Tunguska Siberia

The following is your daily snapshot of what happened on this day in history, June 30th. On this day in history, June 30, 1908, a massive explosion occurs at Tunguska in Siberia. Some 60 million trees are felled across about 800 square miles (2,000 sq km). The cause if thought to be the atmospheric explosion of a meteoroid with a force of 10 to 15 megatons.

The explosion is believed to have been caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet fragment at an altitude of 5–10 kilometers (3–6 mi) above the Earth’s surface. Different studies have yielded varying estimates of the object’s size, with general agreement that it was a few tens of meters across.

BORN JUNE 30TH:
June 30, 1286 – John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey, English nobleman (d. 1347)
June 30, 1470 – King Charles VIII of France (d. 1498)
June 30, 1503 – John Frederick, Elector of Saxony (d. 1554)
June 30, 1641 – Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg, Irish general (d. 1719)
June 30, 1685 – John Gay, British writer (d. 1732)
June 30, 1755 – Paul François Jean Nicolas Barras, French politician (d. 1829)
June 30, 1789 – Horace Vernet, French painter and graphic artist (d. 1863)
June 30, 1803 – Thomas Lovell Beddoes, English poet (d. 1849)
June 30, 1807 – Friedrich Theodor von Vischer, German narrator, lyricist and philosopher (d.1887)
June 30, 1817 – Joseph Dalton Hooker, British botanist (d. 1911)
June 30, 1823 – Dinshaw Maneckji Petit, Indian industrialist (d. 1901)
June 30, 1843 – Ernest Mason Satow, British diplomat (d. 1929)
June 30, 1864 – Frederick Bligh Bond, English architect, illustrator, archaeologist and psychical researcher (d. 1945)
June 30, 1884 – Georges Duhamel, French author (d. 1966)
June 30, 1891 – Man Mountain Dean, American professional wrestler (d. 1953)
June 30, 1891 – Ed “Strangler” Lewis, American professional wrestler (d. 1966)
June 30, 1892 – Oswald Pohl, German Nazi leader (d. 1951)
June 30, 1893 – Walter Ulbricht, German Communist leader (d. 1973)
June 30, 1899 – Madge Bellamy, American actress (d. 1990)
June 30, 1899 – Harry Shields, American jazz clarinetist (d. 1971)
June 30, 1906 – Ralph Allen, English footballer (d. 1981)
June 30, 1906 – Anthony Mann, American film actor and director (d. 1967)
June 30, 1907 – Roman Shukhevych, Ukrainian politician (d. 1950)
June 30, 1908 – Winston Graham, British writer (d. 2003)
June 30, 1911 – Czesław Miłosz, Polish poet and writer, Nobel laureate (d. 2004)
June 30, 1912 – Ludwig Bölkow, German aeronautical engineer (d. 2003)
June 30, 1912 – Dan Reeves, American sports team owner (d. 1971)
June 30, 1913 – Harry Wismer, American sports team owner (d. 1967)
June 30, 1913 – Alfonso López Michelsen, Colombian politician (d. 2007)
June 30, 1914 – Francisco da Costa Gomes, Portuguese politician (d. 2001)
June 30, 1917 – Susan Hayward, American actress (d. 1975)
June 30, 1917 – Lena Horne, American singer and actress (d. 2010)
June 30, 1919 – Ed Yost, American inventor (d. 2007)
June 30, 1925 – Fred Schaus, American basketball coach and executive (d. 2010)
June 30, 1926 – Paul Berg, American biochemist, Nobel laureate
June 30, 1929 – James Goldman, American screenwriter (d. 1998)
June 30, 1929 – Hans Krondahl, Swedish painter and textile designer
June 30, 1930 – Thomas Sowell, American economist
June 30, 1931 – Bert Eriksson, Flemish neo-Nazi (d. 2005)
June 30, 1931 – Andrew Hill, American jazz pianist (d. 2007)
June 30, 1933 – Lea Massari, Italian actress
June 30, 1933 – M. J. K. Smith, English cricketer
