July 30
Events
Pre-1600
- 762 - Baghdad is founded.
- 1419 - First Defenestration of Prague: A crowd of radical Hussites kill seven members of the Prague city council.
- 1502 - Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras during his fourth voyage.
1601–1900
- 1609 - Beaver Wars: At Ticonderoga, Samuel de Champlain shoots and kills two Iroquois chiefs on behalf of his native allies.
- 1619 - In Jamestown, Virginia, the first Colonial European representative assembly in the Americas, the Virginia General Assembly, convenes for the first time.
- 1627 - An earthquake kills about 5,000 people in Gargano, Italy.
- 1635 - Eighty Years' War: The Siege of Schenkenschans begins; Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, begins the recapture of the strategically important fortress from the Spanish Army.
- 1645 - English Civil War: Scottish Covenanter forces under the Earl of Leven launch the Siege of Hereford, a remaining Royalist stronghold.
- 1656 - The Battle of Warsaw ends with a Swedish-Brandenburger victory over a larger Polish-Lithuanian force.
- 1676 - Nathaniel Bacon issues the "Declaration of the People of Virginia", beginning Bacon's Rebellion against the rule of Governor William Berkeley.
- 1729 - Founding of Baltimore, Maryland.
- 1733 - The first Masonic Grand Lodge in the future United States is constituted in Massachusetts.
- 1756 - In Saint Petersburg, Bartolomeo Rastrelli presents the newly built Catherine Palace to Empress Elizabeth and her courtiers.
- 1811 - Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, leader of the Mexican insurgency, is executed by the Spanish in Chihuahua City, Mexico.
- 1859 - First ascent of Grand Combin, one of the highest summits in the Alps.
- 1863 - American Indian Wars: Representatives of the United States and tribal leaders including Chief Pocatello sign the Treaty of Box Elder.
- 1863 - Valuev Circular banned the publication of religious, educational and training books in Ukrainian in the Russian Empire.
- 1864 - American Civil War: Battle of the Crater: Union forces attempt to break Confederate lines at Petersburg, Virginia by exploding a large bomb under their trenches.
- 1865 - The steamboat Brother Jonathan sinks off the coast of Crescent City, California, killing 225 passengers, the deadliest shipwreck on the Pacific Coast of the U.S. at the time.
- 1866 - Armed Confederate veterans in New Orleans riot against a meeting of Radical Republicans, killing 48 people and injuring another 100.
- 1871 - The Staten Island Ferry Westfield's boiler explodes, killing over 85 people.
1901–present
- 1912 - Japan's Emperor Meiji dies and is succeeded by his son Yoshihito, who is now known as the Emperor Taishō.
- 1916 - The Black Tom explosion in New York Harbor kills four and destroys some $20,000,000 worth of military goods.
- 1930 - In Montevideo, Uruguay wins the first FIFA World Cup by beating Argentina.
- 1932 - Premiere of Walt Disney's Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon short to use Technicolor and the first Academy Award winning cartoon short.
- 1945 - World War II: sinks the, killing 883 seamen. Most die during the following four days, until an aircraft notices the survivors.
- 1956 - A joint resolution of the U.S. Congress is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorizing In God We Trust as the U.S. national motto.
- 1962 - The Trans-Canada Highway, the then longest national highway in the world, is officially opened.
- 1965 - U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid.
- 1966 - England defeats West Germany to win the FIFA World Cup at Wembley Stadium 4–2 after extra time.
- 1969 - Vietnam War: U.S. president Richard Nixon makes an unscheduled visit to South Vietnam and meets with President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu and U.S. military commanders.
- 1971 - Apollo program: On Apollo 15, David Scott and James Irwin in the Apollo Lunar Module Falcon land on the Moon with the first Lunar Rover.
- 1971 - An All Nippon Airways Boeing 727 and a Japanese Air Force F-86 collide over Morioka, Iwate, Japan killing 162.
- 1974 - Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon releases subpoenaed White House recordings after being ordered to do so by the Supreme Court of the United States.
- 1975 - Jimmy Hoffa disappears from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, at about 2:30 p.m. He is never seen or heard from again.
- 1978 - The 730: Okinawa Prefecture changes its traffic on the right-hand side of the road to the left-hand side.
- 1980 - Vanuatu gains independence.
