What Happened on March 29?

  • The last American troops left Vietnam. (1973) The US had been officially involved in Vietnam in more than 10 years. About 9,000 civilians stayed behind as technical advisors, but for the US, the war was over.

  • It became legal for residents of the District of Columbia to vote in presidential elections. (1961) Before the amendment, residents of DC could not vote either for the president or vice president, and as of 2010, they still cannot send representatives or senators to Congress.

  • The first batch of Coca-Cola® was reportedly brewed. (1886) Atlanta pharmacist John Pemberton is said to have brewed the first batch of Coke® in his backyard on this day. He was looking for an alternative for morphine and opium, which were commonly taken for everything from anxiety to cancer at the time, and came up with Pemberton's French Wine Coca, which was sold as a cure for conditions brought on by urbanization.

  • The first telephone was installed in the Oval Office. (1929) Though the White House had telephones installed since 1878, it was only in 1929 that the Oval Office got its first phone.

  • Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of espionage. (1951) The couple was convicted of passing secrets about the atomic bomb to the USSR in a heavily publicized trial. They were later executed, the first time civilians were executed in US history.

  • Royal Albert Hall opened. (1871) The distinctive venue has hosted almost every kind of cultural performance, as well as several sports events. Everyone from Frank Sinatra to the Dalai Lama has appeared there and continues to be a major cultural center in London.

  • The Knights of Columbus were established. (1882) The society was originally created for community aid by a parish priest in New Haven, Connecticut, and was named after Christopher Columbus. It became extremely popular, and has included John F. Kennedy and Babe Ruth. and

  • The first nationwide workplace smoking ban was enacted. (2004) The Republic of Ireland enacted the first smoking ban that applied to all workplaces, including bars and restaurants. Other cities followed suit, and many saw heart disease, respiratory problems, and by 2010 only 9 states in the US had no kind of mandated smoking ban.

  • Earth Hour became an international event. (2008) Though similar events had been taken place sporadically in the previous few years, Earth Hour first became a national event in 2008. Thirty five countries and almost 400 cities joined in.

  • Sam Walton was born. (1918) Walton revolutionized the American retail industry when his stores Wal-Mart and Sam's Club took off, and he was named one of TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People of the Century.

Discussion Comments

anon327721

The deaths of Captain Robert Scott, Dr. Edward Wilson and Lt. Henry 'Birdie' Bowers in the Antarctic. (1912) They perished in a blizzard on a return journey from the Pole.

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