On May 29, 2012, the world of folk music mourned the passing of Doc Watson, the legendary Grammy Award-winning guitarist, songwriter, and storyteller.

On May 29, 2005, 23-year-old Danica Patrick becomes the first female driver to take the lead in the storied Indianapolis 500.

Some 35 U.S. states declare it to be Bob Hope Day on May 29, 2003, when the iconic comedic actor and entertainer turns 100 years old.

In a groundbreaking moment for motorsport, Janet Guthrie made history in 1977 by becoming the first woman to compete in the legendary Indianapolis 500.

The Historic Ascent of Mount Everest: Hillary and Norgay Reach the Summit On May 29, 1953, history was made as New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay etched their names into the annals of exploration by becoming the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak at 29,029 feet.

One of America’s best-loved presidents, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, is born into a politically and socially prominent family in Brookline, Massachusetts, on May 29, 1917.

On the night of Thursday, May 29, 1913, the pioneering Russian ballet corps Ballet Russes performs Igor Stravinsky’s ballet Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), choreographed by the famous dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, at the Theatre de Champs-Elysees in Paris.

William Gilbert, celebrated as the unique lyricist behind the highly popular Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas, met his death in highly unexpected circumstances.

At the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention, on May 29, 1851, the formerly enslaved woman Sojourner Truth rises to speak and assert her right to equality as a woman, as well as a Black American.

Following approval of statehood by the territory’s citizens, Wisconsin enters the Union as the 30th state.