August 30 is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 123 days remaining until the end of the year.
- 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Zhu Yuanzhang—are pitted against each other in what was one of the largest naval battles in history, during the last decade of the ailing, Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty.
- 1574 - Guru Ram Das became the Fourth Sikh Guru/Master.
- 1590 - Tokugawa Ieyasu enters Edo Castle. (Traditional Japanese date: August 1, 1590)
- 1791 - The HMS Pandora sank after running aground on a reef the previous day.
- 1799 - Capture of the entire Dutch fleet by British forces under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby and Admiral Sir Charles Mitchell during the Second Coalition of the French Revolutionary Wars.
- 1800 - Gabriel Prosser leads a slave rebellion in Richmond, Virginia
- 1813 - Battle of Kulm: French forces defeated by Austrian-Prussian-Russian alliance.
- 1813 - Creek War: Creek Red Sticks carried out the Fort Mims Massacre.
- 1835 - Melbourne, Australia is founded.
- 1836 - The city of Houston is founded by Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen
- 1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Richmond: Confederates under Edmund Kirby Smith rout a Union army under General Horatio Wright.
- 1862 - American Civil War: Union forces are defeated in Second Battle of Bull Run.
- 1873 - Austrian explorers Julius von Payer and Karl Weyprecht discover the archipelago of Franz Joseph Land in the Arctic Sea.
- 1897 - The town of Ambiky is captured by France from Menabe in Madagascar.
- 1896 - Eight provinces in the Philippines were declared under martial law by the Spanish Governor General Ramon Blanco. This included the provinces of Batangas, Rizal, Cavite, Nueva Ecija as well as the nearby areas.
- 1909 - Burgess Shale fossils discovered by Charles Doolittle Walcott.
- 1914 - Battle of Tannenberg.
- 1918 - Fanya Kaplan, an assassin, shoots and seriously injures Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin. This, along with the assassination of Bolshevik senior official Moisei Uritsky days earlier, prompts the decree for Red Terror.
- 1922 - Battle of Dumlupinar, final battle in Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) ("Turkish War of Independence").
- 1941 - World War II: Siege of Leningrad begins.
- 1942 - World War II: Battle of Alam Halfa begins.
- 1945 - Hong Kong is liberated from Japan by British Armed Forces.
- 1945 - Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Douglas MacArthur lands at Atsugi Air Force Base.
- 1956 - Lake Pontchartrain Causeway opens.
- 1962 - Japan conducts a test of the NAMC YS-11, its first aircraft since the war and its only successful commercial aircraft from before or after the war.
- 1963 - Hotline between U.S. and Soviet leaders goes into operation.
- 1967 - Thurgood Marshall is confirmed as the first African American Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
- 1974 - A Belgrade-Dortmund express train derails at the main train station in Zagreb killing 153 passengers.
- 1974 - Powerful bomb explodes at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries headquarters in Marunouchi, Tokyo, Japan. 8 killed, 378 injured. Eight left-wing activists are arrested on May 19, 1975 by Japanese authorities.
- 1984 - STS-41-D: The Space Shuttle Discovery takes off on its maiden voyage.
- 1990 - Tatarstan declares independence from the RSFSR.
- 1999 - East Timorese vote for independence in a referendum.
- 1334 - Pedro of Castile (d. 1369)
- 1377 - Shah Rukh, ruler of Persia and Transoxonia (d. 1447)
- 1705 - David Hartley, English philosopher (d. 1757)
- 1720 - Samuel Whitbread, English brewer (d. 1796)
- 1748 - Jacques-Louis David, French painter (d. 1825)
- 1768 - Joseph Dennie, American writer (d. 1812)
- 1797 - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, English writer (d. 1851)
- 1808 - Princess Ludovika of Bavaria (d. 1892)
- 1813 - Princess Mathilde of Bavaria d. 1862
- 1818 - Alexander H. Rice, 30th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1895)
- 1821 - Anita Garibaldi, Brazilian warrior; Garibaldi's wife (War of Tatters) (d. 1849)
- 1839 - Gulstan Ropert, French Catholic prelate (d. 1903)
- 1842 - Grand Duchess Alexandra Alexandrovna of Russia (d. 1849)
- 1848 - Andrew Onderdonk, Canadian railway contractor (d. 1905)
- 1852 - Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, Dutch physical and organic chemist Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1911)
- 1856 - Carle David Tolmé Runge, German physicist (d. 1927)
