's Californication. Read more
29 Jun 1990: Kim Little, Scottish footballer Kim Alison Little is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for and captains Arsenal of the English Women's Super League. Before her retirement from international duty in 2021, Little was vice-captain of the Scotland national team. She began her senior career at Hibernian, winning the Scottish Premier League, Scottish Women's Cup and Scottish Premier League Cup with the club in the 2006–2007 season. With Arsenal, she is a two time Premier League National Division winner, five time League Cup winner, three time Women's Super League and FA Cup winner, and a Champions League winner. During her time at Seattle Reign, Little won the Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player awards. Read more
29 Jun 1990: Yann M'Vila, French footballer Yann Gérard M'Vila is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Caen. Read more
29 Jun 1988: Éver Banega, Argentinian footballer Éver Maximiliano David Banega is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Argentine Primera División club Defensa y Justicia. Read more
29 Jun 1986: José Manuel Jurado, Spanish footballer José Manuel Jurado Marín is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Read more
29 Jun 1986: Edward Maya, Romanian singer-songwriter and producer Eduard Marian Ilie, better known by his stage name Edward Maya, is a Romanian musician, record producer, DJ and songwriter. He is known for his 2009 smash hit single "Stereo Love". Read more
29 Jun 1985: Quintin Demps, American football player Quintin Lamon Demps is an American college football coach and former safety. He is the defensive pass game coordinator and safeties coach Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio, a position he has held since 2025. Demps played college football at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played in the National Football League (NFL) with the Eagles, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants and Chicago Bears, and with the Hartford Colonials of United Football League (UFL). Demps served as head football coach at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois from 2023 to 2024. Read more
29 Jun 1984: Aleksandr Shustov, Russian high jumper Aleksandr Andreyevich Shustov, born 29 June 1984) is a male high jumper from Russia, best known for winning the gold medal in the men's high jump at the 2007 Summer Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand.
On 29 July at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, Spain he achieved his personal best and won gold medal. Read more
29 Jun 1983: Aundrea Fimbres, American singer-songwriter and dancer Aundrea Aurora Fimbres is an American singer. She was a former member of the pop music group Danity Kane. She is a soprano and was known for her melismatic vocal runs, and falsetto registered harmonies and also for having the highest vocal range of her fellow band members. Read more
29 Jun 1983: Jeremy Powers, American cyclist Jeremy Powers is an American former professional racing cyclist, who has achieved over 90 UCI victories, four USA Cyclocross national championships, and the 2015 Pan American Championship during his career. He was a presenter for Global Cycling Network before joining WHOOP. Read more
29 Jun 1982: Colin Jost, American comedian Colin Kelly Jost is an American comedian, writer, and actor. He has been a staff writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live since 2005, and co-anchor of Weekend Update since 2014. He also served as one of the show's co-head writers from 2012 to 2015 and later came back as one of the show's head writers from 2017 to 2022 alongside Michael Che. Read more
29 Jun 1982: Dusty Hughes, American baseball player Dustin Robert "Dusty" Hughes is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins from 2009 to 2011. Read more
29 Jun 1982: Lily Rabe, American actress Lily Rabe is an American actress. She is best known for her multiple roles on the FX anthology horror series American Horror Story (2011–2021). For her performance as Portia in the Broadway production of The Merchant of Venice, she received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. Read more
29 Jun 1982: O. J. Hogans, American sprinter Obra J. Hogans is an American former sprinter specializing in the 400 metres and the 9th World Athletics Indoor Championships gold medallist in the 4 × 400 m relay. Before his professional career, Hogans was a multiple-time All American in the indoor 400 m for the Seton Hall Pirates. Read more
29 Jun 1981: Luke Branighan, Australian rugby league player Luke Branighan is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s. He played in the National Rugby League for the St George Illawarra Dragons and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, primarily as a five-eighth. Read more
29 Jun 1981: Joe Johnson, American basketball player Joe Marcus Johnson is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Iso Joe", he played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. After two years with Arkansas, he declared for the 2001 NBA draft where he was drafted 10th overall by the Boston Celtics. Read more
29 Jun 1981: Nicolás Vuyovich, Argentinian race car driver (died 2005) Nicolás Vuyovich was a sportscar driver from Argentina. Read more
29 Jun 1981: Shmuly Yanklowitz, American rabbi, author, and educator Shmuly Yanklowitz is an American open orthodox rabbi and activist. In March 2012 and March 2013, Newsweek listed Yanklowitz as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America. Read more
29 Jun 1980: Katherine Jenkins, Welsh soprano and actress Katherine Jenkins is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano who performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre and hymns. After winning singing competitions in her youth, Jenkins studied at the Royal Academy of Music, modelled, and taught voice lessons. She came to wide public attention in 2003 when she sang at Westminster Cathedral in honour of Pope John Paul II's silver jubilee. Since 2004, she has released numerous albums that have performed well on British and foreign charts. In both 2005 and 2006, her albums received Classic Brit Awards as Album of the Year. She has been seen widely in concert and has performed for British Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. She has sung at sporting events and in support of many charities. Read more
29 Jun 1979: Matthew Bode, Australian footballer Matthew Bode is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Port Adelaide Football Club and the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Read more
29 Jun 1979: Andy O'Brien, English footballer Andrew James O'Brien is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Born in England, he won 26 caps for Republic of Ireland between 2001 and 2006 and was a member of the Republic's 2002 World Cup squad. He retired from international duty in 2006. Read more
29 Jun 1979: Marleen Veldhuis, Dutch swimmer Magdalena Johanna Maria "Marleen" Veldhuis is a retired swimmer from the Netherlands. She was world record holder in six events. Veldhuis won eight world championships gold medals and 20 European championships gold medals. In the Olympics, she won a bronze medal in London 2012 in the 50 m freestyle, as well as three relay medals: bronze in Athens 2004, gold in Beijing 2008, and silver in London 2012. Read more
29 Jun 1978: Sam Farrar, American musician Sam John Farrar is an American musician who is the primary bass guitarist for the pop band Maroon 5, having joined the band in 2016. A frequent collaborator with the band since the 1990s, he joined as a touring member in 2012 and was promoted to bass guitarist in 2020. He has also been the bassist for the rock band Phantom Planet since their formation in 1994. Read more
29 Jun 1978: Luke Kirby, Canadian actor Luke Farrell Kirby is a Canadian actor. He played the role of Lenny Bruce in the Amazon Prime Video comedy-drama series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2024, he starred as Chuck Brooks in the Peabody Award winning film Out of My Mind from Disney+. Read more
29 Jun 1978: Nicole Scherzinger, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She is a member of the R&B and pop group the Pussycat Dolls. With two albums and over 55 million records sold worldwide, the Pussycat Dolls became one of the world's best-selling female groups ever. Read more
29 Jun 1977: Sotiris Liberopoulos, Greek footballer Sotiris Liberopoulos is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
29 Jun 1977: Zuleikha Robinson, English actress Zuleikha Robinson is a British actress. She first came to attention as Yves Adele Harlow, a mysterious thief on the 2001 series The Lone Gunmen. She has appeared in the films Hidalgo (2004), The Merchant of Venice (2004) and The Namesake (2006). Robinson was a regular cast member on the series Lost (2009–10), the political thriller Homeland (2012) and the drama The Following (2015). In 2019, she joined the cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for their 21st season, in the recurring role of Assistant District Attorney Vanessa Hadid. Read more
29 Jun 1976: Daniel Carlsson, Swedish race car driver Daniel Carlsson is a rally car driver from Sweden. Read more
29 Jun 1976: Bret McKenzie, New Zealand comedian, actor, musician, songwriter, and producer Bret Peter Tarrant McKenzie is a New Zealand musician, comedian, music supervisor, and actor. He is best known as one half of musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Jemaine Clement. In the 2000s, the duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an oft-lauded American television series, which aired for two seasons on HBO. Active since 1998, the duo released their most recent comedy special, Live in London, in 2018. Read more
29 Jun 1973: Sakis Tolis, Greek singer and guitarist Athanasios "Sakis" Tolis is a Greek musician best known as the vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the black metal band Rotting Christ. He is also known as Necromayhem. Read more
29 Jun 1973: Lance Barber, American actor Lance Barber is an American actor. He gained recognition for his main role as Paulie G on the HBO sitcom The Comeback, which was followed with a starring role in the film The Godfather of Green Bay (2005). Read more
29 Jun 1973: George Hincapie, American cyclist George Anthony Hincapie is an American former racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 1994 and 2012. Hincapie was a key domestique of Lance Armstrong. Hincapie was also a domestique for Alberto Contador in 2007 and for Cadel Evans in 2011, when both men won the Tour de France. He was the owner and general manager of UCI Professional Continental team Hincapie–Leomo p/b BMC until it folded at the end of the 2020 season. In 2025, Hincapie formed Modern Adventure Pro Cycling alongside his brother Richard. Read more
29 Jun 1972: DJ Shadow, American DJ and record producer Joshua Paul Davis, better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ and record producer. His debut studio album, Endtroducing….., was released in 1996.
