Friday, 30th January 2026

30th January in the Stars – Star Sign Aquarius

Today, the zodiac sign Aquarius celebrates its birthday.

Personality Profile

Personality Those born on 30 January blend classic Capricorn ambition with Mercurian sharpness. These individuals think strategically, communicate precisely, and systematically build toward their goals. Their dry wit and intellectual curiosity make them surprisingly engaging in social settings.

Strengths & Weaknesses The greatest strengths of those born this day lie in perseverance, logical thinking, and reliable leadership. Their weakness is a tendency toward perfectionism and emotional reserve that can strain relationships. Impatience with less structured people can breed frustration.

Love In relationships, these people show deep loyalty beneath a reserved surface. They value partners who challenge their intellect and share practical values. Romance means someone takes their dreams seriously and builds alongside them.

Caree & Finance People born on 30 January thrive in roles combining strategy, communication, and responsibility. They excel in management, science, and entrepreneurship. Financial security is essential; they save consciously and think long-term.

Health These individuals need regular mental stimulation and physical exercise for balance. Their analytical mind can lead to overthinking and stress; meditation helps. Discipline around diet and movement comes naturally once routine is established.

That night, the moon was in its waning crescent phase.

Chinese year of the Snake (Wood).

Fun Facts About 30th January

Name Days in Your Language: Franklin, Franklyn, Freeman, Fremont, Marteena, Martina, Martine

Someone born on this day would be just 136 days old today — roughly 3,275 hours, 196,536 minutes, or 11,792,175 seconds spent on Earth so far.

It's the 30. day of the year. In 2026, 30th January falls on a Friday.

There are 335 days still to come.

We’re currently in Week 5 — the year marches on.

Famous Birthdays on 29th January

On this day, 166 notable people were born on 29th January — spanning from -58 to 2005. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.

30/01/2005

Prince Hashem, second son of King Abdullah II of Jordan

Prince Hashem bin Abdullah is the youngest child and second son of King Abdullah II of Jordan and Queen Rania. He is a member of the Hashemite dynasty, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is considered a 42nd-generation direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

30/01/2003

Amen Thompson, American basketball player

Ameiz XLNC "Amen" Thompson is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played basketball for Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was rated a five-star recruit by ESPN and won a state title. Thompson bypassed his senior year of high school to sign with OTE, where he played for two seasons and helped his team win the league title while earning All-OTE First Team honors in 2023. He was selected 4th overall in the 2023 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. In 2024, he made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, and in 2025 he was named to the NBA All-Defensive first team. He is the twin brother of basketball player Ausar Thompson.

Ausar Thompson, American basketball player

Ausar XLNC Thompson is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played high school basketball for Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was rated a five-star recruit and won a state title. Alongside his twin brother Amen Thompson, he signed with development league Overtime Elite (OTE) out of high school. There, he won two straight OTE titles, earning Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice, and was named league MVP in 2023. Thompson was selected fifth overall by the Pistons in the 2023 NBA draft. He was the NBA steals leader and made the NBA All-Defensive First Team in the 2025–26 NBA season.

30/01/2002

Tyla, South African singer and songwriter.

Tyla Laura Seethal is a South African singer and songwriter. Dubbed as the "Queen of Popiano", her musical style is characterised by a fusion of pop and amapiano. Tyla gained international recognition after the release of her 2023 single "Water", which entered the top ten in multiple countries including her native South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Bijan Robinson, American football player

Bijan Robinson is an American professional football running back for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, where he won the Doak Walker Award and was a unanimous All-American in 2022 before being selected by the Falcons eighth overall in the 2023 NFL draft.

30/01/2001

Curtis Jones, English footballer

Curtis Julian Jones is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and the England national team.

30/01/2000

Markella Kavenagh, Australian actress

Markella Kavenagh is an Australian actress. Her credits include Picnic at Hanging Rock (2018), Romper Stomper (2018), The Cry (2018), True History of the Kelly Gang (2019), My First Summer, and The Gloaming (2020). However, her most notable work to date is for her starring role as the harfoot Nori Brandyfoot in two seasons of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–present).

