Date·Lore

On This Day · The 30th day of the year

January 30

January 30 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1287 and 2020. King Wareru founds the Hanthawaddy kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom.

♒ZodiacAquarius ◈BirthstoneGarnet ❀Birth flowerCarnation

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on January 30?

January 30 is the 30th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1287 and 2020. Famous people born on January 30 include Franklin D. Roosevelt, Christian Bale and Max Theiler.

The shape of the day

From 1287 to 2020, January 30 gathers 733 years of history. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

Aquarius is the sign for January 30 — read more on the Aquarius page, or see January's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on January 30

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • Movie Iron Lung
  • Game Half Sword

2025

  • Game Techno Banter
  • Game Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero
  • Game Sniper Elite: Resistance
  • Game The Headliners
  • Game The Zebra-Man!

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1287

    Wareru

    King Wareru founds the Hanthawaddy kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom.

  2. 1649

    Charles I of England

    Charles I of England is executed in Whitehall, London.

  3. 1661

    Oliver Cromwell

    Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, is ritually executed more than two years after his death, on the 12th anniversary of the execution of the monarch he himself deposed.

  4. 1908

    Mahatma Gandhi

    Indian pacifist and leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is released from prison by Jan C. Smuts after being tried and sentenced to two months in jail earlier in the month.

  5. 1942

    World War II

    World War II: Japanese forces invade the island of Ambon in the Dutch East Indies. Some 300 captured Allied troops are killed after the surrender. One-quarter of the remaining POWs remain alive at the end of the war.

  6. 1964

    Nguyễn Khánh

    In a bloodless coup, General Nguyễn Khánh overthrows General Dương Văn Minh's military junta in South Vietnam.

  7. 1968

    Vietnam War

    Vietnam War: Tet Offensive launch by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army against South Vietnam, the United States, and their allies.

  8. 1972

    The Troubles

    The Troubles: Bloody Sunday: British paratroopers open fire on anti-internment marchers in Derry, Northern Ireland, killing 13 people; another person later dies of injuries sustained.

  9. 2000

    Kenya Airways Flight 431

    Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ivory Coast, killing 169.

  10. 2020

    World Health Organization

    The World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 pandemic to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Famous birthday twins

Born on January 30

Franklin D. Roosevelt

b. 1882

American lawyer and statesman, 32nd President of the United States

Christian Bale

b. 1974

British actor

Max Theiler

b. 1899

South African-American virologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Dick Cheney

b. 1941

American businessman and politician, 46th Vice President of the United States

Olof Palme

b. 1927

Swedish statesman, 26th Prime Minister of Sweden

Joachim Peiper

b. 1915

German SS officer

Rudolf Caracciola

b. 1901

German racing driver

Abdullah II of Jordan

b. 1962

King of Jordan since 1999

Deaths

  • 2025Marianne Faithfull
  • 1991John Bardeen
  • 1948Mahatma Gandhi
  • 1948Wright brothers
  • 1858Coenraad Jacob Temminck
  • 1649Charles I of England

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian Feast Day: Adelelmus of Burgos
  • —Christian Feast Day: Aldegonde
  • —Christian Feast Day: Anthony the Great (Coptic Church)
  • —Christian Feast Day: Armentarius of Pavia
  • —Christian Feast Day: Balthild
  • —Christian Feast Day: Charles, King and Martyr (various provinces of the Anglican Communion)
  • —Christian Feast Day: Hyacintha Mariscotti
  • —Christian Feast Day: Martina

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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