He uses layered production with numerous samples. Read more
29 Jun 1971: Matthew Good, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist Matthew Frederick Robert Good is a Canadian musician. He was the lead singer and songwriter for the Matthew Good Band, one of the most successful alternative rock bands in Canada during the 1990s and early 2000s. Since the band disbanded in 2002, Good has pursued a solo career and established himself as a political commentator and mental health activist. Between 1996 and 2016, with sales by Matthew Good Band included, Good was the 25th best-selling Canadian artist in Canada. Good has been nominated for 21 Juno Awards during his career, winning four. Read more
29 Jun 1970: Edda Mutter, German alpine skier Edda Mutter is a German former alpine skier who competed in the women's slalom at the 1994 Winter Olympics. Read more
29 Jun 1970: Melanie Paschke, German sprinter Melanie Paschke is a retired German sprinter, who specialised in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 × 100 metres relay. Read more
29 Jun 1970: Emily Skinner, American actress and singer Emily Skinner, also known as Emily Scott Skinner, is a Tony-nominated American actress and singer. She has played leading roles in 11 Broadway productions including New York, New York, Prince of Broadway, The Cher Show, Side Show, Jekyll & Hyde, James Joyce's The Dead, The Full Monty, Dinner at Eight, Billy Elliot, as well as the Actor's Fund Broadway concerts of Dreamgirls and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. She has sung on concert stages around the world and on numerous recordings. Read more
29 Jun 1969: Claude Béchard, Canadian politician (died 2010) Claude Béchard was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as Quebec Liberal Party Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for the riding of Kamouraska-Témiscouata in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region; as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food as well as the Minister for Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs, and previously the Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade and Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity. Read more
29 Jun 1969: Pavlos Dermitzakis, Greek footballer and manager Pavlos Dermitzakis is a Greek professional football manager and former player. Read more
29 Jun 1969: Tōru Hashimoto, Japanese lawyer and politician Tōru Hashimoto is a Japanese television personality, former politician, and lawyer. He is a former governor of Osaka Prefecture and mayor of City of Osaka. He is a founder of Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Osaka Restoration Association. He is one of Japan's leading right-wing conservative-populist politicians. Read more
29 Jun 1968: Brian d'Arcy James, American actor and musician Brian d'Arcy James is an American actor and musician. He is known primarily for his Broadway roles, including Shrek in Shrek the Musical, Nick Bottom in Something Rotten!, King George III in Hamilton, and The Baker in Into the Woods. He has received five Tony Award nominations for his work. On-screen, he is known for his recurring role as Andy Baker on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, Officer Krupke in West Side Story, and reporter Matt Carroll in Spotlight. Read more
29 Jun 1968: Theoren Fleury, Canadian ice hockey player Theoren Wallace "Theo" Fleury is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, author and motivational speaker. Fleury played for the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), Tappara of Finland's SM-liiga, and the Belfast Giants of the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League. He was drafted by the Flames in the 8th round, 166th overall, at the 1987 NHL entry draft, and played over 1,000 games in the NHL between 1989 and 2003. Read more
29 Jun 1967: Jeff Burton, American race car driver Jeffrey Tyler Burton, nicknamed "the Mayor", is an American former professional stock car racing driver and current racing commentator. He is a member of the Burton racing family. He scored 21 career victories in the NASCAR Cup Series, including two Coca-Cola 600s in 1999 and 2001 and the 1999 Southern 500. He currently serves as a color commentator for NBC Sports, having joined them upon their return to their coverage of NASCAR. His son and nephew, Harrison and Jeb, respectively, both currently compete in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, while his brother Ward Burton has also raced in the Cup Series. Read more
29 Jun 1967: Melora Hardin, American actress and singer Melora Diane Hardin Jackson is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office (2005–2013), Trudy Monk on USA Network's Monk (2004–2009), and Tammy Cashman on Prime's Transparent (2014–2019), for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy. She starred as Lorelai in Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009). She also starred as magazine editor-in-chief Jacqueline Carlyle on The Bold Type, which aired on Freeform from 2017 to 2021. Read more
29 Jun 1967: Seamus McGarvey, Northern Irish cinematographer Seamus McGarvey is an Irish cinematographer. Read more
29 Jun 1966: Yoko Kamio, Japanese author and comic artist Yōko Kamio is a Japanese manga artist. Her best known series Boys Over Flowers , for which she received the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1996, is one of the best-selling manga series of all time and the best-selling shōjo manga of all time. Her work has been translated and distributed in Asia, Europe, and North America. Read more
29 Jun 1965: Tripp Eisen, American guitarist Tod Rex Salvador, known professionally as Tripp Eisen, is an American musician best known as the former guitarist of industrial metal band Static-X. He is the current guitarist for the band Face Without Fear, and a former member of Dope, Murderdolls, and Roughhouse. Read more
29 Jun 1965: Paul Jarvis, English cricketer Paul William Jarvis is a former English cricketer, who played in nine Tests and sixteen ODIs for England from 1988 to 1993. Read more
29 Jun 1965: Daniel Larson, American politician Daniel Gordon Larson is an American politician in the state of Minnesota. He served in the Minnesota Senate. Read more
29 Jun 1964: Stedman Pearson, English singer-songwriter and dancer (died 2025) Stedman Pearson was a British singer, most notable for being a member of the pop group Five Star with his four siblings. Read more
29 Jun 1964: Kathleen Wilhoite, American actress and musician Kathleen Wilhoite is an American actress and musician. She made her feature film debut in Private School (1983) before having a leading role in Murphy's Law (1986), followed by supporting parts in Witchboard, Crossing Delancey (1988), Road House (1989), and Lorenzo's Oil (1992). She also had notable guest-starring roles on several series during this time, including Twin Peaks (1990). Read more
29 Jun 1963: Anne-Sophie Mutter, German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is a German violinist. Born in Rheinfelden, Baden-Württemberg and raised in the nearby town Wehr, Mutter began playing the violin aged five and pursued further studies in Germany and Switzerland. She was supported early in her career by Herbert von Karajan, made her orchestral debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1977, and rose to international prominence in the early 1980s. She has since performed as a soloist with leading orchestras worldwide and has recorded more than 50 albums, mostly with the Deutsche Grammophon label, earning four Grammy Awards, two ECHO Klassik awards, two Opus Klassik awards, and a Grand Prix du Disque. Despite her success and fame in the 1980s, Mutter's interpretive style often divides critics. Read more
29 Jun 1963: Judith Hoag, American actress and educator Judith Hoag is an American actress. She is known for playing April O'Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) and Gwen Cromwell Piper in the Disney Channel television film series Halloweentown, from 1998 to 2006. Read more
29 Jun 1962: Amanda Donohoe, English actress Amanda Donohoe is an English actress. She first came to public attention at age 16 for her relationship with pop singer Adam Ant, appearing in the music videos for the Adam and the Ants singles "Antmusic" (1980) and "Stand and Deliver" (1981) during their four-year relationship. After making her film debut in Foreign Body (1986), she co-starred in Castaway with Oliver Reed and starred in two films by Ken Russell: The Lair of the White Worm (1988) and The Rainbow (1989). Read more
29 Jun 1962: Joan Laporta, Spanish businessman and politician Joan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish businessman, politician and president of FC Barcelona between 2003–2010 and 2021 onwards. Read more
29 Jun 1962: George D. Zamka, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut George David "Zambo" Zamka is a former NASA astronaut and United States Marine Corps pilot with over 3500 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft. Zamka piloted the Space Shuttle Discovery in its October 2007 mission to the International Space Station and served as the commander of mission STS-130 in February 2010. Read more
29 Jun 1961: Sharon Lawrence, American actress, singer, and dancer Sharon Elizabeth Lawrence is an American actress. From 1993 to 1999, she starred as Sylvia Costas in the ABC drama series, NYPD Blue. The role garnered her three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, and Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. She received three additional Emmy Awards nominations for her later television performances. Read more
29 Jun 1958: Dieter Althaus, German politician Dieter Althaus is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as the 3rd Minister President of Thuringia from 2003 to 2009. In 2003/04 he was the 58th President of the Bundesrat. Read more
29 Jun 1958: Rosa Mota, Portuguese runner Rosa Maria Correia dos Santos Mota, GCIH, GCM is a Portuguese former marathon runner, one of her country's foremost athletes, being the first sportswoman from Portugal to win Olympic gold. Mota was the first woman to win multiple Olympic marathon medals, as well as being the only woman to be the reigning European, World, and Olympic champion at the same time. On the 30th Anniversary Gala of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS), she was distinguished as the greatest female marathon runner of all time. Read more
29 Jun 1957: Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Turkmen dentist and politician, 2nd President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow is a Turkmen politician and former dentist who is currently the chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan. He previously served as the second president of Turkmenistan from 2006 to 2022, when he entered into a power-sharing arrangement with his son, Serdar, the current president. Read more
29 Jun 1957: María Conchita Alonso, Cuban-Venezuelan singer and actress María Concepción Alonso Bustillo, known professionally as María Conchita Alonso, is a Cuban-born Venezuelan-American actress and singer whose career spans film, television, music, and theater. She gained international recognition for her role as Amber Mendez in the 1987 film The Running Man, and was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Caught (1996). As a recording artist, she has received several gold and platinum albums and three Grammy Award nominations. Read more
29 Jun 1957: Robert Forster, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist Robert Derwent Garth Forster is an Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist and music critic. In December 1977 he co-founded an indie rock group, the Go-Betweens, with fellow musician Grant McLennan. In 1980, Lindy Morrison joined the group on drums and backing vocals, and by 1981 Forster and Morrison were also lovers. In 1988, "Streets of Your Town", co-written by McLennan and Forster, became the band's highest-charting hit in both Australia and the United Kingdom. The follow-up single, "Was There Anything I Could Do?", was a number-16 hit on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States. In December 1989, after recording six albums, the Go-Betweens disbanded. Forster and Morrison had separated as a couple earlier, and Forster began his solo music career from 1990. Read more
29 Jun 1957: Michael Nutter, American politician, 98th Mayor of Philadelphia Michael Anthony Nutter is an American politician who served as the 98th Mayor of Philadelphia from 2008 to 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, he is also a former member of the Philadelphia City Council from the 4th district and had served as the 52nd Ward Democratic Leader until 1990. Nutter also served as the President of the United States Conference of Mayors from 2012 to 2013, and is a former member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council. Read more
29 Jun 1957: Terry Wyatt, English physicist and academic Terence Richard Wyatt is a Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester, UK. Read more
29 Jun 1956: Nick Fry, English economist and businessman Nicholas Richard Fry is the former Chief Executive Officer of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team, having previously served in similar roles at previous incarnations of the company. Read more
29 Jun 1956: David Burroughs Mattingly, American illustrator and painter David Burroughs Mattingly is an American illustrator and painter, best known for his numerous book covers of science fiction and fantasy literature. Read more
29 Jun 1956: Pedro Guerrero, Dominican baseball player and manager Pedro Guerrero is a Dominican former professional baseball player. He played fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1992 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals. Read more
29 Jun 1956: Pedro Santana Lopes, Portuguese lawyer and politician, 118th Prime Minister of Portugal Pedro Miguel de Santana Lopes is a Portuguese lawyer and politician, who is the current mayor of Figueira da Foz. He most notably served as prime minister of Portugal from 2004 to 2005. Read more
29 Jun 1956: Pyotr Vasilevsky, Belarusian footballer and manager (died 2012) Pyotr Petrovich Vasilevsky was a Belarusian football manager and former player. He worked in a building security company until his death. Read more
