Today in History

On December 30 in history ..

0274 - St Felix I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0987 - French King Hugo Capet crowns his son Robert the compassionate king
1317 - Pontifical degree "Sancta Romania" against spiritualists
1621 - English king James I cracks Protestation of Parliament
1665 - "Messiah" Sjabtai Tswi departs to Constantinople
1666 - Abraham Crijnssen departs to Suriname
1672 - Baron Karl Rabenhaupt occupies Coevorden Neth
1685 - Don Francisco de Agurto installed as land guardian of S Netherlands
1689 - Henry Purcell & Tates opera "Dido & Aeneas," premieres in Chesea
1703 - Tokyo hit by Earthquake; about 37,000 die
1731 - 1st US music concert (Peter Pelham's great room in Boston)
1794 - French troops conquer Grave Neth
1809 - Wearing masks at balls forbidden in Boston
1813 - Danzig surrenders to allied armies
1817 - 1st coffee planted in Hawaii (Kona)
1835 - After gold discovery in Ga, Cherokees forced to move across Miss R
1835 - HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin sails from NZ to Sydney
1836 - Lehman-theater in St Petersburg catches fire; 100s die
1844 - Opera "Stradella" after being rewritten is produced (Hamburg)
1853 - Gadsden Purchase 45,000² mi (120,000² km) by Gila River from México for $10 million, area is now southern Arizona & New México
1854 - Pennsylvania Rock Oil Co, 1st in US, incorporated in NYC
1861 - US, banks stops payments in gold
1869 - Philadelphia Knights of Labor forms
1873 - American Metrological Society forms (NYC) weights, measures & money
1875 - Andrassy Note calls for Christian-Muslim religious freedoms
1877 - Johnannes Brahms' 2nd Symphony in D, premieres in Vienna
1879 - Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance," premieres
1884 - Anton Bruckner's 7th Symphony in E, premieres in Leipzig
1888 - Belgium: king Leopold II installs Order of African Star
1892 - Dr Miles V Lynk, physician, publishes 1st Black medical journal
1893 - Russia signs military accord with France
1896 - Stanley Cup: Montreal Victorias beat Winnipeg Victorias, 6-5
1897 - Province of Zululand annexed to Natal colony
1903 - American Political Science Association founded at New Orleans
1903 - Fire at Chicago's Iriquois Theater kills 602
1906 - Iran becomes a constitutional monarchy
1907 - Abraham Mills' commission declares Abner Doubleday invented baseball
1908 - Stanley Cup: Mont Wanderers outscore Edmonton, 13-10 in 2 game set
1911 - Crickets S F Barnes takes 5-6 in 1st 11 overs v Aust at MCG
1911 - Sun Yat-sen elected 1st pres of Republic of China
1913 - Barnes takes 17 wickets vs South Africa (8-56 & 9-103)
1915 - Cromarty Harbour, Scot-British cruiser Natal explodes: 405 die
1917 - -32°F (-36°C) in Mountain City, Tennessee (state record)
1917 - -37°F (-38°C) in Lewisburg, WV (state record)
1918 - John E Hoover decides to be called J Edgar Hoover
1922 - Soviet Union organized as a federation of RSFSR, Ukrainian SSR, Belorussian SSR & Transcaucasian SSR
1924 - Edwin Hubble announces existence of other galactic systems
1925 - NSW score 705 against Victoria, go from 8-475 to 9-701
1926 - Chicago Tribune reports the Tigers threw a 4-game series to the White Sox in 1917 to help Chicago win the pennant (never substaniated)
1926 - Paul Eliot Greens "In Abraham's Bosom," premieres in NYC
1927 - Japan dedicates 1st subway in Orient (route under 2 miles long)
1929 - Cole Porter's musical "Wake Up & Dream," premieres in NYC
1929 - Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority incorporates
