On This Day in History – June 29

by hpmom June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

1613 – The original Globe Theatre in London burns down during a performance of Henry VIII when a cannon shot ignites the thatched roof.
1850 – Famous novelist and poet Nathaniel Hawthorne is appointed U.S. consul in Liverpool, England.
1956 – The Federal-Aid Highway Act is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, launching the construction of the U.S. Interstate Highway System.
1972 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Furman v. Georgia that current applications of the death penalty are unconstitutional, halting executions nationwide.
1995 – The Space Shuttle Atlantis docks with Russia’s space station Mir for the first time, marking a new era of international cooperation in space.
2007 – Apple releases the first iPhone in the United States, revolutionizing the mobile phone and tech industries.

George Goethals (1858–1928), American engineer and U.S. Army officer best known for overseeing the construction of the Panama Canal.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900–1944), French writer and aviator, author of The Little Prince.
Slim Pickens (1919–1983), American rodeo performer and actor known for Dr. Strangelove.
Little Eva (1943–2003), American pop singer best known for “The Loco-Motion.”
Gary Busey (born 1944), American actor known for roles in The Buddy Holly Story and Point Break.
Nicole Scherzinger (born 1978), American singer, dancer, and lead vocalist of The Pussycat Dolls.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861), English poet known for Sonnets from the Portuguese.
Paul Klee (1879–1940), Swiss-German painter and influential figure in modern art.
Rosemary Clooney (1928–2002), American singer and actress, aunt of actor George Clooney.
Jayne Mansfield (1933–1967), American actress and 1950s sex symbol, killed in a tragic car accident.

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Christianity) – Celebrates two of the most important apostles in the Christian tradition.
National Statistics Day (India) – Honors the contributions of statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis and promotes the use of statistics in public policy.
Independence Day (Seychelles) – Commemorates Seychelles’ independence from the United Kingdom in 1976.

The burning of the Globe Theatre in 1613 was accidental — the cannon used for sound effects fired a real spark into the roof.
The Interstate Highway System initiated on this day now stretches over 46,000 miles, one of the world’s largest road networks.
The Little Prince, written by Saint-Exupéry (born today), is one of the most translated books in the world.
The iPhone, launched on June 29, 2007, sold over 6 million units of the first model and launched the smartphone era.
Jayne Mansfield’s death led to the widespread adoption of underride guards on tractor-trailers, often nicknamed “Mansfield bars.”