29 Jun 1955: Charles J. Precourt, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut Charles Joseph Precourt is a retired NASA astronaut. His career in flight began at an early age, and spans his entire lifetime. He served in the US Air Force, piloted numerous jet aircraft, and piloted and commanded the Space Shuttle. Notably, he piloted or commanded several missions which involved docking with the Russian Mir space station and was heavily involved in Russian/US Space relations as well as the International Space Station collaboration. He also served as Chief of the Astronaut Office from 1998 to 2002. He retired from the USAF with the rank of colonel. Read more
29 Jun 1954: Rick Honeycutt, American baseball player and coach Frederick Wayne Honeycutt, nicknamed "Honey", is an American former professional baseball coach and pitcher. Honeycutt pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six different teams over 21 years, from 1977 to 1997. He pitched in 30 post-season games, including 20 League Championship Series games and seven World Series games, and never lost a game, going 3–0. Honeycutt gave up no runs in the 1988 and 1990 post-seasons, and was a member of the Oakland Athletics' 1989 World Series championship team. He was also the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006 through 2019. Read more
29 Jun 1954: Léo Júnior, Brazilian footballer, coach, and manager Leovegildo Lins da Gama Júnior, also known as Maestro Júnior, Léo Júnior or simply Júnior, is a Brazilian football pundit and retired footballer who played as a left back or midfielder. Read more
29 Jun 1953: Don Dokken, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Donald Maynard Dokken is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and founder of glam metal band Dokken. He is known for his vibrato-laden, melodic vocal style which has made him an influential figure in American heavy metal/glam metal. Read more
29 Jun 1953: Colin Hay, Scottish-Australian singer and guitarist Colin James Hay is a Scottish-Australian musician. He came to prominence as the lead vocalist and the sole continuous member of the band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist. Hay is a member of the band Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. Read more
29 Jun 1951: Craig Sager, American sportscaster (died 2016) Craig Graham Sager was an American sports reporter who covered an array of sports for CNN and its sister stations TBS and TNT, from 1981 until his death in late 2016. Read more
29 Jun 1950: Bobby London, American illustrator Robert London is an American underground comix and mainstream comics artist. His style evokes the work of early American cartoonists such as George Herriman, Cliff Sterrett and Elzie Crisler Segar. Read more
29 Jun 1950: Don Moen, American singer and songwriter Donald James "Don" Moen is an American singer, songwriter, pastor, and producer of Christian worship music. A pioneer of the modern worship music movement, he served as a creative director and president of Integrity Music and executive producer for the label's Hosanna! Music series of albums. Read more
29 Jun 1950: Michael Whelan, American artist Michael Whelan is an American artist of imaginative realism. For more than 30 years, he worked as an illustrator, specializing in science fiction and fantasy cover art. Since the mid-1990s, he has pursued a fine art career, selling non-commissioned paintings through galleries in the United States and through his website. Read more
29 Jun 1949: Dan Dierdorf, American football player and sportscaster Daniel Lee Dierdorf is an American sportscaster and former professional football player. He played 13 seasons (1971–1983) as an offensive tackle for the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Read more
29 Jun 1949: Joan Clos, Spanish anesthesiologist and politician, 116th Mayor of Barcelona Joan Clos i Matheu, GCIH is a Spanish politician who was mayor of Barcelona, Spain from September 1997 to September 2006. He took over from Pasqual Maragall in 1997. In 1999 he was elected to a four-year term, and was then re-elected in the municipal elections of 25 May 2003. In September 2006, he left Barcelona Town Hall, after nine years of office, as he was appointed Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade by Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. After a stint as the Spanish Ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan, in 2010 he was appointed as executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, (UN-HABITAT), and Under Secretary General of the United Nations. Joan Clos is also president of the Spanish Chapter of The International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI). Read more
29 Jun 1949: Ann Veneman, American lawyer and politician, 27th United States Secretary of Agriculture Ann Margaret Veneman is an American attorney who served as the fifth executive director of UNICEF from 2005 to 2010. She previously served as the 27th United States secretary of agriculture from 2001 to 2005. Veneman served for the first term of President George W. Bush, and she left to take the UNICEF position. Appointed by the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on January 18, 2005, she took over the post on May 1, 2005, serving until 2010. Previously, she also served as secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, serving from 1995 to 1999, as well as United States deputy secretary of agriculture, serving from 1991 to 1993. Veneman was the first woman to serve as Secretary of Agriculture and the second woman to lead UNICEF, following her predecessor, Carol Bellamy. Read more
29 Jun 1948: Sean Bergin, South African-Dutch saxophonist and flute player (died 2012) Sean Bergin was an avant-garde jazz saxophonist and flautist from South Africa. Read more
29 Jun 1948: Fred Grandy, American actor and politician Fredrick Lawrence Grandy is an American actor who played Burl "Gopher" Smith on the TV series The Love Boat and who later became a member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Iowa. Grandy was most recently the host of The Grandy Group, a morning drive time radio talk show on 630 WMAL in Washington, D.C. Read more
29 Jun 1948: Ian Paice, English drummer, songwriter, and producer Ian Anderson Paice is an English musician who is the drummer and an original member of the rock band Deep Purple. He remains the only member of Deep Purple who has served in every line-up since the band's inception in 1968, as well as having played on every album and at every live appearance. He is considered one of the greatest rock drummers of all time, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Deep Purple in 2016. Read more
29 Jun 1948: Usha Prashar, Baroness Prashar, Kenyan-English politician Usha Prashar, Baroness Prashar is a British politician and a crossbench member of the House of Lords. Since the 1970s, she has served as a director or chair of a variety of public and private sector organisations. She became the first chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission upon its creation in April 2006. Read more
29 Jun 1947: Richard Lewis, American actor and screenwriter (died 2024) Richard Philip Lewis was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. Lewis came to prominence in the 1980s and became known for his dark, neurotic, and self-deprecating humor. As an actor, he was known for starring in the ABC sitcom Anything but Love from 1989 to 1992, and for playing the role of Prince John in the 1993 film Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Lewis also had a recurring role as a fictionalized version of himself in the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm from 2000 to 2024. Read more
29 Jun 1946: Ernesto Pérez Balladares, Panamanian politician, 33rd President of Panama Ernesto Pérez Balladares González-Revilla, nicknamed El Toro, is a Panamanian politician who was the President of Panama between 1994 and 1999. Read more
29 Jun 1946: Egon von Fürstenberg, Swiss fashion designer (died 2004) Prince Egon von Fürstenberg was a socialite, banker, fashion and interior designer, and a member of the former German princely family of Fürstenberg. Read more
29 Jun 1945: Chandrika Kumaratunga, Sri Lankan journalist and politician, 5th President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, commonly referred to by her initials CBK, is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the fifth president of Sri Lanka from 12 November 1994 to 19 November 2005. She is the longest-serving president in Sri Lankan history. She led the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) from 1994 to 2006. Read more
29 Jun 1944: Gary Busey, American actor William Gary Busey is an American actor. He portrayed Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story (1978), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor. His other starring roles include A Star Is Born (1976), D.C. Cab (1983), Silver Bullet (1985), Eye of the Tiger (1986), Lethal Weapon (1987), Hider in the House (1989), Predator 2 (1990), Point Break (1991), Under Siege (1992), The Firm (1993), Drop Zone (1994), Black Sheep (1996) and Lost Highway (1997). Read more
29 Jun 1944: Claude Humphrey, American football player (died 2021) Claude B. Humphrey was an American professional football player who played as a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. Humphrey was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014. He played college football for the Tennessee A&I Tigers. Read more
29 Jun 1944: Andreu Mas-Colell, Spanish economist, academic, and politician Andreu Mas-Colell is an economist, an expert in microeconomics and a prominent mathematical economist. He is the founder of the Barcelona School of Economics and a professor in the department of economics at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. He has also served several times in the cabinet of the Catalan government. Summarizing his and others' research in general equilibrium theory, his monograph gave a thorough exposition of research using differential topology. His textbook Microeconomic Theory, co-authored with Michael Whinston and Jerry Green, is the most used graduate microeconomics textbook in the world. Read more
29 Jun 1944: Seán Patrick O'Malley, American cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley is an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Boston from 2003 to 2024 and president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors from 2014 to 2025. He is also a founding member of the Council of Cardinals, formed by Pope Francis in 2013. A member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, he was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. Read more
29 Jun 1943: Little Eva, American singer (died 2003) Eva Narcissus Boyd, known by her stage name Little Eva, was an American singer best known for her 1962 hit "The Loco-Motion". Read more
29 Jun 1943: Louis Nicollin, French entrepreneur and chairman of Montpellier HSC (died 2017) Louis Nicollin was a French entrepreneur and director of the Nicollin Company, which specializes in the collection and reprocessing of household and industrial waste. Nicollin notably served as chairman of Montpellier Hérault Sport Club, a football team, from 1974 to his death in 2017. Read more
29 Jun 1942: Charlotte Bingham, English author and screenwriter (died 2025) Charlotte Bingham was an English novelist who wrote over 30 mainly historical romance novels and also wrote for many television programmes including Upstairs, Downstairs; Play for Today; and Robin's Nest. In her television work, she often worked with her husband, Terence Brady. Read more
29 Jun 1942: Mike Willesee, Australian journalist and producer (died 2019) Michael Robert Willesee, was an Australian award-winning news and current affairs television journalist, interviewer and presenter. Willesee worked at the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC), before moving to commercial networks Nine Network and Seven Network. Read more
29 Jun 1941: John Boccabella, American baseball player John Dominic Boccabella is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1974 with the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants. Read more
29 Jun 1941: Stokely Carmichael, Trinidadian-American activist (died 1998) Kwame Ture was a Trinidadian and American activist who played a major role in the civil rights movement in the United States and the global pan-African movement. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, he moved to the United States at age 11 and became an activist while attending the Bronx High School of Science. Ture was a key leader in the development of the Black Power movement, first while leading the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), then as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party and as a leader of the All-African People's Revolutionary Party (A-APRP). Read more
29 Jun 1940: Vyacheslav Artyomov, Russian composer Vyacheslav Petrovich Artyomov is a Russian composer. Read more
29 Jun 1940: John Dawes, Welsh rugby player and coach (died 2021) Sydney John Dawes was a Welsh rugby union player, playing at centre, and later coach. He captained London Welsh, Wales, the 1971 British Lions and the Barbarians. He is credited with being a major influence in these teams' success, and in the attractive, attacking, free-flowing rugby they played. Dawes also had considerable success as a coach with Wales, and coached the 1977 British Lions. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1972 New Year Honours List for services as Lions captain. Read more
29 Jun 1939: Alan Connolly, Australian cricketer Alan Norman Connolly is a former Australian cricketer who played in 29 Tests and one ODI from 1963 to 1971. He played first-class cricket for Victoria and Middlesex from 1959 to 1971. Read more
29 Jun 1939: Amarildo Tavares da Silveira, Brazilian footballer and coach Amarildo Tavares da Silveira, also known as Amarildo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a striker. He is the only living player who participated in the 1962 World Cup final. Read more
