1930: the year the Paraíba state capital received the name João Pessoa

The assassination of João Pessoa Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, on July 26, 1930, gave the Paraíba state capital the name it still carries today.

On July 26, 1930, the president of the state of Paraíba, João Pessoa Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, was assassinated in Recife, in an episode with strong political repercussions that preceded, by a few months, the Revolution of 1930, the movement that brought Getúlio Vargas to power. João Pessoa had been a candidate for vice president of the Republic on the Aliança Liberal ticket, alongside Vargas, in that year's election.

As a form of tribute, the Legislative Assembly of Paraíba decided to change the name of the state capital, until then called simply Paraíba (or Parahyba), to João Pessoa. The session that made the change official is remembered as a milestone held at the Teatro Santa Roza, the oldest theater still operating in the state, the stage for several central episodes of Paraíba's political history throughout the 20th century.

The name change adds to a longer historical sequence: the city founded in 1585 had already been called Nossa Senhora das Neves, Filipeia and Frederica, before being known simply as Paraíba and, finally, João Pessoa. The current name also gave rise to one of the city's main civic dates, commemorated every year on July 26.

Almost a hundred years later, the tribute remains present in the capital's daily life, from Praça João Pessoa to the international airport that bears his name, keeping alive the memory of an episode that marked the state's political history.