July 29 - What happened today?

Home What happened today in history? Blamepro's Almanac for July 29
In the headlines today:

1996	China explodes a nuclear test device, hours before a world conference to ban such tests.
1981	Britain's Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer are married in St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
1967	An accidentally discharged rocket starts a massive fire aboard the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal, killing 134 servicemen, off the coast of North Vietnam.
1965	Britain's Queen Elizabeth II attends the London premiere of Help!, the first motion picture starring The Beatles.
1958	The US formally enters the space race as Congress establishes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
1957	Jack Paar debuts in The Jack Paar Show, forerunner of today's The Tonight Show on NBC-TV.
1914	The first coast-to-coast telephone call is placed, between San Francisco and New York City.
1940	John Sigmund swims nearly 300 miles of the Mississippi River, starting at St. Louis and working his way down to Caruthersville, MO, in 89 hours and 48 minutes.
1900	Italy's King Humbert I is assassinated; his son, Victor Emmanuel III, succeeds him.
1890	Artist Vincent van Gogh commits suicide in Auvers, France.