References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2008 April 30.

1930 January 1 Earl Claus von Stauffenberg promoted to second lieutenant. [1] Jurgens and Van den Berg merge with Lever Brothers to form Unilever. [1] January 5 Mao Tse-tung writes "A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire". [1] January 6 First diesel engine automobile trip (in a Packard sedan) completed. [1] Bradman scores 452* for New South Wales against Queensland, 377 minutes, 49 fours. [1] January 7 Edwin Justus Mayer's "Children of Darkness" premieres in New York City, New York. [1] Rudolf Häpke historian (Entstehung Holländ Wirtschaft), dies at 45. [1] January 8 Belgium Princess Marie-José marries Italian's crown prince Umberto. [1] January 9 Edward W Buck Dutch/US editor (Ladies Home Journal), dies at 66. [1] January 10 Commencement of New Zealand's first Test, vs England Christchurch. [1] Maurice Allom takes Test hat-trick England vs New Zealand Christchurch. [1] Mordovian Autonomous Region in RSFSR constituted. [1] January 11 At 12:00 PM, the first official theater-based Mickey Mouse Club begins, at the Fox Dome Theater in Ocean Park, California. [6] January 13 The first Mickey Mouse comic strip is published, in the New York Mirror newspaper in the USA. The strip is initially written by Walt Disney, and drawn by Ub Iwerks. [1] [6] C-E Auguste Rateau French inventor (R-steam turbine), dies at 66. [1] January 15 George Headley scores century on debut vs England (made 176). [1] January 18 -27 degrees F (-33 degrees C), Watts Oklahoma (state record). [1] Dmitri Shostakovich's opera "The Nose" premieres in Leningrad. [1] January 20 First radio broadcast of "Lone Ranger" (WXYZ-Detroit). [1] January 22 -35 degrees F (-37 degrees C), Mount Carroll Illinois (state record). [1] January 23 Clyde Tombaugh photographs planet Pluto. [1] January 24 Stewie Dempster scores New Zealand's first Test century. [1] January 26 Cleveland's Terminal Tower opens (52 stories). [1] January 27 Jean Hure composer, dies at 52. [1] January 30 Vladimir Mayakovsky's "Banya" premieres in Leningrad. [1] January 31 First US glider flight from a dirigible, Lakehurst New Jersey. [1] February 1 Arnold Schönbergs opera premieres in Frankfurt. [1] February 3 Vietnamese Communistic Party forms. [1] William Howard Taft, resigns as chief justice for health reasons. [1] February 4 First tieless, soundless, shockless streetcar tracks, New Orleans. [1] February 5 5th Aliyah to Israel begins. [1] February 6 Eva Strittmatter writer, dies at 17. [1] February 8 "Happy Days Are Here Again" by Benny Mereoff hits #1. [1] February 10 Grain Stabilization Corporation authorized byUS Congress. [1] February 17 French government of Tardieu, falls. [1] February 18 Cow flown and milked, milk sealed in paper containers and parachuted. [1] Luigi Pirandello's "Come Tu Mi Vuoi" premieres in Milan. [1] Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's "Simple Simon" premieres in New York City, New York. [1] US astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto. [1] February 21 Marc Connelly's "Green Pastures" premieres in New York City, New York. [1] February 22 Godfried van Daalen Dutch General/governor of Atjeh, dies at 66. [1] February 23 Horst Wessel German Nazi lyricist (Fahne Hoch), dies at 22. [1] Mabel Normand actress/director (Extra Girl), dies at 35. [1] February 24 Jacobus van Looy Dutch writer/painter (Night Cactus), dies at 74. [1] February 25 Check photographing device patented. [1] February 26 "The Green Pastures" opens at Mansfield Theater. [1] First red and green traffic lights installed (Manhattan New York City). [1] Raffaele Merry