Updated May 28, 2012, 2:28 pm
On May 29, 1953, Mount Everest was conquered as Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and sherpa Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first climbers to reach the summit.
On May 29, 1917, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, American 35th president, was born. Following his death on Nov. 22, 1963, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1660 England’s King Charles II was restored to the monarchy after an interregnum of 11 years. 1765 Patrick Henry denounced the Stamp Act before Virginia’s House of Burgesses, saying, “If this be treason, make the most of it!” 1790 Rhode Island became the last of the original 13 colonies to ratify the United States Constitution. 1848 Wisconsin became the 30th state of the union. 1917 John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was born in Brookline, Mass. 1942 Bing Crosby recorded Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” in Los Angeles for Decca Records. 1988 President Ronald Reagan began his first visit to the Soviet Union as he arrived in Moscow for a superpower summit with Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev. 1990 Boris Yeltsin was elected president of the Russian republic by the Russian parliament. 1999 Space shuttle Discovery completed the first docking with the International Space Station. 2001 Four followers of Osama bin Laden were convicted in New York of a global conspiracy to murder Americans, including the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa that killed 224 people. (All were sentenced to life in prison.) 2004 A memorial to America’s World War II veterans was dedicated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. 2005 French voters soundly rejected the European Union’s proposed constitution. 2009 Jay Leno ended his first stint as host of “The Tonight Show.” (Following a short-lived prime-time show, Leno was back on NBC’s late night mainstay in February 2010.) 2010 Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay threw the 20th perfect game in major league history, beating the Florida Marlins 1-0. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actress Annette Bening turns 54 years old today.
AP Photo/Michel Spingler
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony turns 28 years old today.
AP Photo/Kathy Willens
1938 Fay Vincent, Former baseball commissioner, turns 74 1939 Al Unser Sr., Race car driver, turns 73 1941 Bob Simon, Broadcast journalist, turns 71 1945 Gary Brooker, Rock singer (Procol Harum), turns 67 1947 Anthony Geary, Actor (“General Hospital”), turns 65 1954 Jerry Moran, U.S. senator, R-Kan., turns 58 1956 LaToya Jackson, Singer, turns 56 1959 Rupert Everett, Actor, turns 53 1961 Melissa Etheridge, Rock musician, turns 51 1963 Lisa Whelchel, Actress (“The Facts of Life”), turns 49 1967 Noel Gallagher, Rock musician (Oasis), turns 45 1975 Melanie Brown, Singer (Spice Girls), turns 37
Historic Birthdays
John Fitzgerald Kennedy 5/29/1917 – 11/22/1963 American 35th president (1961-3)Go to obituary »
84 Sarah Jennings Marlborough 5/29/1660 – 10/18/1744
English wife of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough; active in Queen Anne’s court83 Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton 5/29/1716 – 1/1/1800
French naturalist63 Patrick Henry 5/29/1736 – 6/6/1799
American orator and patriot of the American Revolution76 Ebenezer Butterick 5/29/1826 – 3/31/1903
American manufacturer; developed use of paper patterns for clothing62 G. K. Chesterton 5/29/1874 – 6/14/1936
English critic, poet, essayist, novelist and writer of short-stories94 Beatrice Lillie 5/29/1894 – 1/20/1989
English comedienne; starred in British and American revues65 Junzo Sakakura 5/29/1904 – 9/1/1969
Japanese architect44 Gregg Toland 5/29/1904 – 9/28/1948
American motion-picture cinematographer57 T. H. White 5/29/1906 – 1/17/1964
English novelist and historian
