Ronald Reagan Waving

President Reagan shot

Born on This Day

Self-Portrait by Vincent van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh

1853 - 1890

Dutch post-Impressionist painter noted for bold colors and brushwork. Sold only one work before his death by suicide.

Premiere Of Disney's "Beauty And The Beast" - Red Carpet

Celine Dion

1968 -

Canadian vocalist noted for power ballads like "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" and the Oscar-winning "My Heart Will Go On."

US singer Tracy Chapman performs during

Tracy Chapman

1964 -

Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter who scored bluesy hits with "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason."

Vincent Van GoghCorbis via Getty Images

Celine DionGetty Images

Tracy ChapmanAFP via Getty Images

1858

MAR30

Philadelphia inventor Hyman Lipman gets a patent for the first pencil with an attached eraser. Years later, the US Supreme Court erases the patent, ruling that combining two existing devices made Lipman’s invention unworthy of a patent.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on March 30th

King George endorses New England Restraining Act

Hoping to keep the New England colonies dependent on the British, King George III formally endorses the New England Restraining Act on March 30, 1775. The New England Restraining Act required New England colonies to trade exclusively with Great Britain as of July 1. An additional rule would come into effect on July 20, banning […]

1:44m read read

Napoleon’s forces defeated in Paris

European forces allied against Napoleonic France march triumphantly into Paris, formally ending a decade of French domination on the Continent. Napoleon, one of the greatest military strategists in history, seized control of the French state in 1800, and in 1804 was crowned emperor. By 1807, he controlled an empire that stretched across Europe. In 1812, […]

Violence disrupts first Kansas election

In territorial Kansas’ first election, some 5,000 so-called “Border Ruffians” invade the territory from western Missouri and force the election of a pro-slavery legislature. Although the number of votes cast exceeded the number of eligible voters in the territory, Kansas Governor Andrew Reeder reluctantly approved the election to prevent further bloodshed. Trouble in territorial Kansas […]

1:10m read read

U.S. purchase of Alaska ridiculed as “Seward’s Folly”

U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward signs a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska for $7 million. Despite the bargain price of roughly two cents an acre, the Alaskan purchase was ridiculed in Congress and in the press as “Seward’s Folly,” “Seward’s icebox,” and President Andrew Johnson’s “polar bear garden.” Inuit and […]

15th Amendment adopted

Following its ratification by the requisite three-fourths of the states, the 15th Amendment, granting African American men the right to vote, is formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution. Passed by Congress the year before, the amendment reads, “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the […]

Batman debuts in comics

On March 30, 1939, Detective Comics No. 27 appears on the nation’s newsstands, introducing the world to a new superhero, the Batman. Dated May 1939, the comic book featured the caped crusader on its cover, swooping through the air on a rope, while holding a bad guy in a headlock. “Starting this issue,” the cover […]

1:24m read read

Henry Wallace criticizes Truman’s Cold War policies

Henry Wallace, former vice president and Progressive Party presidential candidate, lashes out at the Cold War policies of President Harry S. Truman. Wallace and his supporters were among the few Americans who actively voiced criticisms of America’s Cold War mindset during the late-1940s and 1950s. Widely admired for his intelligence and integrity, Henry Wallace had […]

Actor Robert Mitchum is released after serving time for marijuana possession

Actor Robert Mitchum is released from a Los Angeles County prison farm after spending the final week of his two-month sentence for marijuana possession there. In the fall of 1948, Mitchum, the star of classics such as Cape Fear and Night of the Hunter, was smoking a joint at a small party in the Laurel […]

1:00m read read

Robert Michum Packing Bag

Bomb explodes outside U.S. Embassy in Saigon

A bomb explodes in a car parked in front of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, virtually destroying the building and killing 19 Vietnamese, two Americans, and one Filipino; 183 others were injured. Congress quickly appropriated $1 million to reconstruct the embassy. Although some U.S. military leaders advocated special retaliatory raids on North Vietnam, President Lyndon […]

0:28m read read

VIETNAM-ATTACK-ANTI-AMERICANISM-US EMBASSY

Starbucks opens its first store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market

On March 30, 1971, Starbucks opens its first store in Seattle’s iconic Pike Place market with a single employee. The store sells high-quality roasted coffee beans, freshly brewed hot coffee and not much else. Founders Gerald Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker, 20-something coffee lovers who met at the University of San Francisco, named their […]

1:40m read read

The Ramones play their first public gig in Manhattan

On March 30, 1974, the Ramones play their first New York City gig, launching a punk-rock revolution. Five months later, on August 16, the four young men from Forest Hills, Queens, would make their more famous “debut” on the New York music scene, at the CBGB bar—often (incorrectly) identified as their first performance. That gig […]

2:12m read read

John Denver has his first #1 hit with “Sunshine On My Shoulders”

John Denver scores his first #1 song, “Sunshine On My Shoulders,” on March 30, 1974. He would go on to become one of the most popular singer-songwriters of the 1970s. “Sunshine On My Shoulders” was John Denver’s attempt to write a sad song, a big part of Denver’s broad appeal. “I was so down I […]

1:22m read read

President Obama announces auto industry shakeup

On March 30, 2009, President Barack Obama issues an ultimatum to struggling American automakers General Motors (GM) and Chrysler: In order to receive additional bailout loans from the government, he says, the companies need to make dramatic changes in the way they run their businesses. The president also announced a set of initiatives intended to […]

2:04m read read

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