April 29, 1929

1929Walter Kempowski, German author and academic (died 2007)^[†]

Walter Kempowski was a German writer. Kempowski was known for his series of novels called German Chronicle and the monumental Echolot ("Sonar"), a collage of autobiographical reports, letters and other documents by contemporary witnesses of the Second World War.

1929Peter Sculthorpe, Australian composer and conductor (died 2014)^[†]

Peter Joshua Sculthorpe FAHA was a distinguished Australian composer and music educator. Much of his music resulted from an interest in the music of countries neighbouring Australia, as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of Aboriginal Australian music with that of the heritage of the West. He was known primarily for his orchestral and chamber music, such as Kakadu (1988) and Earth Cry (1986), which evoke the sounds and feeling of the Australian bushland and outback. He also wrote 18 string quartets, using unusual timbral effects, works for piano, and two operas. He stated that he wanted his music to make people feel better and happier for having listened to it. He typically avoided the dense, atonal techniques of many of his contemporary composers. His work was often characterised by its distinctive use of percussion. As one of the compositional pioneers of a distinctively Australian sound, Sculthorpe and his music have been likened to the role played by Aaron Copland in America's musical coming of age.

1929Maurice Strong, Canadian businessman and diplomat (died 2015)^[†]

Maurice Frederick Strong was a Canadian oil and mineral businessman and a diplomat who served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

1929Jeremy Thorpe, English lawyer and politician (died 2014)^[†]

John Jeremy Thorpe was a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979 and as leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976. In May 1979 he was tried at the Old Bailey on charges of conspiracy and incitement to murder his ex-boyfriend Norman Scott, a former model. Thorpe was acquitted on all charges, but the case, and the furore surrounding it, ended his political career.