30 June

 10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 30 June:

1. In 2000, a Baltimore man died when his friend punched him in the chest. He'd asked his friend to do it because he thought the blow would cure his hiccups. Well, I suppose it did, in a manner of speaking.
2. Belgian Congo gained independence from Belgium on this date in 1960, and changed its name to Zaire.
3. In 1940, German forces occupied the Channel Islands.
4. In 1939, Frank Sinatra made his first appearance with Harry James' band at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, MD, where he sang, My Love for You.
5. In 1859, French acrobat Charles Blondin became the first person to walk a tight-rope across Niagara Falls. A crowd of 25,000 people watched him complete the feat in just 5 minutes. Then he crossed back with a tripod camera, stopped midway and photographed the crowds.
6. In 1892, it rained little white frogs near Birmingham, UK.
7. In 1908, there was a huge explosion over Siberia. It could be seen for hundreds of miles, leading to speculation that it was caused by an alien spacecraft. Most scientists, however, believe the explosion was caused by a Meteorite hitting the atmosphere, and breaking apart before hitting the ground. 19 years later, scientists who visited the spot found 60 million trees had fallen, pointing in a radial pattern away from the centre of the blast, but to their amazement they found no crater. There was no trace of radiation, so it was unlikely to have been a nuclear explosion. Today, scientists think it might have been a comet or Asteroid about as big as a small mountain that exploded as it fell through the air.
8. In 1894, Tower Bridge in London was officially opened to traffic by the Prince of Wales.
9. In 1837, punishment by pillory was abolished in Britain.
10. In 1973, passengers on Concorde were able to observe a 72-minute Solar Eclipse.

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