1932 - Bradman out for a duck v England at cricket MCG
1933 - -50°F (-46°C) in Bloomfield, Vermont (state record)
1933 - Govt disallows NSB-membership for civil service
1933 - Jack Badcock scores 274 v Victoria, Tasmania's 1st double-ton
1935 - Italian bombers destroy Swedish Red Cross unit in Ethiopia
1936 - United Auto Workers stage 1st sit-down strike, at Fisher Body Plant
1938 - Electronic television system patented (V K Zworykin)
1939 - Bradman scores 267 SA v Vic, world record 34th double cricket century
1939 - O'Reilly takes 14-45 (8-23 & 6-22) as NSW crush Qld in 2 days
1940 - California's 1st freeway, (Arroyo Seco Parkway), opens
1941 - Al Capone's son Sonny marries in Miami Beach
1941 - Nazibezetters oblige artsen member to become of Artsenkamer
1941 - Nazis require Dutch physicians to join Nazi organization
1941 - Winston Churchill addresses Canadian parliament
1943 - Phillies trade Babe Dahlgren to Pitts for Babe Phelps & cash
1944 - King George II of Greece, abdicates his throne
1947 - 36th Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in New York (4-1)
1947 - King Michael of Romania, forced by communists abdicates his throne
1947 - Romanian republic proclaimed
1948 - "Kiss Me, Kate" opens at New Century Theater NYC for 1077 performances
1949 - India recognizes People's Republic of China
1950 - Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia become Independent states in France Union
1952 - Tuskegee Inst reports 1952 as 1st yr in 71 with no lynchings in US
1954 - "House of Flowers" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 165 performances
1954 - 1st use of 24-sec shot clock in pro basketball (Rochester vs Boston)
1954 - Harold Arlen/Truman Capotes musical premieres in NYC
1956 - NY Giants beat Chicago Bears 47-7 in NFL championship game
1957 - Israeli govt of Ben-Gurion, resigns
1957 - New York Giants win NFL championship
1958 - French franc devalued
1959 - George Washington, 1st ballistic missile sub commissioned
1961 - Moscow: premier of Dmitri Sjostakovitch' 4th Symphony (out 1936)
1962 - Green Bay Packers beat NY Giants 16-7 in NFL championship game
1963 - "Let's Make A Deal," debuts on NBC-TV
1963 - Congress authorizes Kennedy half dollar
1963 - Green Bay Packers win NFL championship
1964 - Edward Albee's "Tiny Alice," premieres in NYC
1965 - Ferdinand Marcos inaugurated as president of the Phillipines
1967 - Beatles' "Hello Goodbye," single goes #1 & stays #1 for 3 weeks
1967 - Great Western Forum opens in LA
1968 - -48°F (-44°C), Mazama & Winthrop, Washington (state record)
1969 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1970 - Paul McCartney sues his bandmates to dissolve the Beatles
1971 - Long Island NHL franchise purchased (NY Islanders)
1971 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1972 - Pres Nixon halts bombing of North Vietnam & announces peace talks
1973 - 1st picture of a comet from space (Comet Kohoutek-Skylab)
1973 - Miami Dolphins beat Oakland Raiders 27-10 in AFC championship game
1973 - Minn Vikings beat Dallas Cowboys 27-10 in NFC championship game
1974 - Beatles are legally disbanded (4 years after suit was brought)
1975 - "Boccaccio" closes at Edison Theater NYC after 7 performances
1975 - Constitution of Democratic Republic of Madagascar comes into force
1976 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1977 - Carter holds 1st news conf by US pres in Eastern Europe (Warsaw)
1978 - "King & I" closes at Uris Theater NYC after 719 performances
1978 - Ohio State dismisses Woody Hayes as its football coach