- 1980 - Israel's Knesset passes the Jerusalem Law.
- 1981 - As many as 50,000 demonstrators, mostly women and children, took to the streets in Łódź to protest food ration shortages in Communist Poland.
- 1990 - Ian Gow, Conservative Member of Parliament, is assassinated at his home by the IRA in a car bombing after he assured the group that the British government would never surrender to them.
- 2003 - In Mexico, the last 'old style' Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the assembly line.
- 2003 - Three years after the death the last Pyrenean ibex, Celia, a clone of her is born only to subsequently die from lung defects. Within minutes, the Pyrenean ibex becomes the first and so-far only species to have ever gone de-extinct as well as go extinct twice.
- 2006 - The world's longest running music show Top of the Pops is broadcast for the last time on BBC Two. The show had aired for 42 years.
- 2006 - An Israeli airstrike kills 28 Lebanese civilians, including 16 children.
- 2011 - Marriage of Queen Elizabeth II's eldest granddaughter Zara Phillips to former rugby union footballer Mike Tindall.
- 2012 - A train fire kills 32 passengers and injures 27 on the Tamil Nadu Express in Andhra Pradesh, India.
- 2012 - A power grid failure in Delhi leaves more than 300 million people without power in northern India.
- 2014 - Twenty killed and 150 are trapped after a landslide in Maharashtra, India.
- 2020 - NASA's Mars 2020 mission was launched on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
- 2024 - A series of landslides occurs in Kerala, India, causing over 420 fatalities.
- 2025 - A magnitude 8.8 earthquake hits Russia, causing tsunamis over the Pacific Ocean.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1470 - Hongzhi, emperor of the Ming dynasty
- 1511 - Giorgio Vasari, Italian painter, historian, and architect
- 1549 - Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
1601–1900
- 1641 - Regnier de Graaf, Dutch physician and anatomist
- 1751 - Maria Anna Mozart, Austrian pianist
- 1763 - Samuel Rogers, English poet and art collector
- 1781 - Maria Aletta Hulshoff, Dutch feminist and pamphleteer
- 1809 - Charles Chiniquy, Canadian-American priest and theologian
- 1818 - Emily Brontë, English novelist and poet
- 1818 - Jan Heemskerk, Dutch lawyer and politician, 16th and 19th Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- 1825 - Chaim Aronson, Lithuanian engineer and author
- 1832 - George Lemuel Woods, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 3rd Governor of Oregon
- 1855 - Georg Wilhelm von Siemens, German-Swiss businessman
- 1857 - Thorstein Veblen, American economist and sociologist
- 1859 - Henry Simpson Lunn, English minister and humanitarian, founded Lunn Poly
- 1862 - Nikolai Yudenich, Russian general
- 1863 - Henry Ford, American engineer and businessman, founded the Ford Motor Company
- 1872 - Princess Clémentine of Belgium
- 1881 - Smedley Butler, American general, Medal of Honor recipient
- 1890 - Casey Stengel, American baseball player and manager
- 1898 - Henry Moore, English sculptor and illustrator
- 1899 - Gerald Moore, English pianist
1901–present
- 1901 - Alfred Lépine, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1904 - Salvador Novo, Mexican poet and playwright
- 1909 - C. Northcote Parkinson, English historian and author
- 1910 - Edgar de Evia, Mexican-American photographer
- 1913 - Lou Darvas, American soldier and cartoonist
- 1914 - Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin, Irish journalist and author, 6th President of the International Olympic Committee
- 1920 - Walter Schuck, German lieutenant and pilot
- 1921 - Grant Johannesen, American pianist and educator
- 1922 - Henry W. Bloch, American banker and businessman, co-founded H&R Block
- 1924 - C. T. Vivian, American minister, author, and activist
- 1925 - Stan Stennett, Welsh actor and trumpet player
- 1925 - Alexander Trocchi, Scottish author and poet
- 1926 - Betye Saar, American artist
- 1926 - George Shanard, American politician and businessman
- 1927 - Richard Johnson, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1927 - Pete Schoening, American mountaineer
- 1927 - Victor Wong, American actor
- 1928 - Sulochana Latkar, Indian actress
