This Day in History

The Troggs take their signature hit Wild Thing to 1

30 Jul 1419

First defenestration of Prague anti-Catholic Hussites followers of executed reformer Jan Hus storm Prague town hall and throw the judge mayor and several city council members out the windows. They die in the fall or killed by crowd outside.

30 Jul 1601

Spanish garrison of Rhine birch surrenders to Earl Mauritius

30 Jul 1619

House of Burgesses Virginia forms 1st elective American governing body

30 Jul 1653

Johan de Witt sworn in as pension advisor of Holland

More History

USS Indianapolis bombed

On this day in 1945 the USS Indianapolis is torpedoed by a Japanese submarine and sinks within minutes in shark-infested waters. Only 317 of the 1196 men on b...

Watergate affair approaches climax

Under coercion from the U.S. Supreme Court President Richard M. Nixon releases subpoenaed White House recordingssuspected to prove his guilt in the Wat...

First legislative assembly in America convenes in Jamestown

In Jamestown Virginia the first elected legislative assembly in the New Worldthe House of Burgessesconvenes in the choir of the towns ...

President Johnson signs Medicare into law

On this day in 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Medicare a health insurance program for elderly Americans into law. At the bill-signing ceremony which...

Hitler gets news of Italy s imminent defection

On this day in 1943 Adolf Hitler learns that Axis ally Italy is buying time before negotiating surrender terms with the Allies in light of Mussolinis f...

Caitlyn Jenner wins Olympic decathlon

On July 30 1976 American Caitlyn Jennerwho was competing as Bruce Jennerwins gold in the mens decathlon at the Montreal Olympics. Je...

President Eisenhower signs In God We Trust into law

On this day in 1956 two years after pushing to have the phrase under God inserted into the pledge of allegiance President Dwight D. Eisenhower s...

The Blair Witch Project released in theaters

On this day in 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 ...

Fighter jet collides with passenger plane

A mid-air collision between a Boeing 727 and a fighter jet in Japan kills 162 people on this day in 1971. The military plane was flying without radar.All Nipp...

Man charged in murder of Megan Kanka

Jesse Timmendequas is charged with the murder of seven-year-old Megan Kanka in New Jersey. Kankas death inspired Megans Law a statute enacted i...

Union forces stopped at the Battle of the Crater

On this day in 1864 at the Battle of the Crater the Unions ingenious attempt to break the Confederate lines at Petersburg Virginia by blowing up a t...

Last classic VW Beetle rolls off the line

On this day in 2003 the last of 21529464 Volkswagen Beetles built since World War II rolls off the production line at Volkswagens plant in Puebla Me...

Iconoscope Inventor Vladimir Zworykin Born

Iconoscope inventor Vladimir Zworykin was born in Russia. After emigrating to Pittsburgh Zworykin took a job at Westinghouse Electric Corp. where in 1923 he f...

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