Daily Calendar for April 30th, 2021

The Old Farmer's Almanac daily calendar gives you quick reference for the significant events on any day throughout the year.

National Arbor Day

"Arbor Day is not like other holidays. Each of those reposes on the past, while Arbor Day proposes for the future." These are the words of J. Sterling Morton, the originator of the Arbor Day idea. He was among the many pioneers moving into the Nebraska Territory in 1854. With the decided lack of trees on the Nebraskan plains, Morton made it his cause to plant trees, not just for beautification but also to preserve the soil. He encouraged civic organizations to join in the effort, proclaiming the first Arbor Day in 1872. By 1885, Arbor Day was officially observed by the entire state and then by other states and schools nationwide. Today the most common date for the state observances is the last Friday in April, although many states celebrate it whenever conditions there are best for planting trees. Several U.S. presidents have proclaimed a national Arbor Day. Check out The National Arbor Day Foundation Web site, which includes forests of information.

Every Year

• Queen's Day (Netherlands)

1650s

• 1658: Marguerite Bourgeoys opened the first school in Montreal, Quebec

1770s

• Born 1770: David Thompson (explorer)

1780s

• 1789: George Washington was inaugurated as the first U.S. president

1790s

• 1798: The United States Department of the Navy was established

1800s

• 1803: The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, more than doubling the size of the country

1810s

• 1812: Louisiana was admitted to the Union as the 18th state

1870s

• Died 1879: Sarah Josepha Hale (first woman magazine editor in the United States, poet)

1880s

• Born 1888: John Crowe Ransom (poet)

1900s

• Died 1900: Casey Jones (railroad engineer, died at the throttle, slowing down his crashing Cannonball trying to save passengers' lives)

• Born 1901: Simon Kuznets (economist)

1910s

• Born 1913: Edith Margaret Fowke (folklorist)

1920s

• Born 1926: Cloris Leachman (actress)

1930s

• Born 1933: Willie Nelson (country singer)

• 1935: U.S. patent #2,000,000 issued

• 1939: Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first president to appear on television

1940s

• 1942: USS Peto first sub to be launched sideways, Manitowoc, Wisconsin

• Born 1944: Jill Clayburgh (actress)

• Born 1945: Annie Dillard (author)

• Died 1945: Adolf Hitler committed suicide

• 1947: Law passed to have name of Boulder Dam restored to Hoover Dam

• Born 1948: Perry King (actor)

1960s

• Born 1961: Isiah Thomas (basketball player)

1970s

• Died 1974: Agnes Moorehead (actress)

1980s

• Born 1982: Kirsten Dunst (actress)

• Died 1983: Muddy Waters (musician)

1990s

• 1993: Monica Seles was stabbed by a deranged fan of Steffi Graf

2000s

• Died 2007: Tom Poston (actor)

• Died 2008: Ling Ling (Japan's oldest giant panda)

2010s

• 2010: Jeff Feagles of the New York Giants announced his retirement. He played a league record of 352 consecutive games.

2020s

• 2022: Partial Eclipse of the Sun.