- 1928 - Joe Nuxhall, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1929 - Sid Krofft, Canadian-American puppeteer and producer
- 1931 - Dominique Lapierre, French historian and author
- 1931 - Marina Popovich, Soviet pilot, engineer and military officer
- 1934 - Bud Selig, 9th Major League Baseball Commissioner
- 1936 - Buddy Guy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1936 - Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz
- 1938 - Hervé de Charette, French politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1938 - Terry O'Neill, English photographer
- 1939 - Peter Bogdanovich, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1939 - Eleanor Smeal, American activist, founded the Feminist Majority Foundation
- 1940 - Patricia Schroeder, American lawyer and politician
- 1940 - Clive Sinclair, English businessman, founded Sinclair Radionics and Sinclair Research
- 1941 - Paul Anka, Canadian singer-songwriter and actor
- 1942 - Pollyanna Pickering, English environmentalist and painter
- 1943 - Henri-François Gautrin, Canadian physicist and politician
- 1944 - Gerry Birrell, Scottish race car driver
- 1944 - Peter Bottomley, English politician
- 1944 - Frances de la Tour, English actress
- 1945 - Patrick Modiano, French novelist and screenwriter, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1945 - David Sanborn, American saxophonist and composer
- 1946 - Neil Bonnett, American race car driver and sportscaster
- 1946 - Jeffrey Hammond, English bass player
- 1947 - William Atherton, American actor and producer
- 1947 - Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, French virologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1947 - Jonathan Mann, American physician and author
- 1947 - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, and politician, 38th Governor of California
- 1948 - Billy Paultz, American basketball player
- 1948 - Jean Reno, Spanish-French actor
- 1948 - Otis Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1948 - Julia Tsenova, Bulgarian pianist and composer
- 1949 - Duck Baker, American guitarist
- 1949 - Sonia Proudman, English lawyer and judge
- 1950 - Harriet Harman, English lawyer and politician
- 1950 - Frank Stallone, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1951 - Alan Kourie, South African cricketer
- 1951 - Gerry Judah, Indian-English painter and sculptor
- 1952 - Stephen Blackmore, English botanist and author
- 1954 - Ken Olin, American actor, director, and producer
- 1955 - Rat Scabies, English drummer and producer
- 1955 - Christopher Warren-Green, English violinist and conductor
- 1956 - Delta Burke, American actress
- 1956 - Réal Cloutier, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1956 - Georg Gänswein, German prelate, Prefect of the Pontifical Household, and former personal secretary to Pope Benedict XVI
- 1956 - Anita Hill, American lawyer and academic
- 1956 - Soraida Martinez, American painter and educator
- 1957 - Antonio Adamo, Italian director and cinematographer
- 1957 - Bill Cartwright, American basketball player and coach
- 1957 - Clint Hurdle, American baseball player and manager
- 1957 - Nery Pumpido, Argentinian footballer, coach, and manager
- 1958 - Kate Bush, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1958 - Liz Kershaw, English radio broadcaster
- 1958 - Daley Thompson, English decathlete and trainer
- 1960 - Jennifer Barnes, American-English musicologist and academic
- 1960 - Richard Linklater, American director and screenwriter
- 1960 - Brillante Mendoza, Filipino independent film director
- 1961 - Laurence Fishburne, American actor and producer
- 1962 - Alton Brown, American chef, author, and producer
- 1962 - Jay Feaster, American ice hockey player and manager
- 1962 - Yakub Memon, Indian accountant and terrorist
- 1963 - Peter Bowler, English-Australian cricketer
- 1963 - Lisa Kudrow, American actress and producer
- 1963 - Antoni Martí, Andorran architect and politician
- 1963 - Chris Mullin, American basketball player, coach, and executive
- 1964 - Ron Block, American singer-songwriter and banjo player
- 1964 - Vivica A. Fox, American actress
- 1964 - Alek Keshishian, Lebanese-American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1964 - Jürgen Klinsmann, German footballer and manager
