On This Day for June 30 - Night of the Long Knives, Lena Horne is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, [click here to view](. June 30 [Lena Horne, 1965.]( FEATURED BIOGRAPHY 1917 Lena Horne [READ MORE]( [Adolf Hitler reviewing troops on the Eastern Front, 1939.]( FEATURED EVENT 1934 Night of the Long Knives [READ MORE]( Advertisement Advertisement [Earth's To-Do List]( MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2001: American musician and record company executive [Chet Atkins]( was a major figure in [country music]( often credited with developing the Nashville Sound of the 1960s—died in Nashville. 1985: American swimmer [Michael Phelps]( the most-decorated Olympic athlete with 28 medals, was born. 1936: American author [Margaret Mitchell]( published [Gone with the Wind]( a sweeping romance set during the [Civil War]( the novel later won a [Pulitzer Prize]( and was adapted into a [hugely successful film](. 1974: Soviet dancer [Mikhail Baryshnikov]( defected from the [U.S.S.R.]( while on tour in [Canada](. 1960: Zaire, formerly [Belgian Congo]( and now the [Democratic Republic of the Congo]( declared its independence from [Belgium](. 1908: An enormous aerial explosion, presumably caused by a [comet]( fragment colliding with [Earth]( flattened approximately 2,000 square km (500,000 acres) of pine forest near the Podkamennaya [Tunguska]( River in central [Siberia](. [SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY]( ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1966 [Mike Tyson]( American boxer 1985 [Michael Phelps]( American swimmer 1942 [Robert Ballard]( American oceanographer 1917 [Buddy Rich]( American musician 1917 [Susan Hayward]( American actress [SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY]( Advertisement FOLLOW: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, [click here](. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2019 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. [Privacy Policy]( • [Help](