June 30, 1933 – Orval Tessier, Canadian ice hockey player
June 30, 1934 – Harry Blackstone Jr., American stage magician (d. 1997)
June 30, 1935 – John Harlin, American mountaineer (d. 1966)
June 30, 1936 – Assia Djebar, Algerian writer and filmmaker
June 30, 1936 – Nancy Dussault, American actress
June 30, 1936 – Tony Musante, American actor
June 30, 1936 – Dave Van Ronk, American folk singer-songwriter (d. 2002)
June 30, 1938 – Apostolos Nikolaidis, Greek singer (d. 1999)
June 30, 1939 – José Emilio Pacheco, Mexican poet
June 30, 1940 – Mark Spoelstra, American folk singer (d. 2007)
June 30, 1941 – Peter Pollock, South African cricket player
June 30, 1942 – Robert Ballard, American oceanographer
June 30, 1942 – Ron Harris, Canadian ice hockey player
June 30, 1943 – Florence Ballard, American singer (The Supremes) (d. 1976)
June 30, 1944 – Terry Funk, American professional wrestler
June 30, 1944 – Raymond Moody, American parapsychologist
June 30, 1944 – Glenn Shorrock, Australian singer-songwriter (Little River Band)
June 30, 1944 – Ron Swoboda, American baseball player
June 30, 1949 – Uwe Kliemann, German footballer
June 30, 1949 – Andy Scott, British guitarist and singer (Sweet)
June 30, 1950 – Leonard Whiting, British actor

June 30, 1951 – Stanley Clarke, American jazz bass and double bass player (Return to Forever)
June 30, 1952 – David Garrison, American Broadway and TV actor
June 30, 1952 – Athanassios S. Fokas, Greek mathematician
June 30, 1953 – Hal Lindes, American-born British guitarist (Dire Straits)
June 30, 1953 – Lin Feng-Jiao, Taiwanese actress
June 30, 1954 – Pierre Charles, Dominican politician (d. 2004)
June 30, 1954 – Serzh Sargsyan, President of Armenia
June 30, 1955 – David Alan Grier, American actor and comedian
June 30, 1957 – Sterling Marlin, American NASCAR driver
June 30, 1957 – Rich Vos, stand-up comedian
June 30, 1958 – Lina Nikolakopoulou, Greek lyricist
June 30, 1958 – Esa-Pekka Salonen, Finnish conductor and composer
June 30, 1959 – Vincent D’Onofrio, American actor
June 30, 1959 – Brendan Perry, British multi-instrumentalist (Dead Can Dance)
June 30, 1959 – Sakis Tsiolis, Greek footballer and manager
June 30, 1960 – Murray Cook, Australian singer (The Wiggles)
June 30, 1962 – Tony Fernández, Dominican baseball player
June 30, 1962 – Deirdre Lovejoy, American actress (The Wire)
June 30, 1962 – Julianne Regan, British singer and guitarist (All About Eve)
June 30, 1963 – Yngwie Malmsteen, Swedish guitarist
June 30, 1964 – Alexandra Christina Manley, Hong Kong-born ex-wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark
June 30, 1964 – Mark Waters, American film director
June 30, 1965 – Mitch Richmond, American basketball player
June 30, 1965 – Steve Duchesne, Canadian ice hockey player
June 30, 1965 – Anna Levandi, Russian figure skater
June 30, 1965 – Gary Pallister, English footballer
June 30, 1966 – Mike Tyson, American boxer
June 30, 1966 – Marton Csokas, New Zealand actor
June 30, 1966 – Cheryl Bernard, Canadian curler
June 30, 1967 – David Busst, English former footballer
June 30, 1968 – Phil Anselmo, American singer (Pantera)
June 30, 1969 – Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lankan cricketer
June 30, 1970 – Brian Bloom, American actor
June 30, 1970 – Antonio Chimenti, Italian footballer
June 30, 1970 – Mark Grudzielanek, American baseball player
June 30, 1971 – Anette Michel, Mexican actress
June 30, 1971 – Monica Potter, American actress
June 30, 1972 – Sandra Cam, Belgian swimmer
June 30, 1972 – James Martin, English celebrity chef
