First legislative assembly in America convenes in Jamestown

On July 30, 1777, Brigadier General George Clinton, takes office as the first elected governor of the independent state of New York. Clinton would go on to become New York’s longest-serving governor, as well as the longest-serving governor in the United States, holding the post until 1795, and again from 1801 to 1804. In 1805, […]

On July 30, 1866, during the turbulent Reconstruction era after the Civil War, white resistance to African American citizenship turns violent in New Orleans when a white mob kills dozens of African Americans gathering to support a political meeting. The New Orleans Massacre, also called the New Orleans Riot, happened at the New Orleans Mechanics […]

On July 30, 1956, two years after pushing to have the phrase “under God” inserted into the pledge of allegiance, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a law officially declaring “In God We Trust” to be the nation’s official motto. The law, P.L. 84-140, also mandated that the phrase be printed on all American paper currency. […]

On July 30, 1966, the the three-chord masterpiece “Wild Thing” became a #1 hit for The Troggs, instantly earning a place in the rock ‘n’ roll canon. “Wild Thing” was written in 1965 by a New York songwriter named Chip Taylor (born James Voight, brother of the actor Jon Voight and uncle of actress Angelina […]

Nixon releases recordings suspected to prove his guilt.

On July 30, 1999, The Blair Witch Project, a low-budget, independent horror film that will become a massive cult hit, is released in U.S. theaters. Shot with shaky, handheld cameras, the documentary-style movie told the story of three student filmmakers who disappeared into the woods and were never heard from again, although their footage was […]