Discover what happened on June 30 in history, featuring major moments in Michigan history, sports, technology, entertainment, and world events that helped shape the modern era.
What Happened on June 30 in History?
Important events on this day include Congress organizing the Michigan Territory, the Portsmouth Spartans moving to Detroit to become the Lions, the first Corvette rolling off the line in Flint, and the ratification of the 26th Amendment lowering the voting age to 18.
JUNE 30 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1805 – Congress organized the Michigan Territory.
1841 – The Erie Railroad rolled out its first passenger train.
1859 – Charles Blondin became the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope.
1864 – President Abraham Lincoln granted Yosemite Valley to California for “public use, resort and recreation”.
1921 – President Warren G. Harding appointed former President William Howard Taft Chief Justice of the United States.
1921 – The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was formed.
1934 – The National Football League’s Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans were sold to George A. Richards, owner of Detroit’s WJR radio station, for $7,952.08. He moved the team to Detroit and renamed them the Lions. The Lions played their first game on September 23rd of that year at the old University of Detroit Stadium, beating the New York Giants 9-0 in front of 12,000 fans.
1936 – Margaret Mitchell’s novel, “Gone with the Wind,” was published.
1950 – President Harry Truman ordered U.S. troops into Korea and authorized the draft.
1952 – CBS debuted the TV soap opera “The Guiding Light.”
1953 – The first Corvette rolled off the Chevrolet assembly line in Flint, MI. It had a price tag of $3,250. The two-seater sports car would become an American favorite.
1958 – The U.S. Congress passed a law authorizing the admission of Alaska as the 49th state in the Union.
1965 – The NFL granted the Atlanta Falcons a franchise.
1966 – The National Organization for Women was founded in Washington, DC.
1970 – The Cincinnati Reds moved into their new $45 million Riverfront Stadium.
1971 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government could not prevent the Washington Post or the New York Times from publishing the Pentagon Papers.
1971 – The Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 11 returned to Earth. The three cosmonauts were found dead inside. Their air supply had escaped through a faulty valve.
1971 – The 26th Amendment to the Constitution, lowering the minimum voting age to 18, was ratified as Ohio beccame the 38th state to approve it.
1972 – The first leap second was added to the UTC time system.
1974 – The July 4th scene from the Steven Spielberg movie “Jaws” was filmed.
1975 – Five days after finalizing her divorce from Sonny Bono, Cher married Gregg Allman in a Las Vegas, NV hotel room. She filed for divorce from him 10 days later but they remained married for more than three years.
1977 – President Jimmy Carter announced his opposition to the B-1 bomber.
1982 – Fans in New Jersey voted to name the newly arrived NHL franchise the Devils.
1984 – The longest professional football game took place in the United States Football League (USFL). The Los Angeles Express beat the Michigan Panthers 27-21 after 93 minutes and 33 seconds.
1985 – Yul Brynner left his role as the King of Siam after 4,600 performances in “The King and I.”
1985 – Thirty-nine American hostages were freed from hijacked TWA Flight 847 in Beirut after being held for 17 days.
1994 – The U.S. Figure Skating Association stripped Tonya Harding of the 1994 national championship and banned her from the organization for life for an attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan in Detroit, MI.
1995 – The movie “Apollo 13”, starring Tom Hanks, premiered in theaters.
1998 – Officials confirmed that the remains of a Vietnam War serviceman buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery were identified as those of Air Force pilot Michael J. Blassie.
1998 – NBC signed TV’s “Dateline” co-host Jane Pauley to a five year deal worth $5.5 million a year.
2000 – President Bill Clinton signed the E-Signature bill, which gave the same legal validity to an electronic signature as to one in ink.
2004 – The international Cassini spacecraft entered Saturn’s orbit. The craft had been on a nearly seven-year journey.
2015 – A 3.3-magnitude earthquake was centered 13 miles southeast of Battle Creek. That earthquake was about 20 miles from a magnitude-4.2 quake that occurred on May 2nd five miles south of Galesburg — the strongest earthquake recorded in Michigan in more than 67 years.
2015 – Apple launched its membership service Apple Music.
2019 – Donald Trump became the first sitting U.S. President to visit North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea).
2021 – The Tiger Fire ignited near Black Canyon City, Arizona, and went on to burn 16,278 acres of land before being fully contained on July 30.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON JUNE 30:
Nancy Dussault – 90 years old (1936) – Actress and singer
Billy Mills – 88 years old (1938) – Distance runner
Robert Ballard – 84 years old (1942) – Lieutenant and oceanographer
Raymond Moody – 82 years old (1944) – Parapsychologist and author
Ron Swoboda – 82 years old (1944) – Baseball player and sportscaster
Stanley Clarke – 75 years old (1951) – Bass player and composer
David Garrison – 74 years old (1952) – Actor and singer
Hal Lindes – 73 years old (1953) – American-English guitarist and film score composer
David Alan Grier – 70 years old (1956) – Actor, singer, and comedian
Bud Black – 69 years old (1957) – Baseball player and manager
Sterling Marlin – 69 years old (1957) – Race car driver
Vincent D'Onofrio – 67 years old (1959) – Actor
Daniel Goldhagen – 67 years old (1959) – Political scientist, author, and academic
Lynne Jolitz – 65 years old (1961) – Computer scientist and programmer
Mark Waters – 62 years old (1964) – Director and producer
Steve Duchesne – 61 years old (1965) – Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
Mitch Richmond – 61 years old (1965) – Basketball player
Mike Tyson – 60 years old (1966) – Boxer and actor
Victoria Kaspi – 59 years old (1967) – American-Canadian astrophysicist and academic
Phil Anselmo – 58 years old (1968) – Singer-songwriter and producer
Brian Bloom – 56 years old (1970) – Actor and screenwriter
Mark Grudzielanek – 56 years old (1970) – Baseball player and manager
Monica Potter – 55 years old (1971) – Actress
Desi Lydic – 45 years old (1981) – Comedian and actress
Ben Utecht – 45 years old (1981) – Football player
Lizzy Caplan – 44 years old (1982) – Actress
Fantasia Barrino – 42 years old (1984) – Singer-songwriter and actress
Dax Harwood – 42 years old (1984) – Wrestler
Trevor Ariza – 41 years old (1985) – Basketball player
Michael Phelps – 41 years old (1985) – Swimmer
Cody Rhodes – 41 years old (1985) – Wrestler
Alicia Fox – 40 years old (1986) – Wrestler, model, and actress
Allegra Versace – 40 years old (1986) – Italian-American businesswoman
Ryan Cook – 39 years old (1987) – Baseball player
Jacksfilms – 38 years old (1988) – YouTuber
Joe Mazzulla – 38 years old (1988) – Basketball coach
Trea Turner – 33 years old (1993) – Baseball player
A. J. Brown – 29 years old (1997) – Football player
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR JUNE 30:
No events found for this date.
For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