June 30, 1973 – Chan-ho Park, South Korean baseball player
June 30, 1973 – Frank Rost, German footballer
June 30, 1973 – Noam Zylberman, Israeli-born Canadian actor
June 30, 1974 – Tony Rock, American actor and stand-up comedian
June 30, 1975 – Ralf Schumacher, German Formula One driver
June 30, 1975 – Rami Shaaban, Swedish footballer
June 30, 1975 – James Bannatyne, New Zealand footballer
June 30, 1977 – Justo Villar, Paraguayan footballer
June 30, 1977 – Mark Van Gisbergen, New Zealand-born English rugby union player
June 30, 1978 – Ben Cousins, Australian football player
June 30, 1978 – Claudio Rivalta, Italian footballer
June 30, 1979 – Matisyahu, American reggae singer
June 30, 1979 – Sylvain Chavanel, French cyclist
June 30, 1979 – Rick Gonzalez, American actor
June 30, 1979 – Faisal Shahzad, Pakistani-American attempted bomber
June 30, 1980 – Rade Prica, Swedish footballer
June 30, 1980 – Seyi Olofinjana, Nigerian footballer
June 30, 1981 – Can Artam, Turkish racing driver
June 30, 1981 – Matt Kirk, Canadian football player
June 30, 1981 – Karolina Sadalska, Polish kayaker
June 30, 1981 – Ben Utecht, American football player
June 30, 1982 – Andy Knowles, British drummer (Franz Ferdinand)
June 30, 1982 – Mitch Maier, American baseball player
June 30, 1982 – Delwyn Young, American baseball player
June 30, 1982 – Lizzy Caplan, American actress
June 30, 1983 – Brendon James, British drummer (Thirteen Senses)
June 30, 1983 – Marlin Jackson, American football player
June 30, 1983 – Patrick Wolf, English singer-songwriter
June 30, 1983 – Cheryl Cole, British singer (Girls Aloud) and talent show judge (The X Factor)
June 30, 1983 – Marcus Burghardt, German cyclist
June 30, 1984 – Miles Austin, American football player
June 30, 1984 – Fantasia Barrino, American singer
June 30, 1984 – Gabriel Badilla, Costa Rican footballer
June 30, 1985 – Trevor Ariza, American basketball player
June 30, 1985 – Rafal Blechacz, Polish classical pianist
June 30, 1985 – Michael Phelps, American swimmer
June 30, 1985 – Fabiana Vallejos, Argentine footballer
June 30, 1985 – Cody Rhodes, American wrestler
June 30, 1986 – Victoria Crawford, American wrestler and model
June 30, 1986 – Allegra Versace, Italian heiress
June 30, 1986 – Nicola Pozzi, Italian footballer
June 30, 1986 – Freddy Guarín, Colombian footballer
June 30, 1989 – Steffen Liebig, German rugby player
June 30, 1989 – Miguel Vítor, Portuguese footballer
June 30, 1989 – David Myers, Australian football player
June 30, 1991 – Kaho, Japanese actress
June 30, 1992 – Lamb and Lynx Gaede, American white nationalist teen pop duo

DIED JUNE 30TH:
June 30, 350 – Nepotianus, Roman usurper
June 30, 1181 – Hugh de Kevelioc, 3rd Earl of Chester, English politician (b. 1147)
June 30, 1224 – Adolf of Osnabrück, German monk and bishop (b. 1185)
June 30, 1364 – Arnošt of Pardubice, Polish-born Archbishop of Prague (b. 1297)
June 30, 1538 – Charles, Duke of Guelders, Dutch nobleman (b. 1467)
June 30, 1579 – Mehmed Pasha Sokolović, Turkish Janissary (b. 1506)
June 30, 1607 – Caesar Baronius, Italian cardinal and historian (b. 1538)
June 30, 1660 – William Oughtred, English mathematician (b. 1575)
June 30, 1666 – Alexander Brome, English poet (b. 1620)
June 30, 1670 – Henrietta Anne of England, daughter of King Charles I of England (b. 1644)
June 30, 1704 – John Quelch, English pirate (b. 1665)
June 30, 1709 – Edward Lhuyd, Welsh scientist (b. 1660)
June 30, 1785 – James Oglethorpe, English general and founder of the U.S. state of Georgia (b. 1696)
June 30, 1796 – Abraham Yates, American Congressman (b. 1724)
