April 30
1803
France sold Louisiana and adjoining lands to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
1812
Louisiana became the 18th state in the United States.
1939
U.S. commercial television made its official debut at the New York World’s Fair.The signal was transmitted from the Empire State Building.
1945
Adolf Hitler and his newly married mistress Eva Braun committed suicide.
1948
The Organization of American States held its first meeting in Bogotá, Colombia.
1975
The Vietnam War ended with South Vietnam’s surrender to North Vietnam.
1991
Over 131,000 were killed and as many as 9 million left homeless when a cyclone struck Bangladesh.
2003
Libya accepted responsibility for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Birthdays
Franz Lehár
Pronunciation: [fränts le´här]
1870–1948, Hungarian composer of operettas.
Saint John Baptist de la Salle
educator (1651)
John Crowe Ransom
poet and critic (1888)
Eve Arden
actress (1912)
Cloris Leachman
actress (1926)
Willie Nelson
country singer, songwriter (1933)
Isiah Thomas
basketball player (1961)