del Val Spanish Cardinal, dies at 64. [1] February 27 Bouvet Island declared a Norwegian dependency. [1] March 1 Aloïs Walgrave Flemish writer/pastor (Peace on Earth), dies at 54. [1] March 2 First US indoor glider flight, Saint Louis Terminal Building. [1] David H Lawrence poet/writer (Lady Chatterley's Lover), dies at 44. [1] March 4 Coolidge Dam in Arizona dedicated. [1] March 6 Brooklyn's Clarence Birdseye develops a method for quick freezing food. [1] March 8 Mahatma Gandhi starts civil disobedience in India. [1] William Howard Taft, 27th US President (1909-13)/Chief Justice, dies at 72. [1] March 11 President and Chief Justice William Taft buried in Arlington. [1] March 12 Mohandas Gandhi begins 200 mile (321 km) march protesting British salt tax. [1] March 13 Clyde Tombaugh announces discovery of Pluto at Lowell Observatory. [1] Mary E W Freeman US writer (Pembroke), dies at 77. [1] March 15 First seaplane glider flown, Port Washington New York. [1] First streamlined submarine of US navy, USS Nautilus, launched. [1] Antonio Beltramelli writer, dies at 51. [1] March 16 Miguel Primo de Riveray Orbaneja Sp dictator (1923-30), dies at 60. [1] USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) floated out to become a national shrine. [1] March 18 Pluto discovered by Clyde Tombaugh (US). [1] March 19 Arthur J Balfour British theologist/premier (1902-05), dies at 81. [1] Nakagawa Soen accepted as a student of Katsube Keigaku Roshi. [1] March 20 Clessie Cummins sets diesel engine speed record of 129.39 kph. [1] March 24 First religious services telecast in US (W2XBS, New York City, New York). [1] Planet Pluto named. [1] March 26 US Congress appropriates $50,000 for Inter-American highway. [1] March 27 First US radio broadcast from a ship at sea. [1] March 28 First performance of Walter Piston's Suite for orchestra (Boston). [1] Constantinople and Angora changes names to Istanbul and Ankara. [1] March 29 Anton Bettelheim writer, dies. [1] March 30 Birth of Rolf Harris Bassendean Western Australia, Australian/British cartoonist/singer (Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport)/actor (The Little Convict). [1] April 1 "Blue Angel", starring unknown Marlene Dietrich, premieres in America. [1] Cosima Liszt wife of Austrian composer Richard Wagner, dies at 92. [1] Zawditu first reigning female monarch of Ethiopia, dies. [1] April 2 First New York-Bermuda airplane flight lands in Bermuda. [1] April 3 Ras Tafari becomes Emperor Haile Selassie of Abyssinia (Ethiopia). [1] April 4 Vladimir Majakovski Russian poet, dies. [1] Queen Viktoria of Sweden dies, in Rome, Italy. [7] April 6 First transcontinental glider tow completed. [1] Hostess Twinkies invented by bakery executive James Dewar. [1] April 10 George Headley scores 223 vs England at Kingston. [1] Synthetic rubber first produced. [1] April 14 Philip Barry's "Hotel Universe", premieres in New York City. [1] W Majakowski writer, dies at 36. [1] April 17 Abkhazian ASSR established in Georgian SSR. [1] April 21 Christine [Elizabeth C] Poolman Dutch actress (Mother), dies at 79. [1] Fire (set as part of an escape attempt) at Ohio State Penitentiary kills 320. [1] Robert S Bridges poet laureate (Testament of beauty), dies at 85. [1] Vladimir Mayakovsky's "Moskva Golid", premieres in Moscow. [1] April 22 Jeppe Aakjær Danish journalist/author/poet (Rugens sange), dies at 63. [1] US, Britain and Japan sign London Naval Treaty to reduce naval forces. [1] April 29 North Sea floodgate at Ijmuiden (biggest in world) officially opens. [1] Telephone connection England-Australia goes into service. [1] May 5 First woman to fly solo from England to