30 March — Did you know that it was that day that the United States bought Alaska for just $7.2 million, and in the window of the Lviv pharmacy the first oil lamp was lit? What happened that day in history surprises even enthusiasts of history — from ancient battles, through revolutionary inventions to assassinations and coronations. Look into our historical calendar and see how many fates have intertwined on March 30.
What happened on March 30? Major events in history
1282 – Sicilian vespers: a great uprising against the Andegawens
On March 30, 1282, one of the most dramatic folk uprisings in medieval European history broke out in Sicily. The people of the island rebelled against the rule of the Andegawen dynasty, and the rebellion began rapidly and bloodyly — According to the statements, the clash exploded just before the vespers in Palermo. The uprising eventually ended with the exile of Andegawens from the island and permanently changed the political arrangement of forces in the Mediterranean basin. This day in history is still a symbol of the people's resistance against foreign power.
1796 – Gauss proves the possibility of 17th corner construction
On that day, 19-year-old Carl Friedrich Gauss made a discovery that electrified the mathematical world — has proved that it is possible to construct a 17th-angle foreman using only a circus and a ruler. The problem, which for over two thousand years was considered unresolved, fell under the pressure of a young German genius. Gauss was so proud of this discovery that he reportedly asked that the 17th corner be carved on his tombstone. This is one of those events that shows how one man can change the course of science.
1853 – First oil lamp lit in Lviv
In the exhibition window of the Lviv pharmacy "Under the Golden Star" light was lit on March 30, 1853, which was to change the face of civilization. The pharmacist Ignacy Łukasiewicz together with the metalsmith Adam Bratkowski constructed the first oil lamp, giving humanity an alternative to expensive candles and sebaceous muzzles. This Polish discovery has surpassed the industrial oil production in the world by several years and has become the foundation of the birth of the entire oil industry. When we ask what happened that day really groundbreaking — This date corresponds without hesitation.
1856 – End of the Crimean War
The Treaty of Paris signed on 30 March 1856 formally ended the Crimean War — One of the bloodiest conflicts of the 19th century, in which several hundred thousand soldiers and civilians died. Russia had to give up some of its territories and give up its influence in the Balkans, which has changed Europe's geopolitical arrangement for decades. The Treaty was also the first peace agreement in history, where humanitarian law and protection of wounded soldiers were so widely taken into account. The history calendar rarely records such groundbreaking diplomatic documents in one day.
1867 – USA buys Alaska for nothing
The transaction, which many Americans in those days called Seward's "craze," went back to history as one of the best purchases in history. On March 30, 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for just $7.2 million — The equivalent of less than two cents per acre. State Secretary William Seward, who negotiated the deal, was ridiculed for years to buy a useless ice desert. History has rehabilitated him fully — Alaska proved to be rich in gold, oil and other raw materials, and today its strategic importance is unsurpassable.
1940 – "Hubal" defeated the Germans under Hupress
While most of Poland lay under the occupier's shoe, Major Henryk Dobrzański, ps. "Hubal" with his branch of the separated Polish Army, still fought in the woods. On March 30, 1940, his soldiers were victorious in a clash under Hucile — One of the few bright points of that dark period. Hubal was a symbol of steadfast resistance: he did not capitulate in 1939 and for many months led a guerrilla in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. This day in history reminds us that even in the moments of the worst fall there were people who did not give up.
1945 – Gdańsk liberated, Kostrzyn fall
The last weeks of World War II brought Europe a series of dramatic decisions. On March 30, 1945, Soviet and Polish troops captured Gdańsk — A city of great symbolic importance, because it was from him in a sense that the whole war apocalypse began. The same day Kostrzyn-Old City, a fortress defending the approach to Berlin, died. The spring of 1945 carried liberation, although its price was unimaginably high.
1981 – Reagan assassination in front of Hilton Hotel
One of the most shocking moments in recent U.S. history occurred on March 30, 1981, only 69 days after the inauguration of Ronald Reagan. John Hinckley Jr. fired a few shots at the President's Hilton hotel. — Reagan was badly injured, as was his press spokesman James Brady, a Secret Service agent and a police officer. Reagan survived, and his behavior after the assassination — famous jokes directed to doctors in the operating room — They became a legend. The assassination paradoxically strengthened his popularity and is still recalled as one of the key moments of his presidency.
2010 – The Great Hadron Collider makes a breakthrough
In tunnels near Geneva on March 30, 2010, CERN scientists did something that physicists have dreamed of for decades. — conducted the first ever proton beam collision at the Great Hadron Collider at record-breaking energy of 7 TeV. This experiment opened a new era in the study of the fundamental components of matter and brought scientists closer to answering questions about the nature of the universe just after the Big Bang. The result was, among other things, the later proof of Higgs boson. Rarely a day brings such a huge leap in human knowledge of space.
Born 30 March
Francisco Goya (1746) – Spanish painter, one of the most outstanding artists in the history of Western art, author of poignant "Black Paintings" and chronicler of the horrors of wars.
Vincent van Gogh (1853) – The Dutch post-impressionist whose turbulent life and revolutionary style of painting influenced all modern art, the creator of "Suns" and "Starry Night".
Céline Dion (1968) – Canadian singer, one of the best-selling artists in the history of entertainment music, known for the hit "My Heart Will Go On" from the film Titanic.
Tracy Chapman (1964) – American singer and composer, whose debut album with hit "Fast Car" became the voice of a generation and is still recognized as a folk rock masterpiece.
Eric Clapton (1945) – British guitarist and vocalist, three times introduced to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, called by fans "The God of Guitars", creator of timeless hits like "Tears in Heaven" and "Wonderful Tonight".
World events
1533 – Tomasz Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury – he took over one of the most important church offices in England, becoming a key figure of the Anglican Reformation during Henry VIII's reign.
1806 – Joseph Bonaparte king of Naples – Napoleon appointed his brother ruler of the Kingdom of Naples, thereby extending the family empire of Bonapartes to almost all Europe.
1858 – Pencil with patented rubber – American Hyman Lipman patented a pencil with a built-in eraser, an inconspicuous invention, but used by every student to this day.
1912 – France establishes a protectorate over Morocco – this decision set out a new stage in European colonial expansion in North Africa and launched several decades of Moroccan dependence on Paris.
1987 – Van Gogh Sunflowers sold at record price – At the New York auction, the painting of Vincent van Gogh "Sunshines" reached a price of $39.85 million, setting the then world record in the sale of a work of art.
March 30th is a day that hasn't let history rest for centuries. — from Sicilian uprisings through oil lamps and continent transactions to experiments that blow the limits of human knowledge. Every historical calendar is full of surprises, and this day in history proves that the past can be as fascinating as the best adventure novel. Look at us tomorrow — March 31 has its own heroes and riddles.
