Osun Defender History Corner: December 29 In Focus

Today, on the history corner, we take a trip in the realm of flashback and recall some events that marked this day.

December 29, 1170

Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was assassinated in Canterbury Cathedral.

December 29, 1845

Texas was admitted as the 28th U.S. state.

December 29, 1934

Japan renounced the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930.

December 29, 1940

During World War II, Germany began an air raid on London, known as the Second Great Fire of London.

December 29, 1972

An Eastern Airlines flight crashed in the Florida Everglades, resulting in 101 fatalities.

December 29, 1975

A bomb exploded at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, killing 11 people.

December 29, 1989

Czech playwright and dissident Václav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia.

December 29, 1992

Fernando Collor de Mello, then President of Brazil, resigned amidst corruption charges.

December 29, 2001

A fire in the Mesa Redonda shopping center in Lima, Peru, killed at least 291 people.

December 29, 2003

The last known speaker of Akkala Sami, a language of the Sami people, died.

December 29, 2006

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was executed.

December 29, 2012

A Tupolev Tu-204 aircraft crashed in Moscow, Russia, killing at least five people.

December 29, 2013

The South Sudanese Civil War began as a result of political tensions.

December 29, 2016

Actress and author Carrie Fisher, known for her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars, passed away.

December 29, 2018

Indonesian pop band Seventeen was hit by a tsunami while performing, resulting in several fatalities.

December 29, 2019

A knife attack at a rabbi’s home during a Hanukkah celebration in New York left five people injured.

December 29, 2019

A fire at the Andaman Limestone cave in India claimed the lives of at least 10 tourists.

December 29, 2020

A series of earthquakes struck central Croatia, causing casualties and widespread damage.

December 29, 2020

Chinese billionaire and co-founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, went missing for several months.

December 29, 2021

The World Health Organization designated the Omicron variant of COVID-19 as a “variant of concern.”

Please note that these are just a few historical events that happened on December 29. History is full of numerous other significant events on this day, ranging from politics and warfare to cultural and scientific milestones.