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On this day in history - October 30

What Happened On This Day – October 30

  • 2014 Sweden Recognizes Palestine

    By doing so, it became the first EU country in Western Europe to recognize the State of Palestine. Yasser Arafat declared an independent Palestine on November 15, 1988. The UN General Assembly recognized it a month later.

  • 1973 Bosphorous Bridge in Istanbul Opens for the First Time

    Construction on the suspension bridge over the Bosphorus began in February 1970. The bridge, which connects Asia with Europe, was designed by British engineers Gilbert Roberts and William Brown.

  • 1961 Biggest Bomb in History is Detonated

    The Soviet Union detonated Tsar Bomba or Big Ivan over the Mityushikha Bay test range on the Novaya Zemlya Island in the Arctic Circle. The 57 Megatons nuclear bomb was one-of-a-kind and the flash of light when it exploded at a height of 13,000 feet was visible over 1000 kilometers away.

  • 1908 First cross-country flight in Europe

    French aviator Henri Farman flew from Bouy to Reims in France. The 14-mile journey took him about 20 minutes. Farman was also the co-founder of the Farman Aviation Works, an airline and engine manufacturing company.

  • 1905 Russian Tsar Issues the October Manifesto

    The manifesto, which was issued by Nicholas II, was a response to the Russian Revolution of 1905 in which there were widespread strikes and protests directed towards the government. The key features of the manifesto included the creation of an elected legislative body called Duma and universal suffrage for men. It also paved the way for a new constitution in 1906.

Illustration of stork, signifying birth

Births On This Day,
October 30

  • 1973 Edge

    Canadian wrestler, actor

  • 1960 Diego Maradona

    Argentine footballer

  • 1885 Ezra Pound

    American poet

  • 1882 William Halsey, Jr.

    American Admiral

  • 1735 John Adams

    American politician, 2nd President of the United States

Illustration of tombstone, signifying death

Deaths On This Day,
October 30

  • 2009 Claude Lévi-Strauss

    French anthropologist

  • 2006 Clifford Geertz

    American anthropologist

  • 1987 Joseph Campbell

    American author

  • 1923 Bonar Law

    Canadian/Scottish politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

  • 1883 Dayananda Saraswati

    Indian philosopher, scholar