August 29
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1868: What Frederick Douglass wrote to Harriet Tubman
On this day Frederick Douglass wrote a remarkable letter praising Harriet Tubman’s fight against slavery. While his speeches and writings had brought him international fame, Tubman had worked largely in secret, repeatedly risking her life to lead enslaved people to freedom. Asked to endorse her biography, Douglass insisted Tubman hardly needed his approval: her courage and accomplishments, he wrote, spoke for themselves.
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Featured Event
Paul Morse/The White House
On this day in 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast and devastated the area, especially New Orleans, which experienced catastrophic flooding after its levees were breached the following day. [Watch: Who gets to move on from Hurricane Katrina?]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
White House Photo/Ronald Reagan Library/The National Archives (ARC identifier # 198548 )
When I get onstage I don’t know what happens, honest to God. It feels so good, it’s like the safest place in the world.
Born this day in 1958, American entertainer Michael Jackson became a worldwide superstar with his music videos and best-selling albums, especially Thriller (1982), but later earned more attention for his eccentric lifestyle, opioid dependency, and accusations that he had sexually abused several boys.
Famous Birthdays
More on August 29
© Christopher Halloran/Shutterstock.com
2008
John McCain named Sarah Palin as his running mate in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, which was the first time a woman appeared on the Republican presidential ticket. [Test your knowledge of American politics.]
© Kamachi209/Dreamstime.com
1997
Netflix was founded by American entrepreneurs Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph. Originally a DVD-rental company, it later moved into streaming, content creation, and live programming.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1982
Element 109, eventually named meitnerium in honor of nuclear physicist Lise Meitner, was first synthesized by scientists in West Germany.
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1949
The Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb (known in the West as Joe-1); it was a direct copy of the Fat Man bomb used by the U.S. military on Nagasaki during World War II.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1915
Actress Ingrid Bergman, who was known for her natural charm, intelligence, and vitality, was born in Stockholm, Sweden. [Test your knowledge of women in classic cinema.]
© 2005 Index Open
1893
American businessman and inventor Whitcomb L. Judson was granted a U.S. patent for a “clasp locker,” which evolved into the modern zipper. [Test your knowledge of famous inventions.]
Courtesy of Utah State Historical Society
1877
Brigham Young, American religious leader and second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died in Salt Lake City, Utah. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about world religions.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-B8171-7171 DLC)
1862
Union Major General John Pope opened the Second Battle of Bull Run (also called Second Manassas) with heavy but futile attacks on Confederate General Stonewall Jackson during the American Civil War. [Who won which battles during the American Civil War?]
Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection, Brown University Library
1842
China signed the Treaty of Nanjing, providing for the cession of Hong Kong to Great Britain, the opening of five treaty ports, the rights of British nationals accused of criminal acts in China to be tried in British courts, and a limitation on duties on imports and exports. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about China.]
New York Public Library Digital Collection (b10086131)
1825
Brazil and Portugal signed the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro, formally recognizing Brazil as an independent empire and bringing the Brazilian struggle for independence to a diplomatic conclusion. [Learn about Dom Pedro, the first emperor of Brazil.]
© DeAgostini/Getty Images
1756
The Seven Years’ War—a conflict that arose from the Austrian Habsburgs’ attempt to win back Silesia, which had been taken from them by Frederick II of Prussia during the War of the Austrian Succession—began. [Take our history of war quiz.]
© Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com
1632
John Locke, whose works lie at the foundation of modern philosophical empiricism and political liberalism, was born in England. [Test your knowledge of philosophy.]
Photos.com/Thinkstock
1533
The execution of Atahuallpa, the 13th emperor of the Incas, effectively marked the end of the Inca empire.
Spencer Arnold Collection—Hulton Archive/Getty Images
1261
Urban IV, who had held the bishopric of Verdun and was patriarch of Jerusalem, succeeded Alexander IV as pope. [How much do you know about popes?]
Alinari/Art Resource, New York
70
Jerusalem fell to Roman forces. The loss of Jerusalem and the Second Temple is commemorated by Tisha b’Av, a traditional day of mourning in Judaism.