December 30: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Brian May, Queen’s guitarist, was knighted by King Charles III.

May, an accomplished astrophysicist, was awarded the honor for his services to music and charity work. He was one of the first people to be knighted by the recently crowned king.

A bombing took place on a trolleybus in Russia.

In Volgograd, Russia, 16 people were killed in a bomb attack on a trolleybus, leaving 41 injured. A terrorist Jihadist organization later took claim for the attack.

The Madrid Barajas International Airport was bombed.

A van bomb exploded in the Terminal 4 parking area of the airport, which killed two and injured 52. Claim for the attack was taken by a separatist group, ETA - Euskadi Ta Askatasuna.

Tropical Storm Zeta formed in the open Atlantic Ocean.

It tied the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin.

The Wilaya of Relizane massacre occurred, 400 people were killed from four villages. It was the worst incident in Algeria’s insurgency.

Stevie Wonder released “That Girl,” which went on to win Billboard Song of the Year.

Frank Sinatra first recorded “My Way,” with lyrics written by Paul Anka based on the French song “Comme d’habitude.”

California’s first freeway, Arroyo Seco Parkway, officially opened to traffic.

The American drama movie “Of Mice and Men” was released in the US.

Astronomer Edwin Hubble formally announced the existence of other galactic systems at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

The founding of the Soviet Union was announced.

The formation of the USSR was formally proclaimed in Moscow from the Bolshoi Theatre. The Soviet Union was organized as a federation of RSFSR, Ukrainian SSR, Belorussian SSR, and Transcaucasian SSR.

Frank Steunenberg, the former governor of Idaho, was assassinated outside his home.

A miner named Harry Orchard was arrested for the assassination and was later sentenced to life in prison. Orchard attempted to implicate the leaders of a radical miner's union in the plot, but the leaders were all acquitted.

Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 2 in D Major premiered in Vienna.

While it took Brahms 21 years to complete his first symphony, he composed his second symphony over the summer of 1877.

The United States bought 45,000 square miles of land from Mexico.

Known as the Gadsden Purchase, this deal was finalized in 1854.

British forces retaliated against the United States and burned Buffalo, New York, to the ground.