Today in History - December 30th

1817 - On this day in history, coffee was first planted in Hawaii (Kona).
1853 - The US bought about 45,000 square miles of land from Mexico in a deal known as the Gadsden Purchase.
1879 - Today in history, Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance" was first performed in England.
1922 - The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was formed.
1924 - On this day in history, Edwin Hubble announced the existence of other galactic systems.
1934 - Switzerland refused to join the League of Nations.
1940 - Today in history, California's first freeway was officially opened. It was the Arroyo Seco Parkway connecting Los Angeles and Pasadena.
1953 - The first color TV sets went on sale for about $1,175.
1958 - On this day in history, rebel guerrillas, led by Fidel Castro, were involved in heavy fighting around the town of Santa Clara (Cuba). Two days later, Castro and his guerrillas had taken control and President Batista fled the country to the Dominican Republic.
1972 - President Nixon halted the heavy bombing on North Vietnam.

1980 - Today in history, "Wonderful World of Disney," broadcasted its last performance on NBC-TV.
1988 - Mercedes-Benz paid $20.2 million fine when the company failed to meet '86 government fuel standard.
1993 - On this day in history, Israel and the Vatican established diplomatic relations.
2006 - Saddam Hussein was hanged in Baghdad.
2010 - Today in history, the internet population in China reached 450 million.
2012 - After suffering from a concussion caused by fainting from dehydration, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was hospitalized for a blood clot.

MUSIC HISTORY - Today in History, December 30th

1948 - Today in history, "Kiss Me Kate" opened at the New Century Theatre in New York City. Cole Porter composed the music for the classic play that ran for 1,077 performances.
1967 - Beatles' "Hello Goodbye," single went number one and stayed number one for 3 weeks.
1970 - On this day in history, Paul McCartney sued the other three Beatles to dissolve the partnership and gain control of his interest.
1974 - The Beatles were legally disbanded.

1907 - Today in history, Abraham Mills' commission declared that Abner Doubleday invented baseball.
1961 - Jack Nicklaus lost his first attempt at pro golf to Gary Player in an exhibition match in Miami, FL.
1989 - On this day in history, Dmitri Volkov swam the world record 50m freestyle (27.15 sec).