March 30
Events
Pre-1600
- 598 - Avar–Byzantine wars: The Avars lift the siege at the Byzantine stronghold of Tomis. Their leader Bayan I retreats north of the Danube River after the Avaro-Slavic army is decimated by the plague.
- 1282 - The people of Sicily rebel against the Angevin king Charles I, in what becomes known as the Sicilian Vespers.
- 1296 - Edward I sacks Berwick-upon-Tweed, during armed conflict between Scotland and England.
1601–1900
- 1699 - Guru Gobind Singh establishes the Khalsa in Anandpur Sahib, Punjab.
- 1815 - Joachim Murat issues the Rimini Proclamation, among the earliest calls for Italian unification.
- 1818 - Physicist Augustin Fresnel reads a memoir on optical rotation to the French Academy of Sciences, reporting that when polarized light is "depolarized" by a Fresnel rhomb, its properties are preserved in any subsequent passage through an optically-rotating crystal or liquid.
- 1822 - The Florida Territory is created in the United States.
- 1841 - The National Bank of Greece is founded in Athens.
- 1842 - Ether anesthesia is used for the first time, in an operation by the American surgeon Dr. Crawford Long.
- 1844 - One of the most important battles of the Dominican War of Independence from Haiti takes place near the city of Santiago de los Caballeros.
- 1855 - Origins of the American Civil War: "Border Ruffians" from Missouri invade Kansas and force election of a pro-slavery legislature.
- 1856 - The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Crimean War.
- 1861 - Discovery of the chemical elements: Sir William Crookes announces his discovery of thallium.
- 1863 - Danish prince Wilhelm Georg is chosen as King George of Greece.
- 1867 - Alaska is purchased from Russia for $7.2 million, about two cents/acre, by United States Secretary of State William H. Seward.
- 1870 - Texas is readmitted to the United States Congress following Reconstruction.
- 1885 - The Battle for Kushka triggers the Panjdeh Incident which nearly gives rise to war between the Russian and British Empires.
- 1899 - German Society of Chemistry issues an invitation to other national scientific organizations to appoint delegates to the International Committee on Atomic Weights.
- 1900 - Archaeologists in Knossos, Crete, discover the first clay tablet with hieroglyphic writing in a script later called Linear B.
1901–present
- 1912 - Sultan Abd al-Hafid signs the Treaty of Fez, making Morocco a French protectorate.
- 1918 - Beginning of the bloody March Events in Baku and other locations of Baku Governorate.
- 1939 - The Heinkel He 100 fighter sets a world airspeed record of 463 mph.
- 1940 - Second Sino-Japanese War: Japan declares Nanking capital of a new Chinese puppet government, nominally controlled by Wang Jingwei.
- 1944 - World War II: Allied bombers conduct their most severe bombing run on Sofia, Bulgaria.
- 1944 - Out of 795 Lancasters, Halifaxes and Mosquitos sent to attack Nuremberg, 95 bombers do not return, making it the largest RAF Bomber Command loss of the war.
- 1945 - World War II: Soviet forces invade Austria and capture Vienna. Polish and Soviet forces liberate Danzig.
- 1949 - Cold War: A riot breaks out in Austurvöllur square in Reykjavík, when Iceland joins NATO.
- 1959 - Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, flees Tibet for India.
- 1961 - The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs is signed in New York City.
- 1965 - Vietnam War: A car bomb explodes in front of the United States Embassy, Saigon, killing 22 and wounding 183 others.
- 1967 - Delta Air Lines Flight 9877 crashes at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, killing 19.
- 1972 - Vietnam War: The Easter Offensive begins after North Vietnamese forces cross into the Demilitarized Zone of South Vietnam.
- 1976 - Israeli-Palestinian conflict: in the first organized response against Israeli policies by a Palestinian collective since 1948, Palestinians create the first Land Day.
- 1979 - Airey Neave, a British Member of Parliament, is killed by a car bomb as he exits the Palace of Westminster. The Irish National Liberation Army claims responsibility.
- 1981 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John Hinckley Jr.; three others are wounded in the same incident.
- 1982 - Space Shuttle program: STS-3 mission is completed with the landing of Columbia at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
- 2002 - The 2002 Lyon car attack takes place.
- 2006 - Cyclone Glenda, one of the strongest tropical cyclones in the Australian region makes landfall near Onslow, Western Australia.
- 2008 - Drolma Kyi arrested by Chinese authorities.