29 Jun 1936: Harmon Killebrew, American baseball player (died 2011) Harmon Clayton Killebrew Jr., nicknamed "the Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball player as a first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. He spent most of his 22-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Minnesota Twins. A prolific power hitter, Killebrew had the fifth-most home runs in major league history at the time of his retirement. He was second only to Babe Ruth in American League (AL) home runs, and was the AL career leader in home runs by a right-handed batter. Killebrew was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. Read more
29 Jun 1936: Eddie Mabo, Australian land rights activist (died 1992) Edward Koiki Mabo was a Torres Strait Islander man, known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights in Australia, in particular the landmark decision of the High Court of Australia that recognised that indigenous rights to land had continued after the British Crown acquired sovereignty and that the international law doctrine of terra nullius was not applicable to Australian domestic law. High court judges considering the case Mabo v Queensland found in favour of Mabo, which led to the Native Title Act 1993 and established native title in Australia, officially recognising the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. Read more
29 Jun 1935: Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos, Greek captain and businessman (died 2011) Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos was, a Greek captain, shipowner and entrepreneur. Read more
29 Jun 1935: Katsuya Nomura, Japanese baseball player and manager (died 2020) Katsuya Nomura was a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) catcher and manager. During his over 26-season playing career mostly spent with the Nankai Hawks, he became one of NPB's greatest offensive catchers. He was awarded the Pacific League MVP Award five times, became the first NPB batter to win the Triple Crown in 1965, and holds the record for second-most home runs and RBIs in NPB history. Read more
29 Jun 1934: Corey Allen, American actor, director, and producer (died 2010) Corey Allen was an American film and television director, writer, producer, and actor. He began his career as an actor but eventually became a television director. He is best known for playing the character Buzz Gunderson in Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause (1955). He was the son of Carl Cohen. Read more
29 Jun 1933: Bob Shaw, American baseball player and manager (died 2010) Robert John Shaw was an American professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he played in Major League Baseball on seven teams for 11 seasons, from 1957 to 1967. In 1962, he was a National League (NL) All-Star player. In 1966, he led all National League pitchers with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Read more
29 Jun 1933: John Bradshaw, American theologian and author (died 2016) John Elliot Bradshaw was an American educator, counselor, motivational speaker, and author who hosted a number of PBS television programs on topics such as addiction, recovery, codependency, and spirituality. Bradshaw was active in the self-help movement, and was credited with popularizing such ideas as the "wounded inner child" and the dysfunctional family. In promotional materials, interviews, and reviews of his work, he was often referred to as a theologian. Read more
29 Jun 1932: Brian Hutton, Baron Hutton, British jurist; Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland (died 2020) James Brian Edward Hutton, Baron Hutton, PC was a British Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland and Lord of Appeal in Ordinary. Read more
29 Jun 1931: Sevim Burak, Turkish author (died 1983) Zeliha Sevim Burak was a Turkish author and playwright. Read more
29 Jun 1930: Ernst Albrecht, German economist and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Lower Saxony (died 2014) Ernst Carl Julius Albrecht was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union and a former high-ranking European civil servant. He was one of the first European civil servants appointed in 1958 and served as director-general of the Directorate-General for Competition from 1967 to 1970. He served as Minister President of the state of Lower Saxony from 1976 to 1990. He was the father of the politician Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. Read more
29 Jun 1930: Robert Evans, American actor and producer (died 2019) Robert Evans was an American film producer, studio executive, and actor who worked on Rosemary's Baby (1968), Love Story (1970), The Godfather (1972), and Chinatown (1974). Read more
29 Jun 1930: Viola Léger, American-Canadian actress and politician (died 2023) Viola Léger was an American-born Canadian actress and politician who served in the Senate of Canada from 2001 to 2005. Read more
29 Jun 1930: Sławomir Mrożek, Polish-French author and playwright (died 2013) Sławomir Tangolo Mrożek was a Polish playwright. Read more
29 Jun 1929: Pat Crawford Brown, American actress (died 2019) Pat Crawford Brown was an American actress. Read more
29 Jun 1929: Pete George, American weightlifter (died 2021) Peter T. George was an American weightlifter and Olympic and World champion. He was later an assistant professor of stomatology. George was the first weightlifter of Bulgarian descent to win Olympic gold, which has since been achieved by other Bulgarian Olympians. Read more
29 Jun 1929: Oriana Fallaci, Italian journalist and author (died 2006) Oriana Fallaci was an Italian journalist and author. As a teenager she joined the Italian resistance movement during World War II, and later had a long and successful journalistic career. Fallaci became famous worldwide for her coverage of war and revolution, and her "long, aggressive and revealing interviews" with many world leaders during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. She received various prizes for her work as a journalist and later wrote a number of best selling books. Read more
29 Jun 1928: Ian Bannen, Scottish actor (died 1999) Ian Edmund Bannen was a Scottish stage and screen actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), the first Scots actor to receive the honour. He was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for his performance in Sidney Lumet's The Offence (1973) and John Boorman's Hope and Glory (1987). Read more
29 Jun 1928: Jean-Louis Pesch, French author and illustrator (died 2023) Jean-Louis Poisson, better known as Jean Louis Pesch, was a French author of comics series, including Sylvain et Sylvette. Read more
29 Jun 1928: Radius Prawiro, Indonesian economist and politician (died 2005) Radius Prawiro was an Indonesian economist and politician. Read more
29 Jun 1927: Pierre Perrault, Canadian director and screenwriter (died 1999) Pierre Perrault was a Canadian documentary film director with the National Film Board of Canada. Over his 40-year career, he directed 32 films and was one of Canada's most important filmmakers, although he is largely unknown outside of Québec. Read more
29 Jun 1927: Marie Thérèse Killens, Canadian politician Marie Thérèse Rollande Killens is a former Canadian politician who served as a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada. She is an administrator by career. Read more
29 Jun 1926: Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler, 3rd Emir of Kuwait (died 2006) Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, also known as Jaber III, was the Emir of Kuwait from 31 December 1977 until his death in 2006. The 13th ruler in his family's dynasty, Jaber's reign oversaw the transition of a relatively traditional society into a modernized state. He also led Kuwait through the Gulf War, defeating Ba'athist Iraq and Saddam Hussein with the support of the United States. Read more
29 Jun 1926: Julius W. Becton, Jr., U.S lieutenant general (died 2023) Julius Wesley Becton Jr. was a United States Army lieutenant general, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and education administrator. He served as Commanding General, VII Corps in 1978 and as Deputy Commanding General for Training of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) in 1981. He retired in 1983. Read more
29 Jun 1926: Roger Stuart Bacon, Nova Scotia politician (died 2021) Roger Stuart Bacon was a Canadian politician who served as the 21st premier of Nova Scotia from 1990 to 1991. Read more
29 Jun 1926: Bobby Morgan, American professional baseball player (died 2023) Robert Morris Morgan was an American professional baseball infielder. He played eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1950 and 1958 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Chicago Cubs. Read more
29 Jun 1925: Francis S. Currey, American World War II Medal of Honor recipient (died 2019) Francis Sherman Currey was a United States Army technical sergeant and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Read more
29 Jun 1925: Giorgio Napolitano, Italian journalist and politician, 11th President of Italy (died 2023) Giorgio Napolitano was an Italian politician who served as the president of Italy from 2006 to 2015. At the time the longest-serving president in Italian history, and the first to achieve re-election, he played a dominant role in Italian politics for almost a decade, leading some critics to refer to him as Re Giorgio. Read more
29 Jun 1925: Chan Parker, American dancer and author (died 1999) Chan Woods, was a common-law wife of jazz musician Charlie Parker. She later married musician Phil Woods. Read more
29 Jun 1925: Jackie Lynn Taylor, American actress (died 2014) Jacklyn DeVon Taylor, professionally known as Jackie Lynn Taylor, was an American child actress. Read more
29 Jun 1925: Cara Williams, American actress (died 2021) Cara Williams was an American film and television actress. She was best known for her role as Billy's mother in The Defiant Ones (1958), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and her role as Gladys Porter on the 1960–62 CBS television series Pete and Gladys, for which she was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy. At the time of her death, Williams was one of the last surviving actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Read more
29 Jun 1924: Ezra Laderman, American composer and educator (died 2015) Ezra Laderman was an American composer of classical music. He was born in Brooklyn. Read more
29 Jun 1924: Roy Walford, American pathologist and gerontologist (died 2004) Roy Lee Walford, M. D. was a professor of pathology at University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, a leading advocate of calorie restriction for life extension and health improvement, and a crew member of Biosphere 2. Read more
29 Jun 1924: Philip H. Hoff, American politician (died 2018) Philip Henderson Hoff was an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont. He was most notable for his service as the 73rd governor of Vermont from 1963 to 1969, the state's first Democratic governor since 1853. Read more
29 Jun 1923: Chou Wen-chung, Chinese-American composer and educator (died 2019) Chou Wen-chung was a Chinese American composer of contemporary classical music. He emigrated in 1946 to the United States and received his music training at the New England Conservatory and Columbia University. Chou is credited by Nicolas Slonimsky as one of the first Chinese composers who attempted to translate authentic East Asian melo-rhythms into the terms of modern Western music. Read more
29 Jun 1922: Ralph Burns, American songwriter, bandleader, composer, conductor, arranger and pianist (died 2001) Ralph Joseph P. Burns was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Read more
29 Jun 1922: Vasko Popa, Serbian poet and academic (died 1991) Vasile "Vasko" Popa was a Yugoslav and Serbian poet of ethnic-Romanian heritage. He is regarded as one of 20th-century Yugoslavia's and Serbia's most important poets, and his work has been widely translated. Read more
29 Jun 1922: John William Vessey, Jr., American general (died 2016) John William Vessey Jr. was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of general, and was most notable for his service as the tenth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Read more
29 Jun 1921: Frédéric Dard, French author and screenwriter (died 2000) Frédéric Charles Antoine Dard ) also known under the pen name San-Antonio, was a French writer. Known as an author of crime fiction and as a humorist, he was noted for his ability to blend the two genres. Though Dard also wrote serious fiction, his most successful books used a farcical tone. Read more
29 Jun 1921: Jean Kent, English actress (died 2013) Jean Kent was an English film and television actress. Read more
29 Jun 1921: Reinhard Mohn, German businessman (died 2009) Reinhard Mohn was a German billionaire businessman and philanthropist. Under his leadership, Bertelsmann, once a medium-sized printing and publishing house, established in 1835, developed into a global media conglomerate. In 1977, he founded the non-profit foundation Bertelsmann Stiftung, which is today one of the largest foundations in Germany, with worldwide reach. Read more
29 Jun 1921: Harry Schell, French-American race car driver (died 1960) Harry Lawrence O'Reilly Schell was an American racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1950 to 1960. Read more
29 Jun 1920: César Rodríguez Álvarez, Spanish footballer and manager (died 1995) César Rodríguez Álvarez, sometimes known as just César, was a Spanish football forward and manager. Read more
29 Jun 1920: Ray Harryhausen, American animator and producer (died 2013) Raymond Frederick Harryhausen was an American-British animator and special effects creator who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of both fields. In a career spanning more than 40 years, he built upon the techniques of his mentor, Willis H. O'Brien, to develop a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation" and advance the field of cinematic special effects. Though not credited as a writer or director on any of the feature films he worked on, the role he played in shaping those he made during his peak years has led to him being regarded as "cinema's sole visual effects auteur," and the creatures and sequences he animated are considered some of the most iconic in the history of cinema. Read more
29 Jun 1920: Nicole Russell, Duchess of Bedford (died 2012) Nicole Russell, Duchess of Bedford was one of the first female television producers in France. After becoming the Duchess of Bedford, she helped to open and popularize one of the first Stately homes to the public – Woburn Abbey. She was also a best-selling author. Read more
