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July 30
5 moments across history
NASA Launches Perseverance Rover and Ingenuity Helicopter
On July 30, 2020, NASA launched its Mars 2020 mission, carrying the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter to Mars. Perseverance was designed to search for signs of ancient microbial life and collect rock samples, while Ingenuity later achieved the first powered, controlled flight on another planet. The mission built on decades of Mars exploration and advanced efforts toward eventually returning Martian samples to Earth.
NASA Launches Perseverance Rover and Ingenuity Helicopter
Vanuatu Gains Independence
Vanuatu Gains Independence
Year: 1980
On July 30, 1980, the New Hebrides gained independence from joint British and French colonial rule as the Republic of Vanuatu. Independence ended the unusual Anglo-French condominium and gave the country sovereign control over its government and affairs. The event formed part of the broader postwar decolonization of the Pacific, as island territories moved toward national self-government.
Apollo 15 Lands on the Moon
Apollo 15 Lands on the Moon
Year: 1971
On July 30, 1971, Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin landed the lunar module Falcon near Hadley Rille on the Moon. The mission mattered for its emphasis on science and its first use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle, which expanded the astronauts’ exploration range. Apollo 15 was the fourth crewed lunar landing and part of NASA’s Apollo program during the Cold War-era Space Race.
Medicare and Medicaid Established
Medicare and Medicaid Established
Year: 1965
On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Social Security Act amendments establishing Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare expanded health coverage for older Americans, while Medicaid supported eligible low-income people through a federal-state partnership. The programs were central to Johnson’s Great Society and marked a major expansion of the federal government’s role in health care.
United States Adopts “In God We Trust” as National Motto
United States Adopts “In God We Trust” as National Motto
Year: 1956
On July 30, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation declaring “In God We Trust” the official U.S. national motto. The act formally elevated a phrase that had appeared on some American coins since the Civil War era. It reflected Cold War efforts to emphasize religious faith as a contrast to the officially atheistic Soviet Union.