January 23
January 23
Derek Walcott is born
On this day, poet and playwright Derek Walcott is born in St. Lucia, in the Carribbean. Walcott will win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992. Walcott’s family descended from…
A Year In History: 1930
This Year in History:
1930
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
January 30
January 30
Gene Hackman born
Gene Hackman, one of Hollywood’s most prolific and acclaimed actors for four decades, is born on this day in 1930, in San Bernardino, California. At the age of 16, Hackman…
February 18
February 18
Pluto discovered
Pluto, once believed to be the ninth planet, is discovered at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, by astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh. The existence of an unknown ninth planet was…
March 12
March 12
Mohandas Gandhi begins 241‑mile civil disobedience march
On March 12, 1930, Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi begins a defiant march to the sea in protest of the British monopoly on salt, his boldest act of civil disobedience…
March 22
March 22
Stephen Sondheim is born
Stephen Sondheim, one of the last giants of the American musical theater to work in a style not influenced by rock and roll, was born in New York City on…
April 21
April 21
Prisoners left to burn in Ohio fire
A fire at an Ohio prison kills 320 inmates, some of whom burn to death when they are not unlocked from their cells. It is one of the worst prison…
May 31
May 31
Actor and director Clint Eastwood is born
Best known to his many fans for one of his most memorable screen incarnations—San Francisco Police Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan—the actor and Oscar‑winning filmmaker Clint Eastwood is born on May…
July 7
July 7
Preliminary work begins on the Hoover Dam
On July 7, 1930, building begins on the future site of the Hoover Dam. Over the next five years, a total of 21,000 men would work ceaselessly to produce what…
July 13
July 13
First World Cup tournament begins
On July 13, 1930, France defeats Mexico 4‑1 and the United States defeats Belgium 3‑0 in the first‑ever World Cup football matches, played simultaneously in host city Montevideo, Uruguay. The…
August 6
August 6
Judge Joseph Force Crater becomes the “missingest man” in New York
On August 6, 1930, New York Supreme Court judge Joseph Force Crater vanished on the streets of Manhattan near Times Square. The dapper 41‑year‑old’s disappearance launched a massive investigation that captivated…
August 15
August 15
Hoover looks to combat drought and economic depression
On this day in 1930, President Herbert Hoover gives a press conference in which he offers plans for relief of individuals and businesses affected by a series of devastating droughts.…
September 3
September 3
Hurricane batters Dominican Republic
A powerful hurricane slams into the Dominican Republic, killing more than 8,000 people, on this day in 1930. September is a prime month for hurricanes in the Caribbean, as storms…
September 11
September 11
Flowering Judas, by Katherine Anne Porter, is published
Katherine Anne Porter’s first collection of short stories, Flowering Judas, is published on this day in 1930. The title story, which appeared earlier that year in Hound and Horn magazine,…
September 27
September 27
Bobby Jones wins U.S. Amateur title
On this day in 1930, golfer Bobby Jones wins his fourth major tournament of the year, making him the first person ever to win the “Grand Slam” of golf. Jones…
October 5
October 5
Airship crashes in France
On October 5, 1930, a British dirigible crashes in Beauvais, France, killing all but seven people onboard. The airship, which was Great Britain’s biggest, had first been launched about a…
October 15
October 15
Duke Ellington records his first big hit, “Mood Indigo”
The legendary composer and bandleader Duke Ellington was so famous for his poise and charm that it should be no surprise that he had a pithy story at the ready…
November 1
November 1
Detroit‑Windsor Tunnel is dedicated
On this day in 1930, President Herbert Hoover turns a telegraphic “golden key” in the White House to mark the opening of the 5,160‑foot‑long Detroit‑Windsor Tunnel between the U.S. city…
November 3
November 3
Detroit‑Windsor Tunnel opens to traffic
At 12:05 A.M. on this day in 1930, the Detroit‑Windsor Tunnel between the United States and Canada is officially opened to car traffic. As Windsor Mayor Frederick Jackson had bragged…
November 5
November 5
An American Nobel Prize in Literature
Sinclair Lewis is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters.”…