1979 - Rock group, Emerson, Lake & Palmer break up
1979 - Togo adopts constitution
1980 - "Wonderful World of Disney," last performance on NBC-TV
1981 - Wayne Gretzky sets NHL record of 50 goals by 39th game of season
1982 - Anthony Shaffers "Whodunnit," premieres in NYC
1982 - England defeat Australia by three runs at cricket MCG
1982 - US Assay Office in New York City, NY closes
1984 - Miss Elizabeth (Hulette) & Macho Man Randy Savage (Poffo) wed
1985 - IBM-PC DOS Version 3.2 released
1985 - Pakistan restores constitution
1987 - Australia hang on for draw v NZ at MCG, 1 wkt left 17 runs short
1987 - Premier Mugabe elected president of Zimbabwe
1988 - Canadian Senate OK's free trade pact; with US
1988 - Former Soviet Pres Brezhnev's son-in-law sentenced to 12-yr (bribery)
1988 - Mercedes-Benz pays $20.2-M fine failed to meet '86 govt fuel standard
1988 - North subpoenas Reagan & Bush as defense witnesses for upcoming trial
1989 - 10th United Negro College Fund raises $12,000,000
1989 - Dmitri Volkov swims world record 50m freestyle (27.15 sec)
1990 - "Miser" closes at Circle in Sq Theater NYC after 93 performances
1990 - 11th United Negro College Fund raises $10,000,000
1992 - Last day of Test Cricket for Michael Whitney
1992 - Shane Warne takes 7-52 to lead Australian MCG win v West Indies
1993 - "Candles, Snow, & Mistletoe" closes at Palace NYC after 7 perfs
1993 - Singer Deni Hines (22) weds INXS guitarist Kirk Pengilly (35)
1993 - Vatican recognizes Israel
1995 - Carquest Bowl 6: North Carolina beats Arkansas, 20-10
1997 - An abandoned building collapses on NY's 42nd St, no one hurt

Famous birthdays on December 30 ..

0039 - Titus, 10th Roman emperor (79-81), conqueror of Jerusalem
1566 - Alessandro Piccinini, composer
1569 - Georg Quitschreiber, composer
1644 - Philips van Almonde, Dutch Zeeuws lt-admiral
1678 - William Croft, composer
1741 - Bartolomeo Giacometti, composer
1756 - Pavel Vranicky, composer
1774 - Pieter G Witsen Geysbeek, Dutch historian/literary [or Dec 31]
1775 - Heinrich Carl Ebell, composer
1784 - Dorothea von Benckendorff, Baltic monarch of Lieven
1818 - James Cantey, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1874
1819 - John White Geary, Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1873
1819 - Theodor Fontane, German writer (Effi Briest)
1828 - Mark Perrin Lowrey, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1885
1847 - John Peter Altgeld, German/US (Gov-Ill)/pardoned Haymarket-anarchists
1848 - Mary Frances Allitsen, composer
1851 - Asa Griggs Candler, developed Coca-Cola
1853 - Andre-Charles-Prosper Messager, composer
1855 - Heinrich Hart, German writer (Song of Humanity)
1859 - Josef Bohuslav Foerster, composer
1864 - Alessandro Longo, composer
1865 - Rudyard Kipling, Bombay, author (Jungle Book, Gunga Din-Nobel 1907)
1867 - Simon Guggenheim, philanthropist (died aboard Titanic)
1869 - Adolphe Max, Belgian Rep (Lib)
1869 - Stephen Leacock, Canada, economist/humorist/professor
1872 - William A Larned, tennis champ (US Open-1901)
1879 - Sri Ramana Maharshi, Hindu philosopher/yogi (Maharshi Research Inst)
1880 - Alfred Einstein, German/US musicologist/nephew of Albert Einstein
1883 - Lester Patrick, NHL pioneer
1883 - Mary Forbes, Hornsey England, actress (Terror by Night)
1884 - Karl Heinrich David, composer
1884 - Tojo Hideki, Japanese PM during WW II
1887 - Henry George Ley, composer
1889 - Georg von der Vring, German painter/writer (Soldier Suhren)
1891 - Antoine Pinay, French premier (1952)/minister of Foreign affairs
1892 - Jaromir Fiala, composer
