Updated June 28, 2012, 2:28 pm
On June 29, 1995, the shuttle Atlantis and the Russian space station Mir docked, forming the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth.
Go to article »On June 29, 1868, George Ellery Hale, the American astronomer, was born. Following his death on Feb. 21, 1938, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1951 Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, was ordained as a priest. 1958 Brazil won their first World Cup title with a 5-2 victory over host country Sweden in Stockholm on the strength of two goals by 17-year-old Pele. 1956 Actress Marilyn Monroe married playwright Arthur Miller in a civil ceremony in White Plains, N.Y. 1967 Actress Jayne Mansfield, 34, and two male companions died when their car struck a trailer truck east of New Orleans. 1972 The Supreme Court ruled the death penalty could constitute “cruel and unusual punishment.” 1992 A divided Supreme Court ruled that women have a constitutional right to abortion, but the justices also weakened the right as defined in the Roe v. Wade decision. 2001 U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was elected to a second term. 2003 Actress Katharine Hepburn died at age 96. 2004 Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks became the fourth pitcher in major league history to record 4,000 career strikeouts. 2006 The Supreme Court ruled 5-3 that President George W. Bush’s plan to try Guantanamo Bay detainees in military tribunals violated U.S. and international law. 2007 The Apple iPhone went on sale. 2009 Financier Bernard Madoff received a 150-year sentence for his multibillion-dollar fraud. 2010 Talk show host Larry King announced he would step down from his CNN show in the autumn after 25 years on the air. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Producer-writer Matthew Weiner (“Mad Men,” “The Sopranos”) turns 47 years old today.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
Actress Melora Hardin (“The Office”) turns 45 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
1944 Gary Busey, Actor, turns 68 1947 Richard Lewis, Comedian, turns 65 1948 Fred Grandy, Actor (“The Love Boat”), former congressman, turns 64 1948 Ian Paice, Rock musician (Deep Purple), turns 64 1949 Dan Dierdorf, Football Hall of Famer, turns 63 1953 Don Dokken, Rock singer (Dokken), turns 59 1953 Colin Hay, Rock singer (Men at Work), turns 59 1957 Maria Conchita Alonso, Actress, turns 55 1961 Sharon Lawrence, Actress (“NYPD Blue”), turns 51 1978 Nicole Scherzinger, Singer (Pussycat Dolls), turns 34
Historic Birthdays
George Ellery Hale 6/29/1868 – 2/21/1938 American astronomer; developed the Hale telescope.Go to obituary »
38 Giacomo Leopardi 6/29/1798 – 6/14/1837
Italian poet, scholar and philosopher59 Pietro Angelo Secchi 6/29/1818 – 2/26/1878
Italian Jesuit and astrophysicist69 George Goethals 6/29/1858 – 1/21/1928
American army engineer; directed construction of the Panama Canal64 Ludwig Beck 6/29/1880 – 7/20/1944
German general; opposed Hitler77 Robert Schuman 6/29/1886 – 9/4/1963
French statesman96 James Van Der Zee 6/29/1886 – 5/15/1983
African-American photographer56 Helen Hokinson 6/29/1893 – 11/1/1949
American cartoonist44 Antoine Saint-Exupery 6/29/1900 – 7/31/1944
French aviator and writer66 Leroy Anderson 6/29/1908 – 5/18/1975
American conductor, arranger and composer59 Frank Loesser 6/29/1910 – 7/28/1969
American composer, librettist and lyricist
