Today in history: July 30
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a measure creating Medicare, which began operating the following year, and more events that happened on this day in history.
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1864: Petersburg, Virginia
In 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces tried to take Petersburg, Virginia, by exploding a gunpowder-laden mine shaft beneath Confederate defense lines; the attack failed.
1916: Black Tom Island
In 1916, German saboteurs blew up a munitions plant on Black Tom, an island near Jersey City, New Jersey, killing about a dozen people.
1956: Dwight D. Eisenhower
In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a measure making “In God We Trust” the national motto, replacing “E Pluribus Unum” (Out of many, one).
1965: Lyndon B. Johnson
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a measure creating Medicare, which began operating the following year.
1975: Jimmy Hoffa
In 1975, former Teamsters union president Jimmy Hoffa disappeared in suburban Detroit; although presumed dead, his remains have never been found.
2001: Robert Mueller
In 2001, Robert Mueller (MUHL’-ur), President George W. Bush’s choice to head the FBI, promised the Senate Judiciary Committee that if confirmed, he would move forcefully to fix problems at the agency. (Mueller became FBI director on Sept. 4, 2001, a week before the 9/11 attacks.)
2008: Radovan Karadzic
In 2008, ex-Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic (RA’-doh-van KA’-ra-jich) was extradited to The Hague to face genocide charges after nearly 13 years on the run. (He was sentenced by a U.N. court in 2019 to life imprisonment after being convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.)
2011: Libya
Ten years ago: NATO jets bombed three Libyan state TV satellite transmitters in Tripoli, targeting a propaganda tool in Moammar Gadhafi’s fight against rebels.
2016: Lockhart, Texas
Five years ago: Sixteeen people died when a hot air balloon caught fire and exploded after hitting high-tension power lines before crashing into a pasture near Lockhart, Texas, about 60 miles northeast of San Antonio.
2020: Donald Trump
One year ago: President Donald Trump floated the idea of delaying the Nov. 3 presidential election, an idea that met immediate resistance from Republicans in Congress.
2020: Herman Cain
One year ago: Herman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of a pizza chain who became an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, died in Atlanta of complications from the coronavirus at the age of 74; he was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was photographed not wearing a mask.
2020: John Lewis
One year ago: John Lewis was eulogized in Atlanta by three former presidents and others who urged Americans to continue the work of the civil rights icon in fighting injustice during a moment of racial reckoning.
2020: The NBA
One year ago: The NBA season resumed for 22 teams inside a “bubble” at Walt Disney World in Florida, with no fans in attendance and with strict health and safety protocols in effect.