637day.year
Arab–Byzantine wars: Antioch surrenders to the Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of the Iron Bridge.
In 637, Antioch fell to the Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of the Iron Bridge, marking a significant shift in the Arab–Byzantine wars.
In 637, the city of Antioch, a key Byzantine stronghold, fell to the Rashidun Caliphate following the Battle of the Iron Bridge. This clash pitted the formidable forces of the Byzantine Empire against the rapidly expanding Muslim armies. The Rashidun troops, commanded by General Khalid ibn al-Walid, executed a decisive flanking maneuver. After fierce fighting on the banks of the Orontes River, Byzantine defenders were overwhelmed and forced to surrender. The fall of Antioch opened the path for Muslim advances into Syria and Anatolia. The loss signaled the waning power of Byzantine authority in the region. This event reshaped the balance of power in the Near East and influenced subsequent diplomatic and military encounters between Byzantines and Arabs.
637
Arab–Byzantine wars
Antioch
Rashidun Caliphate
Battle of the Iron Bridge
758day.year
Guangzhou is sacked by Arab and Persian pirates.
In 758, Guangzhou was raided and sacked by Arab and Persian pirates, causing widespread destruction and highlighting vulnerabilities in Tang dynasty maritime defenses.
Guangzhou, a prosperous port city in the Tang dynasty, was targeted on October 30, 758 by a coalition of Arab and Persian pirates. These seaborne raiders descended upon the city with swift ships and caught local defenses off guard. They plundered warehouses, seized trade goods, and inflicted widespread destruction. Contemporary records describe fires consuming neighborhoods and merchant quarters in flames. The raid highlighted vulnerabilities in China's maritime security and disrupted the Silk Road's sea routes. In response, the Tang government strengthened coastal fortifications and implemented stricter naval patrols. This episode underscored the era's global interconnectedness and the risks of expanding international trade.
758
Guangzhou
1137day.year
Ranulf of Apulia defeats Roger II of Sicily at the Battle of Rignano, securing his position as duke until his death two years later.
In 1137, Ranulf of Apulia defeated Roger II of Sicily at the Battle of Rignano, strengthening his hold over southern Italy against Norman rivals.
At the Battle of Rignano on October 30, 1137, Ranulf of Apulia confronted the forces of Roger II of Sicily near Naples. Ranulf, backed by rebellious Norman barons, executed a surprise attack that overwhelmed the Sicilian troops. The engagement resulted in heavy casualties for Roger's army and forced him to retreat. By securing this victory, Ranulf reinforced his claim as Duke of Apulia until his death two years later. The defeat temporarily halted Roger II's plans to consolidate his authority over southern Italy. However, Roger would later rebuild his power base and eventually unify the region under his rule. The battle remains a key moment in the complex power struggles of Norman Italy.
1137
Ranulf of Apulia
Roger II of Sicily
Battle of Rignano
1270day.year
The Eighth Crusade ends by an agreement between Charles I of Anjou (replacing his deceased brother King Louis IX of France) and the Hafsid dynasty of Tunis, Tunisia.
On October 30, 1270, Charles I of Anjou negotiated an end to the Eighth Crusade with the Hafsid dynasty of Tunis, concluding hostilities through treaty rather than conquest.
Following the death of King Louis IX in Tunis, Charles I of Anjou assumed command of the Eighth Crusade and concluded the campaign via diplomatic means on October 30, 1270. The crusader army, weakened by disease and logistical challenges, sought terms with the Hafsid dynasty rather than prolonging a costly siege. Charles negotiated an agreement securing safe passage for his troops and promising trade privileges in Tunis. The Hafsid ruler Muhammad I al-Mustansir consented to these terms, ending hostilities without a decisive military victory. While the crusade failed to achieve its original objective of establishing a Christian foothold in North Africa, it preserved the remaining forces. Charles returned to Europe with his army intact, bolstering his political standing. The treaty reflected a shift towards pragmatic diplomacy in later crusading efforts. It marked the final chapter of the Eighth Crusade.
