A man in Tokyo married a virtual reality anime character in a legally non-binding ceremony
The ceremony, complete with a wedding dress-clad body pillow, was attended by dozens of guests who took it seriously. The groom had been in a relation...
May 29 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2012
2001
Dennis Tito became the world's first space tourist, paying $20 million for an 8-day trip to the ISS
The American businessman rode a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station despite NASA's strong objections. He spent his time taking...
1999
Space Shuttle Discovery completed the first docking with the International Space Station
Commander Kent Rominger piloted Discovery to link up with the ISS, delivering nearly four tons of supplies and equipment. This mission was crucial for...
1973
Tom Bradley became the first African American mayor of Los Angeles
Bradley, a former LAPD lieutenant, defeated the incumbent in a city where Black residents made up only 15% of the population. He went on to serve an u...
1953
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest
MajorAt 11:30 a.m. on this day, the New Zealand mountaineer and Nepalese Sherpa stood atop the world's highest peak at 29,032 feet. Hillary's first words u...
1942
Bing Crosby recorded 'White Christmas,' which became the best-selling single of all time
MajorThe recording session took just 18 minutes in a Los Angeles studio. Crosby himself thought the song was merely a nice tune and didn't expect much from...
1934
A severe dust storm dumped 12 million tons of Great Plains topsoil on Chicago
The massive dust cloud from drought-stricken farmlands traveled over 1,500 miles, turning the sky brown and depositing enough dirt on Chicago to fill...
1917
John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was born in Brookline, Massachusetts
MajorBorn into a wealthy political family, Kennedy would become the youngest elected president and the first Catholic to hold the office. His presidency, t...
1914
The ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sank in just 14 minutes, killing 1,012 people
After colliding with a Norwegian coal ship in thick fog on the St. Lawrence River, the ship went down faster than the Titanic. It remains Canada's wor...
1913
Igor Stravinsky's ballet 'The Rite of Spring' caused a riot at its Paris premiere
MajorThe avant-garde music and choreography were so shocking that audience members began fighting, shouting, and throwing objects. The police had to be cal...
1886
Pharmacist John Pemberton began advertising Coca-Cola as a brain tonic and nerve stimulant
The first newspaper ad appeared in The Atlanta Journal, promoting the beverage as a cure for headaches and exhaustion. At the time, it actually contai...
1790
Rhode Island became the last of the original thirteen colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution
Rhode Island held out for over two years after the Constitution went into effect, earning it the nickname 'Rogue Island.' The state only ratified afte...
1660
Charles II entered London to reclaim the English throne on his 30th birthday
After years of exile following his father's execution, Charles II was restored to the throne in a spectacle of pageantry. The timing on his birthday w...
1453
Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire, ending the Byzantine Empire after over 1,000 years
MajorAfter a 53-day siege, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II's forces breached the walls of Constantinople, marking the end of the Roman Empire's eastern continuati...