29 September History
- 1197 - Emperor Henry VI dies in Messina, Sicily.
- 1399 - Richard II of England is deposed. His cousin, Henry of Lancaster, declares himself king under the name Henry IV.
- 1493 - Christopher Columbus leaves Cadiz, Spain, on his second voyage to the new world.
- 1513 - Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa discovers the Pacific Ocean.
- 1789 - Congress votes to create a U.S. army.
- 1833 - A civil war breaks out in Spain between Carlisists, who believe Don Carlos deserves the throne, and supporters of Queen Isabella.
- 1850 - Mormon leader Brigham Young is named the first governor of the Utah Territory.
- 1864 - Union troops capture the Confederate Fort Harrison, outside Petersburg, Virginia.
- 1879 - Dissatisfied Ute Indians kill Agent Nathan Meeker and nine others in the "Meeker Massacre."
- 1932 - A five-day work week is established for General Motors workers.
- 1939 - Germany and the Soviet Union reach an agreement on the division of Poland.
- 1941 - 30,000 Jews are gunned down in Kiev when Henrich Himmler sends four strike squads to exterminate Soviet Jewish civilians and other "undesirables."
- 1943 - Adolf Hitler's book Mein Kampf is published in the United States.
- 1950 - General Douglas MacArthur officially returns Seoul, South Korea, to President Syngman Rhee.
29 September Birthdays
- 1547 - Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist best known for his book The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha.
- 1758 - Horatio Nelson, British naval commander who defeated the French and her allies on numerous occasions during the age of Napoleon.
- 1858 - Rudolf Diesel, engineer, inventor of the diesel engine.
- 1901 - Enrico Fermi, Italian-born U.S. physicist who led the group which created the first man-made nuclear chain reaction.
- 1907 - Gene Autry, cowboy actor.
- 1943 - Lech Walesa, Polish labor leader who founded the Solidarity party and later became the president of Poland.
- 1948 - Bryant Gumbel, broadcast journalist.