April 30 in Pop Culture History

1789 – In New York City, George Washington was inaugurated as the United States’ first president.

1803 – The Louisiana Purchase from France, for 15 million dollars, also included much (if not all of) of Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

1812 – The Territory of Orleans became the 18th U.S. state under the name Louisiana.

1894 – Antarctic iceberg fragment was sighted at latitude 26.50 degrees south, approximately parallel to Rio de Janeiro, the nearest to the equator that an Antarctic iceberg that has been seen.

1900 – Casey Jones died in a train wreck in Vaughan, Mississippi, while trying to make up time on the Cannonball Express.

1900 – Hawaii became a territory of the United States, with Sanford B. Dole as governor.

1927 – Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were the first celebrities to leave their footprints in concrete at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

1938 – The cartoon short Porky’s Hare Hunt debuted in movie theaters, introducing ‘Happy Rabbit’ (a prototype of Bugs Bunny).

1939 – The New York World’s Fair opened at Flushing Meadow Park in Queens.

1948 – The Land Rover, a British-made all-terrain vehicle, debuted at an auto show in Amsterdam.

1955 – #1 Hit April 30, 1955 – July 8, 1955: Perez Prado – Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White

1966 – The Church of Satan was established at the Black House in San Francisco.

1966 – #1 Hit April 30, 1966 – May 6, 1966: Young Rascals – Good Lovin’

1977 – #1 Hit April 30, 1977 – May 6, 1977: Glen Campbell – Southern Nights

1983 – #1 Hit April 30, 1983 – May 20, 1983: Michael Jackson – Beat It

1989 – CNBC, the first NBC cable and financial cable channels, began transmitting.

1992 – The finale for The Cosby Show aired on NBC

1992- A Time Capsule was put in the ground in front of the Nickelodeon Building. However, on the same exact day 13 years later, Nickelodeon’s studios closed. It’s now underneath the entrance to the Nickelodeon Resort. It will be opened April 30th, 2042.

1993 – Gunter Parchein stabbed tennis star Monica Seles in Hamburg, Germany.

1997 – During Ellen’s ‘Puppy’ episode, it was revealed that the main/title character (Ellen DeGeneres) was gay.

2004 – Mean Girls and Laws of Attraction were released in theaters.

2011 – #1 Hit April 30, 2011 – May 20, 2011: Rihanna featuring Britney Spears – S&M

2014 – Their first album, Ramones, became certified Gold by the Recording Industry of America after selling 500,000 copies, 38 years after its release.

#1 Hit April 30, 2022 – May 13, 2022: As It Was – Harry Styles