April 30
April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the
Gregorian calendar (121st in
leap years). There are 245 days remaining.
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Events
\n*313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule.\n*1492 - Spain gives Christopher Columbus his commission of exploration.\n*1671 - Croatian ruler from Zrinski family (Petar Zrinski) executed.\n*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.\n*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.\n*1812 - The Territory of Orleans becomes the 18th U.S. state under the name Louisiana.\n*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. \n*1900 - Hawaii becomes a territory of the United States, with Sanford B. Dole as governor.\n* 1900 - Casey Jones is killed attempting to save the runaway train Cannonball Express. \n*1904 - Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair opens in Saint Louis, Missouri.\n*1904 - The ice cream cone makes its debut.\n*1925 - Automaker Dodge Brothers, Inc is sold to Dillon, Read & Company for US$146 million plus US$50 million for charity.\n*1927 - The Federal Industrial Institute for Women, opens in Alderson, West Virginia as the first women's federal prison in the United States. \n*1939 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the first President of the United States to appear on television.\n* 1939 - The 1939 New York World's Fair opens.\n*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. \n*1945 - Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide after being married for one day.\n* 1945 - The morning radio program Arthur Godfrey Time starring Arthur Godfrey debuts.\n*1947 - In Nevada Boulder Dam is officially renamed Hoover Dam again. \n*1948 - In Bogotá, Colombia, the Organization of American States is established.\n* 1948 - The Land Rover is unveiled at the Amsterdam Auto Show.\n*1966 - Anton LaVey founds the Church of Satan.\n*1973 - Watergate Scandal: President Richard Nixon announces that top White House aids HR Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and others have resigned. \n*1975 - Vietnam War: North Vietnamese troops occupy Saigon, ending the war.\n*1980 - Accession of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.\n*1983 - Michael Jackson's song "Beat It" hits number 1 on the Billboard music charts.\n*1991 - A tropical cyclone hits Bangladesh killing an estimated 125,000 people. \n*1992 - The last episode of the Cosby Show airs.\n*1993 - CERN announces that World Wide Web will be free to everyone, with no fees due.\n*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.\n*1997 - Ellen DeGeneres comes out of the closet on her sitcom Ellen (which originally aired on ABC this day). \n*1998 - 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). \n*1999 - Cambodia joins the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bringing the total members to 10.\n*2001 - Dennis Tito, the first 'space tourist' in space lifts off in a Russian rocket heading for the International Space Station.\n* 2001 - Chandra Levy, a former intern to California Congressman Gary Condit, is last seen in Washington, DC. \n*2002 - A referendum in Pakistan overwhelmingly approves the Presidency of Pervez Musharraf for another five years.\n*2004 - The last edition of NPR's Morning Edition with Bob Edwards as host airs.
Births
\n*1602 - William Lilly, astrologer (d. 1681)\n*1662 - Queen Mary II of England (d. 1694)\n*1777 - Carl Friedrich Gauss, mathematician, astronomer and physicist (d. 1855)\n*1867 - Burton Mossman, Arizona Ranger (d. 1956)\n*1870 - Franz Lehár, composer (d. 1948)\n*1877 - Alice B. Toklas, muse (d. 1967)\n*1883 - Jaroslav Hašek, Czech novelist (d. 1923)\n*1889 - Ellis Wilson, artist\n*1893 - Joachim von Ribbentrop, Nazi foreign minister (d. 1946)\n*1898 - Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr, reporter, columnist, author, lecturer\n*1908 - Eve Arden, actress, also listed as 1912 (d. 1990)\n*1909 - Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (d. 2004)\n*1910 - Al Lewis, actor (The Munsters)\n*1911 - Luise Rinser, narrator (d. 2002)\n*1916 - Robert Shaw, conductor\n* 1916 - Claude Shannon, the "father of information theory (d. 2001)\n*1926 - Cloris Leachman, actress (Oscar winner, 1971) also listed as 1930\n*1929 - Klausjürgen Wussow, actor\n*1933 - Willie Nelson, country musician, composer, actor\n*1938 - Gary Collins, actor\n* 1938 - Larry Niven, science fiction author\n*1940 - Burt Young, actor\n*1941 - Johnny Farina, guitarist (Santo and Johnny)\n*1943 - Bobby Vee, singer\n*1944 - Jill Clayburgh, actress\n* 1944 - Richard Schoff, singer (The Sandpipers)\n*1945 - Annie Dillard, poet, essayist, novelist\n*1946 - King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden\n* 1946 - Don Schollander, Olympic gold medalist in swimming\n* 1946 - Ulla Hahn, lyricist\n*1948 - Perry King, actor\n*1949 - Rand Noël, astrologer, philosopher \n*1953 - Marie Osmond, singer (The Osmonds)\n*1955 - Nicolas Hulot, journalist, author\n*1961 - Isiah Thomas, basketball player, coach, owner\n*1964 - Barrington Levy, reggae and dancehall musician\n*1967 - Turbo B, rapper (Snap)\n*1969 - Clark Vogeler, rock guitarist (The Toadies)\n*1972 - J.R. Richards, singer (Dishwalla)\n*1973 - Jeff Timmons, R&B singer (98 Degrees)\n*1978 - Tom Fulp, computer artist, creator and owner of Newgrounds\n*1982 - Kirsten Dunst, actress
Deaths
\n*65 - Lucan, Roman poet (b. 39)\n*1341 - John III of Dreux, Duke of Brittany\n*1865 - Robert Fitzroy, English admiral and meteorologist (b. 1805)\n*1875 - Jean Frederic Waldeck, French explorer, lithographer and cartographer (b. 1766)\n*1883 - Edouard Manet, impressionist painter (b. 1832)\n*1936 - Alfred Edward Housman, poet (b. 1859)\n*1943 - Otto Jespersen, Danish philologist (b. 1860)\n*1945 - Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun (suicide)\n*1956 - Alben W. Barkley, former Vice President of the United States (b. 1877)\n*1970 - Inger Stevens, actress (b. 1934)\n*1974 - Agnes Moorehead, actress (b. 1900)\n*1981 - Peter Huechle, German poet\n*1982 - Lester Bangs, music journalist, author, musician (b. 1949)\n*1983 - George Balanchine, dancer, choreographer (b. 1904)\n* 1983 - Muddy Waters, blues musician (b. 1915)\n*1989 - Sergio Leone, Italian filmmaker (b. 1929)
Holidays and observances
\n*Scandinavia - The arrival of spring, Walpurgis Night \n*Sweden - Birthday of King Carl XVI Gustav, an official flag day\n*The Netherlands - Queens day\n*Roman Empire - third day of the Floralia in honor of Flora\n*Beltaine Eve (From either Irish Gaelic Bealtaine or Scottish Gaelic) Originally Druid then Celtic Holiday\n*Vietnam - Liberation Day
April 29 -
May 1 -
March 29 -
May 29 --
listing of all days
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