On August 30, history mixed milestones and missteps: a Supreme Court first, a shuttle’s debut, a nuclear blunder, and wars ending and beginning.
August 30 in History
Marshall Confirmed as First Negro Justice
The Senate confirmed Thurgood Marshall by a 69–11 roll call, making him the first Negro justice.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 — The Supreme Court will seat its first Negro justice. The Senate confirmed Thurgood Marshall by a 69–11 roll call today, making him the first non-white member of the nation's highest bench.
President Johnson named Marshall on June 13 to fill the seat vacated by Tom C. Clark. Five segregationist senators on the Judiciary Committee, all from the South, fought the nomination. During hearings, Sen. Strom Thurmond peppered Marshall with more than sixty questions on minor points of constitutional history.
Marshall's record before the court is formidable. He won 29 of the 32 cases he argued there, including the landmark Brown v. Board of Education. He takes his place on the bench as the court's first Negro and first non-white justice.
Discovery Soars on First Flight, Third Shuttle Joins Fleet
NASA's newest orbiter lifts off from Kennedy Space Center, promising a new era of shuttle flight.
Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from Kennedy Space Center on its maiden voyage — Pixabay
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Aug. 30 — The shuttle era gained a third workhorse today as Discovery thundered off its Kennedy Space Center pad on its maiden voyage.
The orbiter, NASA's third of five planned, is roughly 6,870 pounds lighter than its sister Columbia, a product of weight-saving optimizations that promise more payload for each mission.
Discovery's maiden mission, designated STS-41-D, is expected to last until September 5. The craft's clean lines and reduced mass reflect years of refinement, boosting hopes for a more economical shuttle fleet.
Batman Declares Yarra Site 'a Place for a Village'
Port Phillip Association selects land on the river's north bank, founding a settlement.
The Yarra River, where European settlers established the site of modern-day Melbourne — Diliff
PORT PHILLIP, Aug. 30 — John Batman, of the Port Phillip Association, has set foot on the north bank of the Yarra River and declared, "this will be the place for a village."
The party landed on the river's northern banks in Southeastern Australia, marking the founding of a settlement destined to be known as Melbourne. Batman had earlier negotiated a transaction for 600,000 acres from eight Wurundjeri elders.
B-52 Flew Six Nuclear Missiles Cross-Country by Mistake
Six nuclear-armed cruise missiles flew from North Dakota to Louisiana before anyone realized, with warheads mounted for 36 hours.
WASHINGTON, August 30 — Six nuclear-armed cruise missiles flew from North Dakota to Louisiana aboard a B-52H before anyone realized they were there, the first such breach in American nuclear security in forty years.
The AGM-129 ACM missiles, each with a W80-1 warhead, were loaded at Minot Air Force Base on Aug. 29, 2007, then flown to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, on Aug. 30. The warheads remained mounted for 36 hours without mandatory precautions.
Classified as a Bent Spear, the incident has cost four USAF commanders their commands and brought discipline to numerous personnel.
Rommel Opens Last Axis Drive at El Alamein
German Field Marshal attacks British lines in Egypt as Malta relief succeeds.
CAIRO, Aug. 30 — Field Marshal Erwin Rommel today hurled the last major Axis offensive of the Western Desert campaign against British positions near El Alamein, Egypt. The attack comes after weeks of buildup. Allied forces repelled a second Axis assault on the El Alamein line earlier in August. In a parallel success, the Allies delivered desperately needed supplies to the besieged island of Malta, though at high cost. British headquarters reported heavy fighting along the southern sector of the front.
Last U.S. troops leave Kabul, ending longest war
Last U.S. planes departed Kabul at 11:59 p.m. local time, ending America's longest war.
KABUL, Aug. 30 — At 11:59 p.m. Kabul time, the last American military planes lifted off from Hamid Karzai International Airport, carrying the final U.S. troops out of Afghanistan and closing America's longest war. The departure came just over two weeks after the Taliban seized Kabul on Aug. 15, triggering the collapse of Afghan security forces.
Bomb kills Iran's president and prime minister
Rajai and Bahonar die in blast at Supreme Defence Council meeting; officials blame MEK.
TEHRAN, Aug. 30 — Iran lost both its president and prime minister in a single bombing today, a blow that decapitates the government. Mohammad-Ali Rajai, who had held the presidency for just four weeks, and Prime Minister Mohammad-Javad Bahonar were killed when a bomb exploded during a Supreme Defence Council meeting.
British and Australian POWs revolt in Singapore over escape pledge
Captives refuse Japanese demand not to attempt escape, sparking prison uprising.
SINGAPORE, Aug. 30 — In the grim summer of 1942, when the Far East lay under Japanese rule, British and Australian prisoners of war in Singapore chose defiance. Reports reaching this office say the captives revolted against their Japanese captors, who demanded a pledge not to escape. The prisoners refused the demand, turning the camp into a scene of open resistance.
Engineer Exhausted, Train Over Speed in Zagreb Derailment That Killed 153
Driver Nikola Knežević, 46, had been on duty two days when train 10410 entered the station at 104 km/h, nearly 70 km/h above the 40 km/h limit, killing 153.
ZAGREB, Aug. 30 — Nikola Knežević, the 46-year-old driver of express train 10410, had been on duty for two full days when his locomotive entered Zagreb's main station at 104 km/h, nearly 70 km/h above the 40 km/h limit. All nine cars derailed and rolled over at 22:33 hours, killing 153 people. Knežević and his assistant, Stjepan Varga, were both exhausted, authorities said. The train carried Yugoslav gastarbeiters and their families, including many children, returning to West Germany. The locomotive remained intact and now sits in the Croatian Railway Museum.
Opposition Man Wins Saigon Seat Despite Rigged Vote
Phan Quang Dan beats Diem candidate 6-1 after 8,000 soldiers bused in to stuff ballot boxes.
SAIGON, Aug. 30 — Phan Quang Dan, the opposition candidate, polled a 6-1 ratio over President Ngo Dinh Diem's man in the National Assembly election, despite 8,000 soldiers bused from out of district to vote for the government. Dan was one of only two non-government politicians to win a seat. He was arrested and barred from taking his place.
Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Former parliament speaker killed; funeral set for September 2 at Saint George's Cathedral.
LVIV, Aug. 30 — Andriy Parubiy, the Ukrainian politician and former speaker of parliament, was assassinated in Lviv today. Parubiy, a prominent figure in Ukraine's post-Maidan leadership, will be buried at the Lychakiv Cemetery after a funeral on September 2 at Saint George's Cathedral. He was posthumously awarded the title Hero of Ukraine.
Tannenberg Ends; Russians Crushed
German 8th Army captures 90,000 prisoners; General Samsonov shoots himself.
ALLENSTEIN, Aug. 30 — The pine barrens of East Prussia are littered with the wreck of the Russian 2nd Army. General Paul von Hindenburg's 8th Army has nearly destroyed it, capturing some 90,000 prisoners. Russian commander General Alexander Samsonov shot himself.
Titus Burns Temple; City Falls to Rome
Roman legions burn the sacred sanctuary on Aug. 30.
JERUSALEM, Aug. 30 — The heart of Jewish worship is no more. Flames consumed the Second Temple in the summer month of Av, as Titus’s 48,000 troops pressed the siege. Rival Jewish factions had already burned their own food stores.
