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On This Day in History — October 30
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Highlights of October 30
- 2020 — A magnitude-7.0 earthquake occurred in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey, triggering a tsunami and causing 119 deaths. Read more
- 2010 — American comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert hosted the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington, D.C. Read more
- 2002 — After his terminal-cancer diagnosis, Warren Zevon made his last public appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, giving the advice to "enjoy every sandwich". Read more
- 2001 — Michael Jackson released Invincible, his final studio album and the most expensive album ever produced. Read more
- 1993 — The Troubles: Three members of the Ulster Defence Association opened fire in a crowded pub during a Halloween party, killing eight people and wounding nineteen others. Read more
- 1991 — The Madrid Conference, an attempt by the international community to revive the Israeli–Palestinian peace process through negotiations, convened. Read more
- 1983 — As the military dictatorship came to an end, Argentina's first democratic election in a decade resulted in Raúl Alfonsín being elected president. Read more
- 1968 — A squad of 120 North Korean Army commandos landed in boats along a 25-mile long section of the eastern coast of South Korea in a failed attempt to overthrow the dictatorship of Park Chung Hee and reunify Korea. Read more
- 1965 — English model Jean Shrimpton wore a controversially short minidress to Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia – a pivotal moment of the introduction of the miniskirt to women's fashion. Read more
- 1960 — At the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Michael Woodruff performed the first successful kidney transplantation in the United Kingdom. Read more
- 1948 — A luzzu (Maltese fishing boat) overloaded with passengers capsized and sank in the Gozo Channel off Qala, killing 23 of the 27 people on board (monument pictured). Read more
- 1938 — CBS Radio broadcast "The War of the Worlds", a radio drama that newspapers accused of tricking Americans into believing there was an actual Martian invasion. Read more
- 1888 — Lobengula, King of Matabeleland, granted the Rudd Concession (pictured) to agents of Cecil Rhodes, leading to the creation of the British South Africa Company. Read more
- 1863 — Seventeen-year-old Vilhelm, Prince of Denmark, arrived in Athens to become King George I of Greece (pictured). Read more
- 1806 — War of the Fourth Coalition: Believing that they were outnumbered, the German garrison at Stettin surrendered to a much smaller French force without a fight. Read more
Events
- 2023 — First rescue of a prisoner during the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Read more
- 2022 — A pedestrian suspension bridge collapses in the city of Morbi, Gujarat, leading to the deaths of at least 135 people. Read more
- 2020 — A magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey, triggering a tsunami. At least 119 people die mainly due to collapsed buildings. Read more
- 2015 — A fire in a nightclub in the Romanian capital of Bucharest kills sixty-four people and leaves more than 147 injured. Read more
- 2014 — Sweden becomes the first European Union member state to officially recognize Palestine as an independent and sovereign state. Read more
- 2014 — Four people are killed when a Beechcraft Super King Air crashes at Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita, Kansas. Read more
- 2013 — Forty-five people are killed and seven injured after a bus catches fire in Mahabubnagar district, Andhra Pradesh (present-day Telangana), India. Read more
- 2005 — The rebuilt Dresden Frauenkirche (destroyed in the firebombing of Dresden during World War II) is reconsecrated after a thirteen-year rebuilding project. Read more
- 1995 — Quebec citizens narrowly vote (50.58% to 49.42%) in favour of remaining a province of Canada in their second referendum on national sovereignty. Read more
