The first Harry Potter book was published in the UK with an initial print run of just 500 copies
J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone launched what would become the best-selling book series in history, despite being rejected by...
June 30 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
1997
1975
Evel Knievel broke his pelvis attempting to jump 13 buses at Wembley Stadium in front of 90,000 spectators
The legendary daredevil successfully cleared the buses but crashed on landing when his motorcycle's rear wheel struck the safety ramp. This was just o...
1966
The National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded, becoming the largest feminist organization in the United States
Betty Friedan and 27 other activists established NOW to fight for women's equality in all aspects of American life. The organization played a crucial...
1936
Gone with the Wind was published and became an instant bestseller despite being rejected by multiple publishers
Margaret Mitchell's epic Civil War novel sold 50,000 copies in a single day and won the Pulitzer Prize the following year. Mitchell had worked on the...
1921
President Warren G. Harding appointed former President William Howard Taft as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Taft became the only person in U.S. history to serve as both President and Chief Justice, achieving what he called his greatest ambition. Ironically,...
1908
A massive explosion in Siberia flattened 80 million trees but left no crater
MajorThe Tunguska event devastated over 2,000 square kilometers of Siberian forest when a meteor or comet exploded in the atmosphere above Russia. The blas...
1905
Albert Einstein published his paper on special relativity, fundamentally changing our understanding of space and time
MajorEinstein's groundbreaking paper introduced the famous equation E=mc² and revolutionized physics by showing that time and space are relative to the obs...
1894
The Tower Bridge in London officially opened after eight years of construction
The iconic bascule and suspension bridge became an instant landmark, with its two towers standing 65 meters tall and connected by walkways 42 meters a...
1860
A famous Oxford debate saw scientists clash over Darwin's theory of evolution, with the Bishop's wife fainting at the implications
The legendary debate between Bishop Samuel Wilberforce and Thomas Huxley became a defining moment in the acceptance of evolutionary theory. When Wilbe...
1859
French acrobat Charles Blondin crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope while carrying his manager on his back
Blondin walked 335 meters across a rope suspended 50 meters above the raging falls, stopping midway to pull up a bottle of wine from a boat below. Not...