29th June - On this Day

What does the 29th of June have to offer, well on this day...

The 29th of June marks International Day of the Tropics. This day celebrates the extraordinary diversity of the tropics, which is the area between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn. The day is to highlight unique challenge such as; climate change, deforestation, logging, urbanization and demographic changes and opportunities nations of the tropics face. The tropics account for 40 per cent of the world's total surface area and are host to approximately 80 per cent of the world's biodiversity and much of its language and cultural diversity.

Saint Peter and Paul Day commemorate the dual martyrdom of Christian apostles Peter (by crucifixion) and Paul (by beheading) during the persecution of Roman emperor Nero. Observed since the third century

On this day in the USA in 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill providing $33.5 billion for highway construction. It was the biggest public works program in history.

Also in the states in 1972 the death penalty was banned. The US Supreme court, in a vote 5-4 found capital punishment a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits "cruel and unusual punishment. the decision spared the lives of 600 individuals then sitting on death row. Later overruling themselves, the court determined on July 2, 1976, that the death penalty was not cruel and unusual punishment and on Oct 4, 1976, lifted the ban on the death penalty in murder cases. On Jan 15, 1977, Gary Gilmore became the first individual executed in the US in more than 10 years.