- 2009 - Twelve gunmen attack the Manawan Police Academy in Lahore, Pakistan.
- 2011 - Min Aung Hlaing is appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar's armed forces.
- 2017 - SpaceX conducts the world's first reflight of an orbital class rocket.
- 2018 - The Israeli Army kills 17 Palestinians and wounds 1,400 in Gaza during Land Day protests.
- 2019 - Pope Francis visits Morocco.
- 2023 - Donald Trump becomes the first former United States president to be indicted by a grand jury.
Births
Pre-1600
- 892 - Shi Jingtang, founder of the Later Jin Dynasty
- 1135 - Maimonides, Spanish rabbi and philosopher
- 1326 - Ivan II of Moscow
- 1432 - Mehmed the Conqueror, Ottoman sultan
- 1510 - Antonio de Cabezón, Spanish composer and organist
- 1551 - Salomon Schweigger, German theologian
1601–1900
- 1606 - Vincentio Reinieri, Italian mathematician and astronomer
- 1640 - John Trenchard, English politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department
- 1727 - Tommaso Traetta, Italian composer and educator
- 1746 - Francisco Goya, Spanish-French painter and sculptor
- 1750 - John Stafford Smith, English organist and composer
- 1793 - Juan Manuel de Rosas, Argentinian soldier and politician, 13th Governor of Buenos Aires Province
- 1805 - Ferdinand Johann Wiedemann, German-Swedish linguist and botanist
- 1811 - Robert Bunsen, German chemist and academic
- 1820 - Anna Sewell, English author
- 1820 - James Whyte, Scottish-Australian politician, 6th Premier of Tasmania
- 1844 - Paul Verlaine, French poet
- 1853 - Vincent van Gogh, Dutch-French painter and illustrator
- 1853 - Arnoldo Sartorio, German composer, pianist, and teacher
- 1857 - Léon Charles Thévenin, French engineer
- 1858 - Siegfried Alkan, German composer
- 1863 - Mary Calkins, American philosopher and psychologist
- 1864 - Franz Oppenheimer, German-American sociologist and economist
- 1874 - Charles Lightoller, English 2nd officer on the RMS Titanic
- 1874 - Josiah McCracken, American hammer thrower, shot putter, and football player
- 1874 - Nicolae Rădescu, Romanian general and politician, Prime Minister of Romania
- 1875 - Thomas Xenakis, Greek-American gymnast
- 1879 - Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater
- 1880 - Seán O'Casey, Irish dramatist, playwright, and memoirist
- 1882 - Melanie Klein, Austrian-English psychologist and author
- 1888 - J. R. Williams, Canadian-born cartoonist
- 1891 - Chunseong, Korean monk, writer and philosopher
- 1892 - Stefan Banach, Polish mathematician and academic
- 1892 - Fortunato Depero, Italian painter and sculptor
- 1892 - Erhard Milch, German field marshal
- 1892 - Johannes Pääsuke, Estonian photographer and director
- 1892 - Erwin Panofsky, German historian and academic
- 1894 - Tommy Green, English race walker
- 1894 - Sergey Ilyushin, Russian engineer, founded Ilyushin Design Bureau
- 1895 - Jean Giono, French author and poet
- 1895 - Carl Lutz, Swiss vice-consul to Hungary during WWII, credited with saving over 62,000 Jews
- 1895 - Charlie Wilson, English footballer
- 1899 - Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, Indian author, playwright, and screenwriter
1901–present
- 1902 - Brooke Astor, American socialite and philanthropist
- 1902 - Ted Heath, English trombonist and composer
- 1903 - Joy Ridderhof, American missionary
- 1904 - Ripper Collins, American baseball player and coach
- 1905 - Archie Birkin, English motorcycle racer
- 1905 - Mikio Oda, Japanese triple jumper and academic
- 1905 - Albert Pierrepoint, English hangman
- 1907 - Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte, German general
- 1910 - Józef Marcinkiewicz, Polish soldier, mathematician, and academic
- 1911 - Ekrem Akurgal, Turkish archaeologist and academic
- 1912 - Jack Cowie, New Zealand cricketer
- 1912 - Alvin Hamilton, Canadian lieutenant and politician, 18th Canadian Minister of Agriculture
- 1913 - Marc Davis, American animator
- 1913 - Richard Helms, American soldier and diplomat, 8th Director of Central Intelligence
- 1913 - Frankie Laine, American singer-songwriter
- 1913 - Ċensu Tabone, Maltese general, physician, and politician, 4th President of Malta
- 1914 - Sonny Boy Williamson I, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player