29 Jun 1920: David Snellgrove, British tibetologist (died 2016) David Llewellyn Snellgrove, FBA was a British Tibetologist noted for his pioneering work on Buddhism in Tibet as well as his many travelogues. Read more
29 Jun 1919: Ernesto Corripio y Ahumada, Mexican cardinal (died 2008) Ernesto Corripio y Ahumada was a Mexican Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Mexico and Primate of Mexico(1977–1994). He was made a cardinal in 1979. Read more
29 Jun 1919: Walter Babington Thomas, Commander of British Far East Land Forces (died 2017) Major-General Walter Babington "Sandy" Thomas, was a New Zealand-born British Army officer, who served as General Officer Commanding Far East Land Forces from 1970 to 1971. He previously served with the New Zealand Military Forces in the Second World War, where he was decorated, wounded and, at age 24, became the youngest New Zealand battalion commander of the war. Read more
29 Jun 1919: Juan Blanco, Cuban composer (died 2008) Juan Blanco was the first Cuban composer to utilize electroacoustics, spatial music and multimedia. Read more
29 Jun 1919: Slim Pickens, American actor and rodeo performer (died 1983) Louis Burton Lindley, better known by his stage name Slim Pickens, was an American actor and rodeo performer. Starting off in the rodeo, Pickens took up acting, and appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows. For much of his career, Pickens played cowboy roles. He played comic roles in Dr. Strangelove, Blazing Saddles, 1941, and had a villainous role in One-Eyed Jacks with Marlon Brando. Read more
29 Jun 1919: Lloyd Richards, Canadian-American theatre director, actor, and dean (died 2006) Lloyd George Richards was a Canadian-American theatre director, and actor. While head of the National Playwrights Conference, he helped cultivate many of the most famous theater writers of the 20th century. He was also the dean of the Yale School of Drama from 1979 to 1991, and was the first Black director on Broadway. Read more
29 Jun 1918: Heini Lohrer, Swiss ice hockey player (died 2011) Heinrich Lohrer was an ice hockey player for the Swiss national team. He won a bronze medal at the 1948 Winter Olympics. He was a brother of Werner Lohrer. Read more
29 Jun 1918: Gene La Rocque, U.S admiral (died 2016) Eugene Robert LaRocque was a rear admiral of the US Navy. He founded the Center for Defense Information in 1971. Read more
29 Jun 1918: Francis W. Nye, United States Air Force major general (died 2019) Francis Walter Nye was a United States Air Force major general who was a B-24 Liberator and B-29 Superfortress combat pilot. He was commander, Field Command, Defense Atomic Support Agency, Sandia Base, New Mexico. Read more
29 Jun 1917: Ling Yun, Chinese politician (died 2018) Ling Yun, born as Wu Peilin (吴沛霖), was a politician of the People's Republic of China, who served as the first Minister of State Security, from June 1983 to September 1985. Read more
29 Jun 1916: Ruth Warrick, American actress and activist (died 2005) Ruth Elizabeth Warrick was an American singer, actress and political activist, best known for her role as Phoebe Tyler Wallingford on All My Children, which she played regularly from 1970 until her death in 2005. She made her film debut in Citizen Kane, and years later celebrated her 80th birthday by attending a special screening of the film. Read more
29 Jun 1914: Rafael Kubelík, Czech-American conductor and composer (died 1996) Rafael Jeroným Kubelík, KBE was a Czech conductor and composer. Read more
29 Jun 1914: Christos Papakyriakopoulos, Greek-American mathematician and academic (died 1976) Christos Dimitriou Papakyriakopoulos, commonly known as Papa, was a Greek mathematician specializing in geometric topology. Read more
29 Jun 1913: Earle Meadows, American pole vaulter (died 1992) Earle Elmer Meadows was an American pole vaulter who won a gold medal at the 1936 Olympics. His winning vault is featured in Leni Riefenstahl's film Olympia. Read more
29 Jun 1912: José Pablo Moncayo, Mexican pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1958) José Pablo Moncayo García was a Mexican pianist, percussionist, music teacher, composer and conductor. "As composer, José Pablo Moncayo represents one of the most important legacies of the Mexican nationalism in art music, after Silvestre Revueltas and Carlos Chávez." He produced some of the masterworks that best symbolize the essence of the national aspirations and contradictions of Mexico in the 20th century. Read more
29 Jun 1912: Émile Peynaud, French oenologist and academic (died 2004) Émile Peynaud was a French oenologist and researcher who has been credited with revolutionizing winemaking in the latter half of the 20th century, and has been called "the forefather of modern oenology". Read more
29 Jun 1912: John Toland, American historian and author (died 2004) John Willard Toland was an American writer and historian. He is best known for his biography of Adolf Hitler and a Pulitzer Prize-winning history of World War II-era Japan, The Rising Sun. Read more
29 Jun 1911: Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (died 2004) Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld was Prince of the Netherlands from 6 September 1948 to 30 April 1980 as the husband of Queen Juliana. They had four daughters together, including Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Read more
29 Jun 1911: Katherine DeMille, Canadian-American actress (died 1995) Katherine Lester DeMille was an American actress who played 25 credited film roles from the mid-1930s to the late 1940s. Read more
29 Jun 1911: Bernard Herrmann, American composer and conductor (died 1975) Bernard Herrmann was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in film scoring. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest film composers of all time. Alex Ross writes that "Over four decades, he revolutionized movie scoring by abandoning the illustrative musical techniques that dominated Hollywood in the 1930s and imposing his own peculiar harmonic and rhythmic vocabulary." As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. Read more
29 Jun 1910: Frank Loesser, American composer and conductor (died 1969) Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won a Tony Award for Guys and Dolls and shared the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for How to Succeed. He also wrote songs for over 60 Hollywood films and Tin Pan Alley, many of which have become standards, and was nominated for five Academy Awards for best song, winning once for "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Read more
29 Jun 1910: Burgess Whitehead, American baseball player (died 1993) Burgess Urquhart "Whitey" Whitehead was an American Major League Baseball second baseman from 1933 to 1946. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Read more
29 Jun 1909: Harold Edward Dahl, American pilot and mercenary (died 1956) Harold Edward Dahl was a mercenary American pilot who fought in the Spanish Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War. He was a member of the "American Patrol" of the Andres Garcia La Calle group. He was nicknamed "Whitey" due to his very blond hair. Read more
29 Jun 1908: Leroy Anderson, American composer and conductor (died 1975) Leroy Anderson was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams described him as "one of the great American masters of light orchestral music." Read more
29 Jun 1908: Erik Lundqvist, Swedish javelin thrower (died 1963) Erik Hjalmar Lundqvist was a Swedish athlete who won a gold medal in the javelin throw at the 1928 Summer Olympics. Two weeks later he became the first man to break the 70 m barrier, setting a new world record at 71.01 m. Read more
29 Jun 1906: Ivan Chernyakhovsky, Ukrainian general (died 1945) Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky was the youngest-ever Soviet General of the army. For his leadership during World War II he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union twice. He died from wounds received outside Königsberg at age 37 while in command of the 3rd Belorussian Front. Read more
29 Jun 1906: Heinz Harmel, German general (died 2000) Heinz Harmel was a German SS commander during the Nazi era. He commanded the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg during World War II. Harmel was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany. Read more
29 Jun 1904: Witold Hurewicz, Polish mathematician (died 1956) Witold Hurewicz was a Polish mathematician who worked in topology. Read more
29 Jun 1903: Alan Blumlein, English engineer, developed the H2S radar (died 1942) Alan Dower Blumlein was an English electronics engineer, notable for his many inventions in telecommunications, sound recording, stereophonic sound, television and radar. He received 128 patents and was considered one of the most significant engineers and inventors of his time. Read more
29 Jun 1901: Nelson Eddy, American singer and actor (died 1967) Nelson Ackerman Eddy was an American actor and baritone singer who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs. A classically trained baritone, he is best remembered for the eight films in which he costarred with soprano Jeanette MacDonald. He was one of the first "crossover" stars, a superstar appealing both to shrieking bobby soxers and opera purists, and in his heyday, he was the highest paid singer in the world. Read more
29 Jun 1900: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French poet and pilot (died 1944) Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, vicomte de Saint-Exupéry, known simply as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was a French writer, poet, journalist and aviator. Read more
29 Jun 1898: Yvonne Lefébure, French pianist and educator (died 1986) Yvonne Lefébure was a French pianist and teacher. Read more
29 Jun 1897: Fulgence Charpentier, Canadian journalist and publisher (died 2001) Fulgence Charpentier, OC was a French Canadian journalist, editor and publisher. Read more
29 Jun 1893: Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, Indian economist and statistician (died 1972) Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis OBE, FNA, FASc, FRS was an Indian scientist and statistician. He is best remembered for the Mahalanobis distance, a statistical measure, and for being one of the members of the first economic Planning Commission of independent India. He made pioneering studies in anthropometry in India. He founded the Indian Statistical Institute, and contributed to the design of large-scale sample surveys. For his contributions, Mahalanobis has been considered the father of statistics in India. Since 2007, 29 June is celebrated as National Statistics Day in India to commemorate the birth anniversary of P.C. Mahalanobis and his contributions to statistical science and planning. Read more
29 Jun 1893: Aarre Merikanto, Finnish composer and educator (died 1958) Aarre Merikanto was a Finnish composer. Read more
29 Jun 1890: Robert Laurent, American sculptor and academic (died 1970) Robert Laurent was a French-American modernist figurative sculptor, printmaker and teacher. His work, the New York Times wrote,"figured in the development of an American sculptural art that balanced nature and abstraction." Widely exhibited, he took part in the Whitney's 1946 exhibition Pioneers of Modern Art. Credited as the first American sculptor to adopt a "direct carving" sculpting style that was bolder and more abstract than the then traditional fine arts practice, which relied on models, Laurent's approach was inspired by the African carving and European avant-garde art he admired, while also echoing folk styles found both in the U.S. and among medieval stone cutters of his native Brittany. Best known for his virtuoso mastery of the figure, Laurent sculpted in multiple media, including wood, alabaster, bronze, marble and aluminum. His expertise earned him major commissions for public sculpture, most famously for the Goose Girl for New York City's Radio City Music Hall, as well as for Spanning the Continent for Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. After the Depression, he was also the recipient of several Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project commissions under the New Deal, including a bas-relief called Shipping for the exterior of Washington, D.C.'s Federal Trade Commission Building, commissioned by the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts in 1938. Read more
29 Jun 1890: Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, Dutch supercentenarian (died 2005) Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper was a Dutch supercentenarian who lived to the age of 115 years, 62 days. She is the oldest person ever from the Netherlands, breaking the previous record of Catharina van Dam on 26 September 2003, and from 29 May 2004 was the oldest verified person in the world, until the verification of María Capovilla. Read more
29 Jun 1889: Willie Macfarlane, Scottish-American golfer (died 1961) William Macfarlane was a Scottish professional golfer. Read more
29 Jun 1888: Squizzy Taylor, Australian gangster (died 1927) Joseph Theodore Leslie "Squizzy" Taylor was an Australian gangster from Melbourne. He appeared repeatedly and sometimes prominently in Melbourne news media because of suspicions, formal accusations and some convictions related to a 1919 gang war, to his absconding from bail and hiding from the police in 1921–22, and to his involvement in a robbery where a bank manager was murdered in 1923. Read more
29 Jun 1886: Robert Schuman, Luxembourgian-French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (died 1963) Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Robert Schuman was a Luxembourg-born French statesman. Schuman was a Christian democratic political thinker and activist. Twice Prime Minister of France, a reformist Minister of Finance and a Foreign Minister, he was instrumental in building postwar European and trans-Atlantic institutions and was one of the founders of the European Communities, the Council of Europe and NATO. He was the one who proposed the Schuman Declaration, which established the European Coal and Steel Community, ultimately a predecessor of the European Union. The 1964–1965 academic year at the College of Europe was named in his honour. In 2021, Schuman was declared venerable by Pope Francis in recognition of his acting on Christian principles. Read more
