Did you know
In 1989, Czech writer, philosopher and dissident Václav Havel is elected the first post-communist President of Czechoslovakia. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.
December 29 in History
1989 — Czech writer, philosopher and dissident Václav Havel is elected the first post-communist President of Czechoslovakia
December 29 spans 34 recorded events across recorded history, from 1170 to 2024. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
34 events
1170 – 2024
Today in history
More major events on December 29
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 1874 The military coup of Gen. Martinez Campos in Sagunto ends the failed First Spanish Republic and the monarchy is restored as Prince Alfonso is proclaimed King of Spain. Source
- 1996 Guatemala and leaders of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity sign a peace accord ending a 36-year civil war. Source
- 1812 USS Constitution, under the command of Captain William Bainbridge, captures HMS Java off the coast of Brazil after a three-hour battle. Source
Did you know
Czechoslovakia was a country in Central Europe. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.
Did you know
The country was bordered by Austria and Hungary to the south, Germany to the west and northwest, Poland to the northeast, and Ukraine to the southeast. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.
Did you know
Czechoslovakia had a hilly and mostly mountainous landscape that covered an area of 127,906 square kilometers (49,385 sq mi) with a mostly temperate continental and oceanic climate. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.
Did you know
The capital and largest city was Prague; other major cities and urban areas include Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Liberec, Bratislava and Košice. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.
1170
Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II; he subsequently becomes a saint and martyr in the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church.
Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170
1503
The Battle of Garigliano was fought between a Spanish army under Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba and a French army commanded by Ludovico II, Marquess of Saluzzo.
Part of the Third Italian War
1607
According to John Smith, Pocahontas, daughter of Powhatan leader Wahunsenacawh, successfully pleads for his life after tribal leaders attempt to execute him.
English soldier, explorer and writer (1580–1631)
1778
American Revolutionary War: British forces under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell defeat American forces under Major General Robert Howe and capture the port city of Savannah, Georgia.
1775–1783 conflict in North America
1812
USS Constitution, under the command of Captain William Bainbridge, captures HMS Java off the coast of Brazil after a three-hour battle.
1797 heavy frigate of the U.S. Navy
1835
The Treaty of New Echota is signed, ceding all the lands of the Cherokee east of the Mississippi River to the United States.
1835 treaty between the U.S and a Cherokee faction
1845
The United States annexes the Republic of Texas and admits it as the 28th state.
1845 admission of Texas to the US
1860
The launch of HMS Warrior, with her combination of screw propeller, iron hull and iron armour, renders all previous warships obsolete.
Warrior-class ironclad steamship of the Royal Navy (in service 1861–83)
1862
American Civil War: The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou ends in a Union defeat as forces under General William T.
Sherman are repulsed with heavy losses by Confederate troops under General John C. Pemberton.
1874
The military coup of Gen.
Martinez Campos in Sagunto ends the failed First Spanish Republic and the monarchy is restored as Prince Alfonso is proclaimed King of Spain.
1876
The Ashtabula River railroad disaster occurs, leaving 64 injured and 92 dead at Ashtabula, Ohio.
1876 railroad bridge collapse in Ohio
1890
Wounded Knee Massacre: On Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, 300 Lakota are killed by the United States 7th Cavalry Regiment.
1890 South Dakota massacre of Lakota
1911
Mongolia gains independence from the Qing dynasty, enthroning 8th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu as Khagan of Mongolia.
Country in East Asia
1913
1930
Sir Muhammad Iqbal's presidential address in Allahabad introduces the two-nation theory and outlines a vision for the creation of Pakistan.
Islamic philosopher and poet (1877–1938)
1934
Japan renounces the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930.
1922 pact by the Allies of WWI
1937
The Irish Free State is replaced by a new state called Ireland with the adoption of a new constitution.
British dominion in Europe from 1922 to 1937
1940
World War II: in the Second Great Fire of London, the Luftwaffe fire-bombs London, England, killing almost 200 civilians.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
1972
Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 (a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar) crashes in the Florida Everglades on approach to Miami International Airport, Florida, killing 101 of the 176 people on board.
1972 aviation accident in Florida
1975
A bomb explodes at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, killing 11 people and injuring more than 75.
Terrorist attack in New York City
1989
The Nikkei 225 for the Tokyo Stock Exchange hits its all-time intra-day high of 38,957.44 and closing high at 38,915.87, serving as the apex of the Japanese asset price bubble.
Japanese stock market index
1992
Fernando Collor de Mello, president of Brazil, tries to resign amidst corruption charges, but is then impeached.
President of Brazil from 1990 to 1992
1994
Turkish Airlines Flight 278 (a Boeing 737-400) crashes on approach to Van Ferit Melen Airport in Van, Turkey, killing 57 of the 76 people on board.
1994 plane crash in Turkey
1996
Guatemala and leaders of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity sign a peace accord ending a 36-year civil war.
Country in Central America
1998
Leaders of the Khmer Rouge apologize for the Cambodian genocide that claimed over one million lives.
Members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea
2003
The last known speaker of Akkala Sami dies, rendering the language extinct.
Extinct Uralic language from Russia
2006
The UK settles its Anglo-American loan, post-WWII loan debt.
Loan from the US to the UK after World War II
2012
A Tupolev Tu-204 airliner crashes in a ditch between the airport fence and the M3 highway after overshooting a runway at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, Russia, killing five people and leaving three others critically injured.
Airliner by Tupolev
2013
A suicide bomb attack at the Volgograd-1 railway station in the southern Russian city of Volgograd kills at least 18 people and wounds 40 others.
Two suicide bombings in the city of Volgograd, Volgograd Oblast, Southern Russia
2013
Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher suffers a massive head injury while skiing in the French Alps.
Motorsport championship held worldwide
2020
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hits near the town of Petrinja in Sisak-Moslavina County, Croatia, killing seven people.
Earthquake in Croatia
2023
South Africa files a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice over Israeli conducts in the Gaza Strip.
Country in Southern Africa
2024
Jeju Air Flight 2216 crashes into a wall in Muan, South Korea, killing 179 of the 181 occupants.
It is the worst aircraft accident on South Korean soil in history.