May 29th Major News Events

29 May, 1928 North Pole Italian Dirigible Italia

1928 : The fate of the Italian Dirigible Italia (airship) is not looking good and rescue parties are searching for any remains 1 week after she set out on the heroic trip to reach the North Pole.

29 May, 1932 U.S.A. World War I Vets

1932 : As the great depression of the 30s continue World War I veterans known as the " Bonus Army " begin arriving in Washington to demand cash bonuses they weren't scheduled to receive for another 13 years be paid early to allow them to survive, by late June over 20,000 World War I vets were camped in vacant government buildings and open fields around the capitol.

1942 U.S.A. Bing Crosby / White Christmas

1942 : Bing Crosby records the world's top selling record White Christmas, for the soundtrack of the film Holiday Inn.

1943 U.S.A. "The Million Dollar Band"

1943 : "The Million Dollar Band" was heard for the first time on NBC radio.

1944 Italy World War II

1944 : The allies are pounding the last ditch defenses of the German 10th Army as they surround Rome in Italy and are now only 17 miles from Rome.

1960 England Sophia Loren

1960 : Sophia Loren has called in Scotland Yard after a million dollars of Jewels had been stolen which included Diamonds, Rubies and emeralds. She is in England shooting the film version of George Bernard Shaws "The Millionaires."

1968 Manchester United win European Cup

1968 : Manchester United beat Portuguese side Benfica 4-1 to become the first English club to win the European Cup. The Manchester United team include the legendary George Best, who was named European Footballer of the Year.

1968 U.S.A. Truth In Lending Act

1968 : The (TILA) Truth In Lending Act passes into law with regulations designed to protect consumers in credit transactions requiring clear disclosure of key terms of the lending arrangement and all costs. It is part of the "Consumer Credit Protection Act".

1972 Israel Airport Shootings

1972 : Three gunmen open fire on crowds at Lod International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, killing 26 people and injuring dozens more. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility and said they had recruited the gunmen from the Japanese Red Army who committed the murders.

1984 England Police and Miners Clash

1984 : At least 5,000 miners picket the Orgreave coking plant near Sheffield trying to stop British Steel's coke convoys, they are met by police using riot gear forcing the pickets to allow lorry drivers with coke deliveries for British Steel and a number of fights break out with police using truncheons and charging the picketers who were using Smoke bombs, bricks, stones.

1990 Russia Boris N. Yeltsin

1990 : Boris N. Yeltsin elected president of the Russian republic by the Russian parliament.

1996 U.S.A. Christopher Reeve / Superman

1996 : It has been confirmed that Christopher Reeve suffered a neck injury on the weekend when thrown from a horse , but it is unknown at this stage if it will be permanent, Christopher Reeve is best known as the actor who plays Superman.

1996 Israel Benjamin Netanyahu

1996 : Benjamin Netanyahu becomes the Israeli prime minister.

1999 Space International Space Station

1999 : The Discovery Space Shuttle completes the first docking with the International Space Station.

2004 U.S.A. World War II Memorial

2004 : The World War II memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. is dedicated to veterans from World War II.

2007 Nigerian President Sworn In

2007 : Newly elected president of Nigeria, Umaru Yar'Adua, was sworn in at a ceremony in the capital Abuja. Despite claims that the election was corrupt, the inauguration marked the first time a civilian leader had peacefully taken over from another civilian leader in Nigeria. There were some protests from opposition groups, but minimal conflict.

2008 Iceland Hit by Earthquake

2008 : An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 hits Iceland. The earthquake struck thirty miles out of the capital Reykjavik, shaking buildings and causing multiple aftershocks.

2009 United States Music Producer Sentenced

2009 : Famous music producer Phil Spector was sentenced to at least nineteen years in prison for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson in 2003. The sixty-nine year old had pleaded not guilty to the charges, but a jury decided that he had shot her in his mansion and killed her. Spector was famously connected to popular music in the 1960s by working with artists like Tina Turner, but had even developed an eccentric and violent reputation then.

2012 Hong Kong Martian Pink Diamond Sold for $17.4 Million

2012 : A rare pink diamond was sold at Christie's in Hong Kong after six minutes of bidding for $17.4 million. The diamond was the biggest of its type to ever be sold and was bought by an anonymous bidder. The 12-carat diamond was cut in 1976 by the US jeweler Harry Winston and was named Martian Pink after the Mars landing.

2013 First Gay Wedding Takes Place in France

2013 : Two men, Vince Autin and Bruno Boileau, became the first gay couple to be married in Montpellier, France. There was tight security at the event as the new law had conjured up violent protests and was considered controversial in the country.