30 April
April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years). There are 245 days remaining.
Events
- 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule.
- 1492 - Spain gives Christopher Columbus his commission of exploration.
- 1671 - Croatian ruler from Zrinski family (Petar Zrinski) executed.
- 1789 - On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office becoming the first elected President of the United States.
- 1803 - Louisiana Purchase: The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, more than doubling the size of the young nation overnight.
- 1812 - The Territory of Orleans becomes the 18th U.S. state under the name Louisiana.
- 1838 - Nicaragua declares independence from the Central American Federation
- 1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Jenkin's Ferry - Retreating Union troops led by General Frederick Steele repel Confederate forces under General Edmund Kirby Smith.
- 1900 - Hawaii becomes a territory of the United States, with Sanford B. Dole as governor.
- 1900 - Casey Jones is killed attempting to save the runaway train Cannonball Express.
- 1904 - Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair opens in Saint Louis, Missouri.
- 1904 - The ice cream cone makes its debut.
- 1925 - Automaker Dodge Brothers, Inc is sold to Dillon, Read & Company for US$146 million plus US$50 million for charity.
- 1927 - The Federal Industrial Institute for Women, opens in Alderson, West Virginia as the first women's federal prison in the United States.
- 1939 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the first President of the United States to appear on television.
- 1939 - The 1939 New York World's Fair opens.
- 1943 - World War II: Operation Mincemeat - The submarine HMS Seraph surfaces in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain to deposit a dead man planted with false invasion plans and dressed as a British military intelligence officer.
- 1945 - Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide after being married for one day.
- 1945 - The morning radio program Arthur Godfrey Time starring Arthur Godfrey debuts.
- 1947 - In Nevada Boulder Dam is officially renamed Hoover Dam again.
- 1948 - In Bogotá, Colombia, the Organization of American States is established.
- 1948 - The Land Rover is unveiled at the Amsterdam Auto Show.
- 1966 - Anton LaVey founds the Church of Satan.
- 1973 - Watergate Scandal: President Richard Nixon announces that top White House aids HR Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and others have resigned.
- 1975 - Vietnam War: North Vietnamese troops occupy Saigon, ending the war.
- 1980 - Accession of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.
- 1983 - Michael Jackson's song "Beat It" hits number 1 on the Billboard music charts.
- 1991 - A tropical cyclone hits Bangladesh killing an estimated 125,000 people.
- 1992 - The last episode of the Cosby Show airs.
- 1993 - CERN that World Wide Web will be free to everyone, with no fees due.
- 1993 - During a changeover at a tennis tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Monica Seles is stabbed in the back by a deranged fan of rival Steffi Graf. Seles would not play competitively for more than two years after the incident.
- 1997 - Ellen DeGeneres comes out of the closet on her sitcom Ellen (which originally aired on ABC this day).
- 1999 - NATO membership expands by approving the admission of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland (the nations will be formally admitted following NATO's 50th anniversary summit next April).
- 1999 - Cambodia joins the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bringing the total members to 10.
- 2001 - Dennis Tito, the first 'space tourist' in space lifts off in a Russian rocket heading for the International Space Station.
- 2001 - Chandra Levy, a former intern to California Congressman Gary Condit, is last seen in Washington, DC.
- 2002 - A referendum in Pakistan overwhelmingly approves the Presidency of Pervez Musharraf for another five years.
- 2004 - The last edition of NPR's Morning Edition with Bob Edwards as host airs.
Births
- 1602 - William Lilly, astrologer (d. 1681)
- 1662 - Queen Mary II of England (d. 1694)
- 1777 - Carl Friedrich Gauss, mathematician, astronomer and physicist (d. 1855)
- 1867 - Burton Mossman, Arizona Ranger (d. 1956)
- 1870 - Franz Lehár, composer (d. 1948)
- 1877 - Alice B. Toklas, muse (d. 1967)
- 1883 - Jaroslav Hašek, Czech novelist (d. 1923)
- 1889 - Ellis Wilson, artist
- 1893 - Joachim von Ribbentrop, Nazi foreign minister (d. 1946)
- 1898 - Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., reporter, columnist, author, lecturer
- 1908 - Eve Arden, actress, also listed as 1912 (d. 1990)
- 1909 - Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (d. 2004)
- 1910 - Al Lewis, actor (The Munsters)
- 1911 - Luise Rinser, narrator (d. 2002)
- 1916 - Robert Shaw, conductor
- 1916 - Claude Shannon, the "father of information theory (d. 2001)
- 1926 - Cloris Leachman, actress (Oscar winner, 1971) also listed as 1930
- 1929 - Klausjürgen Wussow, actor
- 1933 - Willie Nelson, country musician, composer, actor
- 1938 - Gary Collins, actor
- 1938 - Larry Niven, science fiction author
- 1940 - Burt Young, actor
- 1941 - Johnny Farina, guitarist (Santo and Johnny)
- 1943 - Bobby Vee, singer
- 1944 - Jill Clayburgh, actress
- 1944 - Richard Schoff, singer (The Sandpipers)
- 1945 - Annie Dillard, poet, essayist, novelist
- 1946 - King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden
- 1946 - Don Schollander, Olympic gold medalist in swimming
- 1946 - Ulla Hahn, lyricist
- 1948 - Perry King, actor
- 1949 - Rand Noël, astrologer, philosopher
- 1953 - Marie Osmond, singer (The Osmonds)
- 1955 - Nicolas Hulot, journalist, author
- 1961 - Isiah Thomas, basketball player, coach, owner
- 1964 - Barrington Levy, reggae and dancehall musician
- 1967 - Turbo B, rapper (Snap)
- 1969 - Clark Vogeler, rock guitarist (The Toadies)
- 1972 - J.R. Richards, singer (Dishwalla)
- 1973 - Jeff Timmons, R&B singer (98 Degrees)
- 1978 - Tom Fulp, computer artist, creator and owner of Newgrounds
- 1982 - Kirsten Dunst, actress
Deaths
- 65 - Lucan, Roman poet (b. 39)
- 1341 - John III of Dreux, Duke of Brittany
- 1865 - Robert Fitzroy, English admiral and meteorologist (b. 1805)
- 1875 - Jean Frederic Waldeck, French explorer, lithographer and cartographer (b. 1766)
- 1883 - Edouard Manet, impressionist painter (b. 1832)
- 1936 - Alfred Edward Housman, poet (b. 1859)
- 1943 - Otto Jespersen, Danish philologist (b. 1860)
- 1945 - Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun (suicide)
- 1956 - Alben W. Barkley, former Vice President of the United States (b. 1877)
- 1970 - Inger Stevens, actress (b. 1934)
- 1974 - Agnes Moorehead, actress (b. 1900)
- 1981 - Peter Huechle, German poet
- 1982 - Lester Bangs, music journalist, author, musician (b. 1949)
- 1983 - George Balanchine, dancer, choreographer (b. 1904)
- 1983 - Muddy Waters, blues musician (b. 1915)
- 1989 - Sergio Leone, Italian filmmaker (b. 1929)
Holidays and observances
April 29 - May 1 - March 29 - May 29 -- listing of all days