1892 - John Litel, Albany WI, actor (Virginia City, My Hero)
1895 - August De Boodt, Belgian politician
1896 - Tom Keene, Rochester NY, actor (Our Daily Bread)
1898 - Vincent Lopez, Bkln NY, orch leader (Welcome Aboard)
1904 - Dmitri B Kabalevsky, St Petersburg Russia, composer (In the Fire) [NS]
1905 - Emmanuel Levinas, philosopher
1906 - Carol Reed, motion picture director (3rd Man)
1906 - Johan A earl von Kielmansegg, German general/commandant NATO-Europe
1907 - Christina E "Christine" Auwen, Dutch model/singer (Haghezangers)
1907 - Robert Grant Grant-Ferris, politician
1910 - Dennis Morgan, actor (Cattle Town, Canyon Pass, Waterfront)
1910 - Herman van der Horst, Dutch cinematographer (Faja Lobbi)
1910 - Paul Frederic Bowles, US composer/writer (Shelting Sky)
1911 - Jeanette Nolan, LA Calif, actress (Richard Boone Show, Virginian)
1913 - Svend Simon Schultz, composer
1914 - Bert Parks, [Jacobson], Atlanta Ga, TV host (Miss America)
1917 - Nancy Coleman, Everett WA, actress (Edge of Darkness)
1918 - W Eugene Smith, US photographer (Saipan, Walk to Paradise Garden)
1919 - David Valentine Willcocks, composer
1919 - Dick Spooner, England, cricket wicketkeeper (Godfrey Evans' shadow)
1919 - Jo Van Fleet, Oakland, actress (Gunfight at OK Corral, East of Eden)
1920 - Aad de Haas, Dutch religious painter/graphic artist/cartoonist
1920 - Michael Allinson, London England (George Washington)
1921 - Michael Hollings, catholic priest/crusader
1921 - Rashid Karami, Lebanon, 10 time PM: 1955..87 of Lebanon
1923 - Sara A Lidman, Swedish author (Jag Och Min Son, Samtal in Hanoi)
1926 - Stanley Tracey, composer
1927 - Bernard Barrow, NYC, actor (Ryan's Hope, Louie Slavinsky-Loving)
1927 - M Lawrence Antouin, college president (Emeritis)
1928 - Bo Diddley, [Ellas Bates], Miss, rock `n' roll pioneer (Bo Diddley)
1928 - Jack Lord, NYC, actor (Steve McGarrett-Hawaii 5-0, God's Little Acre)
1929 - Barbara Nichols, Jamaica NY, actress (Dear Heart, Disorderly Orderly)
1929 - Bob Bouma, Dutch TV host (For a Postcard in the Front Row)
1930 - Jerome Theisen, benedictine
1931 - Charles A Bassett II, Dayton Ohio, Captain USAF/astronaut
1931 - Richard Christ, writer
1931 - Skeeter Davis, [Mary Penick], Dry Ridge Ky, singer (End of World)
1932 - John Hillerman, Denison Tx, actor (Magnum PI, Blazing Saddles)
1934 - Barry Briggs, NZ auto maker (World Champion 1957, 58, 64, 66)
1934 - Nicolas Coster, Lond, actor (Our Private World, Ryan's Four) [or 12/3]
1934 - Russ Tamblyn, LA Calif, actor (Win Place or Steal, Twin Peaks)
1935 - Bruno Canino, composer
1935 - Omar [Albert B] Bongo, president of Gabon (1967- )
1935 - Sandy Koufax, Dodger pitcher (Cy Young '63, '65, '66, perfect-1967)
1937 - John Hartford, NYC, country singer (Gentle on My Mind)
1937 - Paul Stookey, singer/musician (Peter, Paul, & Mary)
1938 - Joseph Bologna, Brooklyn NY, actor (Citizen Cohn, My Favorite Year)
1939 - Del Shannon, [Charles Westover], Coopersville Mich, rocker (Runaway)
1939 - Doeke Eisma, sociologist/Dutch MP (D66)
1940 - James Burrows, TV producer/director (Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cheers)
1942 - Fred Ward, SD Calif, actor (Chain Reaction, Thunderheart, Equinox)
1942 - Michael Nesmith, Houston, rocker (Monkees-Last Train to Clarksville)
1942 - Robert Quine, rocker
1943 - Rolf Gehlhaar, composer
1945 - Davy Jones, Manchester Eng, singer (Monkees-Last Train to Clarksville)
1945 - John Kevin Moorhouse, test pilot
1945 - Preston Andrew Trombly, composer
1947 - Jeff Lynne, rocker (ELO-Telephone Line, Travelling Wilburys)
