Events on Dec 29
- 1503Battle at Carigliano: Spanish army beats France
- 1539St. Jacobs Church burns after being hit by lightning
- 1541Isabella of Poland and King Ferdinand of Austria sign Treaty of Gyalu
- 1558Charles V, German Emperor, buried
- 1708Great Alliance occupies Gent
- 1778English troops occupy Savannah, Georgia
- 17821st nautical almanac in US published by Samuel Stearns, Boston
- 1813British burn Buffalo, New York during War of 1812
- 1837Canadian militia destroy Caroline, a US steamboat docked at Buffalo
- 1837Steam-powered threshing machine patented, Winthrop, Maine
- 1841King / grand Duke Willem II installs Order of Eikenkroon
- 1845Texas admitted as 28th state
- 1852Emma Snodgrass arrested in Boston for wearing pants
- 1862Battle of Chichasaw Bayou: confederate armies defeat General Sherman
- 1862Bowling ball invented
- 1864Fire Department celebrates 1st annual ball
- 18671st telegraph ticker used by a brokerage house, Groesbeck and Co, New York
- 187611 passenger cars crash in a ravine near Ashtabula Ohio, 92 die
- 1885Gottlieb Daimler patents 1st bike (Germany)
- 1890US 7th Cavalry massacre 200+ captive Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota
- 1891Edison patents "transmission of signals electrically" (radio)
- 1895Dr L S Jameson begins failed raid on Johannesburg
- 1899English fleet brings German postschip Bundesrath up
- 1900General Viljoen surprise attack British garrison to Helvetia
- 1903French Equatorial Africa separates into Gabon, Chad and Ubangi-Shari
- 1906Montreal Wanderers beat New Glasgow (NS) for Stanley Cup (2nd of 1906)
- 1908Patent granted for a 4-wheel automobile brake, Clintonville, Wisc
- 1911San Francisco Symphony formed
- 19131st movie serial, "Adventures of Kathlyn, " premieres in Chicago
- 1920The netherlands / Venezuela recover diplomatic relations
Born on Dec 29
- 1563Francesco Maria Guaitoli: Composer
- 1586Francisco de Moncada: Spanish Earl of Osuna / Marquis of Aytona
- 1678Gotthard Wagner: Composer
- 1709Elisabeth Petrovna: Tsarina of Russia / Daughter of Peter the Great
- 1721Madame De Pompadour: Mistress of French King Louis the 15th
- 1743Alexander van Bylandt: Dutch military officer
- 1767Aime Ambroise Simon Leborne: Composer
- 1776Charles Macintosh: Scotland, United Kingdom -- Patented waterproof fabric
- 1792Archibald Alison: Scottish historian (History of Europe)
- 1800Charles Goodyear: Inventor (vulcanization process for rubber)
- 1809Albert Pike: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1891
- 1813Etienne-Joseph Soubre: Composer
- 1831Adam Badeau: Bvt Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1895
- 1833John James Ingalls: (Rep-Kansas)
- 1850Tomas Breton y Hernandez: Composer
- 1856Thomas J Stieltjes: Mathematician (Stieltjes integral)
- 1866Joseph Limburg: Liberal Second-Member of parliament (1905-19)
- 1876Pablo Casals: Vendrell Catalonia, Spain -- Violinist / conductor / composer
- 1879Billy Mitchell: Aviation hero General (WWI)
- 1880Jean-Fernand Vaubourgoin: Composer
- 1887Kiyoshi Nobutoki: Composer
- 1888Joseph Beran: Czechoslovakia -- Archbishop of Prague / Cardinal
- 1892Emory Parnell: St. Paul, Minnesota -- Actress (Rocket Man, County Fair)
- 1897Hermann Heiss: Composer
- 1898Jeanne Leleu: Composer
- 1900Willie Humphrey: Jazz Clarinetist
- 1903Clyde McCoy: Jazz trumpeter / bandleader
- 1907James Gardner: Designer
- 1908Claire Dodd: Arkansas, United States -- Actress (Ex-Lady, In the Navy)
- 1908Gerben Sonderman: Dutch test pilot (Fokker)
Died on Dec 29
- 1141Yue Fei: Chinese General, executed
- 1170Thomas Beckett: Archbishop, assassinated by 4 knights of King Henry II
- 1558Hermann Finck: Composer, dies at 31
- 1619Antoine Arnauld: French lawyer (Philippica)
- 1630Jan Baptist Stalpart van der Wiele: RC pastor / lyricist, dies at 51
- 1689Olfert Dapper: Amsterdam Historian / geographer, buried
- 1703Mustapha II: Sultan of Turkey, dies at 39
- 1731J Brook Taylor: English mathematician, dies at 46
- 1785Johann Heinrich Rolle: Composer, dies at 69