Bryan Woo, American baseball player

Bryan Joseph Woo is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023. In 2025, he was named to the All-Star Game and All-MLB second team.

30/01/1997

Thomas Chabot, Canadian ice hockey player

Thomas Chabot is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman and alternate captain for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Chabot was drafted in the first round by the Senators in the 2015 NHL entry draft. He won a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in January 2017, becoming the first defenceman to be named the most valuable player in the history of the tournament. He also won two silver medals at the IIHF World Championships in 2019 and 2022.

Colin White, American ice hockey player

Colin Andrew White is an American professional ice hockey center for the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 21st overall, by the Ottawa Senators in the 2015 NHL entry draft. White has also previously played for the Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Montreal Canadiens.

30/01/1996

Dafne Navarro, Mexican trampoline gymnast

Dafne Carolina Navarro Loza is a Mexican trampoline gymnast. She is the 2018 and 2022 World synchro bronze medalist and was Mexico's first World medalist in trampoline. As an individual, she became Mexico's first Pan American Games medalist in trampoline when she won the silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games, and she won the bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games. She competed at the 2020 Olympic Games, becoming the first trampoline gymnast to represent Mexico at the Olympics.

30/01/1995

Danielle Campbell, American actress

Danielle Marie Campbell is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Jessica Olson in the 2010 Disney Channel Original Movie Starstruck, Simone Daniels in the 2011 Disney film Prom, Davina Claire in the 2013 CW television drama series The Originals and Kayla Powell and Olivia Moon in the 2018 CBS All Access television psychological thriller series Tell Me a Story.

Jack Laugher, English diver

Jack David Laugher is a British diver competing for Great Britain and England. A specialist on springboard, he competes in individual springboard events, and in synchronised events with Chris Mears, Daniel Goodfellow and Anthony Harding. Laugher and Mears became Britain's first diving Olympic champions by winning a gold medal in the men's synchronised 3m springboard event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, an achievement many had expected double world 10m champion Tom Daley would achieve first. A week later, Laugher won a silver in the men's individual 3m springboard at the same Games, becoming the first British diver to win multiple Olympic diving medals at the same Games. As of 2024, this silver remans the highest placing by an individual British diver at the Olympic Games.

Marcos Llorente, Spanish footballer

Marcos Llorente Moreno is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or right-back for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Spain national team.

30/01/1994

Amelia Dimoldenberg, English comedian, writer and presenter

Amelia Dimoldenberg is an English comedian, writer and presenter. She is the creator and host of the web series Chicken Shop Date, in which she interviews celebrities in fried chicken restaurants while subjecting them to her sarcastic, deadpan, and awkward sense of humour.

30/01/1993

Katy Marchant, English track cyclist

Katy Louise Marchant is a British track cyclist who specialises in the keirin, sprint, team sprint and track time trial disciplines. She is an Olympic and world champion in the team sprint, and a European champion in the 500 m time trial.

Kodai Senga, Japanese baseball player

Kodai Senga is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023 and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) debut in 2012 for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He is a three-time NPB All-Star and a one-time MLB All-Star. Internationally, Senga represents the Japanese national team.

Thitipoom Techaapaikhun, Thai actor

Thitipoom Techaapaikhun, nicknamed New, is a Thai actor and television host. He is best known for Kiss: The Series (2016), Kiss Me Again (2018), and Dark Blue Kiss (2019). He went on to star in Cherry Magic (2023), the Thai adaptation of the Japanese manga of the same name.

30/01/1991

Stefan Elliott, Canadian ice hockey player

Stefan Elliott is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Jason Gastrow, American YouTuber

Jason Gastrow, known online as videogamedunkey or simply dunkey, is an American YouTuber known for his YouTube skits and video essays that blend humor with video game criticism. As of January 2026, his YouTube channel has over seven million subscribers and he has accumulated over four billion views.

30/01/1990

Melissa Duncan, Australian track and field athlete

Melissa Duncan is an Australian middle-distance runner who competes primarily in the 1500 metres and 5000 metres.