1947 - Michael Burns, Mineola LI, actor (Barnaby West-Wagon Train)
1947 - Stephanus S "Tian" van Merwe, leader (South Africa Democratic Party)
1948 - Surinder Amarnath, cricketer (son of Lala 124 on debut v NZ 1976)
1949 - Bruce Davidson, equestrian 3-day (Olympics-silver-96)
1950 - Yunus I Mahomed, South African attorney/leader (UDF)
1951 - Nancy LaMott, singer
1952 - Larry Bartlett, photographic printer
1952 - Somtow Sucharitkul, [SP Somtow], Thailand, sf author (Utopia Hunters)
1953 - Daniel T Barry, Norwalk Ct, PhD/MD/astronaut (STS 72)
1956 - "Chérie" Samba (Mbimba N'zinga), Zaïre painter (Pitie la prostituée)
1956 - Patricia Kalember, actress (Sisters)
1956 - Sheryl Lee Ralph, actress (Moesia, Designing Women)
1956 - Suzy Bogguss, Aledo Ill, singer (I Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart)
1957 - Matt Lauer, TV host (Today Show)
1957 - Patricia Kalember, Schnectady NY, actress (Georgie Whitsig-Sisters)
1958 - Brandon Clark, NYC, actor (Sean-The Fitzpatricks)
1958 - Steven L Smith, Phoenix Arizona, astronaut (STS 68, 82)
1959 - Tracey Ullman, Slough England, singer/actress (Tracey Ullman Show)
1960 - Addy Bucek, Australian 470 class yachter (Olympics-9-92, 96)
1961 - Ben Johnson, 100m runner (Olympic-gold-1988-disqualified)
1961 - Sue Malaxos, Australian marathoner (Olympics-96)
1962 - Paul Crowder, rocker (The Adventures-Sea of Love)
1963 - Alessandra Mussolini, Naples Italy, actress (Ferragosto OK)
1963 - Johnny van 't Schip, Dutch soccer star (Ajax, Genua)
1963 - Milan Srejber, Czech, tennis star
1963 - Robert Jenkins, NFL tackle (Oakland Raiders)
1964 - Kimberly Taylor, [Cindy], model/Penthouse Pet (1990)
1964 - Kris Tschetter, Detroit MI, LPGA golfer (1992 Northgate Computer)
1965 - Brad McNamara, cricketer (NSW all-rounder)
1965 - David Baker, Sheffield England, UK cyclist
1965 - Tony Jones, WLAF receiver (Amsterdam Admirals, Frankfurt Galaxy)
1967 - Colleen Miller, Winnipeg Manitoba, rower (Olympics-96)
1968 - Kevin Dahl, Regina, NHL defenseman (Calgary Flames)
1968 - Sean Higgins, NBA guard/forward (Phila 76ers, Portland Trailblazers)
1969 - Anthuan Maybank, Georgetown SC, 200m/400m runner
1969 - Jeff Thomason, NFL tight end (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1969 - Michelle McGann, West Palm Beach FL, golfer (1995 Sara Lee Classic)
1970 - Grant Carter, CFL defensive end (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
1970 - Gus Nketia, Auckland NZ, 100m sprint (Olympics-96)
1970 - Kevin Salvadori, NBA center (Sacramento Kings)
1970 - Robert Hall, WLAF wide reciever (Amsterdam Admirals)
1971 - Scotty Lewis, WLAF defensive end (Frankfurt Galaxy)
1971 - Steve Hardin, NFL/WLAF offensive tackle (Ind Colts, Rhein Fire)
1971 - Sylvester Wright, NFL linebacker (Phila Eagles)
1971 - Thomas Strzalkowski, Krakow Poland, US fencer-sabre (Olympics-96)
1972 - Kerry Collins, NFL quarterback (Carolina Panthers)
1972 - Loren Meyer, NBA center (Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks)
1972 - Maureen Flannigan, actress (Evie-Out of This World)
1973 - Don Reid, NBA guard/forward (Detroit Pistons)
1973 - Robert Walker, Australian rower (Olympics-96)
1975 - Tiger Woods, golfer
1976 - Rhoshii Wells, Austin Tx, middleweight boxer (Olympics-bronze-96)
1976 - Solveig Lilja Gudmundsdottir, Miss Iceland Universe (1997)
1978 - Dikla Hamdy, Miss Israel Universe (1997)
1980 - Eliza Dushku, Boston MA, actress (This Boy's Life, True Lies, Journey)
1983 - Rachel & Ross Trudeau, twins of Jane Pauley & Gerry Trudeau

Famous deaths on December 30 ..

