January 30 facts for kids

January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 335 days remain until the end of the year (336 in leap years). January 30 is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history. From important peace treaties to new inventions and the birthdays of famous people, this day has seen a lot happen! Let's explore some of the key moments that took place on January 30.

Historical Events on January 30

Early History (Before 1600)

• 1018 – The countries of Poland and the Holy Roman Empire signed the Peace of Bautzen, ending a conflict between them.
• 1287 – King Wareru started the Hanthawaddy Kingdom. This kingdom declared itself independent from the Pagan Kingdom.

Important Moments (1601–1900)

• 1607 – Huge floods hit the coasts of the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary in England. These floods covered a large area and sadly, around 2,000 people lost their lives.
• 1648 – The Eighty Years' War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Münster and Osnabrück. This treaty brought peace between the Netherlands and Spain.
• 1649 – Charles I of England was executed in London. This was a very significant event in English history.
• 1661 – Oliver Cromwell, who was a powerful leader in England, was ritually executed more than two years after he had already died. This happened on the 12th anniversary of King Charles I's execution.
• 1667 – The Truce of Andrusovo was signed, which ended the Russian-Polish War that had lasted from 1654 to 1667.
• 1703 – The famous group known as the Forty-seven rōnin, led by Ōishi Kuranosuke, got revenge for the death of their master. This is a well-known story in Japanese history.
• 1789 – Tây Sơn forces won a big victory against Qing armies in the Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa. They successfully freed their capital city, Thăng Long.
• 1806 – The first Lower Trenton Bridge opened. This bridge connects Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey over the Delaware River.
• 1820 – Edward Bransfield saw the Trinity Peninsula and claimed to have discovered Antarctica.
• 1826 – The Menai Suspension Bridge opened. It was considered the world's first modern suspension bridge and connects the Isle of Anglesey to Wales.
• 1835 – The first attempt to assassinate a U.S. President happened when Richard Lawrence tried to shoot President Andrew Jackson. He failed and was stopped by people nearby, including Jackson himself.
• 1847 – The town of Yerba Buena, California was officially renamed San Francisco, California.
• 1858 – The first Hallé concert took place in Manchester, England. This marked the official start of The Hallé orchestra as a full-time, professional music group.
• 1862 – The first American ironclad warship, the USS Monitor, was launched. Ironclads were powerful ships with metal armor.
• 1889 – Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, who was next in line to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was found dead with his friend Baroness Mary Vetsera in what became known as the Mayerling Incident.

Modern Times (1901–Present)

• 1902 – The first Anglo-Japanese Alliance was signed in London. This was an important agreement between Britain and Japan.
• 1908 – The famous Indian leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was released from prison. He had been jailed earlier that month.
• 1911 – The destroyer USS Terry made the first ever airplane rescue at sea, saving Douglas McCurdy near Havana, Cuba.
• 1920 – The Japanese car company Mazda was founded. It actually started out as a company that made cork products!
• 1925 – The Government of Turkey removed Patriarch Constantine VI from Istanbul.
• 1930 – In the Soviet Union, the government ordered the seizure of lands from wealthy farmers called Kulaks. This campaign led to many people being executed or forced to move.
• 1933 – Adolf Hitler's rise to power: Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany. This was a major turning point in history.
• 1939 – During a speech in the Reichstag, Adolf Hitler made a terrible prediction about the future of Jewish people in Europe if another world war were to happen.
• 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces attacked the island of Ambon in the Dutch East Indies. Many captured Allied soldiers were killed after they surrendered.
• 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Cisterna began in central Italy as part of Operation Shingle.
• 1945 – World War II: The German ship Wilhelm Gustloff, which was full of German refugees, sank in the Baltic Sea. It was hit by a Soviet submarine, and about 9,500 people died, making it one of the worst maritime disasters.
• 1945 – World War II: In the Raid at Cabanatuan, American Rangers and Filipino fighters freed over 500 Allied prisoners from a Japanese POW camp.
• 1948 – A plane called the Tudor IV Star Tiger disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle.
• 1948 – Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in India. India's prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, announced the sad news to the nation. This day is now observed as "Martyrs' Day" in India.
• 1956 – In the United States, the home of Civil Rights Movement leader Martin Luther King Jr. was bombed. This happened because of the Montgomery Bus Boycott he was leading.
• 1959 – The Sultanate of Muscat took control of the last strongholds of the Imamate of Oman, ending the Jebel Akhdar War in Oman.
• 1960 – The African National Party was founded in Chad.
• 1964 – General Nguyễn Khánh peacefully took over the military government in South Vietnam from General Dương Văn Minh.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive began. This was a major attack by forces from the Viet Cong and North Vietnam against South Vietnam, the United States, and their allies.
• 1969 – The Beatles gave their last public performance on the roof of Apple Records in London. The concert was stopped by the police.
• 1972 – The Troubles: On "Bloody Sunday" in Derry, Northern Ireland, British soldiers opened fire on people marching against internment, killing 13 people.
• 1972 – Pakistan left the Commonwealth of Nations because the Commonwealth recognized Bangladesh as an independent country.
• 1975 – The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary was created as the first United States National Marine Sanctuary.
• 1979 – A Varig cargo plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean shortly after taking off from Tokyo.
• 1982 – Richard Skrenta wrote the first computer virus code for PCs, called "Elk Cloner".
• 1989 – The American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan was closed.
• 1995 – Hydroxycarbamide became the first approved medicine to help prevent problems from sickle cell disease.
• 2013 – Naro-1 became the first rocket launched by South Korea.
• 2020 – The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern."

