Today in History - October 29th

1390 - On this day in history, first trial for witchcraft in Paris led to the death of 3 people.
1652 - The Massachusetts Bay Colony proclaimed itself to be an independent commonwealth.
1863 - Today in history, eighteen countries met in Geneva to create the International Red Cross.
1863 - Forces under General Grant repelled a Confederate attack led by General Longstreet.
1886 - Today in history, the first ticker-tape parade took place in New York City when office workers spontaneously threw ticker tape into the streets as the Statue of Liberty was dedicated.

1929 - On this day in history, the New York Stock Exchange crashed on Black Tuesday, precipitating the Great Depression.
1941 - 10,000 Jews were shot by German occupiers at the Ninth Fort, a massacre known as the "Great Action."
1966 - The National Organization for Women was founded, today in history.
1969 - The United States Supreme Court ordered an immediate end to all school segregation.
1998 - On this day in history, John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, returned to space at age 77.
1998 - South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission condemned both apartheid and violence committed by the African National Congress.
2004 - Al Jazeera broadcasted an excerpt from an Osama bin Laden video in which the terrorist leader first admitted direct responsibility for the September 11, 2001 attacks.
2004 - European leaders signed the European Union's first constitution.
2008 - Delta Air Lines merged with Northwest Airlines, creating the world's largest airline and reducing the number of US legacy carriers to 5.
2012 - Today in history, Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast of the United States, leaving $50 billion in damages and causing major power outages.

SPORTS - Today in History, October 29th

1960 - Cassius Clay (who later takes the name Muhammad Ali) won his first professional fight.
1973 - On this day in history, O.J. Simpson, of the Buffalo Bills, set two NFL records. He carried the ball 39 times and he ran 157 yards putting him over 1,000 yards at the seventh game of the season.

1945 - Today in history, the first ballpoint pens went on sale at Gimbels Department Store in New York at the price of $12.50 each.