June 30 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1520 Spanish conquistadors are expelled from Tenochtitlan following an Aztec revolt against their rule under Hernán Cortés during “La Noche Triste” (the Night of Sadness). Many soldiers drown in the escape, and Aztec emperor Moctezuma II dies in the struggle

1860 Famous debate on Charles Darwin‘s theory of evolution held at the Oxford University Museum and dominated by arguments between Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce

1905 In Russia, the “Potemkin” arrives at Odessa, where sailors take the bodies of dead crewman ashore; sailors join civilians in revolutionary actions of the ‘1905 Revolution’

1908 A giant fireball, most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet flattens 80 million trees near the Stony Tunguska River in Yeniseysk Governorate, Russia, in the largest impact event in recorded history

1934 “Night of Long Knives” – Adolf Hitler stages a bloody purge of the Nazi party

1938 Superman 1st appears in DC Comics’ Action Comics Series issue #1

1992 South African ANC President Nelson Mandela meets with UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at Dakar

1997 British lease on the New Territories in Hong Kong, established by the Second Convention of Peking, expires

Today’s Historical Events

296 St Marcellinus begins his reign as Catholic Pope

350 Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the usurper Magnentius, in Rome

833 Louis crowned King of Austria

949 Otto I the Great gives away bishopric of Utrecht “foreestrecht”

1294 Jews are expelled from Berne, Switzerland

1371 Arnold II of Horne chosen bishop of Utrecht

1377 Foundation stone laid for Ulm Minster, in Ulm, Germany. Will not be completed until 1890, when it becomes the tallest church in the world.

1397 Denmark, Norway and Sweden sign Union of Kalmar under Queen Margaretha

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1925 Charles Jenkins is granted the U.S. patent for Transmitting Pictures over Wireless (early television)

1940 “Brenda Starr, Reporter”, 1st cartoon strip by a woman, Dale [Dalia] Messick, begins as a comic-book supplement to Chicago’s Sunday Tribune

1951 “Victor Borge Show” last airs on NBC-TV

1952 “Guiding Light” soap opera moves from radio to TV

1955 “Johnny Carson Show” debuts on CBS-TV

1973 “Burns & Schreiber Comedy Hour” TV Variety; debut on ABC

1979 johnny rotten and Joan Collins appear together on BBC TV’s “Juke Box Jury”

1982 “Lena Horne: Lady, Music” closes at Nederlander NYC after 333 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1956 “Pipe Dream” closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 245 performances

1956 “Shangri-La” closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 21 performances

1958 “No Chemise, Please” by Gerry Grenahan peaks at #24

1966 The Beatles land in Tokyo for a concert tour

1977 Marvel Comics publish “Kiss book” tributing rock group Kiss

1979 “Got To Go Disco” closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 8 performances

1979 “Good Times” single released by Chic (Billboard Song of the Year 1979)

1985 Revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical “The King & I” closes at Broadway Theater, NYC, after 191 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1897 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: R.F. Doherty beats Harold Mahony 6-4 6-4 6-3 for the first of 4 titles

1899 Spin bowler Jack Hearne takes England cricket’s first Test hat-trick vs Australia in drawn 3rd Test at Headingley; dismisses champion middle order trio Clem Hill, Syd Gregory and Monty Noble

1902 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Laurence Doherty wins his first Wimbledon singles title beating defending champion Arthur Gore 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0

1903 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Dorothea Chambers beats Ethel Larcombe 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, the first of 7 titles

1903 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Laurence Doherty beats Frank Riseley 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 for his second consecutive title

1908 At 41 years, 3 months future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young becomes oldest player to record a third career no-hitter as Boston Red Sox beat NY Highlanders, 8-0

1908 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Charlotte Cooper Sterry wins her 5th and final Wimbledon title with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Agnes Morton

1908 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Arthur Gore takes his 2nd of 3 Wimbledon titles beating Herbert Roper-Barrett 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4