Important Events From This day in History – 30 April

Today in History

• 1993 CERN announces that World Wide Web protocols will remain free

  The European organization ensured the spread of the WWW by providing the software required to run a web server under an open license.

• 1993 Tennis ace Monica Seles is stabbed by an obsessed fan

  Although the stab wound was relatively innocuous, the psychological consequences meant that Seles did not compete in any tournaments for over two years.

• 1975 The fall of Saigon marks the end of the Vietnam War

  South Vietnamese President Duong Van Minh, who had only been in office for two days, surrendered unconditionally as Communist forces took control of Saigon.

• 1916 Germany and its World War I allies become the first countries to use daylight saving time (DST)

  The rationale was to save energy to aid the war effort. Other European countries, such as the United Kingdom, first introduced DST later that year.

• 1789 George Washington becomes the first U.S. President

  On the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, Washington took the oath of office. He is regarded as one of the country’s founding fathers in the United States.