- 1991 — The Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The Madrid Conference commences in an effort to revive peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Read more
- 1985 — Space Shuttle Challenger lifts off for mission STS-61-A, its final successful mission. Read more
- 1983 — The first democratic elections in Argentina, after seven years of military rule, are held. Read more
- 1983 — A magnitude 6.6 earthquake in the Turkish provinces of Erzurum and Kars leaves approximately 1,340 people dead. Read more
- 1980 — El Salvador and Honduras agree to put the border dispute fought over in 1969's Football War before the International Court of Justice. Read more
- 1975 — Prince Juan Carlos I of Spain becomes acting head of state, taking over for the country's ailing dictator, Gen. Francisco Franco. Read more
- 1975 — Forty-five people are killed when Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 450 crashes into Suchdol, Prague, while on approach to Prague Ruzyně Airport (now Václav Havel Airport Prague) in Czechoslovakia (present-day Czech Republic). Read more
- 1973 — The Bosphorus Bridge in Turkey is completed, connecting the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosphorus for the second time. Read more
- 1968 — A squad of 120 North Korean Army commandos land in boats along a 25-mile long section of the eastern coast of South Korea in a failed attempt to overthrow the dictatorship of Park Chung Hee and bring about the reunification of Korea. Read more
- 1961 — The Soviet Union detonates the Tsar Bomba, the most powerful explosive device ever detonated. Read more
- 1959 — Piedmont Airlines Flight 349 crashes on approach to Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport in Albemarle County, Virginia, killing 26 of the 27 on board. Read more
- 1956 — Hungarian Revolution: The government of Imre Nagy recognizes newly established revolutionary workers' councils. Army officer Béla Király leads anti-Soviet militias in an attack on the headquarters of the Hungarian Working People's Party. Read more
- 1953 — President Eisenhower approves the top-secret document NSC 162/2 concerning the maintenance of a strong nuclear deterrent force against the Soviet Union. Read more
- 1948 — A luzzu fishing boat overloaded with passengers capsizes and sinks in the Gozo Channel off Qala, Gozo, Malta, killing 23 of the 27 people on board. Read more
- 1947 — The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the foundation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is founded. Read more
- 1944 — Holocaust: Anne and Margot Frank are deported from Auschwitz to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where they die from disease the following year, shortly before the end of WWII. Read more
- 1942 — World War II: Lt. Tony Fasson and Able Seaman Colin Grazier drown while taking code books from the sinking German submarine U-559. Read more
- 1941 — President Roosevelt approves $1 billion in Lend-Lease aid to the Allied nations. Read more
- 1941 — Holocaust: Fifteen hundred Jews from Pidhaytsi are sent by Nazis to Bełżec extermination camp. Read more
- 1938 — Orson Welles broadcasts a radio adaptation of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds, causing a massive panic in some of the audience in the United States. Read more
- 1920 — The Communist Party of Australia is founded in Sydney. Read more
- 1918 — World War I: The Ottoman Empire signs the Armistice of Mudros with the Allies. Read more
- 1918 — World War I: Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen, a state union of Kingdom of Hungary and Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia is abolished with decisions of Croatian and Hungarian parliaments. Read more
- 1905 — Tsar Nicholas II issues the October Manifesto, nominally granting the Russian peoples basic civil liberties and the right to form a duma. (October 17 in the Julian calendar) Read more
- 1888 — The Rudd Concession is granted by Matabeleland to agents of Cecil Rhodes. Read more
- 1864 — Second War of Schleswig: The Treaty of Vienna is signed, by which Denmark relinquishes one province each to Prussia and Austria. Read more