Australia takes-off (Amy Johnson). [1] Bradman scores 185 Australia vs Leicestershire, 317 minutes, 16 fours. [1] May 7 Duleepsinhji scores 333 for Sussex vs Northants in 330 minutes. [1] May 8 Lvar Henning Mankell composer, dies at 61. [1] May 10 First US planetarium opens (Adler-Chicago). [1] Clarrie Grimmett takes 10 for 37 vs Yorkshire at Sheffield. [1] May 12 Pieter Jelles Troelstra Dutch SDAP leader, dies at 70. [1] Pulitzer prize awarded to Marc Connelly (Green Pastures). [1] May 13 Farmer killed by hail in Lubbock Texas; this is the only known fatality due to hail. [1] Fridtjof Nansen diplomat (Nobel Prize 1922), dies. [1] Helena Lange German feminist, dies. [1] May 15 Ellen Church becomes first airline stewardess, United (San Francisco to Cheyenne). [1] May 16 6th Walker Cup: US 10-Great Britain/Ireland 2. [1] May 17 Herbert David Croly US founder (New Republic), dies at 61. [1] May 18 Joao Marcellino Arroyo composer, dies at 68. [1] May 19 White woman win voting rights in South-Africa. [1] May 20 First airplane catapulted from a dirigible, Charles Nicholson, pilot. [1] University of California dedicates $1,500 to research on prevention and cure of athlete's foot. [1] May 21 Max Bishop draws 8 walks in a doubleheader. [1] May 24 First woman to fly from England to Australia solo, lands (Amy Johnson). [1] Bradman scores 252 Australia vs Surrey, 290 minutes, 29 fours. [1] May 26 Supreme Court rules buying liquor does not violate the Constitution. [1] May 27 Richard Drew invents masking tape. [1] May 28 Georges Forbes succeeds Joseph Ward as premier of New Zealand. [1] May 30 Bill Arnold wins Indianapolis 500 car race (161.6 kph). [1] May 31 Building begins on Albert Canal in Belgium. [1] Comet 73P/1930 (Schwassmann-Wachmann 3) approaches 0.0617 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. [1] June 2 Sarah Dickson becomes first woman Presbyterian elder in US, Cincinnati. [1] June 7 New York Times agrees to capitalize the n in "Negro". [1] June 13 22 people killed by hailstones in Siatista Greece. [1] June 22 Lou Gehrig hits three home runs in a game, Ruth hits three in doubleheader. [1] June 24 First radar detection of planes, Anacostia DC. [1] June 27 P Parchomenko discovers asteroid #1166 Sakuntala. [1] June 30 First round-the-world radio broadcast Schenectady New York. [1] July 3 Veterans Administration created. [1] July 7 Construction begins on Boulder (Hoover) Dam. [1] July 13 Sarnoff reports in New York Times "TV would be a theater in every home". [1] July 20 106 degrees F (41 degrees C), Washington, DC (district record). [1] July 21 US Veterans Administration established. [1] July 22 G Neujmin discovers asteroid #1306 Scythia. [1] H Van Gent discovers asteroids #1666 van Gent, #1752 van Herk. [1] July 28 114 degrees F (46 degrees C), Greensburg, Kentucky (state record). [1] August 9 Betty Boop debutes in Max Fleischer's animated cartoon Dizzy Dishes. [1] August 18 Eastern Airlines begins passenger service. [1] August 20 Dumont's first TV broadcast for home reception (New York City). [1] September 2 First non-stop airplane flight from Europe to US (37 hours). [1] September 3 Hurricane kills 2,000, injures 4,000 (Dominican Republic). [1] September 5 The Mickey Mouse film The Chain Gang is released to theaters in the USA. This film debuts Pluto the dog, though he is not named. [6] September 8 First appearance of the comic strip "Blondie". [1] New York City public schools begin teaching Hebrew. [1] September 10 Charles E Mitchell, named minister to Liberia. [1] September 11 Stomboli volcano (Sicily) throws 2-ton basaltic rocks two miles. [1] September 14 Nazis gain 107 seats in German