May 30
Subject to Britannica's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Featured Event
Minnesota Historical SocietyâCorbis Historical/Getty Images; Photo Illustration EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
On this day in 1943, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) began play as a way to keep baseball going during World War II. Created by Chicago Cubs owner Philip Wrigley, the league broke ground for womenâs professional sports in America. The AAGPBL folded in 1954, but its legacy endured. A Hall of Fame exhibit in 1988 and the beloved film A League of Their Own in 1992 demonstrated the leagueâs lasting impact.[Read todayâs edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Carl Van Vechten Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Digital File No. cph 3a42847)
Let art portray things as they are.
Born this day in 1903, Countee Cullen was one of the finest American poets of the Harlem Renaissance, noted for his fresh and sensitive treatment of racial themes and for the lyric, wistful beauty of his verse.
Famous Birthdays
More on May 30
Seth Wenig/Getty Images
2024
Donald Trump became the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime after a New York jury found him guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush-money payment in 2016 to the adult-film star Stephanie Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had an affair with Trump in 2006.
David GuttenfelderâAP/Shutterstock.com
2012
Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, was sentenced to 50 years in prison after being convicted of crimes against humanity and war crimes that were committed during Sierra Leoneâs civil war. [Can you match these African leaders to the countries they have led?]
Pictorial Parade
1961
Rafael Trujillo, an army officer who had become dictator of the Dominican Republic following a military revolt in 1930, was assassinated. [Take our quiz about dictators of the 20th century.]
Department of Defense/National Archives, Washington, D.C.
1942
During World War II the British Royal Air Force dispatched more than 1,000 bombers against Cologne, Germany. [Sort fact from fiction in our World War II quiz.]
Image: EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1925
In the May Thirtieth Incident, some 12 labor demonstrators were killed by British police in Shanghai, sparking nationwide strikes and protests in China. [Test your knowledge of China.]
© Norbert Rehm/Shutterstock.com
1922
The Lincoln Memorialâhonoring Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, and âthe virtues of tolerance, honesty, and constancy in the human spiritââwas dedicated in Washington, D.C. [How much do you know about Abraham Lincoln?]
Archive Photos/Getty Images
1911
The first Indianapolis 500 automobile race was run in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it was won by Ray Harroun in about 6 hours 42 minutes. [Take our quiz about the Indianapolis 500.]
UPI/Bettmann Archive
1909
American jazz musician and bandleader Benny Goodman, who was known as the âKing of Swing,â was born. [Test your knowledge of musical nicknames.]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1854
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed, providing for the territorial organization of Kansas and Nebraska under the principle of popular sovereignty, which gave people in those areas the right to decide whether slavery would be permitted in their territory. [Take our quiz about the history of slavery in North America.]
Image: EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1814
The first of the Treaties of Paris was signed, ending the Napoleonic Wars. [Test your knowledge of warfare throughout history.]
© The Print CollectorâHeritage Images/age fotostock
1536
King Henry VIII married Jane Seymour, his third wife, 11 days after the execution of Anne Boleyn, his second wife.[How much do you know about the six wives of Henry VIII?]
Bettmann/Getty Images
1806
Andrew Jackson, who later served as president of the United States (1829â37), fatally shot Charles Dickinson in a duel; during his life Jackson was involved in numerous duelsâsome accounts estimate 100âand many of them were in defense of his wife, Rachel. [Read about eight famous duels and one almost duel.]
© G. Dagli OrtiâDeAgostini/Getty Images
1431
Having led the French army in a momentous victory over England at OrlĂ©ans during the Hundred Yearsâ War, Joan of Arc was charged with heresy and witchcraft and, on this day in 1431, was burned at the stake. [How much do you know about French history?]
The British Library (Public Domain)
1381
An unpopular poll tax helped spark the Peasantsâ Revolt, the first great popular rebellion in English history.