- 1860 - Isaac Levitan, Russian artist (d. 1900)
- 1870 - Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia (d. 1891)
- 1871 - Ernest Rutherford, New Zealand-born Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (d. 1937)
- 1884 - Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
- 1893 - Huey Long, American politician (d. 1935)
- 1896 - Raymond Massey, Canadian actor (d. 1983)
- 1898 - Shirley Booth, American actress (d. 1992)
- 1901 - Roy Wilkins, American civil rights leader (d. 1981)
- 1901 - John Gunther, American writer (d. 1970)
- 1906 - Joan Blondell, American actress (d. 1979)
- 1908 - Fred MacMurray, American actor (d. 1991)
- 1912 - Edward Mills Purcell, American physicist Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)
- 1912 - Nancy Wake AC GM, New Zealand-born World War II secret agent
- 1913 - Richard Stone, British economist Bank of Sweden Prize winner (d. 1991)
- 1915 - Robert Strassburg, American composer (d. 2003)
- 1917 - Denis Healey, British politician, former Chancellor of the Exchequer
- 1918 - Ted Williams, American baseball player (d. 2002)
- 1918 - Billy Johnson, American baseball player (d. 2006)
- 1919 - Kitty Wells, American singer
- 1922 - Lionel Murphy, Australian politician (d. 1986)
- 1922 - Regina Resnik, American mezzo-soprano
- 1923 - Barbara Mary Ansell, UK founder of paediatric rheumatology (d. 2001)
- 1923 - Charmian Clift, Australian writer and essayist (d. 1969)
- 1923 - Vic Seixas, American tennis player
- 1924 - Geoffrey Beene, American fashion designer (d. 2004)
- 1925 - Laurent de Brunhoff, French writer and illustrator
- 1928 - Lloyd Casner, American racecar driver and owner (d. 1965)
- 1930 - Warren Buffett, American entrepreneur
- 1930 - Jerry Tarkanian, American basketball coach
- 1930 - Noel Harford, New Zealand cricketer (d. 1981)
- 1931 - Jack Swigert, American astronaut (d. 1982)
- 1933 - Don Getty, Canadian politician
- 1934 - Baloo Gupte, Indian cricketer (d. 2005)
- 1935 - John Phillips, American singer (Mamas and the Papas) (d. 2001)
- 1937 - Bruce McLaren, New Zealand car racer and founder of eponymous race team (d. 1970)
- 1939 - John Peel, English radio disc jockey (d. 2004)
- 1939 - Elizabeth Ashley, American actress
- 1941 - Ben Jones, American actor and politician
- 1942 - Pervez Sajjad, Pakistani cricketer
- 1943 - Robert Crumb, American cartoonist
- 1943 - Jean-Claude Killy, French skier
- 1944 - Molly Ivins, American political humorist (d. 2007)
- 1944 - Tug McGraw, American baseball player (d. 2004)
- 1946 - Peggy Lipton, American actress
- 1946 - Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
- 1947 - Allan Rock, Canadian politician and diplomat
- 1948 - Lewis Black, American comedian
- 1948 - Fred Hampton, Black Panther leader, murdered in 1969 Chicago Police raid
- 1948 - Donnacha O'Dea, Irish poker player and swimmer
- 1949 - Peter Maffay, German musician
- 1949 - Ted Ammon, American financier (d. 2001)
- 1949 - Christopher Collins, American actor and comedian (d. 1994)
- 1949 - Don Boudria, Canadian politician
- 1951 - Timothy Bottoms, American actor
- 1951 - Dana, Irish singer and politician
- 1953 - Robin Harris, American comedian (d. 1990)
- 1953 - Horace Panter, British musician (The Specials and General Public)
- 1953 - Robert Parish, American basketball player
- 1953 - Ron George, American politician
- 1954 - David Paymer, American actor
- 1954 - Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus
- 1958 - Martin Jackson, British drummer (Swing out Sister)
- 1958 - Anna Politkovskaya, Russian journalist (d. 2006)
- 1959 - Mark 'Jacko' Jackson, Australian rules footballer and actor
- 1960 - Chalino Sanchez, Mexican musician (d. 1992)
- 1960 - Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese terrorist group Hizbollah
- 1960 - Master Sgt. Gary Gordon, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1993)
- 1960 - Guy A. Lepage, Quebec humorist, television host and producer
- 1962 - Alexander Litvinenko, Russian KGB officer (d. 2006)
- 1963 - Michael Chiklis, American actor
- 1963 - Paul Oakenfold, British disc jockey
- 1964 - Gavin Fisher, British engineer
- 1966 - Michael Michele, American actress
- 1967 - Justin Vaughan, New Zealand cricketer
- 1968 - Vladimir Malakhov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1969 - Dimitris Sgouros, Greek pianist
- 1970 - Michael Wong Guang Liang, Chinese Malaysian singer
- 1971 - Lars Frederiksen, American guitarist (Rancid and UK Subs)
- 1972 - Cameron Diaz, American actress
- 1972 - Pavel Nedvěd, Czech footballer
- 1973 - Lisa Ling, American journalist
- 1974 - Javier Otxoa, Spanish cyclist
