April 30 - Definition and Overview

April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years). There are 245 days remaining.

Events

1300-1899

• 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.

1900-1999

• 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.
• 1938 - The cartoon short Porky's Hare Hunt, debuts in movie theaters, introducing Bugs Bunny.
• 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 H.R. 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.
• 1988 - In Dublin, Ireland, Céline Dion wins the thirty-third Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland singing "Ne partez pas sans moi" (Don't leave without me).
• 1991 - A tropical cyclone hits Bangladesh killing an estimated 125,000 people.
• 1992 - The last episode of the Cosby Show airs.
• 1993 - CERN announces that the World Wide Web will be free to everyone.
• 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.
• 1994 - In Dublin, Ireland, Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan win the thirty-ninth Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland singing "Rock'n'Roll Kids".
• 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.

2000-2099

• 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

1600-1899

• 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

1900-1999

• 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 - Claude Shannon, the "father of information theory (d. 2001)
• 1916 - Robert Shaw, American conductor (d. 1999)
• 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)
• 1975 - Elliott Sadler, NASCAR driver
• 1978 - Tom Fulp, computer artist, creator and owner of Newgrounds
• 1982 - Kirsten Dunst, actress

Deaths

1-1899

• 65 - Lucan, Roman poet (b. 39)
• 1341 - John III of Dreux, Duke of Brittany
• 1847 - Archduke Charles, Austrian general
• 1865 - Robert Fitzroy, English admiral and meteorologist (b. 1805)
• 1875 - Jean Frederic Waldeck, French explorer, lithographer and cartographer (b. 1766)
• 1883 - Édouard Manet, impressionist painter (b. 1832)

1900-1999

• 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 Huchel, 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)

2000-2099

• 2003 - Peter 'Possum' Bourne, 3-time Asia-Pacific Rally champion
• 2003 - Wim van Est, Dutch cyclist

Holidays and observances

• Scandinavia - The arrival of spring, Walpurgis Night
• Sweden - Birthday of King Carl XVI Gustav, an official flag day
• The Netherlands - Queens day
• Roman Empire - third day of the Floralia in honor of Flora
• Beltaine Eve (From either Irish Gaelic Bealtaine or Scottish Gaelic) Originally Druid then Celtic Holiday
• Vietnam - Liberation Day

April 29 - May 1 - March 29 - May 29 -- listing of all days