- 1915 - Pietro Ingrao, Italian journalist and politician
- 1917 - Els Aarne, Ukrainian-Estonian pianist, composer, and educator
- 1919 - McGeorge Bundy, American intelligence officer and diplomat, 6th United States National Security Advisor
- 1919 - Robin Williams, New Zealand mathematician, university administrator and public servant
- 1921 - André Fontaine, French historian and journalist
- 1922 - Turhan Bey, American actor
- 1922 - Arthur Wightman, American physicist and academic
- 1923 - Milton Acorn, Canadian poet and playwright
- 1925 - Hans Reichelt, German politician
- 1926 - Ingvar Kamprad, Swedish businessman, founded IKEA
- 1927 - Wally Grout, Australian cricketer
- 1928 - Robert Badinter, French lawyer and politician, French Minister of Justice
- 1928 - Colin Egar, Australian cricket umpire
- 1928 - Tom Sharpe, English-Spanish author and educator
- 1929 - Richard Dysart, American actor
- 1929 - Ray Musto, American soldier and politician
- 1929 - István Rózsavölgyi, Hungarian runner
- 1930 - John Astin, American actor
- 1930 - Rolf Harris, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1933 - Jean-Claude Brialy, French actor and director
- 1933 - Joe Ruby, American animator
- 1934 - Paul Crouch, American broadcaster, co-founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network
- 1934 - Hans Hollein, Austrian architect and academic, designed Haas House
- 1935 - Karl Berger, German pianist and composer
- 1935 - Willie Galimore, American football player
- 1935 - Gordon Mumma, American composer
- 1937 - Warren Beatty, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1937 - Ian MacLaurin, Baron MacLaurin of Knebworth, English businessman
- 1938 - John Barnhill, American basketball player and coach
- 1938 - Klaus Schwab, German economist and engineer, founded the World Economic Forum
- 1940 - Norman Gifford, English cricketer
- 1940 - Jerry Lucas, American basketball player and educator
- 1940 - Hans Ragnemalm, Swedish lawyer and judge
- 1940 - David Earle Bailey, American Episcopal priest
- 1941 - Graeme Edge, English singer-songwriter and drummer
- 1941 - Ron Johnston, English geographer and academic
- 1941 - Wasim Sajjad, Pakistani lawyer and politician, President of Pakistan
- 1941 - Bob Smith, American soldier and politician
- 1942 - Ruben Kun, Nauruan lawyer and politician, 14th President of Nauru
- 1942 - Tane Norton, New Zealand rugby player
- 1942 - Kenneth Welsh, Canadian actor
- 1943 - Jay Traynor, American pop and doo-wop singer
- 1944 - Mark Wylea Erwin, American businessman and diplomat
- 1944 - Brian Wilshire, Australian radio host
- 1945 - Eric Clapton, English guitarist and singer-songwriter
- 1947 - Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin, American activist, writer, and black anarchist
- 1947 - Dick Roche, Irish politician, Minister of State for European Affairs
- 1947 - Terje Venaas, Norwegian bassist
- 1948 - Nigel Jones, Baron Jones of Cheltenham, English computer programmer and politician
- 1948 - Eddie Jordan, Irish racing driver and team owner, founded Jordan Grand Prix
- 1948 - Mervyn King, English economist and academic
- 1948 - Jim "Dandy" Mangrum, American rock singer
- 1949 - Liza Frulla, Canadian talk show host and politician, 3rd Minister of Canadian Heritage
- 1949 - Dana Gillespie, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1949 - Naomi Sims, American model and author
- 1950 - Janet Browne, English-American historian and academic
- 1950 - Robbie Coltrane, Scottish actor
- 1950 - Grady Little, American baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1952 - Stuart Dryburgh, English-New Zealand cinematographer
- 1952 - Peter Knights, Australian footballer and coach
- 1955 - Randy VanWarmer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1956 - Bill Butler, Scottish educator and politician
- 1956 - Juanito Oiarzabal, Spanish mountaineer
- 1956 - Paul Reiser, American actor and comedian
- 1956 - Shahla Sherkat, Iranian journalist and author
- 1957 - Marie-Christine Koundja, Chadian author and diplomat
- 1958 - Maurice LaMarche, Canadian voice actor and stand-up comedian
- 1958 - Joey Sindelar, American golfer
