Muhammad Ali speaks with reporters in Washington D.C., on May 5, 1986. On April 30, 1967, Ali was stripped of his world heavyweight boxing championship title after he refused to be drafted into the U.S. military. File Photo by Leighton Mark/UPI | License Photo

A statue of President George Washington stands at Lafayette Park in St. Louis on February 19. On April 30, 1789, Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

Ellen DeGeneres arrives the Los Angeles premiere of "G.I. Jane" on August 6, 1997. On April 30, 1997, DeGeneres' character came out as gay on the popular sitcom "Ellen," making it the first sitcom to feature a gay leading character. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

President Barack Obama discusses the plans for Chrysler to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington on April 30, 2009. File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI | License Photo

Monica Seles defeats Tara Snyder at the U.S. Open Championships in Flushing Medow, N.Y., on August 27, 1997. On April 30, 1993, Seles was stabbed and injured by a self-described fan of Steffi Graf during a match in Hamburg, Germany. File Photo by Rodger Celestin/UPI | License Photo

Adolf Hitler attends a Nazi party rally in Nuremberg, Germany, circa 1928. On April 30, In 1945, Hitler's burned body was found in a bunker in the ruins of Berlin. File Photo courtesy of the NARA

April 30 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States.


In 1803, the United States more than doubled its land area with the Louisiana Purchase. It obtained all French territory west of the Mississippi River for $15 million.

In 1812, Louisiana entered the union as the 18th U.S. state.

In 1927, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford became the first movie personalities to leave their footprints in concrete at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first U.S. president to appear on television when he was shown on opening day at the New York World's Fair.

In 1945, the burned body of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was found in a bunker in the ruins of Berlin.

In 1948, 21 countries of the Western Hemisphere formed the Organization of American States.

In 1967, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his world heavyweight boxing championship title after he refused to be drafted into the U.S. military.

In 1975, South Vietnam unconditionally surrendered to North Vietnam. The communists occupied Saigon and renamed it Ho Chi Minh City.

In 1997, Ellen DeGeneres' character came out as gay on the popular sitcom Ellen, making it the first sitcom to feature a gay leading character. The local ABC affiliate in Birmingham, Ala., refused to air the episode so gay rights advocates arranged for a satellite downlink to beam the show.

In 1993, tennis star Monica Seles was stabbed and injured by a self-described fan of Steffi Graf during a break between games in a match against another player in Hamburg, Germany. Seles, who won nine grand-slam singles titles in her career, was out of competitive tennis for more than two years after the attack.

In 2006, rebel factions in Sudan rejected a peace agreement in the Darfur conflict. Officials estimated the fighting had killed at least 180,000 people and driven more than 2 million from their homes.

In 2009, Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection in a key move of a restructuring plan backed by the Obama administration.

In 2012, Israel began construction of a wall that would be 23 feet high and less than a mile long on its border with Lebanon. Security officials said the concrete wall would protect residents in the Matulla area from sniper fire from nearby Lebanese villages.

In 2013, Queen Beatrix, the 75-year-old monarch of the Netherlands, signed a formal declaration abdicating in favor of her eldest son, Willem-Alexander, 46, who became the country's first king in 123 years.

In 2019, Japanese Emperor Akihito, 85, formally abdicated his throne, becoming the nation's first monarch to step down in 200 years. His son, Crown Prince Naruhito, ascended to the throne, starting the Reiwa era.