April 29

April 29 is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 246 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 1429 – Joan of Arc arrives at the Siege of Orléans, initiating the campaign that will ultimately lift the siege and mark a major turning point in the Hundred Years' War.
• 1945 – United States forces liberate the Dachau concentration camp. On the same day, Italian partisans capture and execute Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci.
• 1952 – The Treaty of San Francisco comes into effect, officially ending the Allied occupation of Japan and restoring its full sovereignty.
• 1975 – The Fall of Saigon: North Vietnamese forces capture the capital of South Vietnam, effectively ending the Vietnam War.
• 1991 – A devastating cyclone strikes the Chittagong district of Bangladesh, killing an estimated 138,000 people and leaving millions homeless.
• 1992 – The Los Angeles riots begin following the acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department officers in the videotaped beating of Rodney King, leading to widespread unrest and property damage.

Births

• 1854 – Henri Poincaré, French mathematician, theoretical physicist, and philosopher of science.
• 1863 – William Randolph Hearst, American newspaper publisher and politician.
• 1899 – Duke Ellington, American pianist, composer, and bandleader.
• 1901 – Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), Emperor of Japan from 1926 to 1989.
• 1957 – Daniel Day-Lewis, English-Irish actor and three-time Academy Award winner.
• 1970 – Andre Agassi, American former world No. 1 tennis player and Olympic gold medalist.
• 1970 – Uma Thurman, American actress and filmmaker.

Deaths

• 1945 – Benito Mussolini, Italian politician and fascist dictator, executed by partisans.
• 1980 – Alfred Hitchcock, English film director and producer, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema.
• 1994 – Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian racing driver, who died from injuries sustained in a crash during qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix.

Holidays and Observances

• International Dance Day (UNESCO)
• National Peace Officers Memorial Day (United States)
• Shōwa Day (Japan)
• Feast days:

* Saint Catherine of Siena (Catholic Church)
* Saint Peter of Verona (Catholic Church)