On this day, through history
On this day, June 30
- 763, Byzantine Emperor Constantine V crushed Bulgarian forces at the Battle of Anchialus, securing the empire's Balkan frontier. Learn more →)
- 1559, King Henry II of France was mortally wounded jousting against Gabriel de Montgomery, triggering a succession crisis. Learn more →
- 1859, French acrobat Charles Blondin became the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope, 170 feet above the water. Learn more →
- 1905, Albert Einstein submitted his landmark paper introducing special relativity to the journal Annalen der Physik. Learn more →
- 1908, A massive asteroid or comet explosion over Siberia's Podkamennaya Tunguska River flattened 2,000 square kilometres of forest. Learn more →
- 1934, Adolf Hitler ordered the Night of the Long Knives, a violent purge assassinating hundreds of Nazi political rivals. Learn more →
- 1960, The Belgian Congo declared independence from Belgium, becoming the Republic of the Congo under President Joseph Kasavubu. Learn more →
- 1971, All three Soviet Soyuz 11 cosmonauts died during re-entry after a faulty valve depressurised their capsule. Learn more →