29 Jun 1885: Izidor Kürschner, Hungarian football player and coach (died 1941) Izidor "Dori" Kürschner, in Brazil primarily known as Dori Kruschner,, was a Hungarian football player and coach. As player he was successful with Budapest club MTK, and also played for the Hungary national team. As coach he succeeded in Germany, winning the national championship with 1. FC Nürnberg. His greatest triumphs were to follow in Switzerland with the Grasshopper Club Zürich, where he won seven titles. Kürschner's arrival to Brazilian football brought tactical innovations which helped to establish the country as one of the world leaders in the sport. Read more
29 Jun 1882: Henry Hawtrey, English runner (died 1961) Henry Courtenay Hawtrey was a British track and field athlete, winner of 5 miles (8.0 km) run at the 1906 Summer Olympics. Read more
29 Jun 1882: Franz Seldte, German captain and politician, Reich Minister for Labour (died 1947) Tobias Wilhelm Franz Seldte was a German reactionary politician who served as the Reich Minister for Labour in Nazi Germany. Prior to his ministry, Seldte was a founding leader of Der Stahlhelm World War I ex-servicemen's organisation from 1918 to 1934. Read more
29 Jun 1881: Harry Frazee, American director, producer, and agent (died 1929) Harry Herbert Frazee was an American theatrical agent, producer, and director, and owner of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox from 1916 to 1923. He is well known for selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, which started the alleged Curse of the Bambino. Read more
29 Jun 1881: Curt Sachs, German-American composer and musicologist (died 1959) Curt Sachs was a German musicologist. He was one of the founders of modern organology. Among his contributions was the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which he created with Erich von Hornbostel. Read more
29 Jun 1880: Ludwig Beck, German general (died 1944) Ludwig August Theodor Beck was a German general who served as Chief of the German General Staff from 1933 to 1938. Beck was one of the main conspirators of the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Read more
29 Jun 1879: Benedetto Aloisi Masella, Italian cardinal (died 1970) Benedetto Aloisi Masella was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as prefect of the Discipline of the Sacraments from 1954 to 1968, and as chamberlain of the Roman Church from 1958 until his death. Aloisi Masella was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius XII, whom he designated to canonically crown Our Lady of Fatima. Read more
29 Jun 1873: Leo Frobenius, German ethnologist and archaeologist (died 1938) Leo Viktor Frobenius was a German self-taught ethnologist and archaeologist and a major figure in German ethnography. Read more
29 Jun 1870: Joseph Carl Breil, American tenor, composer, and director (died 1926) Joseph Carl Breil was an American lyric tenor, stage director, composer and conductor. He was one of the earliest American composers to compose specific music for motion pictures. His first film was Les amours de la reine Élisabeth (1912) starring Sarah Bernhardt. He later composed and arranged scores for several other early motion pictures, including such epics as D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916), as well as scoring the preview version of The Phantom of the Opera (1925), a score that is now lost. His love theme for "Birth of a Nation", titled "The Perfect Song", was published by Chappell & Co. in an arrangement for voice and keyboard. It was later used as the theme for the radio show Amos 'n' Andy. Read more
29 Jun 1868: George Ellery Hale, American astronomer and journalist (died 1938) George Ellery Hale was an American astrophysicist best known for his discovery of magnetic fields in sunspots. He was also a key figure in the planning and construction of several world-leading telescopes: the 40-inch refracting telescope at Yerkes Observatory; the 60-inch Hale and 100-inch Hooker reflecting telescopes, both at Mount Wilson Observatory; and the 200-inch Hale reflecting telescope at Palomar Observatory. He played a key role in the foundation of the International Union for Cooperation in Solar Research and the National Research Council, and in developing the California Institute of Technology into a leading research university. Read more
29 Jun 1866: Bartholomeus Roodenburch, Dutch swimmer (died 1939) Bartholomeus Roodenburch was a Dutch backstroke swimmer who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. Read more
29 Jun 1863: Wilbert Robinson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 1934) Wilbert Robinson, nicknamed "Uncle Robbie", was an American catcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Philadelphia Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and St. Louis Cardinals. He managed the Orioles and Brooklyn Robins. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945. Read more
29 Jun 1861: William James Mayo, American physician and surgeon, co-founded the Mayo Clinic (died 1939) William James Mayo was a physician and surgeon in the United States and one of the seven founders of the Mayo Clinic. He and his brother, Charles Horace Mayo, both joined their father's private medical practice in Rochester, Minnesota, after graduating from medical school in the 1880s. In 1919, that practice became the not-for-profit Mayo Clinic. Read more
29 Jun 1858: George Washington Goethals, American general and engineer, co-designed the Panama Canal (died 1928) George Washington Goethals was an American military officer and civil engineer, best known for his administration and supervision of the construction and the opening of the Panama Canal. He was the first Governor of Panama Canal Zone from 1914 to 1917, and was also the State Engineer of New Jersey and the Acting Quartermaster General of the United States Army. Read more
29 Jun 1858: Julia Lathrop, American activist and politician (died 1932) Julia Clifford Lathrop was an American social reformer in the area of education, social policy, and children's welfare. As director of the United States Children's Bureau from 1912 to 1922, she was the first woman ever to head a United States federal bureau. Read more
29 Jun 1849: Pedro Montt, Chilean lawyer and politician, 15th President of Chile (died 1910) Pedro Elías Pablo Montt Montt was a Chilean political figure. He served as the president of Chile from 1906 to his death from a probable stroke in 1910. His government furthered railroad and manufacturing activities but ignored pressing social and labour problems. Read more
29 Jun 1849: Sergei Witte, Russian politician, 1st Chairmen of Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire (died 1915) Count Sergei Yulyevich Witte, also known as Sergius Witte, was a Russian statesman who served as the first prime minister of the Russian Empire, replacing the emperor as head of government. Neither liberal nor conservative, he attracted foreign capital to boost Russia's industrialization. Witte's strategy was to avoid the danger of wars. Read more
29 Jun 1849: John Hunn, American businessman and politician, 51st Governor of Delaware (died 1926) John Hunn was an American businessman and politician from Camden, Delaware. The first governor elected after a reform of Delaware's state constitution and a compromise candidate, Hunn served from 1901 until 1905 and became the first of a multi-decade string of elected Republican Delaware governors. Read more
29 Jun 1844: Peter I of Serbia (died 1921) Peter I was King of Serbia from 15 June 1903 to 1 December 1918. On 1 December 1918, he became King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and he held that title until his death three years later. Since he was the king of Serbia during a period of great Serbian military success, he was remembered by Serbians as King Peter the Liberator and also as the Old King. Read more
29 Jun 1835: Celia Thaxter, American poet and story writer (died 1894) Celia Thaxter was an American writer of poetry and stories. For most of her life, she lived with her father on the Isles of Shoals at his Appledore Hotel. How she grew up to become a writer is detailed in her early autobiography, and her book entitled Among the Isles of Shoals. Thaxter became one of America's favorite authors in the late 19th century. Among her best-known poems are "The Burgomaster Gull", "Landlocked", "Milking", "The Great White Owl", "The Kingfisher", and "The Sandpiper". Many of her romantic poems are addressed to women; as such, she has been identified by some scholars as a lesbian poet. Read more
29 Jun 1833: Peter Waage, Norwegian chemist and academic (died 1900) Peter Waage was a Norwegian chemist and professor of chemistry at the University of Kristiania. Along with his brother-in-law Cato Maximilian Guldberg, he co-discovered and developed the law of mass action between 1864 and 1879. Read more
29 Jun 1819: Thomas Dunn English, American poet, playwright, and politician (died 1902) Thomas Dunn English was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey who represented the state's 6th congressional district in the House of Representatives from 1891 to 1895. He was also a published author and songwriter, who had a bitter feud with Edgar Allan Poe. Along with Waitman T. Barbe and Danske Dandridge, English was considered a major West Virginia poet of the mid 19th century. Read more
29 Jun 1818: Angelo Secchi, Italian astronomer and academic (died 1878) Angelo Secchi was an Italian Catholic priest and astronomer from the Italian region of Emilia. He was director of the observatory at the Pontifical Gregorian University for 28 years. He was a pioneer in astronomical spectroscopy, and was one of the first scientists to state authoritatively that the Sun is a star. Read more
29 Jun 1803: John Newton Brown, American minister and author (died 1868) John Newton Brown was an influential Baptist teacher, minister and publisher in the 19th century. Read more
29 Jun 1801: Frédéric Bastiat, French economist and theorist (died 1850) Claude-Frédéric Bastiat was a French economist, writer, and prominent member of the French liberal school. Read more

Notable Deaths on 29 June

29 Jun 2025: Sandy Gall, Malaysian-Scottish journalist and author (born 1927) Henderson Alexander Gall was a Scottish journalist, author and Independent Television News (ITN) news presenter whose career as a journalist spanned more than 50 years. He began his career in journalism as a sub-editor at the Aberdeen Press and Journal in 1952 and became a foreign correspondent for the Reuters international news agency from 1953 to 1963. Gall joined ITN as a foreign reporter and troubleshooter in 1963, and also worked as a newscaster on News at Ten between 1970 and 1991. He was the Rector of the University of Aberdeen from 1978 to 1981 and founded the Sandy Gall's Afghanistan Appeal charity with his wife in 1986. Read more
29 Jun 2024: Princess Lalla Latifa, Princess Dowager of Morocco (born 1946) Princess Hajja Lalla Latifa was the wife of King Hassan II of Morocco, and the mother of Princess Lalla Meryem, King Mohammed VI, Princesses Lalla Asma and Lalla Hasna, and Prince Moulay Rachid. Read more
29 Jun 2023: Alan Arkin, American actor (born 1934) Alan Wolf Arkin was an American actor, filmmaker and musician. In a career spanning seven decades, he received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for six Emmy Awards. Read more
29 Jun 2022: Hershel W. Williams, American Marine Corps warrant officer, last living Medal of Honor recipient from World War II (born 1923) Hershel Woodrow "Woody" Williams was a United States Marine Corps Reserve warrant officer and United States Department of Veterans Affairs veterans service representative who received the Medal of Honor, the United States military's highest decoration for valor, for heroism above and beyond the call of duty during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. Williams was the last living Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. Read more
29 Jun 2021: Donald Rumsfeld, American captain and politician, 13th United States Secretary of Defense (born 1932) Donald Henry Rumsfeld was an American politician, businessman, naval officer, and diplomat who served as the 13th United States secretary of defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and again as the 21st secretary of defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He was both the youngest and the oldest secretary of defense. Additionally, Rumsfeld was a four-term U.S. Congressman from Illinois (1963–1969), director of the Office of Economic Opportunity (1969–1970), counselor to the president (1969–1973), the U.S. Representative to NATO (1973–1974), and the White House chief of staff (1974–1975). Between his terms as secretary of defense, he served as the CEO and chairman of several companies. Read more
29 Jun 2020: Carl Reiner, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1922) Carl Reiner was an American actor, author, comedian, director, and screenwriter whose career spanned seven decades. His awards and honors include 12 Primetime Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999. Read more
29 Jun 2020: Stepa J. Groggs, American rap artist (born 1988) Injury Reserve was an American hip-hop group founded in Tempe, Arizona, in 2012. The group consisted of rappers Ritchie with a T and Stepa J. Groggs, alongside producer Parker Corey. Read more
29 Jun 2020: Hachalu Hundessa, Ethiopian singer, songwriter (born 1986) Hachalu Hundessa was an Ethiopian singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Hachalu played a significant role in the 2014–2016 Oromo protests that led to Abiy Ahmed taking charge of the Oromo Democratic Party and Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, and subsequently becoming prime minister of Ethiopia in 2018. Read more
29 Jun 2018: Steve Ditko, American comic writer and illustrator (born 1927) Stephen John Ditko was an American comic book artist best known for being the co-creator of Marvel superheroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. He also made notable contributions to the character of Iron Man, introducing the character's signature red and yellow design. Read more