Eiza González, Mexican actress and singer

Eiza González Reyna is a Mexican actress and singer. She gained popularity for starring in the Nickelodeon teen sitcom Sueña conmigo (2010–2011). As a singer, she released the albums Contracorriente (2009) and Te Acordarás de Mí (2012).

Luca Sbisa, Italian-Swiss ice hockey player and coach

Luca Sbisa is an Italian-born Swiss professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the development coach for the San Jose Sharks. He played as a defenceman for the Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Islanders, Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators. Sbisa played major junior hockey in Canada with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) before being selected by the Flyers in the first round of the 2008 NHL entry draft. He made his NHL debut that year before returning to Lethbridge.

Mitchell Starc, Australian cricketer

Mitchell Aaron Starc is an Australian international cricketer who plays for the Australian national team and New South Wales in domestic cricket. A left-arm fast bowler and a lower order left-handed batsman, he is Australia's fourth highest wicket-taker in both Test and One Day International (ODI) cricket.

Jake Thomas, American actor

Jake Thomas is an American actor and director. From 2001 to 2004, he starred as Matt McGuire on the Disney Channel show Lizzie McGuire. In 2002, Thomas won a Young Artist Award for supporting actor for his performance as Martin Swinton in A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001). He also appeared in Cory in the House (2007–2008), playing the role of Jason Stickler.

30/01/1989

Jahvid Best, American football player and athlete

Jahvid Andre Best is an American track and field Olympian athlete, and former professional football running back. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft. He played college football for the California Golden Bears, setting several school records, including most all-purpose yards in a single season and most rushing yards in a single game. Best also led the Pac-10 in total rushing yards in 2008. Best competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics, representing Saint Lucia in track and field. He later became head football coach of the Saint Mary's College High School Panthers in Berkeley, California, for one season.

Kylie Bunbury, Canadian-American actress

Kylie Bunbury is a Canadian actress.

Misha Zilberman, Israeli Olympic badminton player

Misha Zilberman is an Israeli badminton player. He competed for Israel at the 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 Olympics, coming in 33rd, 14th, 15th and 27th respectively. He is the first Israeli player to win a medal at the European Badminton Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2022 European Badminton Championships, and bronze medals at the 2019 and 2023 European Games.

30/01/1987

Becky Lynch, Irish wrestler

Rebecca Quin, better known by the ring name Becky Lynch, is an Irish professional wrestler. She has been signed to WWE since April 2013, where she performs on the Raw brand. Lynch is often regarded as one of the greatest women's professional wrestlers of all time.

Phil Lester, English Youtuber

Philip Michael Lester is an English YouTuber and presenter. He is best known for his YouTube channels AmazingPhil and Dan and Phil , which, as of March 2026, have 3.85 million and 3.1 million subscribers, respectively. Active since 2006, AmazingPhil is considered among the first notable British YouTubers. Lester appeared on a Sunday Times 2019 list of the top influencers in the UK.

Renato Santos, Brazilian footballer

Renato dos Santos is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Itabaiana.

Arda Turan, Turkish footballer

Arda Turan is a Turkish professional football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk.

30/01/1985

Gisela Dulko, Argentinian tennis player

Gisela Dulko is an Argentine former tennis player. Although she enjoyed modest success in singles, reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 26 and winning four WTA titles, her speciality was doubles, where she achieved the world No. 1 ranking and won 17 WTA titles. Partnering with Flavia Pennetta, Dulko won the 2010 WTA Tour Championships and the 2011 Australian Open. She also reached the mixed-doubles final at the 2011 US Open, with Eduardo Schwank. During her career, Dulko upset a number of top players on the tour, including Maria Sharapova in the second round of Wimbledon in 2009, Samantha Stosur in the third round of Roland Garros in 2011, and Martina Navratilova in the second round of Wimbledon in 2004 and in Navratilova's final Grand Slam singles match.

