What Happened Today in History on July 29

Norway King Olaf II (Olaf Haraldsson) is killed at the Battle of Stiklestad in Norway. The Catholic Church would later canonize him as Saint Olaf and he is the Patron Saint of Norway. More

The Treaty of San Germano is signed between Emperor Frederick II and Pope Gregory IX, ending the Papal-Imperial conflict.

The Spanish Armada is defeated. The Spanish fleet was led by the Duke of Medina Sidonia and its purpose was to overthrow Elizabeth I, to reinstate Catholicism in England and to end England's support for the Dutch Republic to prevent attacks by English and Dutch privateers against Spanish interests in the Americas. The English fleet was under the command of Charles Howard, 2nd Baron Howard of Effingham. His second in command was Sir Francis Drake. The Spanish Armada defeat is considered one of England's greatest military achievements. More

Italian King Umberto I, is assassinated in Monza by Italian-American anarchist Gaetano Bresci. He was succeeded by his son, Victor Emmanuel III. During his time as king since 1878 Italy expanded his control o Eritrea and Somalia. However, he was unable to defeat the Abyssinians. In 1882, King Umberto I approved the Triple Alliance, which formed a military pact between Italy, Germany, and Austria-Hungary. He faced opposition from anarchists and other groups due to his conservative policies and his support for the military's actions including the Bava Beccaris massacre in Milan. More

The secret Taft-Katsura Agreement is signed in which the United States acknowledged Japanese rule over Korea and condoned the Anglo-Japanese alliance of 1902. At the same time, Japan recognized U.S. control of the Philippines. More

William C. Durant, CEO  of the relatively new General Motors Corporation purchases Cadillac from the Lelands for $4.5 million in General Motors stock, and keeps the Lelands in their management position and still responsible for production. Durant positioned Cadillac as GM's luxury brand and Cadillac flourished. More

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is officially formed as its creation statute enters into force on July 29, 1957. The first General Conference was held in Vienna in October 1957, where delegates decided to make Vienna the agency's headquarters. The IAEA had been created via an independent statue and opened for signatures on October 26, 1956.  Expand +

President Eisenhower signs into law the bill passed by the U. S. Congress establishing NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration began operations on October 1, 1958. More

Ranger 7, an unmanned U.S. lunar probe reaches the Moon and takes the first close-up images of earths' satellite. During its final 17 minutes of flight, it sent back 4,316 images of the lunar surface. The last image taken 2.3 seconds before impact had a resolution of just half-a-meter. More

The 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, arrives in Vietnam Cam Ranh Bay. The 101st fought in 45 operations spanning seven years. Seventeen members of the 101st Airborne received the Congressional Medal of Honor for their conduct in combat in this conflict.  Expand +