May 29
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Featured Event
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (cph 3c19343); Photo Illustration EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
On this day in 1851, abolitionist and womenâs right activist Sojourner Truth gave her most famous speech to the Ohio Womenâs Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. Subsequently published in the abolitionist newspaper The Anti-Slavery Bugle in June 1851, the speech has become known as the âAinât I a Woman?â speech, although it did not include that phrase. That iconic line was added to Truthâs speech (along with a Southern dialect that Truth, as a Dutch-speaking New Yorker, certainly did not have) in an 1863 publication, likely as a well-intentioned literary device for propaganda purposes. [Read todayâs edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. Ideas have endurance without death.
Born this day in 1917, John F. Kennedy, the 35th U.S. president, faced several foreign crises, most notably in Cuba and Berlin, and secured such achievements as the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty before being assassinated in 1963.
Famous Birthdays
More on May 29
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
2017
Panamanian military leader Manuel Noriegaâwho ruled Panama (1983â89) until ousted by U.S. forces and who later served prison sentences in the United States and Panamaâdied at age 83 in Panama City. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Latin America.]
Carol M. Highsmith's America/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (C-DIG-highsm- 04950)
2004
The National World War II Memorial opened on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Designed by architect Friedrich St. Florian, the monument is dedicated both to the Americans who served in World War II in the armed servicesâincluding the more than 400,000 deadâand to those who supported the war effort at home. [How much do you know about World War II?]
NASA
1999
Discovery became the first space shuttle to dock with the International Space Station. [Sort fact from fiction in our space exploration quiz.]
AP Images
1953
Following numerous failed attempts by others, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to surmount Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world (29,032 feet [8,849 meters]), on this day in 1953. [How much do you know about Mount Everest?]
Publicity photo
1942
American singer and actor Bing Crosby recorded the holiday classic White Christmas, which became one of the best-selling singles of all time. [Test your knowledge of musicians.]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1905
The Russian navy was defeated in the Battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War. [Match the battle with the war in our quiz.]
Courtesy of the Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid
1860
Composer and virtuoso pianist Isaac Albéniz was born in Camprodón, Spain. [Test your knowledge of classical composers.]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1848
Wisconsin became the 30th state of the union. [Take our U.S. state mottoes quiz.]
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (NPG.77.291)
1736
Orator Patrick Henry, a major figure of the American Revolution, was born in Studley, Virginia. [How much do you know about the American Revolution?]
© Ronald Sheridan/Ancient Art & Architecture Collection
1658
The Battle of Samugarh was fought in a contest for the throne between the sons of the Mughal emperor Shah JahÄn following the emperorâs serious illness in September 1657. [Read our list of six important Mughal emperors.]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1453
Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire fell to the Ottomans. [Take our quiz about the Ottoman Empire.]