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April 29
1429. 17 year old Joan d'Arc arrives at Orleans, then under siege by the British who were at war with the French -- a war that history would come to know as the Hundred Years War. Claiming that she had had angelic visions since she was 12, a few months earlier she had reported to a local military commander and member of the nobility that France would soon suffer a devastating military defeat near Orleans. When this event came to pass, she was sent to the King for an audience. She arrived and upon learning that a relief expedition was being sent, asked to join it. She arrived at Orleans on this day, 1429. Upon arrival the local commander, Jean d'Orleans, basically ignored her. Against his orders and contrary to the cautious approach the French had taken, she rallied the townsmen and common soldiers to unlock the gates of the city and sortie against the besiegers. Her actions and inspiring leadership lead to victory, lifting the siege only nine days after her arrival.
1770. James Cook arrives in Botany Bay, Australia
1945. Adolf Hitler marries his longtime mistress, Eva Braun and anoints navy commander Karl Doenitz as his successor.
1945. Dachau concentration camp is liberated.
1967. Boxing champion Muhammed Ali is stripped of his boxing title after refusing to join the United States Army the day before (citing religious reasons).
1970. US and South Vietnamese forces enter Cambodia seeking Viet Cong.
1992. Not historically significant, really, but those of us who are old enough will remember the riots in Los Angeles following the acquittal of police officers alleged in assaulting Rodney King. Over the next three days 53 are killed and millions of dollars of property damage occurs.
2004. Oldsmobile builds its final car, ending 107 years of production.
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