On This Day August 30

1983
First African-American in space: Lt. Col. Guion S. Bluford, Jr. aboard the space shuttle Challenger.

1963
Washington-Moscow Hot Line opens, providing emergency communication in the event of a crisis.

1954
Atomic Energy Bill: Pres. Eisenhower signs the bill allowing private ownership of nuclear reactors for the production of electricity.

1861
Civil War: General Fremont frees the slaves of Missouri; against the orders of Pres. Lincoln.

1856
The second school of higher education for blacks in the U.S.: Wilberforce College in Ohio is founded. Ashmun Institute of Pennsylvania, founded in 1854, was the first. (Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church)

1800
Slave Revolt: Virginian slave Gabriel Prosser organizes an army of a 1,000 slaves and almost succeeded in taking Richmond. Afterwards, 35 slaves, including Prosser, were executed. (Source: Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of History)

1943
R. Crumb (Robert Crumb), American underground cartoonist, creator of Fritz the Cat (1965) and the Keep On Truckin' drawing (1968). The documentary Crumb (1994) was about his life.

1939
Elizabeth Ashley, American Tony-winning actress. TV: Evening Shade (Aunt Frieda).

1935
John Phillips, American folk singer, with The Mamas and the Papas, California Dreamin' and Monday, Monday.

1931 d. 1982
John Leonard "Jack" Swigert, Jr., American astronaut. During Apollo 13 he proclaimed, "Okay, Houston, we've had a problem here." Lovell repeated the sentiment a few seconds later.

1918
Ted Williams, American baseball Hall of Famer, American League's MVP (1946, 49).

1918
Kitty Wells (Muriel Deason), American country singer, "Queen of Country Music." She was the first woman to hit #1 on the country charts with It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels (1952).

1908
Fred MacMurray, American actor. Film: The star of numerous Disney movies. TV: My Three Sons (Steve Douglas). His face served as the model for the Captain Marvel in the comic books.

1907 d. 1992
Shirley Booth (Thelma Booth Ford), American Oscar, Tony and Emmy-winning actress, Hazel Burke of Hazel.

1907
John William Mauchly, American computer pioneer, co-inventor of first all-purpose stored-program computer (ENIAC) in 1945.

1896 d. 1983
Raymond Massey, Canadian actor. Film: Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940, title role). TV: Dr. Kildare (Dr. Gillespie).

1893 d. 1935
Huey Pierce Long, Louisiana governor (1928-31), U.S. Senator (1931-35), who ran for the presidency under his "share the wealth" plan. He was assassinated by Dr. Carl Austin Weiss Jr.

1891 d. 1958
Claire Straith, American pioneer in cosmetic surgery, convinced U.S. automakers to use safety glass (1930).

1871 d. 1937
Ernest Rutherford, British Nobel-winning physicist. He was the first to split the atom (1919). He also discovered the alpha particle (1904) and the proton (1920).

1797 d. 1851
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, English author. Writings: Frankenstein (1818). She was the wife of poet Percy Bysshe Shelly.

1970 b. 1905
Abraham Zapruder, American clothing manufacturer. He made the famous film of Pres. Kennedy's assassination in Dallas.

1968 b. 1917
William Talman, American actor. TV: Perry Mason (D.A. Hamilton Burger).

1940 b. 1856
Joseph John Thomson, English physicist. He discovered the electron (1897).

1181 b. circa 1105
Alexander III, Italian religious leader, 170th Pope (1159-81).

August 30

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