December 30
is the 364th day of the year (365th in
leap years) in the
Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining.
*
1460 -
Wars of the Roses:
Battle of Wakefield*
1816 - The
Treaty with the Ottawa, etc. is proclaimed.
*
1853 -
Gadsden Purchase: The
United States buys land from
Mexico to facilitate
railroad building in the Southwest.
*
1853 - A dinner party is held inside a life-size model of an
Iguanodon created by
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and Sir
Richard Owen in south
London.
*
1862 -
USS Monitor sinks off
Cape Hatteras,
North Carolina.
*
1879 -
The Pirates of Penzance is first performed (
Paignton,
Devon,
England).
*
1880 - The
Transvaal becomes a republic and
Paul Kruger, its first president.
*
1896 -
José Rizal was
executed by
firing squad in
Manila.
*
1897 -
Natal annexes
Zululand.
*
1903 - A fire at the
Iroquois Theater in
Chicago, Illinois kills 600.
*
1905 - Former Governor
Frank Steunenberg is assassinated near his home in
Caldwell,
Idaho.
*
1919 -
Lincoln's Inn in
London admits its first female bar student.
*
1922 - The
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is formed.
*
1924 -
Edwin Hubble announces the existence of other
galaxies.
*
1927 - The
Ginza Line, the first
subway line in
Asia, opens in
Tokyo.
*
1936 - The
United Auto Workers union stages its first
sit-down strike.
*
1940 -
California opens its first
freeway, the
Arroyo Seco Parkway.
*
1943 -
Chandra Bose raises the flag of
Indian independence at
Port Blair.
*
1944 - King
George II of Greece declares a regency, leaving his throne vacant.
*
1947 - King
Michael of Romania forced to abdicate by the
Soviet-backed Communist government of Romania.
*
1948 - The play
Kiss Me, Kate opens for the first of 1,077 performances.
*
1953 - The first
color television sets go on sale for about
USD at $1,175 each.
*
1965 -
Ferdinand Marcos becomes
President of the
Philippines.
*
1972 -
Vietnam War: The
US halts heavy bombing of
North Vietnam.
*
1977 -
Ted Bundy escapes from his cell in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
*
1980 - After 25 years, the longest-running prime-time
TV series
The Wonderful World of Disney is cancelled by
NBC.
*
1981 -
Wayne Gretzky scores his 50th goal in 39 games, still a
National Hockey League record.
*
1993 -
Israel and the
Vatican establish diplomatic relations.
*
1995 - The lowest ever
UK temperature of -27.2°C was recorded at
Altnaharra in the
Scottish Highlands. This equalled the record set at
Braemar,
Aberdeenshire on
February 11,
1895 and
January 10,
1982.
*
1996 - In the
Indian state of
Assam, a passenger train is bombed by
Bodo separatists, killing 26.
* 1996 - Proposed budget cuts by
Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across
Israel.
*
1997 - In the worst incident in
Algeria's insurgency, the
Wilaya of Relizane massacres, 400 people are killed from four villages.
*
2000 -
Rizal Day Bombings: A series of bombs explode in various places in
Metro Manila,
Philippines within a span of a few hours, killing 22 and injuring about a hundred.
*
2003 - The U.S.
Food and Drug Administration announces a ban on the sale of
dietary supplement ephedra.
* 2003 -
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft recuses himself and his office from the
Plame affair.
*
2004 - A fire in the
República Cromagnon nightclub in
Buenos Aires,
Argentina kills 194.
*
2005 -
Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic, tying the record for the latest
tropical cyclone ever to form in the
North Atlantic basin.
*
39 -
Roman Emperor Titus (d.
81)
*
1204 -
Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd Hakam al Qurashi, ruler of Minorca (d.
1282)
*
1552 -
Simon Forman, English occultist and astrologer (d.
1611)
*
1642 -
Vicenzo da Filicaja, Italian poet (d.