- 1974 - Aaron Barrett, Lead singer/guitarist of Reel Big Fish
- 1975 - Radhi Jaidi, Tunisian footballer
- 1976 - Lillo Brancato Jr., American actor
- 1976 - Mike Koplove, American baseball player
- 1976 - Sarah-Jane Potts, English actress
- 1977 - Shaun Alexander, American football player
- 1977 - Marlon Byrd, American baseball player
- 1977 - Elden Henson, American actor
- 1977 - Kamil Kosowski, Polish footballer
- 1977 - Jens Ludwig, German guitarist
- 1978 - Cliff Lee, American baseball player
- 1979 - Juan Ignacio Chela, Argentine tennis player
- 1979 - Leon Lopez, British actor
- 1979 - Niki Chow, Hong Kong actress and singer
- 1979 - Tavia Yeung, Hong Kong actress
- 1981 - Germán Legarreta, American Actor
- 1982 - Andy Roddick, American tennis player
- 1982 - Will Davison, Australian racing driver
- 1983 - Jun Matsumoto, Japanese singer and actor
- 1983 - Jonne Aaron, Vocalist of the Finnish Band Negative
- 1983 - Gustavo Eberto, Argentine footballer (d. 2007)
- 1984 - Anthony Ireland, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1985 - Richard Duffy, Welsh footballer
- 1985 - Leisel Jones, Australian swimmer
- 1985 - Steven Smith, Scottish footballer
- 1985 - Eamon Sullivan, Australian swimmer
- 1988 - Ernests Gulbis, Latvian tennis player
- 526 - Theodoric the Great (b. 454)
- 1158 - King Sancho III of Castile (b. 1134)
- 1428 - Emperor Shōkō (b. 1401)
- 1483 - King Louis XI of France (b. 1423)
- 1580 - Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (b. 1528)
- 1617 - Rose of Lima, Peruvian saint (b. 1586)
- 1619 - Shimazu Yoshihiro, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1535)
- 1723 - Anton van Leeuwenhoek, Dutch tradesman and scientist (b. 1632)
- 1751 - Christopher Polhem, Swedish scientist and inventor (b. 1661)
- 1856 - Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English writer (b. 1811)
- 1879 - John Bell Hood, American Confederate general (b. 1831)
- 1886 - Ferris Jacobs, Jr., American politician (b. 1836)
- 1896 - Alexei Lobanov-Rostovsky, Russian statesman (b. 1824)
- 1906 - Hans Auer, Swiss architect (b. 1847)
- 1907 - Richard Mansfield, American actor and manager (b. 1857)
- 1928 - Wilhelm Wien, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864)
- 1935 - Henri Barbusse, French novelist and journalist (b. 1873)
- 1938 - Max Factor, make-up artist and cosmetic manufacturer (b. 1877)
- 1940 - J.J. Thomson, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1856)
- 1941 - Peder Oluf Pedersen, Danish engineer and physicist (b. 1874)
- 1943 - Father Eustaquio van Lieshout, Dutch Catholic priest (b. 1890)
- 1946 - Konstantin Rodzaevsky, Russian fascist (executed) (b. 1907)
- 1946 - Grigory Semyonov, Russian counter-revolutionary (executed) (b. 1890)
- 1949 - Arthur Fielder, English cricketer (b. 1877)
- 1961 - Charles Coburn, American actor (b. 1877)
- 1963 - Guy Burgess, English-born Soviet spy (b. 1911)
- 1968 - William Talman, American actor (b. 1915)
- 1970 - Del Moore, American comedian (b. 1916)
- 1971 - Nathan Leopold, American murderer (b. 1904)
- 1981 - Vera-Ellen, American actress (b. 1921)
- 1981 - Mohammad-Ali Rajai, Iranian statesman (b. 1933)
- 1985 - Taylor Caldwell, English-born author (b. 1900)
- 1989 - Seymour Krim, American journalist, essayist, and literary critic (b. 1922)
- 1991 - Jean Tinguely, Swiss painter and sculptor (b. 1925)
- 1991 - Shri Gurudev Mahendranath, British writer (b. 1911)
- 1993 - Richard Jordan, American actor, (b. 1938)
- 1994 - Lindsay Anderson, English film director (b. 1923)
- 1995 - Fischer Black, American economist (b. 1938)
- 1995 - Sterling Morrison, American guitarist (The Velvet Underground) (b. 1942)
- 1996 - Christine Pascal, French actress and director (b. 1953)
- 1999 - Raymond Poïvet, French comics artist (b. 1910)
- 2001 - Ivor Spencer-Thomas, English farmer, entrepreneur and inventor (b. 1907)
- 2002 - J. Lee Thompson, English film director (b. 1914)
- 2003 - Charles Bronson, American actor (b. 1921)
- 2003 - Donald Davidson, American philosopher (b. 1917)
- 2004 - Fred Lawrence Whipple, American astronomer (b. 1906)
- 2004 - Indian Larry, American motorcycle builder and stuntman (b. 1949)
- 2006 - Glenn Ford, Canadian-born American actor (b. 1916)
- 2006 - Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- 2006 - Robin Cooke, Baron Cooke of Thorndon, New Zealand jurist and member of the British House of Lords (b. 1926)
- 2007 - Michael Jackson, British beer and whiskey author/expert. (b. 1942)
- 2007 - Charles Vanik, American politician (b. 1918)
- 2008 - Killer Kowalski, Canadian professional wrestler (b. 1926)
