DAY IN HISTORY September 30

1399 – Henry IV is proclaimed King of England.

1791 – The first performance of The Magic Flute, the last opera by Mozart to make its debut, took place at Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna.

1882 – Thomas Edison’s first commercial hydroelectric power plant (later known as Appleton Edison Light Company) begins operation on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States.

1888 – Jack the Ripper kills his third and fourth victims, Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes.

1915 – A Serbian Army private becomes the first soldier in history to shoot down an enemy aircraft with ground-to-air fire.

1927 – Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 60 home runs in a season.

1938 – The League of Nations unanimously outlaws “intentional bombings of civilian populations”.

1941 – World War II: Holocaust in Kiev, Ukraine: German Einsatzgruppe C complete Babi Yar massacre.

1943 – The US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1949 – The Berlin Airlift that began in 1948 ends. At the end of the Second World War, U.S., British, and Soviet military forces divided and occupied Germany. Also divided into occupation zones, Berlin was located far inside Soviet-controlled eastern Germany.

1954 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Nautilus is commissioned as the world’s first nuclear reactor powered vessel.

James Dean’s Porsche

1955 – Film star James Dean dies in a road accident aged 24.

A few months after Dean died in a highway accident, George Barris, known as the “King of the Kustomizers,” and creator of the ‘Batmobile’ acquired the remains of Dean’s wrecked Porsche 550 Spyder.

     Attorney Lee Raskin, author of “James Dean: On the Road to Salinas” and an outspoken critic of Batmobile creator George Barris’ stewardship of “Little Bastard,” says the car was originally registered in California by its engine number, rather than the chassis number. After the Porsche was written off by Dean’s insurance company, it was sold for $1,092 to Dr. William F. Eschrich, who removed the engine and other drivetrain components before Barris took possession of the rest of the car.

     Since no official record of that transfer has been discovered – and since Eschrich’s family still has the original pink slip for the car, along with the engine – Raskin believes the entire vehicle belongs to the Eschriches. But the family has made no claim to the missing parts of the vehicle or commented on the recent developments.As for the parties directly involved in the ongoing discussion, Barris’ recent death has slowed the process, which means an attempt to find out if Dean’s Porsche is hidden behind a wall made take some time before being resolved.

1968 – The Boeing 747 is rolled out and shown to the public for the first time at the Boeing Everett Factory.

1982 – Cyanide-laced Tylenol kills six people in the Chicago area. Seven are killed in all.

1986 – Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed details of Israel’s covert nuclear program to British media, is kidnapped in Rome by the Israeli Mossad.

Acting on his conscience, he carefully took about 60 photos of the top-secret labs and unique production processes involved. When some of these photos were originally published in the London Sunday Times‘ exposé, they confirmed his eyewitness testimony about the extent of Israel’s nuclear weapons program and revealed Israel to be one of the world’s top nuclear powers.

Vanunu revealed details of his detention by writing on his hand: “Vanunu M was hijacked in Rome. ITL. 30.9.86, 21:00. Came to Rome by fly BA504.

1861 – William Wrigley, Jr., founded Wrigley Company (d. 1932)

1915 – Lester Maddox, 75th Governor of Georgia (d. 2003)

1917 – Buddy Rich, American drummer, bandleader, and actor (d. 1987)

1924 – Truman Capote, author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1984)

 Capote earned the most fame with In Cold Blood, a journalistic work about the murder of a Kansas farm family in their home. Capote spent four years writing the book aided by his lifelong friend Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird(1960).

1946 – Jochen Mass, German race car driver

954 – Louis IV of France (b. 920)

1978 – Edgar Bergen, American actor and ventriloquist (b. 1903)

1985 – Charles Francis Richter, seismologist and physicist (b. 1900)

1989 – Virgil Thomson, American composer and critic (b. 1896)