123 things happened on 30 December, from AD 39 to 2023. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1845 · 181 years ago
Three new university colleges were founded in Ireland, in Belfast, Cork and Galway, as part of the Queen's University of Ireland. The one in Galway was first called Queen's College, Galway. They are now Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, and Univ…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Three new university colleges were founded in Ireland, in Belfast, Cork and Galway, as part of the Queen's University of Ireland. The one in Galway was first called Queen's College, Galway. They are now Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, and University College Cork and the University of Galway in the Republic of Ireland.
UK story
Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson and Ernest Shackleton reached 82°17′S in Antarctica, a new record for the farthest south. They were part of the Discovery Expedition, the first official British exploration of the Antarctic for sixty years. A few days earlier they had celebrated Christmas with double rations and a Christmas pudding that Shackleton had kept hidden with his socks.
UK story
The UK's medicines regulator approved the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine for use in the national vaccination programme. The vaccine protects against COVID-19, the disease behind a worldwide pandemic. It was developed in the United Kingdom by the University of Oxford and the company AstraZeneca. It can be kept at normal fridge temperatures, and the first vaccination outside a trial was given on 4 January 2021.
UK story
Queen Anne's War: James Moore, the British colonial governor of Carolina, abandoned a siege against St. Augustine in Spanish Florida and retreated to Charles Town in disgrace.
UK story
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.
UK story
The last coronation in Hungary is performed for King Charles IV and Queen Zita.
UK story
King George II of Greece declares a regency, leaving the throne vacant.
The final edition of the Code of Justinian came into effect in the Byzantine, or Eastern Roman, Empire. The emperor Justinian I, who ruled from Constantinople, had ordered Roman laws to be collected and organised. The Code is one part of a larger collection called the Corpus Juris Civilis, which also includes the Digest and the Institutes.
Canadian ice hockey player Ernie McLea scored the first hat-trick in Stanley Cup play, which means three goals in one game. He also scored the winning goal as his team, the Montreal Victorias, beat the Winnipeg Victorias 6–5 to win the Cup. In ice hockey, players on skates use sticks to shoot a rubber puck into the other team's net.
A treaty officially created the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), usually called the Soviet Union. It joined several Soviet republics together under a new government based in Moscow. The Soviet Union later became one of the world's two superpowers, alongside the United States. It lasted until 1991, when it was dissolved.
The Ginza Line opened in Tokyo, Japan, as the first subway line in Asia. A subway is a railway that runs mostly in tunnels under a city, like the London Underground. The Ginza Line is now 14.3 kilometres long and runs through five of Tokyo's wards, or districts. It is operated by Tokyo Metro.
A tropical depression formed in the central Atlantic Ocean and grew into Tropical Storm Zeta the next day. It formed a month after the hurricane season had officially ended. It was the 28th storm of 2005, the busiest Atlantic season on record until 2020. Zeta lasted into January 2006, making it one of only two Atlantic tropical cyclones to last from one year into the next.
Hundred Years' War: Battle of La Rochelle.
Reapers' War: Louis XIII of France swears the Catalan constitutions, being appointed Count of Barcelona and thus establishing the personal union of the Principality of Catalonia with the Kingdom of France.
The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the united Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi Indian tribes is proclaimed.
The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the Shawnee Nation is proclaimed.
Gadsden Purchase: The United States buys land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest.
The Flint sit-down strike hits General Motors.
The Arroyo Seco Parkway, one of the first freeways built in the U.S., connecting downtown Los Angeles with Pasadena, California, was officially dedicated.
Subhas Chandra Bose raises the flag of Indian independence at Port Blair.
Cold War: King Michael I of Romania is forced to abdicate by the Soviet Union-backed Communist government of Romania.
The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation was established to consolidate criminal investigation and intelligence into a single agency.
Israel establishes diplomatic relations with Vatican City and also upgrades to full diplomatic relations with Ireland.
Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel.
Pro-government counter-demonstrators held rallies (pictured) in several Iranian cities in response to recent anti-government protests on the holy day of Ashura.
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.
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.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “New university colleges are founded in Belfast, Cork and Galway”?
B: 1845. 1845 — that’s 181 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “Scott, Wilson and Shackleton reach a new Farthest South”?
B: 1902. 1902 — that’s 124 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
B: New university colleges are founded in Belfast, Cork and Galway. 1902: Scott, Wilson and Shackleton reach a new Farthest South · 1845: New university colleges are founded in Belfast, Cork and Galway · 2020: The Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is approved in the UK Find it on the page
“Rudyard Kipling” happened in 1865. How many years ago was that?
B: 161 years. 2026 − 1865 = 161. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 30 December.
UK story
Rudyard Kipling was an English writer and poet, born in Bombay in British India. His books for children, including The Jungle Book and the Just So Stories, are classics. In 1907 he won the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming its first English-language winner and, at 41, its youngest. He also wrote the famous poem 'If—'.
UK story
Gordon Banks was an English footballer, born in Sheffield, who is seen as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. He played in every game of England's 1966 World Cup victory. At the 1970 World Cup he made a famous save from a powerful header by the Brazilian star Pelé. Pelé and many others later called it the greatest save in the history of football.
Well-known people who died on 30 December.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 30 December somewhere in the world.
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.
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 “December 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.