- 1815Saartjie Baartman: Hottentot Venus, dies in Paris
- 1821Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau de Bergendael: S Netherlands General, dies at 61
- 1822Albert Christoph Dies: Composer, dies at 67
- 1825Giuseppe Maria Gioacchino Cambini: Composer
- 1825Jacques-Louis David: French Painter (Death of Marat), dies at 77
- 1835Charles-Joseph Tolbecque: Composer, dies at 29
- 1836Johann Baptist Schenk: Composer, dies at 83
- 1847William Crotch: Composer, dies at 72
- 1871Ferdinand Marcucci: Composer, dies at 71
- 1877Willem Sassen: Dutch attorney General on Curacao (Affair-S)
- 1890Big Foot: Sioux indian chief, dies at Wounded Knee
- 1891Leopold Kronecker: German mathematician, dies at 68
- 1894Chris Rossetti: Writer, dies at 64
- 1898Georg Goltermann: Composer, dies at 74
- 1915Charles Beach Hawley: Composer, dies at 57
- 1916Grigori J Rasputin: Russian faith healer / intriguer, murdered at 45
- 1926Rainer M Rilke: Austrias songwriter / writer (Wise Queen), dies at 51
- 1933Joh Georghe Duca: Premier of Romania, murdered
- 1942Frank D Adams: Canadian geologist, dies at 83
- 1943William H Singer: US Painter / collector (Singer Museum), dies at 75
- 1947Joseph Cuvelier: Belgian Historian / General, dies at 78
Historical events on December 30
- 0274St. Felix I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
- 0987French King Hugo Capet crowns his son Robert the compassionate King
- 1317Pontifical degree "Sancta Romania" against spiritualists
- 1621English King James I cracks Protestation of Parliament
- 1665"Messiah" Sjabtai Tswi departs to Constantinople
- 1666Abraham Crijnssen departs to Suriname
- 1672Baron Karl Rabenhaupt occupies Coevorden Neth
- 1685Don Francisco de Agurto installed as land guardian of S Netherlands
- 1689Henry Purcell and Tates opera "Dido and Aeneas, " premieres in Chesea
- 1703Tokyo hit by Earthquake; about 37,000 die
- 1794French troops conquer Grave Neth
- 1809Wearing masks at balls forbidden in Boston
- 1813Danzig surrenders to allied armies
- 18171st coffee planted in Hawaii (Kona)
- 1835After gold discovery in Ga, Cherokees forced to move across Miss R
- 1835HMS Beagle / Charles Darwin sails from New Zealand to Sydney
- 1836Lehman-theater in St. Petersburg catches fire; 100s die
- 1844Opera "Stradella" after being rewritten is produced (Hamburg)
- 1854Pennsylvania Rock Oil Co, 1st in US, incorporated in New York City
- 1861US, banks stops payments in gold
- 1869Philadelphia Knights of Labor forms
- 1873American Metrological Society forms (NYC) weights, measures and money
- 1875Andrassy Note calls for Christian-Muslim religious freedoms
- 1888Belgium: King Leopold II installs Order of African Star
- 1892Dr Miles V Lynk, physician, publishes 1st Black medical journal
- 1893Russia signs military accord with France
- 1896Stanley Cup: Montreal Victorias beat Winnipeg Victorias, 6-5
- 1897Province of Zululand annexed to Natal colony
- 1903American Political Science Association founded at New Orleans
- 1906Iran becomes a constitutional monarchy
Born on December 30
- 0039Titus: 10th Roman Emperor (79-81), Conqueror of Jerusalem
- 1569Georg Quitschreiber: Composer
- 1644Philips van Almonde: Dutch Zeeuws Lieutenant Admiral
- 1678William Croft: Composer
- 1741Bartolomeo Giacometti: Composer
- 1756Pavel Vranicky: Composer
- 1775Heinrich Carl Ebell: Composer
- 1784Dorothea von Benckendorff: Baltic Monarch of Lieven
- 1818James Cantey: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1874
- 1819John White Geary: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1873
- 1819Theodor Fontane: German writer (Effi Briest)
- 1828Mark Perrin Lowrey: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1885
- 1847John Peter Altgeld: German / US (Gov-Ill) / pardoned Haymarket-anarchists
- 1848Mary Frances Allitsen: Composer
- 1851Asa Griggs Candler: Developed Coca-Cola
- 1853Andre-Charles-Prosper Messager: Composer
- 1855Heinrich Hart: German writer (Song of Humanity)
- 1859Josef Bohuslav Foerster: Composer
- 1864Alessandro Longo: Composer
