Looking forward to learning something new as far as history is concerned? Take a look at these historical events that happened on December 30.
- 1853 – The United States bought about 45,000 square miles of land from Mexico in a deal known as the Gadsden Purchase.
- 1919 – Lincoln’s Inn, in London, admitted the first female bar student.
- 1922 – The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was formed.
- 1935 – Italian bombers destroyed a Swedish Red Cross unit in Ethiopia.
- 1940 – California’s first freeway was officially opened.
- 1944 – King George II of Greece proclaimed a regency to rule his country, virtually renouncing the throne.
- 1947 – The last king of Romania stepped down.
- 1953 – The first color TV sets went on sale for about $1,175.
- 1957 – Israeli government of Ben-Gurion, resigned.
- 1995 – The lowest temperature ever,−27.2°C, was recorded in the UK.
- 1972 – The United States stopped its heavy bombing of North Vietnam.
- 1987 – Robert Mugabe was elected President of Zimbabwe.
- 1988 – Mercedes-Benz paid a $20.2-M fine for failing to meet the ’86 government fuel standard
- 1993 – Israel and the Vatican established diplomatic relations.
- 1997 – More than 400 people were massacred in four villages in the single worst incident during Algeria’s insurgency.
- 2004 – The highest barometric pressure was recorded.
- 2006 -Saddam Hussein was executed.
- 2006 – Madrid Barajas International Airport was bombed.
- 2009 -Abdurrahman Wahid, the 4th president of Indonesia, died.
- 2016 – British singer-songwriter Ray Davies, of The Kinks, is awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II.