May 30 in Pop Culture History
1431 – At Rouen, Normandy, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy.
1631 – Gazette de France, the first French newspaper, began publication.
1806 – Future US President Andrew Jackson participated in a duel, killing Charles Dickinson. Dickinson shot first, wounding Jackson, but Jackson’s shot at Dockinson was fatal. Most of Andrew Jackson’s duels were for the questioned honor of his wife, Rachel.
1898 – Chemist Morris William Travers discovered the element krypton (Kr), the element, not the planet.
1911 – The inaugural Indianapolis 500 was run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana.
1922 – The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington DC.
1964 # 1 Hit May 30, 1964 – June 5, 1964: The Beatles – Love Me Do
1966 – Launch of Surveyor 1, the first US spacecraft to land on an extraterrestrial body (the Moon).
1970 # 1 Hit May 30, 1970 – June 12, 1970: Ray Stevens – Everything Is Beautiful
1975 # 1 Hit May 31, 1975 – June 6, 1975: Freddy Fender – Before the Next Teardrop Falls
1980 # 1 Hit May 31, 1980 – June 27, 1980: Lipps Inc – Funkytown
2003 # 1 Hit May 31, 2003 – June 27, 2003: 50 Cent featuring Nate Dogg – 21 Questions
2005 – American student Natalee Holloway disappeared while on a high school graduation trip to Aruba. Most people believe that Joran van der Sloot had something to do with it.
2008 – The film version of HBO’s comedy series Sex and the City, starring Sarah Jessica Parker was released.