Today in History, 30 November: What Happened on This Day
Today in History: November 30 feels just like another random day in the autumnal month of November but is a significant day in history. Many notable events took place on this day.
From the sudden and brutal demise of Hollywood’s biggest and most beloved stars and the birth of a modern chess legend to the arrest of a nefarious serial killer, November 30 is a pivotal day that everyone should know about.
Dive in to know what happened today in history (Nov 30), from key events in sports, politics, and art to famous birthdays and deaths.
Historical Events on This Day
- In 1016, Cnut the Great, the King of Denmark, claimed the English throne after the death of Edmund Ironside.
- In 1782, Britain and the United States signed the preliminary peace articles of the Treaty of Paris in Paris, France. The treaty was formalised in 1783 and ended the American War of Independence.
- In 1876, German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered the gold Mask of Agamemnon at Mycenae in Greece. The mask is often called "the Mona Lisa of prehistory."
- In 1939, the Soviet Union attacked Finland on multiple fronts over the Baltic country’s refusal to grant it a naval base, border territories, and other concessions.
- In 1947, civil war broke out in Palestine after the United Nations General Assembly approved a proposal to partition Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish states.
- In 1966, the Caribbean island of Barbados gained independence from Britain, and 55 years later, in 2021, it became a republic.
- In 1999, Exxon and Mobil signed a US$73.7 billion agreement to merge, giving rise to ExxonMobil, one of the world's largest companies and energy businesses.
- In 2001, the notorious Green River Killer was arrested in Washington, United States. Identified as Gary Ridgway, he killed nearly 50 young women, becoming the second most prolific serial killer in American history.
Sports Events On This Day
- In 1872, the first international soccer game was played in Glasgow between Scotland and England. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.
- In 1928, Australian cricket legend Don Bradman made a less-than-remarkable Test debut, scoring 18 runs vs England in the first test.
- In 2015, American basketball legend Kobe Bryant of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers announced his intention to retire at the end of the season.
Music and Cinema Events Today
- In 1989, the acclaimed musical play West Side Story closed at the Minskoff Theater in New York City after 341 performances.
- In 1982, Richard Attenborough’s historical epic Gandhi, starring Ben Kingsley as Indian freedom revolutionary Mahatma Gandhi, premiered in New Delhi.
- In 1982, the "king of pop" Michael Jackson’s sixth solo studio album, Thriller, was released worldwide and eventually became the best-selling record album in history.
- In 1993, Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time, premiered in Washington, D.C. The film starred Ben Kingsley, Liam Neeson, and Ralph Fiennes and won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1994.
Notable Deaths Today
| Sr No |
Death Year |
Personality |
| 1 |
1718 |
Charles XII, King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718 who, despite being inexperienced and often outnumbered, incredibly defended his empire from invading forces during the Great Northern War |
| 2 |
1900 |
Oscar Wilde, Irish poet and playwright who wrote the acclaimed novel The Picture of Dorian Gray |
| 3 |
2007 |
Evil Knievel, American Stuntman and motorcycle daredevil who performed numerous death-defying feats like ramp-to-ramp jumps |
| 4 |
2013 |
Paul Walker, American actor best known for his role as Brian O’Conner in the Fast & Furious series, died in a fiery car accident |
| 5 |
2018 |
George H.W. Bush, former President of the United State and father of future president George W. Bush |
Famous Birthdays Today
| Sr No |
Birth Year |
Personality |
| 1 |
1667 |
Jonathan Swift, Irish author and satirist known for the classic adventure book Gulliver’s Travels |
| 2 |
1817 |
Theodor Mommsen, German historian and scholar known for his masterpiece, A History of Rome. Mommsen won the 1902 Nobel Prize in Literature. |
| 3 |
1835 |
Mark Twain, American author known for his humouros writing and the novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn |
| 4 |
1858 |
Jagdish Chandra Bose, Indian physicist and plant physiologist known for his contributions to radio microwave optics, botany, and for inventing the crescograph |
| 5 |
1874 |
Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister during the World War II, who received both criticism and praise for his decisions during the war. Churchill also won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953. |
| 6 |
1929 |
Dick Clark, American radio and television personality |
| 7 |
1937 |
Ridley Scott, veteran British film director who made some of the greatest movies of all time like Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator |
| 8 |
1947 |
David Mamet, American writer and one of the greatest playwrights of the century known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning play Glengarry Glen Ross |
| 9 |
1985 |
Kaley Cuoco, American actress best known for portraying the lovable Penny in The Big Bang Theory |
| 10 |
1990 |
Magnus Carlsen, Norwegian child prodigy and chess Grandmaster who is among the greatest chess players of all time |
Also Read: November 28th In History: Notable Events In Politics, Sports, Art, Famous Birthdays & Demises
Also Read: November 28th In History: Notable Events In Politics, Sports, Art, Famous Birthdays & Demises