1270
Eighth Crusade
Charles I of Anjou
King Louis IX of France
Hafsid dynasty
Tunis
1340day.year
Reconquista: Portuguese and Castilian forces halt a Muslim invasion at the Battle of Río Salado.
In 1340, combined Portuguese and Castilian forces halted a Muslim invasion at the Battle of Río Salado, delivering a key victory in the Reconquista.
On October 30, 1340, an allied force of Portuguese and Castilian soldiers confronted Marinid and Nasrid armies at the Battle of Río Salado. Led by King Afonso IV of Portugal and King Alfonso XI of Castile, the Christian coalition defended the southern Iberian coast near Tarifa. Muslim forces under Sultan Abu al-Hasan Ali of Morocco and Yusuf I of Granada intended to recapture territories lost during the Reconquista. The Christian armies executed coordinated cavalry charges that routed the invaders, inflicting heavy losses. This decisive victory halted any significant Muslim military threat to the peninsula for decades. The triumph strengthened the alliance between the Portuguese and Castilian crowns and boosted morale in Christian kingdoms. It paved the way for further campaigns that eventually ended Muslim rule in Iberia. The battle is commemorated as one of the most important engagements in the centuries-long Reconquista.
1340
Reconquista
Portuguese
Castilian
Battle of Río Salado
1657day.year
Anglo-Spanish War: Spanish forces fail to retake Jamaica at the Battle of Ocho Rios.
On October 30, 1657, Spanish forces failed in their attempt to recapture Jamaica from the English at the Battle of Ocho Rios during the Anglo-Spanish War.
During the Anglo-Spanish War, Spanish forces attempted to retake the strategically important island of Jamaica at the Battle of Ocho Rios on October 30, 1657. Jamaica had fallen to English conquest in 1655, and Spain was determined to reverse this loss. Landing near Ocho Rios, Spanish troops encountered a well-organized English garrison led by Governor Edward D'Oyley. Fierce skirmishes broke out along the coast as both sides fought for control of the shoreline. Ultimately, the English defenders repelled the Spanish assault, inflicting significant casualties. The Spanish withdrew, abandoning hopes of reclaiming the island. England's grip on Jamaica was solidified, and the colony grew into a vital center of sugar cultivation and Atlantic trade for the British Empire.
1657
Anglo-Spanish War
Jamaica
Battle of Ocho Rios
1806day.year
War of the Fourth Coalition: Convinced that he is facing a much larger force, Prussian General von Romberg, commanding 5,300 men, surrenders the city of Stettin to 800 French soldiers.
In 1806, Prussian General von Romberg surrendered the fortified city of Stettin to a small French force without a major fight in the War of the Fourth Coalition.
In the wake of Prussia's catastrophic defeats at Jena and Auerstedt, General Franz von Romberg faced a crisis at the fortress city of Stettin on October 30, 1806. Believing himself vastly outnumbered, von Romberg commanded 5,300 troops against a contingent of only 800 French soldiers under General Claude Victor-Perrin. Without a significant engagement, he negotiated the city's surrender, ceding this key Prussian port on the Oder River. The French secured the strategic position effortlessly, bolstering their supply lines into northern Germany. News of the capitulation spread rapidly and further demoralized the remnants of the Prussian army. The fall of Stettin symbolized the collapse of Prussian resistance to Napoleon's Grand Armée. This incident would prompt reforms in the Prussian military command and strategy in the years to come.
1806
War of the Fourth Coalition
von Romberg
surrenders the city of Stettin
1831day.year
Nat Turner is arrested for leading the bloodiest slave rebellion in United States history.
On October 30, 1831, Nat Turner was arrested after leading the most deadly slave rebellion in U.S. history, sparking fierce debate over slavery.