29 Jun 2017: Louis Nicollin, French entrepreneur and chairman of Montpellier HSC from 1974 to his death (born 1943) Louis Nicollin was a French entrepreneur and director of the Nicollin Company, which specializes in the collection and reprocessing of household and industrial waste. Nicollin notably served as chairman of Montpellier Hérault Sport Club, a football team, from 1974 to his death in 2017. Read more
29 Jun 2017: Dave Semenko, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1957) David John Semenko was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, scout, and colour commentator. During his National Hockey League (NHL) career, Semenko played for the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers and Toronto Maple Leafs as an enforcer. During his tenure with Edmonton, he notably protected Wayne Gretzky as an "on-ice bodyguard" during Gretzky's early career. Semenko won two Stanley Cups with the Oilers in 1984 and 1985. He was also the last player to score a goal in the World Hockey Association (WHA) before it folded and merged with the NHL. Read more
29 Jun 2016: Jan Hettema, Springbok cyclist and five times South African National Rally Champion (born 1933) Jan Hettema was a South African cyclist. He competed in three events at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He was also a successful rally driver and won the South African National Rally Championship five times. He was killed during an armed robbery at his smallholding in Tweedrag near Boschkop, Pretoria on 29 June 2016. Read more
29 Jun 2015: Hisham Barakat, Egyptian lawyer and judge (born 1950) Hisham Muhammad Zaki Barakat was Attorney General of Egypt from 2013 to 2015. During his term as state prosecutor, he was responsible of thousands of controversial prosecutions, including several widely deemed politically motivated resulting in death sentences for hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members and supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. He was assassinated in a car bombing on 29 June 2015. Read more
29 Jun 2015: Josef Masopust, Czech footballer and coach (born 1931) Josef Masopust was a Czech football player and coach. He played as midfielder and was a key player for Czechoslovakia, helping them reach the 1962 FIFA World Cup Final. He was capped 63 times, scoring ten goals for his national team. Read more
29 Jun 2015: Charles Pasqua, French businessman and politician, French Minister of the Interior (born 1927) Charles Victor Pasqua was a French businessman and Gaullist politician. He was Interior Minister from 1986 to 1988, under Jacques Chirac's cohabitation government, and also from 1993 to 1995, under the government of Edouard Balladur. Read more
29 Jun 2014: Damian D'Oliveira, South African cricketer (born 1960) Damian Basil D'Oliveira was a South African-born English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Worcestershire, and was the Academy Director of Worcestershire County Cricket Club. Read more
29 Jun 2014: Dermot Healy, Irish author, poet, and playwright (born 1947) Dermot Healy was an Irish novelist, playwright, poet and short story writer. A member of Aosdána, Healy was also part of its governing body, the Toscaireacht. Born in Finea, County Westmeath, he lived in County Sligo, and was described variously as a "master", a "Celtic Hemingway" and as "Ireland's finest living novelist". Read more
29 Jun 2013: Peter Fitzgerald, Irish footballer and manager (born 1937) Peter Joseph Fitzgerald was an Irish professional footballer who played as a forward. Read more
29 Jun 2013: Jack Gotta, American-Canadian football player, coach, and manager (born 1929) Jack "Jocko" Gotta was an American-born Canadian professional football player, coach, and general manager. Read more
29 Jun 2013: Margherita Hack, Italian astrophysicist and author (born 1922) Margherita Hack was an Italian astrophysicist and science communicator. The asteroid 8558 Hack, discovered in 1995, was named in her honour. Read more
29 Jun 2013: Gilma Jiménez, Colombian politician (born 1956) Gilma Jiménez was a Colombian politician. She was a member of the Senate for Bogotá. Read more
29 Jun 2012: Yong Nyuk Lin, Singaporean politician, Singaporean Minister of Health (born 1918) Yong Nyuk Lin was a Singaporean politician who served as the Minister for Communications between 1968 and 1975, Minister for Health between 1963 and 1968, and Minister for Education between 1959 and 1963. Read more
29 Jun 2012: Vincent Ostrom, American political scientist and academic (born 1919) Vincent Alfred Ostrom was an American political economist, the founding director of the Ostrom Workshop based at Indiana University, and the Arthur F. Bentley Professor Emeritus of Political Science. He and his wife, the political economist Elinor Ostrom, made numerous contributions to the field of political science, political economy, and public choice. Read more
29 Jun 2012: Juan Reccius, Chilean triple jumper (born 1911) Hans Werner "Juan" Reccius Ellwanger was a Chilean athlete who competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. He competed in the men's triple jump event, but did not advance beyond the qualifying round. Read more
29 Jun 2012: Floyd Temple, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1926) Floyd O. Temple was the head coach of the University of Kansas baseball team from 1954 to 1981. He also managed and played in the minor leagues in the early 1950s. Read more
29 Jun 2011: K. D. Sethna, Indian poet, scholar, writer, philosopher, and cultural critic (born 1904) Kaikhosru Dhunjibhoy Sethna was an Indian poet, scholar, writer, philosopher, and cultural critic. He published more than 50 books. He was known by the diminutive Kekoo, but wrote his poetry under nom de plume of Amal Kiran. Read more
29 Jun 2009: Joe Bowman, American, target shooter and boot-maker (born 1925) Joseph Lee Bowman was an American marksman called "The Straight Shooter", considered to have been a guardian of Texas and Western frontier culture. He was also an Eagle Scout, Army soldier, and bootmaker. Read more
29 Jun 2007: Fred Saberhagen, American soldier and author (born 1930) Fred Thomas Saberhagen was an American science fiction and fantasy author most famous for his Berserker series of science fiction short stories and novels. Read more
29 Jun 2007: Joel Siegel, American journalist and critic (born 1943) Joel Steven Siegel was an American film critic for the ABC morning news show Good Morning America for over 25 years. The winner of multiple Emmy Awards, Siegel also worked as a radio disc jockey and an advertising copywriter. Read more
29 Jun 2006: Fabián Bielinsky, Argentinian director and screenwriter (born 1959) Fabián Bielinsky was an Argentine film director. Read more
29 Jun 2006: Lloyd Richards, Canadian-American theatre director, actor, and dean (born 1919) Lloyd George Richards was a Canadian-American theatre director, and actor. While head of the National Playwrights Conference, he helped cultivate many of the most famous theater writers of the 20th century. He was also the dean of the Yale School of Drama from 1979 to 1991, and was the first Black director on Broadway. Read more
29 Jun 2006: Randy Walker, American football player and coach (born 1954) Randy J. Walker was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1990 to 1998 and at Northwestern University from 1999 to 2005, compiling a career head coaching record of 96–81–5. Walker won 59 games at Miami, more than noted coaches who preceded him such as Sid Gillman, Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Bill Mallory, and Ara Parseghian. Read more
29 Jun 2004: Bernard Babior, American physician and biochemist (born 1935) Bernard Macy Babior was an American physician and research biochemist. Read more
29 Jun 2004: Alvin Hamilton, Canadian lieutenant and politician, 18th Canadian Minister of Agriculture (born 1912) Francis Alvin George Hamilton was a Canadian politician. Hamilton led the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan from 1949 until he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1957 general election. That election brought the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada to power under John Diefenbaker. He served as Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources, 1957 to 1960. He promoted a new vision of northern development. He was Minister of Agriculture, 1960 to 1963, where he promoted wheat sales to China. Read more
29 Jun 2003: Katharine Hepburn, American actress (born 1907) Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress whose career as a leading lady on stage and screen spanned six decades. Known for her headstrong independence, spirited personality, and outspokenness, she cultivated a screen persona that matched this public image, and regularly played strong-willed, sophisticated women. She worked in a varied range of genres, from screwball comedy to literary drama. Her accolades include a record four Academy Awards for Best Actress, two British Academy Film Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards and eight Golden Globe Awards. Read more
29 Jun 2002: Rosemary Clooney, American singer and actress (born 1928) Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me", "Mambo Italiano", "Tenderly", "Half as Much", "Hey There", "This Ole House", and "Sway". She also had success as a jazz vocalist. Read more
29 Jun 2000: Vittorio Gassman, Italian actor and director (born 1922) Vittorio Gassman, popularly known as Il Mattatore, was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. Read more
29 Jun 2000: Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood, Canadian-English publisher and politician (born 1913) Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood, born Joan Pollock Graham, was a British-Canadian far-right political activist who took part in a number of movements, and was described as the "largest individual distributor of racist and antisemitic material" in Britain. She was the second wife of Christopher Birdwood, 2nd Baron Birdwood. Read more
29 Jun 1999: Karekin I, Syrian-Armenian patriarch (born 1950) Karekin I served as the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church between 1994 and 1999. Previously, he served as the Catholicos of Cilicia from 1983 to 1994 as Karekin II. Read more
29 Jun 1999: Allan Carr, American screenwriter and producer (born 1937) Allan Carr was an American producer and manager of stage and screen. He was nominated for numerous awards, winning a Tony Award and two People's Choice Awards, and was named Producer of the Year by the National Association of Theatre Owners. Read more
29 Jun 1998: Horst Jankowski, German pianist and composer (born 1936) Horst Jankowski was a classically trained German pianist, most famous for his internationally successful easy listening music. Read more
29 Jun 1997: William Hickey, American actor (born 1927) William Edward Hickey was an American actor. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Don Corrado Prizzi in the John Huston film Prizzi's Honor (1985), as well as Uncle Lewis in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) and the voice of Dr. Finkelstein in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Read more
29 Jun 1997: Marjorie Linklater, Scottish campaigner for the arts and environment of Orkney (born 1909) Marjorie Linklater was a Scottish campaigner for the arts and environment on the island of Orkney. She gave up acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art to get involved in conservation, education, and health matters as a county councillor for Ross and Cromarty County Council. In 1975, Linklater was elected chairman of the Orkney Heritage Society, devoting herself to campaigning for the arts environment, local heritage, and politics. She successfully opposed the mining of uranium and the dumping of nuclear waste off Orkney's west coast and was a founding member of the St Magnus Festival. The Orkney Heritage Society named a senior school award in Linklater's honour following her death. Read more
29 Jun 1995: Lana Turner, American actress (born 1921) Julia Jean "Lana" Turner was an American actress. Over a career spanning nearly five decades, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized personal life. In the mid-1940s, she was one of the highest-paid American actresses, and one of MGM's biggest stars, with her films earning over one billion dollars in 2026 currency for the studio during her 18-year contract with them. Turner is frequently cited as a popular culture icon due to her glamorous persona, and a screen legend of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Read more
29 Jun 1994: Kurt Eichhorn, German conductor and educator (born 1908) Kurt Peter Eichhorn, was a German conductor. Read more
29 Jun 1993: Héctor Lavoe, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter (born 1946) Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez, better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Widely regarded as one of salsa's most important and influential vocalists, Lavoe played a pivotal role in popularizing the genre throughout the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. His charismatic persona and artistic vision propelled him to become one of the most successful Latin music artists of all time. Read more
29 Jun 1992: Mohamed Boudiaf, Algerian soldier and politician, President of Algeria (born 1919) Mohamed Boudiaf, also called Si Tayeb el Watani, was an Algerian politician and statesman, and one of the founders of the revolutionary National Liberation Front (FLN) that led the Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962). Boudiaf was exiled soon after Algeria's independence and did not go back to Algeria for 27 years. He returned in 1992 to accept his appointed position of Chairman of the High Council of State, but he was assassinated four months later. Read more
29 Jun 1990: Irving Wallace, American author and screenwriter (born 1916) Irving Wallace was an American best-selling author and screenwriter. He was known for his heavily researched novels, many with a sexual theme. Read more
29 Jun 1986: Frank Wise, Australian politician, 16th Premier of Western Australia (born 1897) Frank Joseph Scott Wise AO was a Labor Party politician who was the 16th Premier of Western Australia. He took office on 31 July 1945 in the closing stages of the Second World War, following the resignation of his predecessor due to ill health. He lost the following election two years later to the Liberal Party after Labor had held office for fourteen years previously. Read more
