Did you know
Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights.
Notable Deaths on May 30
1593 — Christopher Marlowe
English poet and playwright (born 1564)
May 30 has 128 recorded notable deaths across history, from 531 to 2025. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
128 source records
531 – 2025
Today in history
Major events on May 30
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1913 The Treaty of London is signed, ending the First Balkan War between the Balkan allies and the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans cede all their European territories west of a straight line between Enos and Media and Albania becomes an independent nation. Source
- 2020 Crew Dragon Demo-2 launches from Kennedy Space Center, becoming the first crewed orbital spacecraft to launch from the United States since 2011 and the first commercial flight to the International Space Station. Source
- 1967 The Nigerian Eastern Region declares independence as the Republic of Biafra, sparking a civil war. Source
- 1854 The Kansas–Nebraska Act becomes law, establishing the U.S. territories of Kansas and Nebraska. Source
Did you know
Through her short-lived first marriage to the Duke of Bedford, brother of King Henry V, she was firmly allied to the House of Lancaster.
Did you know
Ferdinand III, called the Saint, was King of Castile from 1217 and King of León from 1230 as well as King of Galicia from 1231.
Did you know
Andrew Huxley's eventual discovery of the basis for propagation of nerve impulses earned them the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1963.
Did you know
Jazz critic Will Friedwald considers Beneke to be one of the major blues singers who sang with the big bands of the early 1940s.
More major people who died on May 30
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
1472
Jacquetta of Luxembourg
daughter of Pierre de Luxembourg (born 1416)
Jacquetta of Luxembourg was a prominent figure in the Wars of the Roses. Through her short-lived first marriage to the Duke of Bedford, brother of King Henry V, she was firmly allied to the House of Lancaster.
1252
Ferdinand III
king of Castile and León (born 1199)
Ferdinand III, called the Saint, was King of Castile from 1217 and King of León from 1230 as well as King of Galicia from 1231. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berengaria of Castile.
2012
Andrew Huxley
English physiologist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1917)
Sir Andrew Fielding Huxley was an English physiologist and biophysicist. He was born into the prominent Huxley family.
2000
Tex Beneke
American saxophonist and bandleader (born 1914)
Gordon Lee "Tex" Beneke was an American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader. His career is a history of associations with bandleader Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked with Miller.
1995
Ted Drake
English footballer and manager (born 1912)
Edward Joseph Drake was an English football player and manager.
1892
Mary Hannah Gray Clarke
American author, correspondent, and poet (born 1835)
Mary Hannah Gray Clarke was an American author, correspondent, and poet from Rhode Island.
1965
Louis Hjelmslev
Danish linguist and academic (born 1899)
Louis Trolle Hjelmslev was a Danish linguist whose ideas formed the basis of the Copenhagen School of linguistics. Born into an academic family, Hjelmslev studied comparative linguistics in Copenhagen, Prague and Paris.
1978
Jean Deslauriers
Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (born 1909)
Jean Deslauriers was a Canadian conductor, violinist, and composer.
2013
Larry Jones
American football player and coach (born 1933)
Larry Bruce Jones was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Florida State University from 1971 to 1973, compiling a record of 15–19.
1901
Victor D'Hondt
Belgian mathematician, lawyer, and jurist (born 1841)
Victor Joseph Auguste D'Hondt was a Belgian lawyer and jurist of civil law at Ghent University.
1867
Ramón Castilla
Peruvian military leader and politician, President of Peru (born 1797)
Ramón Castilla y Marquesado was a Peruvian caudillo who served twice as President of Peru, first in 1845–1851, and then in 1855–1862.
1981
Ziaur Rahman
Bangladeshi general and politician, 7th President of Bangladesh (born 1936)
Ziaur Rahman was a Bangladeshi military leader and politician who served as the sixth president of Bangladesh from 1977 until his assassination in 1981.
1964
Leó Szilárd
Hungarian-American physicist and engineer (born 1898)
Leo Szilard was a Hungarian-born American physicist, biologist and inventor who made numerous important discoveries in nuclear physics and the biological sciences.
1912
Wilbur Wright
American pilot and businessman, co-founded the Wright Company (born 1867)
The Wright brothers, Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright, were American aviation pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful airplane.
1640
Peter Paul Rubens
German-Belgian painter (born 1577)
Sir Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition.
1376
Joan of Ponthieu
Dame of Epernon, French noblewoman
Jeanne de Ponthieu, dame d'Épernon, Countess of Vendôme and of Castres, better known in English as Joan of Ponthieu, was a French vassal; she was Dame d'Épernon suo jure by inheritance from 1343 to 1376.
1934
Tōgō Heihachirō
Japanese admiral (born 1848)
Tōgō Heihachirō , served as a gensui or admiral of the fleet in the Imperial Japanese Navy and became one of Japan's greatest naval heroes.
2025
John E. Thrasher
American politician (born 1943)
John E. Thrasher was an American politician and state legislator in Florida. He was a businessman, lawyer, and lobbyist who served as the 15th president of Florida State University.
1961
Rafael Trujillo
Dominican soldier and politician, 36th President of the Dominican Republic (born 1891)
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina, nicknamed "El Jefe", was a Dominican military officer and dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from August 1930 until his assassination in May 1961.