May 30 is the 153rd day of the year in the
Gregorian calendar (154th in
leap years). There are 212 days remaining.
- 1416 - The Catholic Church burns Jerome of Prague[?] as a heretic.
- 1431 - In Rouen, France, 19-year old Joan of Arc is burned at the stake.
- 1539 - In Florida, Hernando de Soto lands at Tampa Bay[?] with 600 soldiers with the goal of finding gold
- 1574 - Henry III becomes King of France
- 1588 - The last ship of the Spanish Armada sets sail from Lisbon heading for the English Channel.
- 1806 - Andrew Jackson kills a man in a duel after the man had accused Jackson's wife of bigamy
- 1814 - The First Treaty of Paris is singed returning French borders to their 1792 extent. Napoleon I of France is exiled to Elba on the same day.
- 1854 - The Kansas-Nebraska Act becomes law establishing the US territories[?] of Nebraska and Kansas.
- 1868 - Memorial Day (then known as "Decoration Day") is observed in the United States for the first time (it was proclaimed on May 5 by General John Logan[?]).
- 1876 - Ottoman sultan Abd-ul-Aziz is deposed and succeeded by his nephew Murat V.
- 1879 - New York City's Gilmores Garden is renamed Madison Square Garden by William Vanderbilt[?] and is opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Avenue.
- 1883 - In New York City, a rumor that the Brooklyn Bridge is going to collapse causes a stampede which crushes twelve people.
- 1911 - At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the first Indianapolis 500 ends with Ray Harroun becoming the first winner of the 500-mile auto race.
- 1913 - First Balkan War[?]: A peace treaty is signed in London ending the war. Albania becomes an independent nation.
- 1922 - In Washington, D.C., the Lincoln Memorial is dedicated
- 1935 - Babe Ruth plays in his last baseball game, in the uniform of the Boston Braves
- 1941 - World War I: Germany captures Crete
- 1942 - World War II: 1000 British bombers launch a 90-minute attack on [[Cologne], Germany
- 1958 - The bodies of several unidentified soldiers killed in action during World War II and the Korean War are buried at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.
- 1967 - At the Ascot Speedway in Gardena, California, daredevil Evel Knievel jumps his motorcycle over 16 cars lined-up in a row.
- 1967 - The Nigerian state of Biafra secedes, sparking a civil war.
- 1971 - Mariner program: Mariner 9 is launched toward Mars.
- 1972 - The Angry Brigade goes on trial.
- 1982 - Baseball player Cal Ripken, Jr plays the first of 2,632 consecutive games. His streak will end on September 20, 2000.
- 1982 - Spain becomes the 16th member of NATO and the the first nation to enter the alliance since West Germany's admission in 1955.
- 1989 - Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: The 33-foot high "Goddess of Democracy" statue is unveiled in Tiananmen Square by student demonstrators.
- 1998 - A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hits northern Afghanistan, killing up to 5,000.
- 1672 - Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia
- 1814 - Michael Bakunin, anarchist (+ 1876)
- 1896 - Howard Hawks, director (+ 1977)
- 1899 - Irving Thalberg, producer (+ 1936)
- 1901 - Cornelia Otis Skinner[?], Broadway producer, writer, director, actress (+ 1979)
- 1902 - Stepin Fetchit, dancer, actor (+ 1985)
- 1907 - Elly Beinhorn[?], pilot
- 1908 - Mel Blanc, voice for Barney Rubble[?], ppBugs Bunny]], Tweety Bird, others (+ 1989)
- 1909 - Benny Goodman, clarinetist, bandleader (+ 1986)
- 1910 - Inge Meysel[?], actress
- 1912 - Joseph Stein[?], playwright
- 1912 - Hugh Griffith[?], actor (+ 1980)
- 1920 - Franklin Schaffner, film director (+ 1989)
- 1920 - Ralph Metcalfe[?], athlete (+ 1978)
- 1922 - Hal Clement, science fiction writer
- 1926 - Christine Jorgensen[?], transsexual (+ 1989)
- 1927 - Clint Walker[?], actor
- 1936 - Keir Dullea[?], actor
- 1934 - Aleksei Leonov, cosmonaut and first person to walk in space
- 1936 - Keir Dullea[?], actor
- 1939 - Michael J. Pollard, actor
- 1943 - Gale Sayers[?], American football star
- 1951 - Stephen Tobolowsky[?], actor
- 1953 - Colm Meaney, actor
- 1955 - Topper Headon[?], musician ("The Clash")
- 1964 - Wynonna Judd[?], singer
- 1972 - Trey Parker[?], animator, comedian (South Park)
- 1431 - Joan of Arc, burned at the stake
- 1593 - Christopher Marlowe, playwright
- 1778 - Voltaire, philosopher, author
- 1953 - Dooley Wilson[?], musician, actor
- 1960 - Boris Pasternak, author
- 1961 - Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, dictator of the Dominican Republic
- 1964 - Leo Szilard, nuclear physicist
- 1967 - Claude Rains, actor
- 1986 - Perry Ellis[?], fashion designer
- 1993 - Sun Ra, musician
- 2000 - Tex Beneke[?], bandleader, singer, saxophone player
See Also:
May 29 - May 31 - April 30 - June 30 -- listing of all days
January, February, March, April, May, June, July,
August, September, October, November, December