On August 29, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced new retirement ages — 60 for women, 65 for men — amid an outcry over retirement plans. On the same day in 2017, daily lives in Mumbai and Texas were thrown out of gear by heavy rainfall. In Mumbai, the monsoon chaos led to the closure of schools and colleges while in Texas, Hurricane Harvey brought record rainfall.

Here are some other events that took place on August 29:

70 AD:

The historic siege of Jerusalem took place on this day. Jerusalem fell to Roman forces, marking the collapse of the Jewish state.

1261: Urban IV, the patriarch of Jerusalem, succeeded Alexander IV as Pope.

1632: English philosopher John Locke was born. His works set the foundation of modern philosophical empiricism and political liberalism.

1756: The infamous Seven Years' War began. It was a conflict that arose from the Austrian Habsburgs' attempt to win back Silesia, which had been taken from them by Frederick II of Prussia.

1842: China signed the Treaty of Nanjing. It provided for the cession of Hong Kong to Great Britain.

1949: The Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb. This was just like the one the US military used on Nagasaki during World War II.

1958: Music legend Michael Jackson is born in Gary, Indiana (United States).

1997: American entrepreneurs Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph founded video-rental company Netflix, which has now transitioned to a movie streaming and production service.

2008: American politician John McCain named Sarah Palin as his running mate. This was the first time a woman appeared on the Republican presidential ticket.

2016: Noted American Comedian Gene Wilder dies at the age of 83 years. He was nominated for the Oscars twice. In 2003, he won the Emmy Awards for his role as ‘Mr Stein’ in the comedy series Will & Grace.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)