- 1959 - Martina Cole, English television host and author
- 1960 - Laurie Graham, Canadian skier
- 1960 - Bill Johnson, American skier
- 1961 - Mike Thackwell, New Zealand racing driver
- 1961 - Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian-American ice hockey player
- 1962 - Mark Begich, American politician
- 1962 - MC Hammer, American rapper and actor
- 1962 - Gary Stevens, English international footballer and manager
- 1963 - Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, Mongolian journalist and politician, 4th President of Mongolia
- 1963 - Panagiotis Tsalouchidis, Greek footballer
- 1964 - Vlado Bozinovski, Macedonian-Australian footballer and manager
- 1964 - Tracy Chapman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1965 - Piers Morgan, English journalist and talk show host
- 1966 - Efstratios Grivas, Greek chess player and author
- 1966 - Dmitry Volkov, Russian swimmer
- 1966 - Leonid Voloshin, Russian triple jumper
- 1967 - Christopher Bowman, American figure skater and coach
- 1967 - Richard Hutten, Dutch furniture designer
- 1967 - Julie Richardson, New Zealand tennis player
- 1968 - Celine Dion, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1969 - Troy Bayliss, Australian motorcycle racer
- 1970 - Tobias Hill, English poet and author
- 1970 - Sylvain Charlebois, Canadian food/agriculture researcher and author
- 1971 - Mari Holden, American cyclist
- 1971 - Mark Consuelos, American actor and television personality
- 1972 - Mili Avital, Israeli-American actress
- 1972 - Emerson Thome, Brazilian footballer and scout
- 1972 - Karel Poborský, Czech footballer
- 1973 - Adam Goldstein, American keyboard player, DJ, and producer
- 1973 - Jan Koller, Czech footballer
- 1973 - Kareem Streete-Thompson, Caymanian-American long jumper
- 1974 - Martin Love, Australian cricketer
- 1975 - Paul Griffen, New Zealand-Italian rugby player
- 1976 - Ty Conklin, American ice hockey player
- 1976 - Obadele Thompson, Barbadian sprinter
- 1976 - Troels Lund Poulsen, Danish politician, Minister for Education of Denmark
- 1977 - Abhishek Chaubey, Indian director and screenwriter
- 1978 - Paweł Czapiewski, Polish runner
- 1978 - Chris Paterson, Scottish rugby player and coach
- 1978 - Bok van Blerk, South African singer-songwriter and actor
- 1979 - Norah Jones, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1979 - Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Ukrainian footballer
- 1980 - Katrine Lunde, Norwegian handball goalkeeper
- 1980 - Kristine Lunde-Borgersen, Norwegian handball player
- 1980 - Ricardo Osorio, Mexican footballer
- 1981 - Jammal Brown, American football player
- 1981 - Andrea Masi, Italian rugby player
- 1982 - Mark Hudson, English footballer
- 1982 - Philippe Mexès, French footballer
- 1982 - Javier Portillo, Spanish footballer
- 1982 - Jason Dohring, American actor
- 1983 - Jérémie Aliadière, French footballer
- 1984 - Mario Ančić, Croatian tennis player
- 1984 - Samantha Stosur, Australian tennis player
- 1985 - Giacomo Ricci, Italian racing driver
- 1986 - Sergio Ramos, Spanish footballer
- 1987 - Trent Barreta, American wrestler
- 1987 - Calum Elliot, Scottish footballer
- 1987 - Kwok Kin Pong, Hong Kong footballer
- 1987 - Marc-Édouard Vlasic, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988 - Will Matthews, Australian rugby league player
- 1988 - Thanasis Papazoglou, Greek footballer
- 1988 - Richard Sherman, American football player
- 1988 - Larisa Yurkiw, Canadian alpine skier
- 1989 - Chris Sale, American baseball player
- 1989 - João Sousa, Portuguese tennis player
- 1990 - Thomas Rhett, American country music singer and songwriter
- 1990 - Michal Březina, Czech figure skater
- 1991 - NF, American rapper
- 1992 - Palak Muchhal, Indian playback singer
- 1993 - Anitta, Brazilian singer and entertainer
- 1994 - Alex Bregman, American baseball player
- 1994 - Jetro Willems, Dutch footballer
- 1995 - Zay Jones, American football player
- 1996 - Ryan Noda, American baseball player
- 1997 - Cha Eun-woo, South Korean singer, actor, and model
- 1998 - Kalyn Ponga, Australian rugby league player
- 2000 - Colton Herta, American race car driver
- 2001 - Anastasia Potapova, Russian tennis player