On This Day: Joan of Arc Burned, Peter Paul Rubens Died

May 30 marks a day of significant historical occurrences, from acts of faith and exploration to the passing of influential figures.

In 1431, Joan of Arc, a French national heroine, was burned at the stake in Rouen. Condemned as a heretic and witch by an English-ordered church court, she was later rehabilitated in 1456 and canonized in 1920.

Exploration continued in 1498 when Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain on his third voyage, leading to the discovery of Trinidad and the South American coast, including the Orinoco River's mouth.

The day also saw the deaths of prominent artists and thinkers. Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens died in Antwerp in 1640, leaving a vast artistic legacy. In 1744, English poet and satirist Alexander Pope passed away. The influential Enlightenment philosopher and writer Voltaire died in 1778.

Further historical markers include the birth of Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakunin in 1814, the ratification of the US-Mexico treaty in 1848 ceding vast territories to the U.S., the deposition of Turkish Sultan Abdul Aziz in 1876, the birth of jazz musician Benny Goodman in 1909, the death of aviation pioneer Wilbur Wright in 1912, and the conclusion of the First Balkan War with a peace treaty in London in 1913.