- 1865Rudyard Kipling: Bombay, India -- Author (Jungle Book, Gunga Din-Nobel 1907)
- 1867Simon Guggenheim: Philanthropist (died aboard Titanic)
- 1869Adolphe Max: Belgian Rep (Lib)
- 1869Stephen Leacock: Canada -- Economist / humorist / professor
- 1872William A Larned: Tennis champ (US Open-1901)
- 1879Sri Ramana Maharshi: Hindu philosopher / yogi (Maharshi Research Institute)
- 1880Alfred Einstein: German / US musicologist / nephew of Albert Einstein
- 1883Lester Patrick: NHL pioneer
- 1883Mary Forbes: Hornsey, England -- Actress (Terror by Night)
- 1884Karl Heinrich David: Composer
- 1884Tojo Hideki: Japanese Prime Minister during WWII
Died on December 30
- 1525Jacob Fugger: German banker / merchant, dies at 66
- 1572Galeazzo Alessi: Italian Architect (Palazza Marino, Milan), dies at 60
- 1591Innocent IX [Giovanni Facchinetti]: Pope, (1591 62 days), dies at 72
- 1635Jan Baptista Van Helmont: Physician / alchemist
- 1777Maximilian III Jozef: Elector of Bayern (1745-77), dies at 50
- 1788Francesco Zuccarelli: Italian rococo Painter / etcher, dies at 86
- 1796Jean-Baptiste Lamoyne: Composer, dies at 45
- 1821Angelo Maria Benincori: Composer, dies at 42
- 1825Peter Gronland: Composer, dies at 64
- 1828Waldemar Thrane: Composer, dies at 38
- 1832Abijah Hammond: Owned large portion of Greenwich Village
- 1870Prim: Spanish General, murdered
- 1893Samuel White Baker: English explorer, dies at 72
- 1894Amelia Jenks Bloomer: Suffragist (Bloomers named for her), dies at 76
- 1895LP Hartley: British writer
- 1896Jose Mercado Rizal: Anti-Spanish rule of Philippines proponent
- 1899James Paget: English surgeon (disease of Paget), dies at 85
- 1912Alfred von Kiderlen-Waechter: German foreign minister, dies at 60
- 1931Tyrone Power, Sr.: Actor (Big Trial, Test of Donald Norton), dies at 62
- 1943Hobart Bosworth: Actor (Woman of Affairs, Big Parade), dies at 76
- 1944Romain Roland: French writer / pacifist (Nobel 1915), dies at 78
- 1946Charles Wakefield Cadman: Composer, dies at 65
- 1947Han [Henricus A] van Meegeren: Dutch Painter / art forger, dies at 58
- 1951Jozef E Stokvis: Dutch MP (SDAP), dies at 76
- 1952Ivan Olbracht: Writer
- 1959Maria Baers: Flemish social female worker / senator, dies at 76
- 1961Jacobus "Ko" van den Bosch: Dutch actor (Amsterdamned) / dir, dies at 53
- 1966Christian A Herter: US Minister of Foreign Affairs (1959-61), dies at 71
- 1966Trygve Halvdan Lie: 1st UN Secretary-General (1946-53), dies at 72
- 1967Bert Berns: US songwriter / producer (Twist & Shout), dies at about 38
Events on Dec 31
- 0335St. Silvester I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
- 040680,000 Vandels attack the Rhine at Mainz
- 0765Coffin of Ho-tse Shen-hui interred in a stupa built in China
- 0870Skirmish at Englefield: Ethelred of Wessex beats Danish invasion army
- 1492100,000 Jews expelled from Sicily
- 1502Cesare Borgia (son of Pope Alexander VI) occupies Urbino
- 1564Willem van Orange demands freedom of conscience / religion
- 1600British East India Company chartered
- 1669France and Brandenburg sign secret treaty
- 1670France and England sign Boyne-treaty
- 1680Amsterdam opera at Leidsegracht opens
- 16871st Huguenots depart France to Cape of Good Hope
- 1708Great Alliance captures Bridge
- 1711Duke of Marlborough fired as English army commander
- 1745Bonnie Prince Charlies army meets with de Esk
- 1756Russia joins the Alliance of Versailles
- 1758British expeditionary army occupies Goree (Dakar) Senegal
- 1762Mozart family moves from Vienna to Salzburg
- 1776Rhode Island establishes wage and price controls to curb inflation: Limit is 70 cents a day for carpenters, 42 cents for tailors
- 1779English fleet beat Dutch Merchant vessels
- 1781Bank of North America, 1st US bank opens
- 1783Import of African slaves banned by all of the Northern states
- 1805End of French Republican calendar; France returns to Gregorianism
- 1841Alabama becomes 1st state to license dental surgeons
- 1852Future President and Mrs Rutherford B Hayes marry