election. [1] September 15 First international Bridge (card game) match is held in London, England. US team defeats England. [1] [55.28] September 18 Enterprise (US) beats Shamrock V (England) in 15th America's Cup. [1] September 21 Johann Ostermeyer patents the flashbulb. [1] September 28 Lou Gehrig's errorless streak ends at 885 consecutive games. [1] September 29 Boquerón battle ends Paraguay border dispute. [1] October 9 First transcontinental flight by a woman completed, Laura Ingalls. [1] October 20 British White Paper restricts Jews from buying Arab land. [1] October 25 First scheduled transcontinental air service began. [1] October 30 Turkey and Greece sign a treaty of friendship. [1] November 2 Ras Tafari crowned Haile Selassie I, 225th emperor of Solmonic Dynasty. [1] November 3 First vehicular tunnel to a foreign country (Detroit-Windsor) opens. [1] Bank of Italy becomes Bank of America. [1] November 9 First nonstop airplane flight from New York to Panama. [1] November 24 First woman pilot on a transcontinental air flight Miss Ruth Nichols (Mineola, New York to California), in a Lockheed-Vega, took 7 days. [1] November 25 690 earthquake shocks recorded in one day (Ito Japan). [1] December 1 Ruth Nichols becomes first woman pilot to cross the continent. [1] December 3 Air-borne chemicals combine with fog to kill 60 (Meuse Valley Belgium). [1] Otto Ender forms Austrian government. [1] Richard Rodgers/L Hart's musical "Evergreen" premieres in London. [1] December 4 French government of Tardieu falls. [1] Vatican approves rhythm method for birth control. [1] December 6 Pablo Neruda marries Marie A Hagenaar Vogelzang in Batavia. [1] December 7 In Boston, Massachusetts, the CBS radio orchestra program is broadcast in video and included the first television commercial in the United States. [5] December 8 Broadway Theater opens at 1681 Broadway New York City, New York. [1] Cole Porter's musical "NYCers" premieres in New York City, New York. [1] December 11 Bank of the United States opens in New York City, New York. [1] Friedrich von Bernhardi German war theorist/historian, dies at 81. [1] December 12 Start of the first Australia vs West Indies Test (at Adelaide). [1] December 13 George Sisler's career ends when Boston Braves release him. [1] Theodore Steeg forms French government. [1] December 17 Peter Warlock composer, dies at 36. [1] December 18 Bradman scores 258 New South Wales vs South Australia, 289 minutes, 37 fours. [1] December 19 James Weldon Johnson resigns as executive secretary of NAACP. [1] December 22 Six West europe lands signs Convention of Oslo. [1] December 23 Bette Davis arrives in Hollywood under contract to Universal Studios. [1] Johannes H Been Brielle archivist, dies at 71. [1] Police Bureau of Criminal Alien Investigation started in New York City, New York. [1] December 24 Eduard David German minister (constitution of Weimar), dies at 67. [1] Federico García Lorca's "La Zapatera Prodigiosa" premieres in Madrid. [1] Oskar Nedbal composer, dies at 56. [1] December 25 First US bobsled run open to the public (Mount Van Hoevenberg bobsled run at Lake Placid New York). [1] Harvey Worthington Loomis composer, dies at 65. [1] Slinger Nitschke scores 142 South Africa vs Queensland at Adelaide before 5,422. [1] December 27 William Courtleigh actor (Madame X, Eyes of Youth), dies at 63. [1] December 29 Fred P Newton completes longest swim ever (1826 miles), when he swam in the Mississippi River from Ford Dam Minnesota, to New Orleans Louisiana. [1] December 31 Pontifical encyclical Casti connubii against mixed marriages. [1] US tobacco industry produced 123 billion cigarettes in 1930. [1]