1. On March 30, 1858, Hingham native and politician Charles Sumner delivered his famous "Crime Against Kansas" speech in the US Senate. The speech denounced the institution of slavery and defended free states against pro-slavery forces. It is considered one of the most important speeches in American history.

2. On March 30, 1870, the 15th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, granting African American men the right to vote. Massachusetts was one of the first states to ratify the amendment.

3. March 30, 1916, marks the birth of actress and activist, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, in London, England. Taylor spent much of her life in the United States and was an advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness and research.

4. In 1979, on March 30, a partial meltdown occurred at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. This event led to increased safety measures in the nuclear energy industry.

5. On March 30, 2018, Massachusetts became the first state to ban bump stocks, a device that can modify a semi-automatic weapon to fire rapidly, following the mass shooting in Las Vegas. The ban went into effect on February 1, 2019.