TODAY IN HISTORY | April 30th

TODAY’S TOPICS

• 311 - Galerius Issues Edict of Toleration

• 1945 - Hitler Commits Suicide

  Extras

  The First Barcode👅

  Homeless or Jail🚔

  Miyamoto Musashi⚔️

  The Fist Tsunami🌊

311 Galerius Issues Edict of Toleration

By the early 4th century, Christians across the Roman Empire had faced years of persecution, especially during what’s known as the Great Persecution, which began under Emperor Diocletian in 303 AD. This crackdown led to the destruction of churches, the burning of scriptures, and the imprisonment or execution of Christians who refused to worship the Roman gods. One of Diocletian’s successors, Galerius, had been one of the strongest supporters of these harsh policies. For nearly a decade, Christians lived under constant threat, especially in the eastern parts of the empire where enforcement was strict.

But by 311, things had started to change. Galerius had fallen seriously ill—some ancient accounts describe him as being in terrible physical pain, possibly with a disease that caused open sores. With his power weakening and the empire dealing with internal conflict, Galerius issued a formal proclamation on April 30, 311, known as the Edict of Toleration (or Edict of Serdica). In it, he acknowledged that the efforts to wipe out Christianity had failed and that continuing to punish Christians wasn’t helping the stability of the empire. For the first time, Christians were officially allowed to worship freely, as long as they didn’t disturb public order.

The edict was important not just because it ended persecution, but because of how it framed Christianity. Galerius still didn’t fully embrace the religion, but he admitted that forcing Christians to abandon their beliefs had been unsuccessful. He even asked Christians to pray for the well-being of the emperor and the state. While the edict didn’t give Christians equal status with traditional Roman religions, it was a major shift—it marked the first time the Roman state formally recognized Christianity as a legal religion.

This decision opened the door to even greater change. Just two years later, in 313, the Edict of Milan—issued by Constantine and Licinius—would expand religious freedom further, guaranteeing the right of all citizens to worship as they chose. But it was Galerius’s edict in 311 that laid the foundation. After centuries of persecution, this marked the first moment when Christianity gained legal protection within the empire—a turning point that would eventually lead to it becoming the dominant faith in the Roman world.

🤖 Ai Depiction of Event

1945 Hitler Commits Suicide

By the end of April 1945, Nazi Germany was falling apart. Soviet forces had surrounded Berlin, and the Allies were closing in from the west. Adolf Hitler had taken refuge in the Führerbunker, a concrete shelter beneath the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. Inside, he was surrounded by a handful of loyal aides, military officials, and close companions. Food, supplies, and communication were running low, and German defenses were collapsing by the hour. Hitler knew the war was lost and that capture—most likely by the Soviets—was unavoidable.

On April 29, Hitler married his longtime partner, Eva Braun, in a brief ceremony inside the bunker. That same night, he dictated his last will and political statement, doubling down on his beliefs, blaming Jews and his military commanders for Germany’s defeat, and naming Admiral Karl Dönitz as his successor. Hitler made it clear he didn’t want to be captured or put on trial, and he gave detailed instructions for how his body should be destroyed after his death so it couldn’t be used for propaganda the way Mussolini’s had been.

On the afternoon of April 30, Hitler and Eva Braun went into his private quarters. At some point, Hitler shot himself in the head with a pistol while Braun took cyanide. Their bodies were found shortly afterward by bunker staff, who followed Hitler’s final orders by carrying the bodies outside to the garden behind the Chancellery, soaking them in gasoline, and setting them on fire. The fire didn’t fully consume the remains, but what was left was eventually discovered by Soviet troops after they captured the area.

The announcement of Hitler’s death was made by German radio on May 1, though the full details were vague at the time. His death effectively marked the end of the Nazi regime. A few days later, Berlin surrendered, and Germany signed an unconditional surrender on May 7, officially ending the war in Europe. Hitler’s suicide didn’t just end his life—it symbolized the final collapse of a dictatorship that had led to one of the deadliest conflicts in human history..

🤖 Ai Depiction of Event

The First Barcode👅
The very first product ever scanned with a barcode wasn’t some fancy piece of tech — it was a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum. On June 26, 1974, at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio, a cashier scanned the gum using the new UPC (Universal Product Code) system — and retail history was made. The scanner beeped, the gum got rung up, and the modern checkout lane was born. Why Wrigley’s? It was small, consistent in packaging, and perfect for testing a system that needed to be precise and reliable. That original pack of gum? It now lives in the Smithsonian, because yes — even chewing gum can make history. 🧾🍬🔍🗿👑🔥

Homeless or Jail🚔
In 19th-century Britain, being homeless wasn’t just tough — it was literally illegal. Under laws targeting “vagrancy,” people without a fixed address could be arrested, fined, jailed, or even shipped off to penal colonies like Australia. The idea was that poverty equaled criminality. If you were caught begging, sleeping rough, or just looking “suspiciously unemployed,” you could be charged under the Vagrancy Acts — especially the harsh 1824 law that basically made existing in public without money a punishable offense. Authorities believed the poor were lazy or dangerous, so instead of help, many got forced labor, prison time, or exile across the sea. So yeah — in Victorian Britain, being down on your luck wasn’t just unfortunate. It could also get you locked up or launched to another continent. 🚓⛓️🦘🏯🔥

Miyamoto Musashi⚔️
Miyamoto Musashi wasn’t just a samurai — he was a dueling legend. Living in 17th-century Japan, Musashi reportedly fought in over 60 one-on-one duels… and never lost a single one. He started young — killing his first opponent at just 13 — and went on to challenge (and beat) some of the greatest swordsmen of his time. He was known for fighting with two swords at once, for using his mind as much as his blade, and for showing up to duels late on purpose just to mess with his opponent's nerves. His most famous fight? Against Sasaki Kojiro, a master swordsman with a five-foot blade. Musashi beat him using a wooden sword he carved from an oar on the boat ride over. Cold. Later in life, Musashi became a philosopher and artist, writing The Book of Five Rings, a guide to strategy, combat, and staying cool under pressure.🥋⚔️🔥🤠🛡️🔥

The First Tsunami🌊
Around 1600 BCE, the Minoan civilization — thriving on the island of Crete — may have suffered one of the earliest recorded tsunami disasters in history. The likely culprit? A massive volcanic eruption on the nearby island of Thera (modern-day Santorini). The eruption was so powerful it may have triggered a mega-tsunami, with waves crashing into Minoan coastal cities, destroying ports, homes, and farmlands. The disaster didn’t wipe out the Minoans overnight, but it seriously weakened them. Combined with earthquakes, ash fallout, and economic chaos, the tsunami marked the beginning of the end for one of the oldest advanced civilizations in Europe. So while the Minoans gave us fancy frescoes and advanced plumbing, they may also have given us history’s first big reminder that nature always wins the long game. 🌋🌊🏛️💀💍🖋️

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