On this day...

1809 Wearing masks at balls forbidden in Boston
1817 First coffee planted in Hawaii
1853 Gadsden Purchase from Mexico for $10 million.
1854 Pennsylvania Rock Oil Co, first in US, incorporated in NYC
1903 602 die as flames swept through Iroquois Theater in Chicago
1903 American Political Science Association founded at New Orleans
1906 Iran becomes a constitutional monarchy
1907 Abraham Mills' commission declares Abner Doubleday invented baseball
1911 Sun Yat-sen elected first President of Republic of China
1924 Edwin Hubble announces existence of other galactic systems
1927 Japan dedicates first subway in the Orient (route under 2 miles long)
1935 Italian bombers destroy Swedish Red Cross unit in Ethiopia
1936 United Auto Workers stage first sit-down strike, at Fisher Body Plant
1938 Electronic television system patented by V. K. Zworykin
1944 King George II of Greece renounces his throne
1947 King Michael of Romania, forced by communists, abdicates his throne
1959 The George Washington, first ballistic missile submarine, commissioned
1963 Congress authorizes the Kennedy half dollar
1972 President Nixon halts bombing of North Vietnam & announces peace talks
1973 First picture of a comet from space (Comet Kohoutek-Skylab)
1975 Constitution of Democratic Republic of Madagascar comes into force
1977 Carter holds first news conference by US president in Eastern Europe (Warsaw)
1978 Ohio State dismisses Woody Hayes as its football coach
1979 Rock group Emerson, Lake & Palmer break up
1982 US Assay Office in New York City closes
1984 Miss Elizabeth (Hulette) & Macho Man Randy Savage (Poffo) wed
1985 IBM-PC DOS Version 3.2 released
1985 President Zia of Pakistan ends martial law
1986 US begins military exercises in Honduras
1988 Canadian Senate OK's free trade pact with US
1988 Former Soviet President Brezhnev's son-in-law sentenced to 12-years (bribery)
1988 Yugoslav government resigns
1988 Oliver North subpoenas Reagan & Bush as defense witnesses for upcoming trial

Birthdays which occurred on December 30th:

39 Titus, 10th Roman emperor (79-81), conqueror of Jerusalem
1851 Asa Griggs Candler, developed Coca-Cola
1865 Rudyard Kipling, Bombay, author
1867 Simon Guggenheim, philanthropist (died aboard the Titanic)
1869 Stephen Leacock, Canada, economist/humorist/professor
1883 Lester Patrick, NHL pioneer
1884 Tojo Hideki, Japanese PM during WW II
1898 Vincent Lopez, NY, orchestra leader (Welcome Aboard)
1911 Jeanette Nolan, Los Angeles, actress (Richard Boone Show, Virginian)
1914 Bert Parks, Atlanta, TV host (Miss America)
1919 Jo Van Fleet, actress (Gunfight at the OK Corral, East of Eden)
1921 Rashid Karami, Lebanon, 10 time PM of Lebanon
1928 Bo Diddley [Ellas Bates], Mississippi, rock `n' roll pioneer
1928 Jack Lord, NY, actor (Steve McGarrett-Hawaii 5-0)
1929 Barbara Nichols, Jamaica NY, actress (Dear Heart, Disorderly Orderly)
1931 Skeeter Davis, Dry Ridge KY, singer (End of the World)
1934 Nicolas Coster, London, actor (Our Private World, Lobo, Ryan's Four)
1934 Russ Tamblyn, Los Angeles, actor (Tom Thumb, Win Place or Steal)
1935 Sandy Koufax, Dodger pitcher (Cy Young '63, '65, '66, '67)
1937 John Hartford, NY, singer/songwriter (Smothers Brothers Hour)
1942 Michael Nesmith, Houston, rocker (Monkees)
1945 Davy Jones, Manchester England, singer (Monkees)
1947 Jeff Lynne, rocker (ELO-Telephone Line, Travelling Wilburys)
1947 Michael Burns, Mineola LI, actor (Barnaby West-Wagon Train)
1958 Brandon Clark, NY, actor (Sean-The Fitzpatricks)
1959 Tracey Ullman, singer/actress (Tracey Ullman Show)
1962 Paul Crowder, rocker (The Adventures-Sea of Love)
1963 Alessandra Mussolini, Naples Italy, actress (Ferragosto OK)
1972 Maureen Flannigan, actress (Evie-Out of this World)

Deaths which occurred on December 30th:

1635 Jan Baptista Van Helmont, physician/alchemist
1894 Amelia Jenks Bloomer, suffragist (Bloomers named for her)