1707)
*
1673 -
Ahmed III,
Ottoman Sultan (d.
1736)
*
1678 -
William Croft, English composer (d.
1727)
*
1722 -
Charles Yorke, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (d.
1770)
*
1724 -
Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée, French painter (d.
1805)
*
1785 -
Dorothea Lieven, Russian noblewoman (d.
1857)
*
1819 -
Theodor Fontane, German writer (d.
1898)
*
1838 -
Émile Loubet, 7th
President of France (d.
1929)
*
1865 -
Rudyard Kipling, British writer,
Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1936)
*
1869 -
Stephen Butler Leacock, British-born writer and economist (d.
1944)
*
1873 -
Al Smith, American politician (d.
1944)
*
1884 -
Hideki Tojo,
Prime Minister of Japan (d.
1948)
*
1897 -
Alfredo Bracchi, Italian author (d.
1976)
*
1899 -
Helge Ingstad, Norwegian explorer (d.
2001)
*
1904 -
Dmitri Kabalevsky, Russian composer (d.
1987)
*
1906 -
Carol Reed, English film director (d.
1976)
*
1910 -
Paul Bowles, American composer and author (d.
1999)
*
1911 -
Jeanette Nolan, American actress (d.
1998)
*
1913 -
Elyne Mitchell, Australian author of children's novels (d.
2002)
*
1914 -
Bert Parks, American television host (d.
1992)
*
1917 -
Seymour Melman, American industrial engineer (d.
2004)
*
1920 -
Jack Lord, American actor (d.
1998)
*
1928 -
Bo Diddley, American singer and musician
*
1931 -
Skeeter Davis, American singer (d.
2004)
*
1933 -
Joseph Bologna, American actor
*
1934 -
John Norris Bahcall, American physicist (d.
2005)
* 1934 -
Joseph P. Hoar, U.S. general
* 1934 -
Del Shannon, American singer (d.
1990)
* 1934 -
Russ Tamblyn, American actor, dancer, and singer
*
1935 -
Omar Bongo,
President of Gabon* 1935 -
Sandy Koufax, baseball player
*
1937 -
Gordon Banks, English footballer
* 1937 -
John Hartford, American musician (d.
2001)
* 1937 -
Jim Marshall, American football player
* 1937 -
Noel Paul Stookey, American singer
*
1941 -
Mel Renfro, American football player
*
1942 -
Vladimir Bukovsky, Russian author and dissident
* 1942 -
Michael Nesmith, American singer and musician (
The Monkees)
* 1942 -
Janko Prunk, Slovenian historian for modern history
* 1942 -
Fred Ward, American actor
*
1945 -
Davy Jones, English singer (
The Monkees)
*
1946 -
Patti Smith, American singer
*
1947 -
Michael Burns, Ph.D., American actor and history professor
* 1947 -
Jeff Lynne, English singer and musician (
ELO)
*
1951 -
Doug Allder, English footballer
*
1952 -
June Anderson, American soprano
*
1953 -
Harald Schmautz, German-Australian journalist and monarchist
* 1953 -
Meredith Vieira, American TV journalist and personality
*
1956 -
Suzy Bogguss, American singer
*
1957 -
Matt Lauer, American newscaster
*
1959 -
Tracey Ullman, English actress and singer
*
1961 -
Douglas Coupland, Canadian author
* 1961 -
Sean Hannity, American talk radio host and conservative political commentator
* 1961 -
Ben Johnson, Canadian athlete
*
1963 -
Chandler Burr, American author
* 1963 -
Michelle Douglas, Canadian human rights activist
*
1965 -
Darrin C. Huss, Canadian musician and singer (
Psyche)
* 1965 -
Zoe Kelli Simon, American actress
*
1969 -
Dave England, American television personality
* 1969 -
Jay Kay, English musician and singer (
Jamiroquai)
*
1972 -
Kerry Collins, American football player
*
1971 -
Daniel Sunjata, American actor, one of
People magazine's 50 most beautiful.
