A Day in the Past

On this day: 30 July

135 things happened on 30 July, from 30 BC to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

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In the UK 4

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Around the world 31

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “In London, the England national football team won the FIFA World Cup, winning”?

    1. 1818
    2. 1966
    3. 2006
    Show the answer

    B: 1966. 1966 — that’s 60 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “English Civil War: Scottish Covenanter forces under the Earl of Leven launch”?

    1. 1966
    2. 1645
    3. 1818
    Show the answer

    B: 1645. 1645 — that’s 381 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. English Civil War: Scottish Covenanter forces under the Earl of Leven launch
    2. Marriage of Queen Elizabeth II's eldest granddaughter Zara Phillips to former
    3. In London, the England national football team won the FIFA World Cup, winning
    Show the answer

    A: English Civil War: Scottish Covenanter forces under the Earl of Leven launch. 1645: English Civil War: Scottish Covenanter forces under the Earl of Leven launch · 2011: Marriage of Queen Elizabeth II's eldest granddaughter Zara Phillips to former · 1966: In London, the England national football team won the FIFA World Cup, winning Find it on the page

  4. “Emily Brontë” happened in 1818. How many years ago was that?

    1. 198 years
    2. 208 years
    3. 218 years
    Show the answer

    B: 208 years. 2026 − 1818 = 208. Find it on the page

Born on this day 39

Famous people whose birthday is 30 July.

Remembering 20

Well-known people who died on 30 July.

Special days 10

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 30 July somewhere in the world.

For older readers 31 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “July 30” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.