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British Captain Tom Moore, who raised more £30 million for the National Health Service walking in his garden, turns 100

British Captain Tom Moore, who raised more £30 million for the National Health Service walking in his garden, turns 100 and made an honorary colonel by the Queen

Captain Sir Thomas Moore (30 April 1920 – 2 February 2021), more popularly known as Captain Tom, was a British Army officer and fundraiser. He made international headlines in April 2020 when he raised money for charity in the run-up to his 100th birthday during the COVID-19 pandemic. He served in India and the Burma campaign during the Second World War, and later became an instructor in armoured warfare. After the war, he worked as managing director of a concrete company and was an avid motorcycle racer.

On 6 April 2020, at the age of 99 during the first COVID-19 national lockdown, Moore began to walk 100 lengths of his garden in aid of NHS Charities Together, with the goal of raising £1,000 by his 100th birthday on 30 April.

Historical Significance

Captain Sir Thomas Moore (30 April 1920 – 2 February 2021), more popularly known as Captain Tom, was a British Army officer and fundraiser.

Events Before

  1. Dutchman Michael van Gerwen wins his 3rd PDC World Darts Championship; beats Englishman Michael Smith 7-3 at the Alexand

    Dutchman Michael van Gerwen wins his 3rd PDC World Darts Championship; beats Englishman Michael Smith 7-3 at the Alexandra Palace in London

  2. US grounds all Boeing 737 Max aircraft after bans by other countries following the plane type's second crash in Ethiopia

    The Boeing 737 MAX is a series of narrow-body aircraft developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes as the fourth generation of the Boeing 737.

  3. Climate change strikes held by schoolchildren take place around the world, inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg

    Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg is a Swedish activist best known for pressuring governments to address climate change and social issues.

  4. Syrian Democratic Forces announce that the last Islamic State territory has been retaken, raising flags in Baghuz, Syria

    Syrian Democratic Forces announce that the last Islamic State territory has been retaken, raising flags in Baghuz, Syria, and ending the five-year Islamic State "caliphate"

  5. Amazon's Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos agree record-breaking $35 billion divorce settlement

    Amazon's Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos agree record-breaking $35 billion divorce settlement

Events After

  1. Cuba's "day zero" unifies its two currencies by withdrawing the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), alongside steep increases

    Cuba's "day zero" unifies its two currencies by withdrawing the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), alongside steep increases in prices and salaries, effectively devaluing the remaining Cuban Peso for the first time since 1959 [1]

  2. First Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are given to the general public, with 82-year-old Brian Pinker in the UK the

    First Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are given to the general public, with 82-year-old Brian Pinker in the UK the first to receive the jab [1]

  3. Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump storm the Capitol in Washington, D.C., during Congress’s certification of Joe

    Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump storm the Capitol in Washington, D.C., during Congress’s certification of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s victory, resulting in five deaths and prompting the evacuation of lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence

  4. Military coup in Myanmar; civilian leaders are detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and a one-year state of emergency i

    Military coup in Myanmar; civilian leaders are detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and a one-year state of emergency is declared (still in effect)

  5. Kim Kardashian West files for divorce from her third husband, Kanye West after almost seven years

    Khloé Alexandra Kardashian is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman.

More from the 2020s

Pro-Iranian protesters end siege of US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq

Pro-Iranian protesters end siege of US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq

Scotland's Peter Wright beats Dutch defending champion Michael Van Gerwen 7-3 with a 102.79 average, 34 x 140s, 11 maxim

Scotland's Peter Wright beats Dutch defending champion Michael Van Gerwen 7-3 with a 102.79 average, 34 x 140s, 11 maximums, and 53% on doubles to seal his first PDC World Darts Championship in London

Cuba's "day zero" unifies its two currencies by withdrawing the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), alongside steep increases

Cuba's "day zero" unifies its two currencies by withdrawing the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), alongside steep increases in prices and salaries, effectively devaluing the remaining Cuban Peso for the first time since 1959 [1]

Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan becomes the first player in NBA history to hit buzzer-beaters on consecutive days; h

Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan becomes the first player in NBA history to hit buzzer-beaters on consecutive days; he hits 3-pointers to beat the Washington Wizards 120-119 and the previous night the Indiana Pacers 108-106

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on April 30, 2020?
Captain Sir Thomas Moore (30 April 1920 – 2 February 2021), more popularly known as Captain Tom, was a British Army officer and fundraiser. He made international headlines in April 2020 when he raised money for charity in the run-up to his 100th birthday during the COVID-19 pandemic. He served in India and the Burma campaign during the Second World War, and later became an instructor in armoured warfare.
Why is British Captain Tom Moore, who raised more £30 million for the National Healt... significant?
Captain Sir Thomas Moore (30 April 1920 – 2 February 2021), more popularly known as Captain Tom, was a British Army officer and fundraiser.

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April 30 in HistoryYear 2020