On this day: December 30

Events on December 30

• 534 The second and final edition of the Code of Justinian comes into effect in the Byzantine Empire. Wikipedia
• 999 In Ireland, the combined forces of Munster and Meath crushed a rebellion by Leinster and Dublin. Wikipedia
• 999 Battle of Glenmama: The combined forces of Munster and Meath under king Brian Boru inflict a crushing defeat on the allied armies of Leinster and Dublin near Lyons Hill in Ireland. Wikipedia
• 1066 Granada massacre: A Muslim mob storms the royal palace in Granada, crucifies Jewish vizier Joseph ibn Naghrela and massacres most of the Jewish population of the city. Wikipedia
• 1896 Filipino patriot and reform advocate José Rizal is executed by a Spanish firing squad in Manila. Wikipedia
• 1896 Canadian ice hockey player Ernie McLea scores the first hat-trick in Stanley Cup play, and the Cup-winning goal as the Montreal Victorias defeat the Winnipeg Victorias 6–5. Wikipedia
• 1902 The Discovery Expedition under Robert Falcon Scott attains a Farthest South at 82°17′S in Antarctica. Wikipedia
• 1903 A fire at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois kills at least 605. Wikipedia
• 1905 Former Idaho governor Frank Steunenberg is assassinated at the front gate of his home in Caldwell. Wikipedia
• 1906 The All-India Muslim League, a political party in British India that developed into the driving force behind the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim state on the Indian subcontinent, was founded in Dhaka. Wikipedia
• 1906 The All-India Muslim League is founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India (later Dhaka, Bangladesh). Wikipedia
• 1922 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is formed. Wikipedia
• 1927 The Ginza Line, the first subway line in Asia, opens in Tokyo, Japan. Wikipedia
• 1947 Cold War: King Michael I of Romania is forced to abdicate by the Soviet Union-backed Communist government of Romania. Wikipedia
• 1996 Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel. Wikipedia
• 1997 In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, the Wilaya of Relizane massacres, 400 people from four villages are killed. Wikipedia
• 2004 A fire in the República Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 194. Wikipedia
• 2005 Tropical Storm Zeta became a tropical depression, making it the record-breaking 28th tropical cyclone of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, the most active in recorded history until 2020. Wikipedia
• 2005 Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic Ocean, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin. Wikipedia
• 2006 Saddam Hussein, the former president of Iraq, was executed after being found guilty of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi High Tribunal. Wikipedia
• 2006 Former president of Iraq Saddam Hussein is executed. Wikipedia
• 2009 A suicide bomber kills nine people at Forward Operating Base Chapman, a key facility of the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan. Wikipedia
• 2009 Due to a rupture of the Lanzhou–Zhengzhou–Changsha pipeline in Shaanxi, China, caused approximately 150,000 l (40,000 US gal) of diesel oil flowed down the Wei River before finally reaching the Yellow River six days later. Wikipedia
• 2009 A segment of the Lanzhou–Zhengzhou–Changsha pipeline ruptures in Shaanxi, China, and approximately 150,000 L (40,000 US gal) of diesel oil flows down the Wei River before finally reaching the Yellow River. Wikipedia
• 2013 Supporters of Congolese religious leader Paul-Joseph Mukungubila carried out a series of attacks on television studios, the airport and a military base in Kinshasa. Wikipedia
• 2013 More than 100 people are killed when anti-government forces attack key buildings in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Wikipedia

Born on December 30

• 39 Titus, Roman emperor (probable) (died 81) Wikipedia
• 159 Empress Dowager Bian, second wife of Cao Cao, mother of Cao Wei's first emperor, Cao Pi (died 230) Wikipedia
• 1673 Ahmed III, Ottoman sultan (died 1736) Wikipedia
• 1819 Theodor Fontane, German author and poet (died 1898) Wikipedia
• 1865 Rudyard Kipling, Indian-English author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1936) Wikipedia
• 1879 Ramana Maharshi, Indian guru and philosopher (died 1950) Wikipedia
• 1884 Hideki Tōjō, Japanese general and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Japan (died 1948) Wikipedia
• 1930 Tu Youyou, Chinese chemist and pharmacist, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia
• 1934 Tony Serra, American criminal defense and civil rights attorney, political activist and tax resister Wikipedia
• 1934 John N. Bahcall, American astrophysicist and astronomer, co-developed the Hubble Space Telescope (died 2005) Wikipedia
• 1935 Omar Bongo, Gabonese lieutenant and politician, President of Gabon (died 2009) Wikipedia
• 1937 Gordon Banks, English footballer and manager (died 2019) Wikipedia
• 1946 Patti Smith, American singer-songwriter and poet Wikipedia
• 1950 Bjarne Stroustrup, Danish computer scientist, created the C++ programming language Wikipedia
• 1963 Mike Pompeo, American diplomat and politician; 70th United States Secretary of State Wikipedia
• 1969 Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia Wikipedia
• 1975 Tiger Woods, American golfer Wikipedia
• 1980 Eliza Dushku, American former actress and producer Wikipedia
• 1983 Kevin Systrom, American computer programmer and businessman, co-founded Instagram Wikipedia
• 1984 LeBron James, American basketball player, producer and businessman Wikipedia
• 1986 Ellie Goulding, English singer-songwriter and producer Wikipedia
• 1995 V, South Korean singer Wikipedia

Died on December 30

• 274 Pope Felix I Wikipedia
• 1591 Pope Innocent IX (born 1519) Wikipedia
• 1896 José Rizal, Filipino ophthalmologist, journalist, and author (born 1861) Wikipedia
• 1906 Josephine Butler, English feminist and social reformer (born 1828) Wikipedia
• 1916 Grigori Rasputin, Russian mystic (born 1869) Wikipedia
• 1928 Jean Collas, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (born 1874) Wikipedia
• 1944 Romain Rolland, French author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1866) Wikipedia
• 1947 Alfred North Whitehead, English-American mathematician and philosopher (born 1861) Wikipedia
• 1968 Trygve Lie, Norwegian journalist and politician, first Secretary-General of the United Nations (born 1896) Wikipedia
• 1992 Romeo Muller, American actor, screenwriter, for screenplays like the 1964, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special) (born 1928) Wikipedia
• 2006 Saddam Hussein, Iraqi general and politician, fifth President of Iraq (born 1937) Wikipedia
• 2009 Abdurrahman Wahid, Indonesian journalist and politician, fourth President of Indonesia (born 1940) Wikipedia
• 2010 Bobby Farrell, Dutch dancer and performer from Aruba (born 1949) Wikipedia
• 2012 Rita Levi-Montalcini, Italian neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1909) Wikipedia

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day: Abraham the Writer Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Anysia of Salonika Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Egwin of Evesham Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Frances Joseph-Gaudet (Episcopal Church) Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Liberius of Ravenna Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Pope Felix I Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Ralph of Vaucelles Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Roger of Cannae Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: December 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Wikipedia
• Day of the Declaration of Slovakia as an Independent Ecclesiastic Province (Slovakia) Wikipedia
• Rizal Day (Philippines) Wikipedia
• The fifth day of Kwanzaa (United States) Wikipedia
• The sixth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity) Wikipedia

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article “December 30” and the articles it links to (authors and history), retrieved 2026-10-09 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; this selection is shared under the same licence. We picked the 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths with the widest coverage across Wikipedia's language editions (counted from Wikidata) and sorted them by year; the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures.