On 29th September (the feast of Michaelmas) 1171, Henry II visited St Davids, 9 months after the infamous murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. During his visit, Henry met with Rhys ap Gruffyd (Lord Rhys), ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth and the dominant ruling prince in Wales. Up until this time, the relationship between them had been troubled, however, in 1171 they made peace and maintained good relations until Henry's death in 1189. ….
The Treaty of Montgomery, which was signed on 29th September 1267, marked an important milestone in the history of medieval Wales. For the first time, the king of England (Henry III) recognised a Welsh ruler (Llywelyn ap Gruffydd) as Prince of Wales, having the right to receive homage from the other Welsh princes and lords. ….
1760 Williamsburg Bray School, the oldest extant building dedicated to the education of Black children in the United States, opens in Williamsburg, Virginia .
1789 US War Department establishes a regular army.
1793 Tennis is first mentioned in the English publication Sporting Magazine.
…. 1829: In London the Metropolitan Police Service is founded combining River Thames Marine Police Force and the Bow Street Runners (and Horse Patrol). To appear neutral, the new police uniforms are manufactured in blue, rather than military red and the officers are armed with only with a wooden truncheon and a rattle to signal the need for assistance. ….
1923 The British Empire reaches its geographical peak, covering a quarter of the globe's land (nearly 14 million square miles), with the Palestine Mandate coming into force under British control).
1938 England, France, Germany and Italy signed the Munich Pact, under which the Sudetenland was given to Nazi Germany. In return, Hitler promised not to make any further territorial demands in Europe. World War II began the following year!
1942 The small market town of Somerton in Somerset was hit by four Luftwaffe bombs. The bombs were aimed at the Cow and Gate milk factory at nearby Etsome which was largely destroyed. Nine people were killed and a further thirty seven injured. The civilians who died are commemorated on Somerton's War Memorial .
1946 BBC launched the 'Third Programme', later to become Radio 3.
1971 “McMillan & Wife,” starring Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James, makes its regular-series debut on NBC. Shown in on Britain on Tuesdays- every three weeks if I remember correctly. The other weeks we got Columbo and McCloud.
…. On 29 September 2005, the White Cross of Trealaw mysteriously appeared on the hillside above the town. It has since become an iconic Rhondda landmark. In the following days, there was a sense of intrigue about its sudden appearance and the Rhondda Leader set about trying to solve the mystery. A week later, it was revealed that local resident, painter and decorator, Glyn Thomas had created the distinctive feature out of white painted stones as a result of a pact made with one of his friends. They had promised each other that when one of them died, the other would scatter the ashes on the mountain. Glyn was true to his word and out of respect, decided to mark the spot with a cross. It took Glyn over three months to complete and after each session, he would cover his work beneath ferns and bracken.
In celebration of its 10th anniversary and to show their appreciation, the local community decorated it with hundreds of solar lights so that it can also be seen at night. Subsequently, the cross has become a focal point for people who see it as a symbol of hope and many others have had their ashes spread there.
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29 Sep 1987 Pink Floyd's thirteenth studio album A Momentary Lapse Of Reason was on the UK chart. The shoot for the album cover involved dragging 800 hospital beds onto Saunton Sands in Devon, but rain interrupted the session and they had to repeat the exercise two weeks later. A hang glider can be seen in the sky, a possible reference to the track 'Learning to Fly'. Photographer Robert Dowling won a gold award at the Association of Photographers' Awards for the image, which took about two weeks to create.
Gustav Vasa (1496-1560) King of Sweden (1523-60) who abolished Sweden's elective monarchy, dies at 64
1902 William McGonagall, Scottish-Irish poet infamous as an extremely bad poet and considered the worst in British history (The Tay Bridge Disaster, The Famous Tay Whale), dies at 77
Rudolf Diesel (1858-1913) French-born German engineer who invented the diesel engine, disappears at 55 aboard the ship Dresden in the English Channel
1950 Clara Ford, American suffragette supporter and wife of industrialist Henry Ford, dies at 84
1954 William John Gruffydd, Welsh poet and scholar, dies at 73
1973 W. H. Auden [Wystan Hugh Auden], British-American Pulitzer Prize-winning poet (The Age of Anxiety, Funeral Blues), dies of heart failure at 66
1996 Leslie Crowther, English comedian and TV host (The pPrice is Right), dies at 63
Tony Curtis (1925-2010) American actor (The Defiant Ones; Some Like It Hot; Spartacus), dies at 85
