ON THIS DAY IN RECENT HISTORY ~ APRIL 30

ON THIS DAY IN RECENT HISTORY ~ APRIL 30

1889 - 1st US national holiday, on centennial of Washington's inauguration.
1889 - George Washington Bridge linking NYC & NJ opens.
1900 - USA annexes Hawaii.
1900 - Casey Jones dies in a train wreck in Vaughn, Mississippi, while trying to make up time on the Cannonball Express.

1903 - NY Highlanders (Yankees) 1st home game, (Hilltop Park-168th St & Broadway, Manhattan), they beat Wash Senators, 6-2.
1904 - Ice cream cone makes its debut.
1907 - Honolulu, Hawaii becomes an independent city.
1916 - Chicago Cubs play 1st game at Weeghman Park (Wrigley Field) beat Reds.
1923 - Al Lewis, American actor (Grandpa- Munsters) (d. 2006) is born.

1925 - Automaker Dodge Brothers, Inc is sold to Dillon, Read & Company for $146 million plus $50 million for charity.
1926 - Cloris Leachman, Des Moines Iowa, actress (Last Picture Show, Phyllis) is born.
1933 - Willie Nelson, Abbott Texas, country singer (On the Road Again) is born.
1935 - World Congress for Women's Rights concludes in Istanbul.
1939 - NBC/RCA 1st public TV demo with FDR at opening of NY World's Fair.

1940 - Jimmy Dorsey and his band record the song "Contrasts."
1941 - At Decca Studios, Charlie Parker makes his first commercial recording.
1943 - Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp for Jews forms.
1945 - "Arthur Godfrey Time" begins a 27 year run on CBS radio.  It ends on this same day, 1972.
1945 - Concentration camp Munchen-Allag freed.
1945 - Red Army opens attack on German Reichstag building in Berlin.
1945 - Russian Army frees Ravensbruck concentration camp.
1945 - Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun (Hitler) commit suicide.

1947 - Boulder Dam renamed in honor of Herbert Hoover.
1952 - Mr Potato Head is 1st toy advertised on television.
1952 - Anne Frank's diary is published in English, recounting the time she spent in hiding from Nazi forces during the Holocaust.

1953 - Frank Sinatra and arranger Nelson Riddle team up for the first time.
1955 - Element 101, Mendelevium, announced.
1957 - Elvis records "Jailhouse Rock."
1960 - Fats Domino records "Walking to New Orleans."
1962 - NASA civilian pilot Joseph A Walker takes X-15 to 75,190 m.
1964 - The FCC rules that all TV receivers should be equipped to receive both VHF and UHF channels.
1965 - Herman's Hermits and the Zombies begin their first U.S. tour.

1967 - NY Met pitcher Tom Seaver wins his 1st game.
1970 - US troops invade Cambodia.
1973 - Paul McCartney releases "Red Rose Speedway" including "My Love."
1975 - Last US helicopter leaves US embassy grounds, Saigon surrenders.
1975 - ABC airs the pilot episode of "Starsky and Hutch."
1976 - Muhammad Ali beats Jimmy Young in 15 for heavyweight boxing title.
1976 - Wings release "Silly Love Songs."

1978 - "Elvis: The Legend Lives!" closes at Palace NYC after 101 perfs.
1980 - "Barnum" opens at St James Theater NYC for 854 performances.
1981 - 16th Academy of Country Music Awards: Barbara Mandrell & George Jones.
1983 - Muddy Waters, US blues singer/guitarist (Mad Love), dies at 70.
1985 - Phil Collins releases "Sussudio."

1987 - The Beatles' "Help!", "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" are released on compact disc.
1988 - Largest banana split ever, at 455 miles long.
1988 - World Exposition, Expo 88 opens in Brisbane Australia.
1988 - Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" falls out of the Billboard 200 chart for the first time in 725 weeks.
1989 - Critics Siskel & Ebert film their 500th TV movie-review show.

1990 - US 66th manned space mission STS 31 (Discovery 10) returns from space.
1990 - US hostage Frank Reed freed after 4 years in hands of pro-Iranians.
1993 - The World Wide Web is born at CERN.
1995 - After 120 years the last 15 A & S dept stores close.
1997 - Big Ben stops at 12:11 PM for 54 minutes.

 

1997 - The television series "Ellen" makes TV history when its lead character "came out" as a lesbian.
1997 - Pres Clinton's daughter Chelsea chooses to attend Stanford College.
2004 - In Los Angeles, CA, Courtney Love (Hole) enters a plea of "not guilty" for two charges of felony drug possession.
2007 - Tom Poston, American actor (b. 1921) dies.

2009 - Chrysler automobile company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.