Today in History - July 29 | Brazen robber behind $183 million diamond heist never caught
July 29
A brazen robber stole $183 million worth of diamonds from a luxury hotel in southern France on July 29, 2013, in one of the world's biggest jewellery heists.
The lone armed man strode through the luxury Carlton hotel in Cannes before he entered a room hosting an exhibition of the prized gems.
The robber, shown here on security CCTV, had his face covered by a hat and a scarf, and was armed with a semi-automatic pistol.
He threatened to shoot unarmed security guards and guests unless they handed over the diamonds.
Amazingly, he stumbled while walking from the hotel and spilled some of the loot, but calmly collected it from the ground.
The robber and the jewels from the 2013 heist were never seen again.
The luxury Carlton hotel featured prominently in Alfred Hitchcock's film To Catch a Thief, which starred Cary Grant, shown right, as a reformed burglar chasing a jewel thief.
On July 29, 1967, a misfired rocket aboard the American aircraft carrier USS Forrestal triggered a catastrophic chain of events that caused the death of 134 sailors.
A US Navy investigation found that the fire was ignited by the accidental firing of one rocket from an F-4 Phantom fighter.
It struck the fuel tank of another aircraft and released one of its bombs.
The ill-fated Spanish Armada was first spotted off the coast of southern England on July 29, 1588.
The huge naval fleet was carrying troops intending to invade England, but following a series of sea battles, it was forced to disperse north.
Over the following weeks, hundreds of Spanish ships were sunk by ferocious gales as they sailed around Scotland and Ireland.
Iconic rock band The Doors, fronted by Jim Morrison, recorded their first US number one hit with Light My Fire on July 29, 1967.
The globally successful single propelled The Doors to international fame and one of the enduring symbols of the 1960s counterculture.
The US on July 29, 1958, created the the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a civilian agency responsible for the country's exploration of space.
It was set up in response to Soviet Russia's successful launch of the Sputnik satellite, which had sparked concerns the Russians might also be capable of launching nuclear missiles from Europe to the US.
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