On This Day May 29th

 OTD

May 29th is the one-hundred-forty-ninth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 216 days remain until the end of the year.

 

Events

1453 – Fall of Constantinople: Ottoman armies under Sultan Mehmed II captured Constantinople after a 53-day siege, ending the Byzantine Empire.

1790 – Rhode Island becomes the last of North America's original Thirteen Colonies to ratify the Constitution and become one of the United States.

1848 – Wisconsin is admitted as the 30th U.S. state.

1851 – Sojourner Truth delivers her famous Ain't I a Woman? Speech at the Woman’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.

1886 – The pharmacist John Pemberton places his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, which appeared in The Atlanta Journal.

1919—Arthur Eddington and Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin test (later confirm) Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.

1953 – Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest on Tenzing Norgay's (adopted) 39th birthday.

2015 – One World Observatory at One World Trade Center opens.

 

Birthdays

1716 – Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, French zoologist and mineralogist, first to propose evolution (d. 1800)

1736 – Patrick Henry, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Virginia (d. 1799)

1823 – John H. Balsley, American carpenter and inventor, inventor of the folding table and step ladder (d. 1895)

1903 – Bob Hope, English American actor, singer, and producer (d. 2003)

1917 – John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (d. 1963)

1939 – Al Unser, American race car driver (d. 2021)

1956 – La Toya Jackson, American singer-songwriter and actress.

1975 – Mel B, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress.

1988 – Tobin Heath, American soccer player.

 

Holiday Highlight

NATIONAL ALLIGATOR DAY

Although these wet and wild creatures of the water are from the crocodilian family, they are not to be confused with their reptilian counterparts. The only places where both animals coexist are in Southern Florida and Tamaulipas, Mexico.

If you’re wondering where else you might find these fascinating creatures, you should know they are native to only three localities—the United States, Mexico, and China. The first alligators appeared 37 million years ago, but researchers trace their existence over 20 million years earlier.

Despite many alligator species, only two have not yet gone extinct. The only remaining alligator species are the American and Chinese alligators, which are also the oldest species of alligators known to science. The Chinese alligators are often smaller and lighter in weight than the American alligators, which is the main distinction between the two species.

In America, alligators can be found in some of the southeast states, such as Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Still, the largest are in Louisiana and Florida, with over a million in each state. Floridians can also be accredited with finding the name alligator, as the first settlers in the state anglicized the word from the Spanish term for ‘the lizard'.

Wild Florida is the only airboat, gator, and drive-through safari attraction in Florida. It was founded over ten years ago to enable Floridians and guests to experience the state’s wild side. Their gator park, which has a variety of wildlife in addition to alligators, airboat tours, and drive-through safari are their main draws. They also founded National Alligator Day and National Airboat Day to spread awareness about these issues.

 

Holidays And Observance

Composting Day

End of the Middle Ages Day

International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers

Learn About Composting Day

National Biscuit Day

National Coq Au Vin Day

National Senior Health & Fitness Day

Paper Clip Day

Pink Flamingo Day

Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day

World Digestive Health Day

World Otter Day 

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