- 1857Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa as new capital of Canada
- 1859Dutch colony in Dutch Indies counts 4,800 slaves
- 186122,990 mm of rain falls in Cherrapunji Assam in 1861, world record
- 1862Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee
- 1862President Lincoln signs act admitting West Virginia to Union
Born on Dec 31
- 1378Callistus III [Alfonso the Borja]: Pope (1455-58)
- 1514Andreas Vesalius: Brussels, Belgium -- Anatomist (Fabrica)
- 1540Silvio Antoniano: Italian Cardinal / theologist (Tre libri)
- 1668Hermannus Boerhaave: Dutch medical / Botanist
- 1720Charles Edward Stuart [Bonnie Prince]: English pretender to throne
- 1724Franz Joseph Oehlschlagel: Composer
- 1738Charles Lord Cornwallis: Soldier / Statesman "fire when ready Gridley"
- 1799Thomas Taglichsbeck: Composer
- 1805Marie-C-S de Flavigny Agoult [Daniel Stern]: French author (Knife)
- 1815George Gordon Meade: Major General (Union Army), died in 1872
- 1818Maria J Small-Gartmann: Actress
- 1825Francis Trowbridge Sherman: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1905
- 1826Henry Hiles: Composer
- 1830Ismail Pasha: Kedive of Egypt (1863-79)
- 1838Emile Loubet: Premier / President of France (1892, 1899-1906)
- 1846Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis: Vicar / Dutch anarchist (Right for all)
- 1846Richard Kleinmichel: Composer
- 1855Giovanni Pascoli: Italian classicist / poet
- 1859Max Fiedler: Composer
- 1863Alfredo Panzini: Italian author (Dizionario Moderno)
- 1864Robert G Aitken: US astronomer (Binary Stars)
- 1869Henri Matisse: France -- Impressionist painter (Odalisque)
- 1874Ernest Austin: Composer
- 1878Horacio Quiroga: Uruguayan author / poet (El Crimen del Otro)
- 1880George C Marshall: Uniontown, Pennsylvania -- Authored Marshall Plan (Nobel 1953)
- 1881Colin G Fink: US chemist (electro chemistry)
- 1881Max Pechstein: German "entartet" painter / graphic artist (The Bridge)
- 1882Ben Jones: Missouri, United States -- Horse trainer (Citation, Whirlaway)
- 1882David Cohen: Dutch historian / Chairman (Jewish Council)
- 1892Jason Robards, Sr.: Hillsdale, Michigan -- Actor (Acapulco)
Died on Dec 31
- 0192Lucius AA Commodus: Emperor of Rome (180-192), murdered at 31
- 0406Godagisel: King of the Vandals, dies in battle
- 0439Melania the Younger: Roman monastery founder / saint, dies at about 56
- 1382Daigaku: Zen teacher / 46th head of Engakuji, dies in Kamakura, Japan
- 1384John Wycliffe: English religious Reformer / bible translator
- 1583Thomas Erastus: Switz, theologist
- 1616Jacques Le Maire: Pirate / explorer (Lemaire Strait), dies at 31
- 1647Giovanni Maria Trabaci: Composer
- 1652Frances Cecil: 2nd Wife of English Earl of Shaftesbury
- 1719John Flamsteed: 1st Astronomer Royal, dies at 73
- 1733Hubert K Poot: Dutch Poet (Akkerleven), dies at 44
- 1775Richard Montgomery: General, dies fighting British
- 1802Francis Lewis: Welsh / US Merchant / signer (Declaration of Independence), dies at 89
- 1802Hugo Franz Karl Alexander von Kerpen: Composer, dies at 53
- 1809Franz Ignaz Beck: Composer, dies at 75
- 1818Jean-Pierre Duport: Composer, dies at 77
- 1848Oliver Shaw: Composer, dies at 69
- 1859Luigi Ricci: Composer, dies at 54
- 1862James Edward Rains: Lawyer / Confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle at 29
- 1862Joshua Woodrow Sill: US Union Brigadier General, dies in battle at 31
- 1872Aleksis Kivi [Stenvall]: Finnish writer / Poet (Kanervala), dies at 38
- 1877Alberto Mazzucato: Composer, dies at 64
- 1877JD Gustave Courbet: French Painter (Baigneuses), dies at 58
- 1889Ion Creanga: Romanian (fairy tales) author, dies at 52
- 1893Jacob G de Scheffer: Dutch vicar / theologist, dies at 74
- 1894Thomas J Stieltjes: Mathematician (Stieltjes-integral), dies at 38
- 1907Jules de Trooz: Belgium Prime Minister, dies at 63
- 1916Ernst Rudorff: Composer, dies at 76
- 1920Albert Roelofs: Dutch Painter / etcher, dies at 43
- 1936Miguel de Unamuno Jugo: Spanish philosopher / Poet (Cancionero), dies at 72