Major Events
- 1340 Battle of Rio Salado (or Tarifa): King Afonso IV of Portugal and King Alfonso XI of Castile defeat Sultan Abu al-Hasan 'Ali of Morocco and Yusuf I of Granada, last Marīnids invasion of Iberian Peninsula
- 1899 Battle of Ladysmith, Natal: Boers defeat the British, leading to the Siege of Ladysmith
- 1905 "October Manifesto" Russian Tsar Nicholas II grants civil liberties and accepts the first Duma (Parliament)
- 1917 British government gives final approval to Balfour Declaration
- 1973 The Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey is completed, connecting the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosporus for the first time
- More October 30 Events
Oct 30 in Film & TV
- 1921 "The Sheik", a silent film starring Rudolph Valentino, premieres in Los Angeles, California
- 1940 "One Night in the Tropics", first film for Abbott and Costello, premieres in Paterson, New Jersey
Oct 30 in Music
- 1944 Aaron Copland's ballet score "Appalachian Spring" premieres in Washington, D.C. with Martha Graham dancing lead role
Oct 30 in Sport
- 1974 "The Rumble in the Jungle": Muhammad Ali KOs George Foreman in the 8th round in Kinshasa, Zaire; regains world heavyweight boxing title with famous "rope-a-dope" tactic
Did You Know?
Soviet Union tests a 58 megaton hydrogen bomb named Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated
Christopher Columbus
John Adams
Ezra Pound
Ragnar Granit
Ivanka Trump
Henry Winkler
Dmitry Muratov
Bill Terry
Diego Maradona
Courtney Walsh
Fun Fact About October 30
A radio broadcast of H. G. Wells "The War of the Worlds", narrated by Orson Welles, allegedly causes a mass panic
Famous Weddings
- 1454 Duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold weds second wife Isabella of Bourbon
- 1613 Astronomer Johannes Kepler marries his second wife Susanna Reuttinger
- 1834 Anne Lister marries Anne Walker by taking Holy Communion together at Holy Trinity Church, York, England (not officially recognised)
More October 30 Weddings
William Cavendish-Bentinck
Bonar Law
Steve Allen
Al López
Robert Goulet
Whitey BulgerArticles, Photos and Quiz
A Salute to the Military Genius, Napoleon Bonaparte
A 15-year-old boy entered a soldiers’ training school in Paris on this day. He was to become the military genius and great commander known as Napoléon Bonaparte.
October 30, 1784
Panic Over War of the Worlds
When Orson Welles decided to present the War of the Worlds story in a radio newscast format, his broadcast on this day apparently caused panic across the US.
October 30, 1938
Opening of the Bosphorus Bridge
The Bosphorus Bridge, Istanbul that connects the continents of Europe and Asia
October 30, 1973