29 Jun 1982: Pierre Balmain, French fashion designer, founded Balmain (born 1914) Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain was a French fashion designer and founder of leading post-war fashion house Balmain. Known for sophistication and elegance, he described the art of dressmaking as "the architecture of movement". Read more
29 Jun 1982: Henry King, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1886) Henry King was an American actor and film director. Widely considered one of the finest and most successful filmmakers of his era, King was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Director and directed seven films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Read more
29 Jun 1981: Russell Drysdale, English-Australian painter (born 1912) Sir George Russell Drysdale, also known as Tass Drysdale, was an Australian artist. He won the prestigious Wynne Prize for Sofala in 1947, and represented Australia at the Venice Biennale in 1954. He was influenced by abstract and surrealist art, and "created a new vision of the Australian scene as revolutionary and influential as that of Tom Roberts". Read more
29 Jun 1980: Jorge Basadre, Peruvian historian (born 1903) Jorge Alfredo Basadre Grohmann was a Peruvian historian known for his extensive publications about the independent history of his country. He served during two different administrations as Minister of Education and was also director of the Peruvian National Library. Read more
29 Jun 1979: Lowell George, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1945) Lowell Thomas George was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He was the primary guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the rock band Little Feat. Before forming Little Feat, he was a member of Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention. Read more
29 Jun 1978: Bob Crane, American actor (born 1928) Robert Edward Crane was an American actor, drummer, radio personality and disc jockey known for starring in the CBS sitcom Hogan's Heroes. Read more
29 Jun 1975: Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1947) Timothy Charles Buckley III was an American musician. He began his career based in folk rock, but subsequently experimented with genres such as psychedelia, jazz, the avant-garde, and funk. Read more
29 Jun 1971: Nestor Mesta Chayres, Mexican operatic tenor and bolero vocalist (born 1908) Néstor Mesta Chayres was an acclaimed tenor in Mexico and a noted interpreter of Spanish songs, boleros and Mexican romantic music on the international concert stage. He was widely commended for his artistic renditions of the works of Agustín Lara and María Grever and was nicknamed "El Gitano de México". Read more
29 Jun 1969: Moise Tshombe, Congolese accountant and politician, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (born 1919) Moïse Kapenda Tshombe was a Congolese businessman and politician. He served as the president of the secessionist State of Katanga from 1960 to 1963 and as prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1964 to 1965. Read more
29 Jun 1967: Primo Carnera, Italian boxer and actor (born 1906) Primo Carnera was the first Italian Heavyweight Champion boxer, holding the title from 1933 to 1934. Nicknamed the Ambling Alp, he was best known for his immense size and status as one of the most physically imposing heavyweights in boxing history. At 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall and weighing more than 275 pounds (125 kg), Carnera became the World Heavyweight Champion after defeating Jack Sharkey by knockout. Read more
29 Jun 1967: Jayne Mansfield, American actress (born 1933) Jayne Mansfield was an American actress, Playboy Playmate, and singer. Mansfield was a sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s, and was known for her numerous publicity stunts, her buxom figure, and her personal life. She gained a reputation as Hollywood's "smartest dumb blonde". Read more
29 Jun 1964: Eric Dolphy, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (born 1928) Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and bandleader. Primarily an alto saxophonist, bass clarinetist, and flautist, Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence during the same era. His use of the bass clarinet helped to establish the unconventional instrument within jazz. Dolphy extended the vocabulary and boundaries of the alto saxophone, and was among the earliest significant jazz flute soloists. Read more
29 Jun 1962: Charles Lyon Chandler, American historian (born 1883) Charles Lyon Chandler was an American consul and historian of Latin America–United States relations. A Harvard graduate who came to South America in the Consular Service, he became a student and proponent of Pan-Americanism. His pioneering 1915 book Inter-American Acquaintances proposed a new, Pan-American origin for the Monroe Doctrine. After being denied a permanent diplomatic appointment he worked for the Southern Railway and the Corn Exchange Bank; at the same time he became a respected independent scholar who helped found the Hispanic American Historical Review. Beside many articles on early inter-American relations, he co-authored an unpublished biography of Joel Roberts Poinsett. During World War II he worked in Brazil for the U.S. government, and before retirement he taught at Haverford, Georgetown and Ursinus. Read more
29 Jun 1960: Frank Patrick, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1885) Francis Alexis Patrick was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, head coach, manager, and executive. Along with his brother Lester, he founded the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA), the first major professional hockey league in Western Canada. Patrick, who also served as president of the league, took control of the Vancouver Millionaires, serving as a player, coach, and manager of the team. It was in the PCHA that Patrick would introduce many innovations to hockey that remain today, including the blue line, the penalty shot, and tracking assists, among others. Read more
29 Jun 1955: Max Pechstein, German painter and academic (born 1881) Hermann Max Pechstein was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and a member of the Die Brücke group. He fought on the Western Front during World War I and his art was classified as Degenerate Art by the Nazis. More than 300 paintings were removed from German Museums during the Nazi era. Read more
29 Jun 1949: Themistoklis Sofoulis, Greek politician, 115th Prime Minister of Greece (born 1860) Themistoklis Sofoulis or Sophoulis was a prominent centrist and liberal Greek politician from Samos Island, who served three times as Prime Minister of Greece, with the Liberal Party, which he led for many years. Read more
29 Jun 1942: Paul Troje, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (born 1864) Paul Troje was a German politician and from 1893 to 1907 the mayor of Einbeck and from 24 August 1907 until 30 September 1924 mayor of Marburg. Read more
29 Jun 1941: Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Polish pianist, composer, and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Poland (born 1860) Ignacy Jan Paderewski was a Polish pianist, composer, philanthropist, and statesman. As a politician and diplomat, Paderewski was vital to securing international recognition of the newly formed Second Polish Republic in 1919. A musical virtuoso, he rose to prominence as a musician and composer in the late 1880s and toured widely in Europe and the United States. He wrote orchestral, instrumental, and vocal works and an opera, Manru, which remains the only opera by a Polish composer performed by the Metropolitan Opera. Read more
29 Jun 1940: Paul Klee, Swiss painter and illustrator (born 1879) Paul Klee was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Read more
29 Jun 1936: János Szlepecz, Slovene priest and missionary (born 1872) János Szlepecz was a Slovene Roman Catholic priest, dean, and writer. He wrote in the Prekmurje Slovene dialect and also in Hungarian. Read more
29 Jun 1935: Jack O'Neill, Irish-American baseball player and manager (born 1873) John Joseph O'Neill was an Irish born catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1902–03), Chicago Cubs (1904–05) and Boston Beaneaters (1906). He batted and threw right-handed. Read more
29 Jun 1933: Roscoe Arbuckle, American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1887) Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle was an American silent film actor, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked with Mabel Normand and Harold Lloyd as well as with his nephew, Al St. John. He also mentored Charlie Chaplin, Monty Banks and Bob Hope, and brought vaudeville star Buster Keaton into the movie business. Arbuckle was one of the most popular silent stars of the 1910s and one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, signing a contract in 1920 with Paramount Pictures for $1 million a year. Read more
29 Jun 1931: Nérée Beauchemin, Canadian poet and physician (born 1850) Charles-Nérée Beauchemin was a French Canadian regionalist poet and physician from Yamachiche, near Trois-Rivières, Quebec. He was part of Quebec's Le Terroir school of poetry. Read more
29 Jun 1919: José Gregorio Hernández Venezuelan physician and educator (born 1864) José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros, O.F.S. was a Venezuelan physician and active member of the Third Order of Saint Francis. Born in Isnotú, Trujillo State, he became a highly renowned doctor, more so after his death. Known for his many acts of charity for the poor of his society and his dedicated life of faith, he was beatified by the Catholic Church in 2021 by Pope Francis, who later approved his canonization in early 2025. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIV on 19 October 2025, one of the first two citizens of that nation to be so recognized by the Catholic Church. Read more
29 Jun 1907: Konstantinos Volanakis, Greek painter and academic (born 1837) Konstantinos Volanakis was a Greek painter. He is known as one of the greatest Greek seascape painters. Another notable seascape painter was Ioannis Altamouras. Read more
29 Jun 1900: Ivan Mikheevich Pervushin, Russian mathematician and academic (born 1827) Ivan Mikheevich Pervushin was a Russian clergyman and mathematician of the second half of the 19th century, known for his achievements in number theory. He discovered the ninth perfect number and its odd prime factor, the ninth Mersenne prime. Also, he proved that two Fermat numbers, the 12th and 23rd, were composite. Read more
29 Jun 1895: Thomas Henry Huxley, English biologist (born 1825) Thomas Henry Huxley was an English biologist and anthropologist who specialised in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Read more
29 Jun 1875: Ferdinand I of Austria (born 1793) Ferdinand I was Emperor of Austria from March 1835 until his abdication in December 1848. He was also King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia, King of Lombardy–Venetia and holder of other lesser titles. Due to his passive but well-intentioned character, he gained the sobriquet The Benign or The Benevolent. Read more
29 Jun 1873: Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Indian poet and playwright (born 1824) Michael Madhusudan Dutt, born Sri Madhusudan Dutta, was a Bengali poet and playwright. He is considered one of the pioneers of Bengali literature. Read more
29 Jun 1861: Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English poet and translator (born 1806) Elizabeth Barrett Browning was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime and frequently anthologised after her death. Her work received renewed attention following the feminist scholarship of the 1970s and 1980s, and greater recognition of women writers in English. Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabeth Barrett wrote poetry from the age of eleven. Her mother's collection of her poems forms one of the largest extant collections of juvenilia by any English writer. At 15, she became ill, suffering intense head and spinal pain for the rest of her life. Later in life, she also developed lung problems, possibly tuberculosis. She took laudanum for the pain from an early age, which is likely to have contributed to her frail health. Read more
29 Jun 1860: Thomas Addison, English physician and endocrinologist (born 1793) Thomas Addison was an English physician and medical researcher. He is traditionally regarded as one of the "great men" of Guy's Hospital in London. Read more
29 Jun 1855: John Gorrie, American physician and humanitarian (born 1803) John B. Gorrie was a Saint Kitts and Nevis born American medical doctor and scientist, credited as the inventor of mechanical refrigeration. Read more
29 Jun 1853: Adrien-Henri de Jussieu, French botanist and academic (born 1797) Adrien-Henri de Jussieu was a French botanist. Read more
29 Jun 1852: Henry Clay, American lawyer and politician, 9th United States Secretary of State (born 1777) Henry Clay was an American lawyer, statesman, and diplomat who represented Kentucky in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state. Clay unsuccessfully ran for president in the 1824, 1832, and 1844 elections. He helped found both the National Republican Party and the Whig Party. For his role in defusing sectional crises, he earned the appellation of the "Great Compromiser" and was part of the "Great Triumvirate" of Congressmen, alongside fellow Whig Daniel Webster and Democrat John C. Calhoun. Read more
29 Jun 1840: Lucien Bonaparte, French prince (born 1775) Lucien Bonaparte, 1st Prince of Canino and Musignano, was a French politician and diplomat of the French Revolution and the Consulate. He served as Minister of the Interior from 1799 to 1800 and as the president of the Council of Five Hundred in 1799. Read more
29 Jun 1831: Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein, Prussian minister and politician (born 1757) Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein, commonly known as Baron vom Stein, was a Prussian statesman who introduced the Prussian reforms, which paved the way for the unification of Germany. He promoted the abolition of serfdom, with indemnification to territorial lords; subjection of the nobles to manorial imposts; and the establishment of a modern municipal system. Read more

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