On this day: July 30

Events on July 30

• 657 Election of pope Vitalian following the death of pope Eugene I in the previous month. Wikipedia
• 1724 Bach's chorale cantata Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält, a paraphrase of Psalm 124 based on a 1524 hymn by Justus Jonas, was first performed in Leipzig. Wikipedia
• 1811 Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a leader of the Mexican War of Independence, was executed by Spanish forces in Chihuahua City, Mexico. Wikipedia
• 1865 Off the coast of Crescent City, California, the steamer Brother Jonathan struck an uncharted rock and sank, killing 225 people; its cargo of gold coins was not retrieved until 1996. Wikipedia
• 1871 The boiler of the Staten Island Ferry Westfield II exploded at South Ferry in New York City, killing at least 45 people. Wikipedia
• 1912 Japan's Emperor Meiji dies and is succeeded by his son Yoshihito, who is now known as the Emperor Taishō. Wikipedia
• 1916 World War I: German agents sabotaged U.S.-made munitions in New York Harbor that were to be supplied to the Allies. Wikipedia
• 1930 In Montevideo, the Uruguay national football team won the inaugural FIFA World Cup, defeating Argentina 4–2 in the final. Wikipedia
• 1932 Premiere of Walt Disney's Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon short to use Technicolor and the first Academy Award winning cartoon short. Wikipedia
• 1950 At the height of a political crisis known as the royal question, four workers were shot dead by the Belgian Gendarmerie at a strike in Grâce-Berleur. Wikipedia
• 1966 In London, the England national football team won the FIFA World Cup, winning the final against West Germany 4–2 after extra time. Wikipedia
• 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. Wikipedia
• 1975 American labor-union leader Jimmy Hoffa disappeared after last being seen outside a restaurant near Detroit. Wikipedia
• 1981 Amid a widespread economic crisis and food shortages in Poland, up to 50,000 people, mostly women and children, took part in the largest of nationwide hunger demonstrations in Łódź. Wikipedia
• 1990 British Conservative member of Parliament Ian Gow was killed outside his home in a car bombing by the Provisional Irish Republican Army. Wikipedia
• 2003 In Mexico, the last 'old style' Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the assembly line. Wikipedia
• 2006 Lebanon War: The Israeli Air Force attacked a three-story building near the Lebanese village of Qana, killing at least 28 civilians, including 16 children. Wikipedia
• 2012 A train fire killed 32 passengers and injured 27 on the Tamil Nadu Express in Andhra Pradesh, India. Wikipedia
• 2014 More than 150 people died after heavy rains triggered a landslide in the village of Malin in Maharashtra, India. Wikipedia
• 2018 Emmerson Mnangagwa was elected to his first full term as president, having served as leader since the 2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état. Wikipedia
• 2020 NASA's Mars 2020 mission is launched on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Wikipedia
• 2023 In Pakistan, IS–KP kill over 60 people in a suicide bombing at a political rally in Khar. Wikipedia
• 2024 A series of landslides occurs in Kerala, India, causing over 420 fatalities. Wikipedia
• 2025 A magnitude 8.8 earthquake hits Russia, causing tsunamis over the Pacific Ocean. Wikipedia
• 2026 An avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan kills 10 climbers. Wikipedia
• 2026 Around 50,000 Moroccan nationals storm the borders of Spanish enclaves in Africa, principally the city of Ceuta. As of August 1, 2026, 67 are confirmed to have died while crossing. Wikipedia

Born on July 30

• 1511 Giorgio Vasari, Italian painter, historian, and architect (died 1574) Wikipedia
• 1818 Emily Brontë, English novelist and poet (died 1848) Wikipedia
• 1857 Thorstein Veblen, American economist and sociologist (died 1929) Wikipedia
• 1863 Henry Ford, American engineer and businessman, founded the Ford Motor Company (died 1947) Wikipedia
• 1898 Henry Moore, English sculptor and illustrator (died 1986) Wikipedia
• 1939 Peter Bogdanovich, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2022) Wikipedia
• 1941 Paul Anka, Canadian singer-songwriter and actor Wikipedia
• 1945 Patrick Modiano, French novelist and screenwriter, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia
• 1947 Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, and politician, 38th Governor of California Wikipedia
• 1947 Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, French virologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia
• 1948 Jean Reno, Spanish-French actor Wikipedia
• 1958 Kate Bush, English singer-songwriter and producer Wikipedia
• 1960 Richard Linklater, American director and screenwriter Wikipedia
• 1961 Laurence Fishburne, American actor and producer Wikipedia
• 1963 Lisa Kudrow, American actress and producer Wikipedia
• 1964 Jürgen Klinsmann, German footballer and manager Wikipedia
• 1968 Terry Crews, American actor and football player Wikipedia
• 1969 Simon Baker, Australian actor, director, and producer Wikipedia
• 1970 Christopher Nolan, English-American director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia
• 1974 Hilary Swank, American actress and producer Wikipedia
• 1993 André Gomes, Portuguese footballer Wikipedia
• 1999 Joey King, American actress Wikipedia

Died on July 30

• 579 Pope Benedict I Wikipedia
• 1683 Maria Theresa of Spain (born 1638) Wikipedia
• 1718 William Penn, English businessman and philosopher, founded the Province of Pennsylvania (born 1644) Wikipedia
• 1771 Thomas Gray, English poet (born 1716) Wikipedia
• 1811 Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Mexican priest and soldier (born 1753) Wikipedia
• 1898 Otto von Bismarck, German lawyer and politician, 1st Chancellor of Germany (born 1815) Wikipedia
• 1912 Emperor Meiji of Japan (born 1852) Wikipedia
• 1965 Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, Japanese author and playwright (born 1886) Wikipedia
• 1996 Claudette Colbert, French-American actress (born 1903) Wikipedia
• 2006 Murray Bookchin, American philosopher and author (born 1921) Wikipedia
• 2007 Ingmar Bergman, Swedish director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1918) Wikipedia
• 2007 Michelangelo Antonioni, Italian director and screenwriter (born 1912) Wikipedia
• 2020 Lee Teng-hui, Taiwanese politician, President (1988–2000), Vice President (1984–1988) and mayor of Taipei (1978–1981) (born 1923) Wikipedia
• 2023 Paul Reubens, American actor and comedian (born 1952) Wikipedia

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day: Abdon and Sennen Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Blessed Edward Powell, Richard Fetherston and Thomas Abel Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Hatebrand Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: María Natividad Venegas de la Torre Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Maxima, Donatilla, and Secunda Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Robert Barnes (Lutheran) Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Tatwine Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Ursus of Auxerre Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Vicenta Chávez Orozco Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Solanus Casey Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: July 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Wikipedia
• Feast of the Throne (Morocco) Wikipedia
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Vanuatu from the United Kingdom and France in 1980. Wikipedia
• International Day of Friendship (international), and its related observances: Día del Amigo (Paraguay) Wikipedia
• Martyrs Day (South Sudan) Wikipedia

Sources

• Wikipedia — “July 30” — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
• Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/July 30” — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
• Wikidata — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
• vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article “July 30” and the articles it links to (authors and history), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for July 30 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.