0273 - Felix I, Italian Bishop of Rome, dies (or 274)
1525 - Jacob Fugger, German banker/merchant, dies at 66
1572 - Galeazzo Alessi, Italian architect (Palazza Marino, Milan), dies at 60
1591 - Innocent IX, [Giovanni Facchinetti], Pope, (1591 62 days), dies at 72
1635 - Jan Baptista Van Helmont, physician/alchemist, dies
1777 - Maximilian III Jozef, elector of Bayern (1745-77), dies at 50
1788 - Francesco Zuccarelli, Italian rococo painter/etcher, dies at 86
1796 - Jean-Baptiste Lamoyne, composer, dies at 45
1821 - Angelo Maria Benincori, composer, dies at 42
1825 - Peter Gronland, composer, dies at 64
1828 - Waldemar Thrane, composer, dies at 38
1832 - Abijah Hammond, owned large portion of Greenwich Village, dies
1870 - ... Prim, Spanish general, murdered
1893 - Samuel White Baker, English explorer, dies at 72
1894 - Amelia Jenks Bloomer, suffragist (Bloomers named for her), dies at 76
1895 - LP Hartley, British writer, dies
1896 - José Mercado Rizal, anti-Spanish rule of Philippines proponent, dies
1899 - James Paget, English surgeon (disease of Paget), dies at 85
1912 - Alfred von Kiderlen-Waechter, German foreign minister, dies at 60
1931 - Tyrone Power Sr, actor (Big Trial, Test of Donald Norton), dies at 62
1940 - Fritz Volbach, composer, dies at 79
1943 - Hobart Bosworth, actor (Woman of Affairs, Big Parade), dies at 76
1944 - Romain Roland, French writer/pacifist (Nobel 1915), dies at 78
1946 - Charles Wakefield Cadman, composer, dies at 65
1947 - Han [Henricus A] van Meegeren, Dutch painter/art forger, dies at 58
1951 - Jozef E Stokvis, Dutch MP (SDAP), dies at 76
1952 - Ivan Olbracht, writer, dies
1959 - Maria Baers, Flemish social female worker/senator, dies at 76
1961 - Jacobus "Ko" van den Bosch, Dutch actor (Amsterdamned)/dir, dies at 53
1966 - Christian A Herter, US Min of Foreign affairs (1959-61), dies at 71
1966 - Trygve Halvdan Lie, 1st UN sect-general (1946-53), dies at 72
1967 - Bert Berns, US songwriter/producer (Twist & Shout), dies at about 38
1971 - Dorothy Comingore, actress (Citizen Kane), dies after illness at 58
1971 - Jan Mul, composer, dies at 60
1973 - Henri-Paul Busser, composer, dies at 101
1979 - Richard Rodgers, composer (Rogers & Hammerstein), dies at 77
1986 - Jiri Jaroch, composer, dies at 66
1989 - Madoline Thomas, actress (Girl in the Canal), dies
1992 - César [Caesar] Domela, painter/son of Ferdinand D Nieuwenhuis, dies
1992 - Ling-Ling, 1st panda China gave US, dies at 23
1993 - Mack David, US songwriter (Bachelor in Paradise), dies at 81
1993 - [Irving Paul] "Swifty" Lazar, superagent, dies of kidney failure at 86
1994 - Lloyd James Austin, french Scholar, dies at 79
1995 - Heiner Muller, dramatist, dies at 66
1995 - Roger W Suddards, solicitor, dies at 65
1996 - Jack Nance, actor (Meatballs 4, Whore, Voodoo), murdered at 53
1996 - Lew Ayres, screen actor (Salem's Lot, State Fair), dies at 88
1996 - Robert Grant-Ferris, politician, dies at 89