Famous Birthdays on January 30

• 58 BC – Livia, a powerful Roman woman who was the wife of Emperor Augustus.
• 1590 – Lady Anne Clifford, an English noblewoman known for her strong will and for restoring her family's castles.
• 1841 – Félix Faure, who became the 7th President of France.
• 1882 – Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States. He led the country through the Great Depression and most of World War II.
• 1899 – Max Theiler, a South African-American scientist who won a Nobel Prize for his work on yellow fever.
• 1925 – Douglas Engelbart, an American computer scientist who invented the computer mouse!
• 1927 – Olof Palme, who served as the 26th Prime Minister of Sweden.
• 1930 – Gene Hackman, a famous American actor.
• 1937 – Vanessa Redgrave, a well-known English actress.
• 1937 – Boris Spassky, a Russian chess grandmaster.
• 1941 – Dick Cheney, who was the 46th Vice President of the United States.
• 1951 – Phil Collins, a famous English drummer, singer, and songwriter.
• 1962 – Abdullah II of Jordan, the current King of Jordan.
• 1968 – Felipe VI of Spain, the current King of Spain.
• 1974 – Christian Bale, a popular British actor.
• 1974 – Olivia Colman, a celebrated English actress.
• 1981 – Peter Crouch, a tall and well-known English footballer.
• 1984 – Kid Cudi, an American entertainer.
• 1987 – Becky Lynch, a famous Irish professional wrestler.
• 2005 – Prince Hashem, the second son of King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Notable Deaths on January 30

• 1649 – Charles I of England, Scotland, and Ireland, who was executed.
• 1730 – Peter II of Russia, a young Russian emperor.
• 1836 – Betsy Ross, an American seamstress who is often said to have designed the first American Flag.
• 1838 – Osceola, an important leader of the Seminole people in Florida.
• 1889 – Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary.
• 1948 – Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule. He was a symbol of peaceful protest.
• 1948 – Orville Wright, one of the brothers who invented and flew the first successful airplane.
• 1951 – Ferdinand Porsche, an Austrian-German engineer who founded the famous car company Porsche.
• 1991 – John Bardeen, an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize twice for his work in electronics.
• 2006 – Coretta Scott King, an American author and activist, and the wife of Martin Luther King Jr.
• 2007 – Sidney Sheldon, a very popular American author and screenwriter.
• 2024 – Chita Rivera, a celebrated American actress, singer, and dancer.

Holidays and Observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Adelelmus of Burgos
  • Aldegonde
  • Anthony the Great (Coptic Church)
  • Balthild
  • Martina
  • Three Holy Hierarchs (Eastern Orthodox), which is also observed as Teacher's Day in Greece.
• Day of Azerbaijani customs (Azerbaijan)
• Day of Saudade (Brazil)
• Fred Korematsu Day (California, Florida, Hawaii, Virginia)
• Martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi, and its related observances:
  • Martyrs' Day (India)
  • School Day of Non-violence and Peace (Spain)
  • Start of the Season for Nonviolence (January 30 – April 4)

See also

In Spanish: 30 de enero para niños