- 1863 — Danish Prince Vilhelm arrives in Athens to assume his throne as George I, King of the Hellenes. Read more
- 1858 — Approximately 20 people die in Bradford, England, UK, after being poisoned from ingesting sweets that had been accidentally adulterated with arsenic trioxide. Read more
- 1836 — Louis Napoleon launches the unsuccessful Strasbourg Coup to overthrow the July Monarchy in France Read more
- 1831 — Nat Turner is arrested for leading the bloodiest slave rebellion in United States history. Read more
- 1817 — Simón Bolívar becomes President of the Third Republic of Venezuela. Read more
- 1806 — War of the Fourth Coalition: Convinced that he is facing a much larger force, Prussian General von Romberg, commanding 5,300 men, surrenders the city of Stettin to 800 French soldiers. Read more
- 1657 — Anglo-Spanish War: Spanish forces fail to retake Jamaica at the Battle of Ocho Rios. Read more
- 1340 — Reconquista: Portuguese and Castilian forces halt a Muslim invasion at the Battle of Río Salado. Read more
- 1270 — The Eighth Crusade ends by an agreement between Charles I of Anjou (replacing his deceased brother King Louis IX of France) and the Hafsid dynasty of Tunis, Tunisia. Read more
- 1137 — Ranulf of Apulia defeats Roger II of Sicily at the Battle of Rignano, securing his position as duke until his death two years later. Read more
- 758 — Guangzhou is sacked by Arab and Persian pirates. Read more
- 637 — Arab–Byzantine wars: Antioch surrenders to the Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of the Iron Bridge. Read more
- 130 — Emperor Hadrian establishes the city of Antinoöpolis on the Nile in honour of his companion Antinous, creating a new Hellenizing foundation in Roman Egypt. Read more
Born on October 30
- 2000 — Giselle, Japanese singer Read more
- 1998 — Cale Makar, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1997 — Tage Thompson, American ice hockey player Read more
- 1996 — Devin Booker, American basketball player Read more
- 1996 — Dennis Gilbert, American ice hockey player Read more
- 1996 — Kennedy McMann, American actress Read more
- 1996 — Kim Ji-sung, South Korean actress Read more
- 1994 — Mia Eklund, Finnish tennis player Read more
- 1993 — Marcus Mariota, American football player Read more
- 1992 — Matt Parcell, Australian rugby league player Read more
- 1992 — Camila Silva, Chilean tennis player Read more
- 1991 — Jarell Eddie, American basketball player Read more
- 1991 — Artemi Panarin, Russian ice hockey player Read more
- 1991 — Tomáš Satoranský, Czech basketball player Read more
- 1990 — Joe Panik, American baseball player Read more
- 1990 — Suwaibou Sanneh, Gambian sprinter Read more
- 1989 — Ashley Barnes, Austrian-English footballer Read more
- 1989 — Nastia Liukin, Russian-American gymnast and actress Read more
- 1989 — Vanessa White, English singer, former member of The Saturdays Read more
- 1988 — Janel Parrish, American actress and singer Read more
- 1987 — Danielle Fong, Canadian entrepreneur, co-founder and chief scientist of LightSail Energy Read more
- 1987 — Ashley Graham, American model Read more
- 1987 — Ali Riley, New Zealand footballer Read more
- 1986 — Desmond Jennings, American baseball player Read more
- 1986 — Thomas Morgenstern, Austrian ski jumper Read more
- 1986 — Keisuke Sohma, Japanese actor Read more
- 1986 — Tamera Young, American basketball player Read more
- 1985 — Ragnar Klavan, Estonian footballer Read more
- 1984 — Gedo, Egyptian footballer Read more
- 1984 — Eva Marcille, American model and actress Read more
- 1984 — David Mooney, Irish footballer Read more
- 1984 — Isaac Ross, New Zealand rugby player Read more
- 1984 — Tyson Strachan, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1983 — Trent Edwards, American football player Read more
- 1983 — Iain Hume, Canadian soccer player Read more
- 1983 — Maor Melikson, Israeli footballer Read more
- 1983 — Nicole Williams English, Canadian fashion designer and model Read more
- 1982 — Andy Greene, American ice hockey player Read more
- 1982 — Manny Parra, American baseball player Read more
- 1982 — Clémence Poésy, French actress and model Read more
