JUNE 30 | Birthdays and Events

Notable Birthdays for June 30

William Wheeler (1819-1887) - The 19th Vice President of the U.S.

Allan Houser (1914-1994) - Considered one of the greatest Native American painters and Modernist sculptors of all time.

Lena Horne (1917-2010) - Actor, dancer, civil rights activist and singer whose career spanned more than 70 years.

Ed Yost (1919-2007) - Inventor of the modern hot air balloon.

Joan Murrell Owens (1933-2011) - Marine biologist who discovered three species of button corals--R. niphada, R. squiresi, and Leptopsammia franki.

Harry Blackstone (1934-1997) - Stage magician and author of the Blackstone Book of Magic and Illusion.

Billy Mills (1938-Still Living) Sprinter who won the Gold Medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics who was considered an unknown runner.

Robert Ballard (1942-Still Living) - Oceanographer who discovered the wreckage, including the RMS Titanic in 1985 and John F. Kennedy's PT-109.

Florence Ballard (1943-1976) - Singer and founder member of the Motown group the Supremes.

Michael Phelps (1985-Still Living) - Swimmer and most decorated Olympian of all time (28 medals).

Memorable Events for June 30

1834 - Congress creates Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).

1864 - President Lincoln signs the Yosemite Grant Act, creating the state-controlled park for the public.

1906 - Congress passes the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act.

1936 - Gone With The Wind (author Margaret Mitchell) is published.

1938 - Superman makes his first appears in issue #1 of the DC Comics' Action Comics Series.

1940 - The Fish and Wildlife Service forms.

1953 - Assembly of the first Chevrolet Corvette begins.

1966 - The National Organization for Women is founded, becoming the largest feminist organization in the U.S.