What Day Is August 30? Mary Shelley Born (1797)
August 30 is the 242nd day of the year. Mary Shelley, who wrote Frankenstein at 18, was born on this date in 1797. Thurgood Marshall was confirmed as the first Black Supreme Court Justice in 1967. In Turkey, August 30 is Victory Day, commemorating the final battle of the Turkish War of Independence in 1922.
About August 30
August 30 is the 242nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (243rd in a leap year). There are 123 days remaining until the end of the year.
The significance of August 30
Mary Shelley was born on August 30, 1797, the daughter of political philosopher William Godwin and feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft, who died eleven days after giving birth. In the summer of 1816, at the Villa Diodati near Lake Geneva, Mary (19 at the time) began writing Frankenstein after a ghost-story challenge between her, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and John Polidori. Frankenstein was published anonymously in 1818. The story of a scientist who creates life and then abandons his creation asked questions that biology, medicine, and technology are still arguing about. In 1967, Thurgood Marshall was confirmed by the Senate to the Supreme Court, becoming its first Black Justice. He had spent years as lead counsel for the NAACP, most famously arguing Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. Marshall served until 1991.
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On This Day in History
- 1797Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (later Mary Shelley) was born in London. Her 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is considered the founding text of science fiction.
- 1967The U.S. Senate confirmed Thurgood Marshall 69-11 as the first Black Supreme Court Justice. Before his judicial career, Marshall had argued and won Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
Baby Names for This Day
August 30 is Mary Shelley's birthday and the anniversary of Thurgood Marshall's confirmation. Names connected to this date:
- MaryGirl
Mary Shelley, born August 30, 1797; wrote Frankenstein at 18 during a rainy summer in Switzerland with Percy Shelley and Lord Byron.
- ShelleyUnisex
Mary's married name; also Percy Bysshe Shelley, the Romantic poet who encouraged her to develop the story into a full novel.
- ThurgoodBoy
Thurgood Marshall, confirmed August 30, 1967; argued Brown v. Board of Education and later served 24 years on the Supreme Court.
- VictorBoy
Victor Frankenstein, the scientist protagonist of Shelley's novel; his name, from the Latin for 'conqueror,' contrasts with his ultimate failure.
- PercyBoy
Percy Bysshe Shelley pushed Mary to turn her ghost story into a novel; Frankenstein's preface was partly written by him.
- GenevaGirl
Much of Frankenstein is set on the shores of Lake Geneva, where the famous ghost-story contest took place in June 1816.
Frequently Asked Questions
What day is August 30?add
August 30 is Mary Shelley's birthday (1797). Thurgood Marshall was confirmed as the first Black Supreme Court Justice (1967). It is Turkey's Victory Day. The 242nd day of the year.
What number day of the year is August 30?add
August 30 is the 242nd day of the year, or the 243rd in a leap year, with 123 days remaining.
What zodiac sign is August 30?add
August 30 is Virgo, which runs from August 23 to September 22.