What Happened on August 30

Supreme Court Beat

1967 — 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.

• Thurgood Marshall was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 69–11 vote on August 30, 1967.
• President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Marshall on June 13, 1967, to fill the seat vacated by Tom C. Clark.
• Marshall was the Supreme Court's first African-American justice and its first non-white justice.
• Opposition to the nomination came from five segregationist senators on the Judiciary Committee, all from the Southern United States.
• Senator Strom Thurmond asked Marshall over sixty questions about minor aspects of constitutional history during the hearings.

Space Desk

1984 — 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.

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.

• Discovery's maiden mission, STS-41-D, launched on August 30, 1984, and lasted until September 5, 1984.
• Discovery was the third of five fully operational Space Shuttle orbiters built by NASA.
• Discovery weighed roughly 6,870 pounds less than Columbia when it entered service due to optimizations.
• Discovery was the first operational shuttle to be retired and is now displayed at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
• Over 27 years, Discovery flew 39 missions, aggregating more spaceflights than any other spacecraft as of December 2024.

Colonial Chronicle

1835 — Batman Declares Yarra Site 'a Place for a Village'

Port Phillip Association selects land on the river's north bank, founding a settlement.

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.

• John Batman of the Port Phillip Association selected a site on the Yarra River's northern bank, declaring "this will be the place for a village."
• Batman negotiated a transaction for 600,000 acres of land from eight Wurundjeri elders in 1835.
• Governor Richard Bourke declared the document known as Batman's Treaty void.
• The Port Phillip settlement, which would become Melbourne, was established along the lower banks of the Yarra in 1835.
• The name "Yarra" originated from a mistranslation of the Kulin phrase for the Yarra Yarra falls.

National Security

2007 — 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.

• On 29 August 2007, six AGM-129 ACM cruise missiles with W80-1 nuclear warheads were mistakenly loaded onto a B-52H at Minot Air Force Base.
• The nuclear warheads remained mounted to the aircraft for 36 hours without mandatory security precautions.
• The B-52 flew from Minot, North Dakota, to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, on 30 August 2007.
• The incident was reported as a Bent Spear, indicating a nuclear weapon incident below the more severe Broken Arrow tier.
• Four USAF commanders were relieved of their commands and numerous personnel were disciplined following the investigation.

War Desk

1942 — 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.

• In August 1942, the Allies repelled a second Axis attack against El Alamein.
• At a high cost, the Allies delivered desperately needed supplies to the besieged Malta.

National

2021 — 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.

• The last US military planes left Kabul airport at 11:59 p.m. Kabul time on 30 August 2021.
• The Taliban takeover of Kabul occurred on 15 August 2021, triggering the collapse of the Afghan National Security Forces.
• There were about 650 US troops in Afghanistan in early August 2021, tasked with protecting Hamid Karzai International Airport and the US Embassy.
• The US deployed 7,000 troops to Kabul Airport by 16 August 2021 to evacuate embassy personnel, US nationals and Special Immigrant Visa applicants.
• The war in Afghanistan was the longest in US military history, surpassing the Vietnam War by six months.

Foreign Desk

1981 — 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.

• Mohammad-Ali Rajai had served as president for only four weeks before his assassination on 30 August 1981.
• The bombing occurred during a meeting of Iran's Supreme Defence Council, killing Rajai, Prime Minister Mohammad-Javad Bahonar, and six other officials.
• A trusted aide brought a briefcase into the conference room; after he left, another person opened it, triggering the hidden bomb.
• The attack took place two months after the Haft-e Tir bombing, which had killed over 70 prominent Iranian officials.
• Iranian officials identified MEK operative Massoud Keshmiri as the culprit behind the bombing.

Overseas

1942 — 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.

• British and Australian POWs in Singapore revolted against Japanese captors who demanded a pledge not to escape.

Yugoslav Rail Dispatch

1974 — 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.

• The express train, number 10410, was traveling from Belgrade to Dortmund when it derailed.
• All nine cars derailed and rolled over at the entrance to Zagreb's main station at 22:33 hours.
• The train had exceeded the speed limit by nearly 70 km/h, entering the station at 104 km/h instead of 40 km/h.
• The driver, Nikola Knežević, and his assistant, Stjepan Varga, were both exhausted, having worked for two full days.
• The locomotive remained intact and is now on display in the Croatian Railway Museum.

Saigon Political Desk

1959 — 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.

• Phan Quang Đán was one of only two non-government politicians who won a seat in the 1959 South Vietnamese National Assembly election.
• Despite 8,000 Army of the Republic of Vietnam soldiers being bussed from out of district to stuff ballot boxes, Đán was elected by a 6-1 ratio over Diem's candidate.
• Đán was arrested by Diem's forces and not allowed to take his seat in the National Assembly.
• Đán was charged with electoral fraud on the grounds that he supposedly offered free medical care to induce voters to support him.
• A 1966 CIA report described the 1959 election as the 'dirtiest and most openly rigged' of all South Vietnamese elections.

Ukraine National Security

2025 — 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.

• Andriy Parubiy was assassinated on 30 August 2025, according to his Wikipedia biography.
• Parubiy's funeral was held on 2 September 2025 at Saint George's Cathedral in Lviv.
• He was buried at the Lychakiv Cemetery following his funeral.
• On 3 October 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine said it had evidence Russian intelligence ordered Parubiy's assassination.
• Parubiy was posthumously awarded the title Hero of Ukraine in 2025.

East Prussian Front

1914 — 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.

• Russian 2nd Army commander General Alexander Samsonov committed suicide during the battle.
• The Germans captured approximately 90,000 Russian prisoners of war at Tannenberg.
• General Paul von Hindenburg named the battle after Tannenberg, 30 km west of the actual site near Allenstein, to avenge a 1410 defeat.
• Russian radio messages were broadcast in the clear, allowing Germans to intercept daily marching orders.
• The German 8th Army used fast rail movements to concentrate against each Russian army in turn.

From the Warfront

70 — 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.

• Titus led at least 48,000 troops, including four legions and auxiliary forces, in the siege of Jerusalem.
• The Second Temple was destroyed in the summer month of Av (July/August), an event commemorated annually on Tisha B'Av.
• Titus and Emperor Vespasian celebrated their victory with a triumph in Rome, parading Temple spoils including the menorah.
• The Romans systematically razed the city, leaving only the three towers of Herod's citadel and sections of the wall.
• Rival factions led by John of Gischala, Simon bar Giora and Eleazar ben Simon fought inside Jerusalem, destroying food supplies.