On This Day

What Happened on January 30 in History

9 events that happened on January 30, oldest first. Every entry is written in our own words and links to its source.

Colonial America and the Revolution

1649 (Old Style date)
King Charles I of England is beheaded in London after being convicted of treason.
Charles had clashed with Parliament for years, and his defeat in the English Civil War by forces led by Oliver Cromwell ended with his trial for treason and his execution.
Source: history.com

1835
Andrew Jackson survives the first attempt to assassinate a sitting U.S. president.
Richard Lawrence, an unemployed house painter, fired two pistols at Jackson outside the Capitol, but both misfired. The president struck back with his cane before others subdued the attacker.
Source: history.com

1920
The company that became carmaker Mazda is founded in Hiroshima as a cork maker.
Jujiro Matsuda's firm, Toyo Cork Kogyo, turned to vehicles about a decade later with a three-wheeled truck. It later took the name Mazda and became known for its rotary-engine cars.
Source: history.com
1933
Adolf Hitler is appointed chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg.
Conservative politicians expected to control the Nazi leader inside a coalition cabinet. Instead Hitler moved quickly to destroy German democracy and build a dictatorship.
Source: history.com; encyclopedia.ushmm.org
1945
U.S. Army Rangers free hundreds of prisoners of war in a raid on the Cabanatuan camp in the Philippines.
The 6th Ranger Battalion, helped by Alamo Scouts and Filipino guerrillas, slipped behind Japanese lines and rescued more than 500 Allied prisoners held by the Japanese.
Source: army.mil

1948
Mohandas Gandhi is shot and killed in New Delhi by a Hindu extremist.
The leader of India's nonviolent independence movement was killed on his way to a prayer meeting, less than six months after India gained independence. His death was mourned around the world.
Source: history.com; archive.nytimes.com
1968
North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launch the Tet Offensive across South Vietnam.
About 80,000 communist troops struck dozens of cities and bases during the Tet holiday truce, even reaching the U.S. embassy in Saigon. The offensive failed militarily, but its size shook many Americans' confidence that the war was nearly won.
Source: history.com
1969
The Beatles play their last public concert on the roof of their London office.
The short set on the roof of the Apple Records building was filmed for the project that became the movie Let It Be. It turned out to be the band's final public performance.
Source: npr.org
1972
British paratroopers kill 13 civil rights marchers in Derry on Bloody Sunday.
The Catholic marchers were protesting internment without trial in Northern Ireland when soldiers opened fire, also wounding many others. The killings inflamed the Troubles and drew worldwide attention.
Source: history.com