June 30, 1857 – Alcide d’Orbigny, French naturalist (b. 1802)
June 30, 1882 – Charles J. Guiteau, American assassin of President James A. Garfield (b. 1841)
June 30, 1882 – Alberto Henschel, German-Brazilian photographer and businessman (b. 1827)
June 30, 1890 – Samuel Parkman Tuckerman, American composer (b. 1819)
June 30, 1917 – Antonio de La Gandara, French painter (b. 1861)
June 30, 1919 – John Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, English physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1842)
June 30, 1934 – Night of the Long Knives murders
o Kurt von Schleicher, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1882)
o Gregor Strasser, former German Nazi politician (b. 1892)
o Gustav Ritter von Kahr, Prime Minister of Bavaria (b. 1862)
o Karl Ernst, German Sturmabteilung-gruppenführer (b. 1904)
o Erich Klausener, German politician (b. 1885)
June 30, 1953 – Charles William Miller, Brazilian sportsman, the “father of football in Brazil” (b. 1874)
June 30, 1956 – Thorleif Lund, Norwegian actor (b. 1880)
June 30, 1959 – José Vasconcelos, Mexican writer and politician (b. 1882)
June 30, 1961 – Lee DeForest, American inventor (b. 1873)
June 30, 1966 – Giuseppe Farina, Italian Formula One driver, the winner of the first Formula One championship (b. 1906)
June 30, 1971 – Herbert Biberman, American screenwriter and film director (b. 1900)
June 30, 1971 – Soviet crew of Soyuz 11
o Viktor Patsayev (b. 1933)
o Georgi Dobrovolski (b. 1928)
o Vladislav Volkov (b. 1935)
June 30, 1973 – Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky C.Ss.R, Ukrainian-born Canadian Greek-Catholic bishop and martyr (b. 1903)
June 30, 1974 – Vannevar Bush, American engineer and politician (b. 1890)
June 30, 1976 – Firpo Marberry, American baseball player (b. 1898)
June 30, 1984 – Lillian Hellman, American playwright (b. 1905)
June 30, 1985 – Haruo Remeliik, 1st President of Palau (b. 1933)
June 30, 1993 – George “Spanky” McFarland, American actor (b. 1928)
June 30, 1993 – Wong Ka Kui, Hong Kong singer (b. 1962)
June 30, 1995 – Gale Gordon, American actor (b. 1906)
June 30, 1995 – Georgi Beregovoi, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1921)
June 30, 1995 – Phyllis Hyman, American jazz vocalist (b. 1949)
June 30, 1996 – Lakis Petropoulos, Greek footballer and manager (b. 1932)
June 30, 1997 – Larry O’Dea, Australian professional wrestler (b. 1944)
June 30, 2001 – Chet Atkins, American country guitar player and producer (b. 1924)
June 30, 2001 – Joe Henderson, American jazz saxophonist (b. 1937)
June 30, 2002 – Chico Xavier, Brazilian spiritist medium (b. 1910)
June 30, 2003 – Buddy Hackett, American comedian (b. 1924)
June 30, 2003 – Robert McCloskey, American children’s book writer and illustrator (b. 1915)
June 30, 2004 – Jamal Abro, Pakistani writer (b. 1924)
June 30, 2005 – Clancy Eccles, Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter (b. 1940)
June 30, 2006 – Robert Gernhardt, German satirist (b. 1937)
June 30, 2007 – Sahib Singh Verma, Indian politician and Chief Minister of Delhi (b. 1943)
June 30, 2009 – Pina Bausch, German choreographer (b. 1940)
June 30, 2009 – Robert DePugh, American anti-Communist activist (b. 1923)
June 30, 2010 – Park Yong-ha, Korean actor and singer (b. 1977)

JUNE 30TH MEMORABLE EVENTS:
June 30, 350 – Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the usurper Magnentius, in Rome.
June 30, 1422 – Battle of Arbedo between the duke of Milan and the Swiss cantons.
June 30, 1520 – The Spaniards are expelled from Tenochtitlan.