*
1973 -
Jason Behr, American actor
* 1973 -
Ato Boldon, West Indian athlete
*
1975 -
Tiger Woods, American golfer
*1975 -
Scott Chipperfield, Australian footballer
*
1976 -
Meredith Monroe, American actress
* 1976 -
Alex A. Quinn, American actor
* 1976 -
A.J. Pierzynski, baseball player
*
1977 -
Kenyon Martin, American basketball player
*
1978 -
Tyrese, American singer
*
1978 -
Zbigniew Robert Promiński Polish Heavy Metal Drummer
*
1979 -
Flávio Amado, Angolan footballer
*
1980 -
Eliza Dushku, American actress
*
1980 -
Kenny Kwan, singer
*
1981 -
Michael Rodríguez, Costa Rican footballer
*
1981 -
Haley Paige, American pornstar
*
1982 -
Kristin Kreuk, Canadian actress
*
1984 -
LeBron James, American basketball player
*1984 -
Randall Azofeifa, Costa Rican footballer
*
1218 -
Richard de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford, English politician (b.
1162)
*
1460 -
Richard, Duke of York, claimant to the English throne (killed in battle) (b.
1411)
*
1525 -
Jacob Fugger, German banker (b.
1459)
*
1572 -
Galeazzo Alessi, Italian architect (b.
1512)
*
1573 -
Giovanni Battista Giraldi, Italian writer (b.
1504)
*
1591 -
Pope Innocent IX (b.
1519)
*
1640 -
John Regis, French saint (b.
1597)
*
1644 -
Jan Baptist van Helmont, Flemish chemist (b.
1577)
*
1662 - Archduke
Ferdinand Charles of Austria (b.
1628)
*
1691 -
Robert Boyle, Irish scientist (b.
1627)
*
1769 -
Nicholas Taaffe, 6th Viscount Taaffe, Austrian soldier (b.
1685)
*
1803 -
Francis Lewis, signer of the American Declaration of Independence (b.
1713)
*
1896 -
José Rizal, national hero of the Philippines (b.
1861)
*
1941 -
El Lissitzky, Russian artist and architect (b.
1890)
*
1944 -
Romain Rolland, French writer,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1866)
*
1954 -
Archduke Eugen of Austria, Austrian field marshal (b.
1863)
*
1967 -
Vincent Massey,
Governor-General of Canada (b.
1887)
*
1968 -
Trygve Lie, first
United Nations Secretary General (b.
1896)
*
1970 -
Sonny Liston, American boxer (b.
1932)
*
1971 -
Melba Rae, American actress (b.
1922)
*
1979 -
Richard Rodgers, American composer (b.
1902)
*
1986 -
Era Bell Thompson, American journalist (b.
1905)
*
1988 -
Yuli Daniel, Russian writer (b.
1925)
*
1993 -
Giuseppe Occhialini, Italian physicist (b.
1907)
*
1994 -
Dmitri Ivanenko, Russian physicist (b.
1904)
*
1995 -
Doris Grau, American actress (b.
1924)
*
1996 -
Lew Ayres, American actor (b.
1908)
*
1997 -
Shinichi Hoshi, Japanese novelist (b.
1926)
*
2001 -
Eileen Heckart, American actress (b.
1919)
*
2002 -
Mary Wesley, English novelist (b.
1912)
*
2003 -
David Bale, South African-born activist (cancer) (b.
1941)
* 2003 -
John Gregory Dunne, American writer (b.
1932)
* 2003 -
Anita Mui, Hong Kong singer and actress (b.
1963)
*
2004 -
Artie Shaw, American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader (b.
1910)
*The sixth
day of Christmas in Western
Christianity.
*
R.C. Saints -
Pope Felix I (optional memorial)
*
Philippines -
Rizal Day*
BBC: On This Day*
Today in History: December 30December 29 -
December 31 -
November 30 -
January 30 --
listing of all days