Died on October 30
- 2024 — Matt Peacock, Australian journalist and author (born 1952) Read more
- 2017 — Kim Joo-hyuk, South Korean actor (born 1972) Read more
- 2015 — Mel Daniels, American basketball player and coach (born 1944) Read more
- 2015 — Al Molinaro, American actor (born 1919) Read more
- 2015 — Sinan Şamil Sam, Turkish boxer (born 1974) Read more
- 2015 — Norm Siebern, American baseball player and scout (born 1933) Read more
- 2014 — Elijah Malok Aleng, Sudanese general and politician (born 1937) Read more
- 2014 — Renée Asherson, English actress (born 1915) Read more
- 2014 — Juan Flavier, Filipino physician and politician (born 1935) Read more
- 2014 — Ida Elizabeth Osbourne, Australian actress and radio host (born 1916) Read more
- 2014 — Bob Geigel, American wrestler and promoter (born 1924) Read more
- 2014 — Thomas Menino, American businessman and politician, 53rd Mayor of Boston (born 1942) Read more
- 2013 — Bill Currie, American baseball player (born 1928) Read more
- 2013 — Pete Haycock, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1951) Read more
- 2013 — Michael Palmer, American physician and author (born 1942) Read more
- 2013 — Frank Wess, American saxophonist and flute player (born 1922) Read more
- 2012 — Franck Biancheri, French politician (born 1961) Read more
- 2012 — Samina Raja, Pakistani poet and educator (born 1961) Read more
- 2012 — Dan Tieman, American basketball player and coach (born 1940) Read more
- 2010 — Harry Mulisch, Dutch author, poet, and playwright (born 1927) Read more
- 2009 — Claude Lévi-Strauss, French anthropologist and ethnologist (born 1908) Read more
- 2008 — Pedro Pompilio, Argentinian businessman (born 1950) Read more
- 2007 — Washoe, American chimpanzee (born 1965) Read more
- 2007 — Robert Goulet, American actor and singer (born 1933) Read more
- 2007 — Linda S. Stein, American businesswoman and manager (born 1945) Read more
- 2007 — John Woodruff, American runner and colonel (born 1915) Read more
- 2006 — Clifford Geertz, American anthropologist and author (born 1926) Read more
- 2006 — Junji Kinoshita, Japanese playwright and scholar (born 1914) Read more
- 2005 — Al López, American baseball player and manager (born 1908) Read more
- 2005 — Shamsher Singh Sheri, Indian politician (born 1942) Read more
- 2004 — Phyllis Frost, Australian philanthropist, founded Keep Australia Beautiful (born 1917) Read more
- 2004 — Peggy Ryan, American actress and dancer (born 1924) Read more
- 2003 — Steve O'Rourke, English race car driver and manager (born 1940) Read more
- 2002 — Juan Antonio Bardem, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1922) Read more
- 2002 — Jam Master Jay, American rapper and producer (born 1965) Read more
- 2000 — Steve Allen, American actor, television personality, game show panelist, and talk show host (born 1921) Read more
- 1999 — Maigonis Valdmanis, Latvian basketball player (born 1933) Read more
- 1997 — Samuel Fuller, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1912) Read more
- 1996 — John Young, Scottish actor (born 1916) Read more
- 1993 — Paul Grégoire, Canadian cardinal (born 1911) Read more
Holidays & observances
Anniversary of the Declaration of the Slovak Nation (Slovakia); Christian feast day:
Ethelnoth (Egelnoth) the Good; Christian feast day:
Blessed Dominic Collins (Catholic, Ireland, Society of Jesus); Christian feast day:
Gerard of Potenza; Christian feast day:
Blessed Maria Teresa of St. Joseph; Christian feast day:
John Wycliffe (Episcopal Church (USA)); Christian feast day:
Marcellus of Tangier; Christian feast day:
Saturninus of Cagliari; Christian feast day:
Serapion of Antioch; Christian feast day:
Talarican (Tarkin); Christian feast day:
Theonistus; Christian feast day:
Zenobios and Zenobia; Christian feast day:
October 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions (former Soviet republics, except Ukraine); Thevar Jayanthi (Thevar community, India); Mischief Night (Ireland, Canada, United Kingdom, United States and other places)
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “October 30”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.