On This Day October 29th

 OTD

October 29th is the three hundredth second day of the year, and there are 63 days remaining until the end of the year.

 

Events

1390 – First trial for witchcraft in Paris, leading to the death of three people.

1618 – English adventurer, writer, and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh is beheaded for allegedly conspiring against James I of England.

1675 – Leibniz first uses the long s (∫) to symbolize the integral in calculus.

1787 – Mozart's opera Don Giovanni receives its first performance in Prague.

1863 – Eighteen countries met in Geneva and agreed to form the International Red Cross.

1888 – The Convention of Constantinople was signed, guaranteeing free maritime passage through the Suez Canal during war and peace.

1921 – The Harvard University football team loses to Centre College, ending a 25-game winning streak. This is considered one of the biggest upsets in college football.

1929 – Black Tuesday: The New York Stock Exchange crashes, ending the Great Bull Market of the 1920s and beginning the Great Depression.

1964 – Biggest jewel heist involving the Star of India (gem) in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City by Murph the Surf and gang.

1986 – British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher opens the last stretch of the M25 motorway.

1991 – The American Galileo spacecraft makes its closest approach to 951 Gaspra, becoming the first probe to visit an asteroid.

2022 – At least 156 die at a crowd crush during a Halloween celebration in Itaewon district, Seoul, South Korea.

 

Birthdays

1711 – Laura Bassi, Italian physicist and academic, first woman to have a doctorate in science (d. 1778)

1808 – Caterina Scarpellini, Italian astronomer and meteorologist (d. 1873)

1906 – Fredric Brown, American author (d. 1972)

1923 – Carl Djerassi, Austrian-American chemist, author, and playwright (d. 2015)

1925 – Dominick Dunne, American journalist and author (d. 2009)

1937 – Sonny Osborne, American bluegrass singer and banjo player (d. 2021)

1955 – Kevin DuBrow, American heavy metal singer-songwriter (d. 2007)

1971 – Winona Ryder, American actress and producer

1989 – Irina Karamanos, Chilean anthropologist and political scientist, First Lady of Chile

 

Holiday Highlight

 National Hermit Day

The origins of National Hermit Day are unclear, but many believe it honors Colman mac Duagh, or St. Duagh, born in County Galway, Ireland. Some scholars suggest he was the son of Queen Rhinagh and Chieftain Duac. Legend states that during her pregnancy, Queen Rhinagh dreamed her son would become great, prompting her to flee the palace to protect him. Raised by monks and educated at St. Enda’s monastery, he adopted a hermit lifestyle, moving to a forest in Burren in 590 A.D.

In later history, having hermits in gardens became fashionable. Charles Hamilton, son of the sixth Earl of Abercorn in the 1700s, exemplified this trend. He advertised for applicants to serve as “ornamental hermits,” offering pay, food, and shelter in exchange for a seven-year commitment to live in seclusion on his estate.

 

Holidays And Observance

International Internet Day

National Cat Day

National Hermit Day

National Oatmeal Day

Read for the Record Day

World Psoriasis Day

World Stroke Day 

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