After leading a dramatic slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, Nat Turner was arrested on October 30, 1831. Turner, an enslaved preacher, orchestrated an uprising over two nights in August, resulting in the deaths of around 60 white settlers. The rebellion spread panic among slaveholders across the American South, prompting severe reprisals. In the aftermath, militias hunted down the insurgents, and Turner fled into hiding. His capture at a farm, following weeks on the run, marked the end of the revolt. Turner was tried, convicted, and hanged later that year, but his actions resonated deeply across the nation. Southern states responded by enacting stricter slave codes and curbing black education and assembly. Northern abolitionists amplified his martyrdom, fueling the growing anti-slavery movement. The rebellion remains one of the bloodiest and most significant insurrections in U.S. history.
1831
Nat Turner
slave rebellion
1918day.year
World War I: The Ottoman Empire signs the Armistice of Mudros with the Allies.
On October 30, 1918, the Ottoman Empire and the Allies signed the Armistice of Mudros, effectively ending Ottoman participation in World War I.
By late 1918, the Ottoman Empire was militarily exhausted and politically fractured after years of conflict in World War I.
On October 30, representatives of the Ottoman government and the Allies convened aboard HMS Agamemnon at Mudros harbor.
They signed the Armistice of Mudros, ceasing hostilities and granting the Allies broad strategic control over Ottoman territory.
The agreement paved the way for the postwar partitioning of Ottoman lands and eventual establishment of modern Turkey.
It marked the end of over six centuries of Ottoman rule and reshaped the Middle Eastern political landscape.
1918
World War I
Armistice of Mudros
1941day.year
President Roosevelt approves $1 billion in Lend-Lease aid to the Allied nations.
In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved $1 billion in Lend-Lease aid to Allied nations, bolstering the fight against Axis powers.
With Axis forces advancing in Europe and Asia, the United States sought ways to support its allies while remaining officially neutral.
On October 30, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed off on a crucial $1 billion extension to the Lend-Lease program.
This aid provided food, oil, military equipment, and other supplies to Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and other Allied nations.
The decision strengthened Allied resistance and laid the groundwork for closer US involvement in World War II.
It marked a turning point in American foreign policy from isolationism toward active support of global democracy.
1941
President Roosevelt
Lend-Lease
1941day.year
Holocaust: Fifteen hundred Jews from Pidhaytsi are sent by Nazis to Bełżec extermination camp.
In 1941, Nazi authorities deported approximately 1,500 Jews from Pidhaytsi to the Bełżec extermination camp during the Holocaust.
As part of the Nazi regime's genocidal policies, Jewish residents of Pidhaytsi in occupied Poland faced forced round-ups and deportation.
On October 30, 1941, around 1,500 people were loaded onto trains bound for the Bełżec extermination camp.
Most victims were murdered shortly after arrival in gas chambers, in one of the earliest large-scale mass killings of the Holocaust.
The atrocity exemplified the systematic nature of the Final Solution and the brutality of Nazi occupation in Eastern Europe.
Commemoration of such events serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of hatred and intolerance.
Holocaust
Pidhaytsi
Bełżec extermination camp
1942day.year
World War II: Lt. Tony Fasson and Able Seaman Colin Grazier drown while taking code books from the sinking German submarine U-559.
In October 1942, two British sailors sacrificed their lives to recover vital German codebooks from a sinking U-boat.
In October 1942, HMS Petard engaged and boarded the German submarine U-559.
Lt. Tony Fasson and Able Seaman Colin Grazier retrieved critical Enigma codebooks as the submarine sank.
Their mission provided crucial intelligence to Allied codebreakers at Bletchley Park.
Despite the imminent danger, they prioritized recovery of the documents over their own safety.
Both sailors drowned when the submarine flooded before they could escape.
Their heroic sacrifice significantly aided Allied efforts to decode German naval communications.
1942
World War II
Tony Fasson
Colin Grazier
German submarine U-559