- 1964 - Laine Randjärv, Estonian lawyer and politician, 6th Estonian Minister of Culture
- 1965 - Tim Munton, English cricketer
- 1966 - Kerry Fox, New Zealand actress and screenwriter
- 1966 - Craig Gannon, English guitarist and songwriter
- 1966 - Allan Langer, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1966 - Sean Patrick Maloney, American politician
- 1966 - Louise Wener, English author and singer-songwriter
- 1968 - Terry Crews, American actor and football player
- 1968 - Robert Korzeniowski, Polish race walker and coach
- 1968 - Sean Moore, Welsh drummer and songwriter
- 1969 - Simon Baker, Australian actor, director, and producer
- 1969 - Errol Stewart, South African cricketer and lawyer
- 1970 - Alun Cairns, Welsh businessman and politician
- 1970 - Dean Edwards, American comedian, actor, and singer
- 1970 - Christopher Nolan, English-American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1971 - Elvis Crespo, American-Puerto Rican singer
- 1971 - Tom Green, Canadian comedian and actor
- 1971 - Christine Taylor, American actress
- 1972 - Jim McIlvaine, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1973 - Kenton Cool, English mountaineer
- 1973 - Ümit Davala, Turkish footballer and manager
- 1973 - Anastasios Katsabis, Greek footballer
- 1973 - Markus Näslund, Swedish ice hockey player and manager
- 1973 - Sonu Nigam, Indian playback singer and actor
- 1973 - Clementa C. Pinckney, American minister and politician
- 1974 - Radostin Kishishev, Bulgarian footballer and manager
- 1974 - Jason Robinson, English rugby league footballer, and rugby union footballer and coach
- 1974 - Hilary Swank, American actress and producer
- 1975 - Graham Nicholls, English author and activist
- 1975 - Kate Starbird, American basketball player and computer scientist
- 1977 - Diana Bolocco, Chilean model and journalist;
- 1977 - Misty May-Treanor, American volleyball player and coach
- 1977 - Jaime Pressly, American actress
- 1977 - Bootsy Thornton, American basketball player
- 1977 - Ian Watkins, Welsh former Lostprophets singer-songwriter and convicted child sex offender
- 1979 - Carlos Arroyo, Puerto Rican basketball player and singer
- 1979 - Chad Keegan, South African cricketer and coach
- 1979 - Graeme McDowell, Northern Irish golfer
- 1979 - Maya Nasser, Syrian journalist
- 1980 - Seth Avett, American folk-rock singer-songwriter and musician
- 1980 - Justin Rose, South African-English golfer
- 1981 - Nicky Hayden, American motorcycle racer
- 1981 - Juan Smith, South African rugby union footballer
- 1981 - Hope Solo, American soccer player
- 1981 - Indrek Turi, Estonian decathlete
- 1982 - Jehad Al-Hussain, Syrian footballer
- 1982 - James Anderson, English cricketer
- 1982 - Martin Starr, American actor and comedian
- 1982 - Yvonne Strahovski, Australian actress
- 1983 - Seán Dillon, Irish footballer
- 1984 - Marko Asmer, Estonian race car driver
- 1984 - Gabrielle Christian, American actress and singer
- 1984 - Ása Berglind Hjálmarsdóttir, Icelandic politician
- 1984 - Trudy McIntosh, Australian artistic gymnast
- 1984 - Kevin Pittsnogle, American basketball player
- 1984 - Gina Rodriguez, American actress
- 1985 - Chris Guccione, Australian tennis player
- 1985 - Daniel Fredheim Holm, Norwegian footballer
- 1985 - Luca Lanotte, Italian ice dancer
- 1985 - Matthew Scott, Australian rugby league player
- 1986 - Tiago Alencar, Brazilian footballer
- 1986 - William Zillman, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 - Anton Fink, German footballer
- 1987 - Sam Saunders, American golfer
- 1988 - Wen Chean Lim, Malaysian rhythmic gymnast
- 1989 - Aleix Espargaró, Spanish motorcycle racer
- 1989 - Wayne Parnell, South African cricketer
- 1990 - Chris Maxwell, Welsh footballer
- 1990 - Tom Morris, Australian journalist
- 1991 - Diana Vickers, English singer-songwriter
- 1992 - Hannah Cockroft, English wheelchair racer
- 1993 - Jacob Faria, American baseball player
- 1993 - André Gomes, Portuguese footballer
- 1993 - Margarida Moura, Portuguese tennis player
- 1993 - Miho Miyazaki, Japanese singer
- 1994 - Nelydia Senrose, Malaysian actress
- 1995 - Hirving Lozano, Mexican footballer
- 1996 - Nina Stojanović, Serbian tennis player
- 1996 - Dylan Larkin, American hockey player
- 1999 - Joey King, American actress