Mahatma Gandhi's Funeral

1948

Gandhi assassinated

Born on This Day

"Evening" Press Conference with Michael Cunningham, Natasha Richardson, Mamie Gummer, Claire Danes and Vanessa Redgrave

Vanessa Redgrave

1937 -

Multiple award-winning English actress known for roles in films "Julia" and "Atonement," and for her advocacy on social and political issues.

Photo of Phil COLLINS

Phil Collins

1951 -

English singer-songwriter known for his work with the band Genesis and songs "In the Air Tonight" and "Against All Odds."

"Wonka" World Premiere - Arrivals

Olivia Colman

1974 -

English actress who won an Academy Award for her role in "The Favourite," and who gained acclaim for her roles in TV's "Broadchurch" and "The Crown."

1698

JAN

30

With English backing, Captain William Kidd plunders the Quedagh Merchant, an Indian ship with treasures then worth some £75,000. A manhunt ensued, forcing him to bury his booty, giving rise to lore of his missing treasure.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on January 30th

1649

King Charles I executed for treason

In London, King Charles I is beheaded for treason on January 30, 1649. Charles ascended to the English throne in 1625 following the death of his father, King James I. In the first year of his reign, Charles offended his Protestant subjects by marrying Henrietta Maria, a Catholic French princess. He later responded to political […]

1835

Andrew Jackson narrowly escapes assassination

On January 30, 1835, Andrew Jackson becomes the first American president to experience an assassination attempt. Richard Lawrence, an unemployed house painter, approached Jackson as he left a congressional funeral held in the House chamber of the Capitol building and shot at him, but his gun misfired. A furious 67-year-old Jackson confronted his attacker, clubbing […]

1882

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is born

On January 30, 1882, future President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is born. Roosevelt grew up the only child in an upper middle-class family in Hyde Park, New York. He graduated from Harvard in 1904 and later received a degree from Columbia Law School. In 1905, Roosevelt married his influential future first lady, Eleanor, a niece of […]

1920

Mazda car company founded

On January 30, 1920, Jujiro Matsuda (1875-1952) forms Toyo Cork Kogyo, a business that makes cork, in Hiroshima, Japan; just over a decade later the company produces its first automobile and eventually changes its name to Mazda. In 1931, the company launched the Mazda-Go, a three-wheeled vehicle that resembled a motorcycle with a cargo-carrier at […]

1933

Adolf Hitler is named chancellor of Germany

On January 30, 1933, President Paul von Hindenburg names Adolf Hitler, leader or führer of the National Socialist German Workers Party (or Nazi Party), as chancellor of Germany. The year 1932 had seen Hitler’s meteoric rise to prominence in Germany, spurred largely by the German people’s frustration with dismal economic conditions and the still-festering wounds […]

1933

“The Lone Ranger” debuts on Detroit radio

With the stirring notes of the William Tell Overture and a shout of “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!” The Lone Ranger debuts on Detroit’s WXYZ radio station. The creation of station-owner George Trendle and writer Fran Striker, the “masked rider of the plains” became one of the most popular and enduring western heroes of the 20th century. […]

1956

Martin Luther King Jr.’s home is bombed

On January 30, 1956, an unidentified suspected white supremacist terrorist bombed the Montgomery home of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. No one was harmed, but the explosion outraged the community and was a major test of King’s steadfast commitment to non-violence. King was relatively new to Montgomery, Alabama but had quickly involved himself in the civil […]

1968

Tet Offensive shakes Cold War confidence

In coordinated attacks all across South Vietnam, communist forces launch their largest offensive of the Vietnam War against South Vietnamese and U.S. troops. Dozens of cities, towns, and military bases—including the U.S. embassy in Saigon—were attacked. The massive offensive was not a military success for the communists, but its size and intensity shook the confidence […]

A devastated part of Saigon after the shelling and fighting of the 1968 Tet Offensive

1972

“Bloody Sunday” in Northern Ireland

In Londonderry, Northern Ireland, 13 unarmed civil rights demonstrators are shot dead by British Army paratroopers in an event that becomes known as “Bloody Sunday.” The protesters, all Northern Catholics, were marching in protest of the British policy of internment of suspected Irish nationalists. British authorities had ordered the march banned, and sent troops to […]

Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland, January 1972

1994

Dan Jansen skates world-record 500 meters

On January 30, 1994, the American speed skater Dan Jansen sets a new world record of 35.76 at the World Sprint Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Born in 1965 in Wisconsin, Jansen had been the youngest skater to compete at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, where he came in fourth place in the 500 […]

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