On This Day in History – August 30

August 30 is rich with moments of resilience, discovery, and political shifts. From the birth of national movements to scientific advancements and cultural legacies, this date holds deep historical significance.

Major Events

• 1146 – European leaders respond to Pope Eugenius III’s call for the Second Crusade.
• 1791 – The Haitian Revolution begins with a slave uprising in Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti).
• 1836 – The city of Houston is founded near Buffalo Bayou in Texas.
• 1945 – General Douglas MacArthur lands in Japan to oversee the post-WWII occupation.
• 1963 – A direct communication hotline (the “red phone”) between the U.S. and Soviet Union goes live.
• 1981 – Iran’s President Mohammad-Ali Rajai and Prime Minister are assassinated in a bombing.
• 1983 – Guion Bluford becomes the first African American astronaut to travel into space aboard the Challenger.
• 1991 – Azerbaijan declares independence from the Soviet Union.
• 1992 – The Food and Drug Administration approves the sale of the first cholesterol-lowering statin drug.
• 2021 – The final U.S. evacuation flights leave Kabul, Afghanistan, ending a 20-year military presence.

Famous Birthdays

• 1797 – Mary Shelley, English novelist, author of Frankenstein (d. 1851)
• 1871 – Ernest Rutherford, New Zealand physicist, “father of nuclear physics” (d. 1937)
• 1905 – Roy Wilkins, American civil rights activist (d. 1981)
• 1912 – Edward Mills Purcell, American physicist and Nobel laureate (d. 1997)
• 1930 – Warren Buffett, American investor and philanthropist
• 1946 – Peggy Lipton, American actress and model (d. 2019)
• 1958 – Anna Politkovskaya, Russian journalist and human rights activist (d. 2006)
• 1972 – Cameron Diaz, American actress
• 1983 – Jun Ji-hyun, South Korean actress
• 1991 – Bebe Rexha, American singer and songwriter

Notable Deaths

• 1483 – Louis XI, King of France (b. 1423)
• 1928 – Wilhelm Wien, German physicist and Nobel laureate (b. 1864)
• 1940 – J. J. Thomson, British physicist who discovered the electron (b. 1856)
• 1965 – Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon’s father, Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (b. 1855)
• 1995 – Sterling Morrison, American musician (The Velvet Underground) (b. 1942)
• 2003 – Charles Bronson, American actor (b. 1921)
• 2013 – Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and Nobel Prize winner (b. 1939)
• 2019 – Valerie Harper, American actress (b. 1939)
• 2023 – Mohamed Al-Fayed, Egyptian businessman and former Harrods owner (b. 1929)

Holidays

• Turkey – Victory Day (Zafer Bayramı), commemorating the 1922 Battle of Dumlupınar
• Morocco – Revolution of the King and the People (observed)
• Kazakhstan – Constitution Day
• Christianity – Feast Day of Margaret Ward (Catholic Church)
• International – International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances (UN observance)

Fun Facts

• Mary Shelley, born today, began writing Frankenstein at just 18 years old.
• Warren Buffett, born in 1930, is one of the world’s most successful and frugal billionaires.
• The “red phone” hotline established in 1963 was a Cold War safety measure after the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• Guion Bluford not only made history as the first Black astronaut in space but also flew on four shuttle missions.
• Turkey’s Victory Day marks the decisive battle that led to the modern Turkish Republic’s foundation.