May 30 Birthday
On May 30, 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in the marketplace of Rouen. She was nineteen. She had been captured by the Burgundians, sold to the English, and tried by an ecclesiastical court for heresy. The charges included wearing men's clothing and claiming to hear divine voices. She had lifted the siege of Orléans, crowned the king at Reims, and led armies — all in less than two years. The English wanted her discredited so that Charles VII's coronation, which she had enabled, would be seen as invalid. She was tied to a pillar in the marketplace. The fire was lit. She asked for a cross, and an English soldier gave her one made from the end of a stick. She died calling the name of Jesus. The first Indianapolis 500 was held on May 30, 1911. Ray Harroun won in a Marmon Wasp, averaging 74.6 mph. The car was the first to use a rearview mirror instead of a riding mechanic. The race was conceived by Carl Fisher as a test of American automobiles — a showcase that would draw manufacturers and spectators. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, built on 328 acres of farmland, originally held balloon races, motorcycle races, and aviation exhibitions. The 500 has been held every year since 1911 except during World Wars I and II. The winner drinks milk in Victory Lane — a tradition dating to 1936, when Louis Meyer requested buttermilk. Mel Blanc, born this day in 1908, voiced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn, and dozens of other characters. He was known as "the man of a thousand voices." After a car accident in 1961 left him in a coma, a doctor asked, "How are you feeling today, Bugs Bunny?" and Blanc replied, "What's up, Doc?" in Bugs's voice. He had been in a coma for two weeks. People born on May 30 fall under the zodiac sign of Gemini. The birthstone is Emerald and the birth flower is Lily of the Valley. Historical events on May 30 include 1431: Joan of Arc burned at the stake in Rouen, France, 1911: First Indianapolis 500 motor race held, 1806: Andrew Jackson kills Charles Dickinson in a duel. Famous people born on May 30 include Benny Goodman (1909), Mel Blanc (1908), Gale Sayers (1943).