September 30th
Today in 1630,John Billington was hanged for murder. He was the first criminal to be executed in the American colonies.
Today in 1841,the stapler was patented by Samuel Slocum.
Today in 1846,dentist William Morton used ether as an anesthetic for the first time on a patient in his Boston office.
Today in 1888,"Jack the Ripper"murdered two more women, Elizabeth Stride & Katherine Eddowes, in Whitechapel, London.
Today in 1935,President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated Boulder Dam, which is now known as Hoover Dam.
Today in 1927,Babe Ruth broke his own record for most homers in a season when he hit his 60th home run.
Today in 1941,found 34-thousand Jews murdered and also buried alive at Babi Yar Ravine (near Kiev), Ukraine.
Today in 1950,WSM-AM radio's country music showcase, "Grand Ole Opry,"was telecast for the first time.
Today in 1953,Earl Warren was appointed Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court– he was officially sworn in on October 4th. He replaced Fred Vinson, who had died in September 8th.
Today in 1955,James Dean was killed when his sports car crashed. He was just 24. Less than a month later, (on October 27th), “Rebel Without a Cause” – the only movie where he received top billing – was released.
Today in 1956,an international tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany –known as the Nuremberg Trials– convicted 22 top Nazi officials of war crimes during W.W.II.
Today in 1960,"The Flintstones"officially premiered on ABC-TV. It was considered the first cartoon for adults.
Today in 1972,Roberto Clemente became 11th baseball player to get 3,000 hits.
Today in 1978,Meryl Streep married sculptor Donald Gummer. They’re still together.
Today in 1982,"Cheers"debuted on NBC– and ran until 1993.
Today in1983, the film, "The Big Chill,"opened in theaters nationwide.
Today in 1984,"Murder, She Wrote," starring Angela Lansbury,debuted on CBS-TV. It lasted 12 seasons.
Today in 1988,Robin Givens said during a TV interview with Barbara Waltersthat her husband Mike Tyson was a “manic-depressive” and that she was afraid of him. Tyson sat quietly next to her, despite her claims. The couple soon split and divorced the following year.
Today in 1988,John Lennon posthumously received a star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame."
Today in 1989, West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher granted escaping East Germans free passage to the West in speech from West German embassy balcony in Prague.
Today in 1991,Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted as president of Haiti in a coup led by Brigadier General Raoul Cedras.
Today in 1991,"Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?"debuted on PBS.
Today in 1991,“The Jerry Springer Show”premiered.
Today in 1992,George Brett of the Kansas City Royals got his 3000th hit. He was the 18th player in major league history to do so.
Today in 1992,Congress approved a bill requiring the release of nearly all government files concerning the assassination of President Kennedy.
Today in 1993,General Colin Powell retired at the age of 56 from his post as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. President Clinton presented the general with his second Medal of Freedom for service to the country.
Today in 1995,the new season of "Saturday Night Live” premiered, introducing new cast members Jim Breuer, Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond, and Cheri Oteri.
Today in 1997,the restaurant chain, Hooters,agreed to pay $3.75-million in discrimination suits brought by two men who had been denied server positions because of their gender.
Today in 1998,the General Accounting Office (GAO) reported that Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr and his predecessor, Robert Fiske,had spent more than $54-million on the investigation of President Clinton's Arkansas land deals, which was expanded to include the probe of the Monica Lewinsky affair.
Today in 1999,the San Francisco Giants played the Los Angeles Dodgers in the last baseball game at Candlestick Park(3Com Park); the Dodgers won, 9-4.
Today in 1999, Japan's worst nuclear accident at a uranium reprocessing facility took place in Tōkai-mura, northeast of Tokyo.
Today in 2001,Sharon Stone was admitted to a San Francisco-area hospital for treatment of a brain aneurysm. She made a full recovery.
Today in 2004, the first images of a live giant squid in its natural habitat were taken 600 miles south of Tokyo.
Today in 2005, the controversial drawings of Muhammad were printed in the Danish newspaper, “Jyllands-Posten.”
Today in 2007,Brett Favre became the NFL’s all-time career leader in touchdown passes, connecting with Greg Jennings on a 16-yard TD strike to give him 421 for his career. Favre surpassed the career mark set by Hall of Famer Dan Marino.
Today in 2014,the CDC confirmed the first case of Ebola Virus in the United States Dallas, Texas. The patient? Thomas Duncan, who had arrived at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on September 25th.