June 30, 1559 – King Henry II of France is seriously injured in a jousting match against Gabriel de Montgomery.
June 30, 1651 – The Deluge: Khmelnytsky Uprising – the Battle of Beresteczko ends with a Polish victory.
June 30, 1688 – The Immortal Seven issue the Invitation to William (continuing the English rebellion from Rome), which would culminate in the Glorious Revolution.
June 30, 1758 – Seven Years’ War: The Battle of Domstadtl takes place.
June 30, 1794 – Native American forces under Blue Jacket attack Fort Recovery.
June 30, 1805 – The U.S. Congress organizes the Michigan Territory.
June 30, 1859 – French acrobat Charles Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope.
June 30, 1860 – The 1860 Oxford evolution debate at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History takes place.
June 30, 1864 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln grants Yosemite Valley to California for “public use, resort and recreation”.
June 30, 1882 – Charles J. Guiteau is hanged in Washington, D.C. for the assassination of U.S. President James Garfield.
June 30, 1886 – The first transcontinental train trip across Canada departs from Montreal. It arrives in Port Moody, British Columbia on July 4.
June 30, 1905 – Albert Einstein publishes the article “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies”, in which he introduces special relativity.
June 30, 1906 – The United States Congress passes the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act.
June 30, 1908 – The Tunguska event occurs in remote Siberia.
June 30, 1912 – The Regina Cyclone hits Regina, Saskatchewan, killing 28. It remains Canada’s deadliest tornado event.
June 30, 1921 – U.S. President Warren G. Harding appoints former President William Howard Taft Chief Justice of the United States.
June 30, 1934 – The Night of the Long Knives, Adolf Hitler‘s violent purge of his political rivals in Germany, takes place.
June 30, 1935 – The Senegalese Socialist Party holds its first congress.
June 30, 1936 – Emperor Haile Selassie of Abyssinia appeals for aid to the League of Nations against Italy’s invasion of his country.
June 30, 1941 – World War II: Operation Barbarossa – Germany captures Lviv, Ukraine.
June 30, 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Cherbourg ends with the fall of the strategically valuable port to American forces.
June 30, 1953 – The first Chevrolet Corvette rolls off the assembly line in Flint, Michigan.
June 30, 1956 – A TWA Super Constellation and a United Airlines DC-7 (Flight 718) collide above the Grand Canyon in Arizona, United States, killing all 128 on board the two planes.
June 30, 1959 – A United States Air Force F-100 Super Sabre from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, crashes into a nearby elementary school, killing 11 students plus six residents from the local neighborhood.
June 30, 1960 – Congo gains independence from Belgium.
June 30, 1963 – Ciaculli massacre: a car bomb, intended for Mafia boss Salvatore Greco, kills seven between police officers and military personnel near Palermo.
June 30, 1968 – Pope Paul VI issues the Credo of the People of God.
June 30, 1969 – Nigeria bans Red Cross aid to Biafra.
June 30, 1971 – The crew of the Soviet Soyuz 11 spacecraft are killed when their air supply escapes through a faulty valve.
June 30, 1971 – Ohio ratifies the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, lowering the voting age to 18, thereby putting the amendment into effect.
June 30, 1972 – The first leap second is added to the UTC time system.
June 30, 1977 – The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization disbands.
June 30, 1985 – Thirty-nine American hostages from the hijacked TWA Flight 847 are freed in Beirut after being held for 17 days.
June 30, 1986 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Bowers v. Hardwick that states can outlaw homosexual acts between consenting adults.
June 30, 1987 – The Royal Canadian Mint introduces the $1 coin, known as the Loonie.
June 30, 1990 – East Germany and West Germany merge their economies.
June 30, 1991 – 32 miners are killed when a coal mine catches fire in the Donbass region of Ukraine releases toxic gas.
June 30, 1992 – Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher joins the House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher.
June 30, 1997 – The United Kingdom transfers sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China.
June 30, 2009 – Yemenia Flight 626 crashes off the coast of Moroni, Comoros killing 152 people and leaving 1 survivor

MEMORABLE QUOTE:
“The usual disillusionment is discovering that a woman has a brain.” (Margaret Mitchell)