On This Day - What Happened On December 30 | Britannica

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533 Codex Justinianus The major elements of the Code of Justinian went into effect, according to many sources, on this day in 533. Developed between 529 and 565, this collection of laws and legal interpretations rationalized a confusing tangle of existing Roman statutes, and it provided the foundation for civil law as it is practiced in Europe and Latin America today. Read today's edition of Today in History >> © A De Gregorio—DeA Picture Library/age fotostock

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Patti Smith American poet, songwriter, and singer bornDecember 30, 1946 (age 79)Chicago, Illinois© David Stokes 1984 LeBron James American basketball player 1975 Tiger Woods American golfer 1946 Patti Smith American poet, songwriter, and singer 1945 Davy Jones British singer and actor 1865 Rudyard Kipling British writer See All Biographies On This Day

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2014 Luise Rainer, the first person to receive two Academy Awards for acting, died at age 104. Who votes for the Academy Awards?© 1936 The Great Ziegfeld/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1986 The British government announced that electronic sensors would begin to replace canaries as early-warning detectors of carbon monoxide in coal mines. Discover more about six other animals that have jobs© youlia20/stock.adobe.com 1984 LeBron James, one of the greatest all-around basketball players of all time, was born in Akron, Ohio. Take our quiz about basketball player nicknames© Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images 1975 Tiger Woods—the first player to win consecutively golf's four major tournaments (the Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open, and the PGA Championship)—was born in Cypress, California. Test your knowledge of golf© Jerry Coli/Dreamstime.com 1922 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was established, with its capital in Moscow. Why did the U.S.S.R. collapse in 1991?Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1916 Grigori Rasputin was murdered by Russian conservatives—who reportedly poisoned, shot, and then drowned the Siberian mystic—in an effort to halt his influence over Empress Alexandra and the royal family. How much do you know about Russia?Photo Harlingue/H. Roger-Viollet 1902 British naval officer and explorer Robert Falcon Scott, in company with Ernest Henry Shackleton and E.A. Wilson, set a new record for reaching the farthest point south, on the Ross Ice Shelf at the head of the Ross Sea in Antarctica. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about AntarcticaEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1896 José Rizal—a physician, man of letters, and leading spokesman of the Philippine reform movement—was publicly executed by the Spanish rulers of the country, enraging and uniting Filipinos. He had been convicted of sedition after an insurrection in the Philippines in which he had no direct role. How did the Philippine Revolution change the history of the Philippines?© Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZ62-43453) 1853 The United States acquired nearly 30,000 square miles (78,000 square km) of northern Mexican territory with the signing of the Gadsden Purchase. Test your knowledge of U.S. history© spatuletail/Shutterstock.com 1847 The reformist Illinois governor John Peter Altgeld, known principally for his pardon of Chicagoans alleged to have been involved in the Haymarket Affair, was born in Niederselters, Prussia.Chicago History Museum, ICHi-09404; Schloss, photographer 1816 Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and Percy Bysshe Shelley married, two years after they had eloped to France while Shelley was still married. She would publish Frankenstein about a year later, and her poet husband would drown six years later.Courtesy of The National Portrait Gallery, London 1803 During the Maratha Wars, the Maratha chief Daulat Rao Sindhia signed the Treaty of Surji-Arjungaon, ceding political power and territory in India to the British. How much do you know about India? SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.