30/01/1984

Kid Cudi, American entertainer

Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, also known by his stage name Kid Cudi, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Cudi moved to New York City in pursuit of a musical career, where he first gained recognition for his song "Day 'n' Nite". Initially self-published on his MySpace page, the song became a hit online and served as a catalyst for Cudi to team up with record producers Plain Pat and Emile Haynie to record his first full-length project, a mixtape titled A Kid Named Cudi (2008). Its release helped Cudi rise to prominence and establish a fanbase, catching the attention of rapper Kanye West—who signed Cudi to his GOOD Music label by late 2008.

Junior dos Santos, Brazilian mixed martial artist

Junior dos Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former professional wrestler who competes in the Heavyweight division. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and current Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA Heavyweight Champion. As a professional wrestler, dos Santos made appearances for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a member of the American Top Team stable.

Kotoshōgiku Kazuhiro, Japanese sumo wrestler

Kotoshōgiku Kazuhiro is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. Wrestling for Sadogatake stable, he made his professional debut in 2002, and reached the top division in 2005. In 2011 he achieved the standard for promotion to the second highest rank of ōzeki by winning 33 bouts over three tournaments, and was formally promoted by the Japan Sumo Association on 28 September.

30/01/1983

Drake Maverick, English wrestler

James Michael Curtin is an English retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a writer for the Raw brand. During his time as an on-screen performer in the company, he worked under the ring name Drake Maverick. He has also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, under the ring name Rockstar Spud.

Slavko Vraneš, Montenegrin basketball player

Slavko Vraneš is a Montenegrin former professional basketball player. Standing at 2.29 m, he was one of the tallest players in the world. While he only played one game in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in his career, a 2004 regular season game for the Portland Trail Blazers, he went on to have a successful career in Europe, winning the 2011 EuroCup with UNICS Kazan. Internationally, Vraneš represented the Montenegrin national team.

30/01/1982

Jorge Cantú, American-Mexican baseball player

Jorge Luís Cantú Guzmán is an American-born Mexican former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Cincinnati Reds, Florida Marlins, Texas Rangers, and San Diego Padres, and in the KBO League for the Doosan Bears.

DeSagana Diop, Senegalese basketball player and coach

DeSagana N'gagne Diop is a Senegalese former professional basketball player who is head coach for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League, as well as the Senegal national team.

Cameron Wake, American football player

Derek Cameron Wake is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for Penn State Nittany Lions, and was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005.

30/01/1981

Jonathan Bender, American basketball player

Jonathan Rene Bender is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A highly touted 6'11" prospect who mostly played shooting guard in high school, Bender's unusual height for his position and potential garnered much attention leading up to the 1999 NBA draft. After playing 78 games for the Pacers in 2001, knee injuries limited him to a combined 76 games over the next four seasons. He played 25 games for the Knicks in 2009 before his retirement.

Dimitar Berbatov, Bulgarian footballer

Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Known for his technique and ball control, Berbatov is regarded as one of the greatest Bulgarian players of all time. He captained the Bulgarian national team from 2006 to 2010 and is the nation’s top goalscorer with 48 goals, a record shared with Hristo Bonev.

Peter Crouch, English footballer

Peter James Crouch is an English television personality and former professional footballer who played as a striker. He was capped 42 times by the England national team between 2005 and 2010, scoring 22 goals for his country during that time, appearing at two FIFA World Cups. He is one of 35 players to have scored 100 or more Premier League goals, and holds the record for the most headed goals in Premier League history. A tall forward, with a slender physique, Crouch was known for his aerial abilities, technical abilities and hold-up play.

Mathias Lauda, Austrian racing driver

Mathias Lauda is an Austrian racing driver notable for winning the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship for Aston Martin Racing in the LMGTE Am category. He is the son of the late three-time Formula One world champion Niki Lauda and his first wife, Marlene Knaus. He has a brother, Lukas, who was his manager during his racing career.

30/01/1980

Lena Hall, American actress and singer

Celina Consuela Gabriella Carvajal, known professionally as Lena Hall, is an American actress and singer. She won the Tony Award for her performance as Yitzhak in the 2014 revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which also earned her a Grammy nomination for the musical's official album. She made history by becoming the first person to play both Hedwig and Yitzhak in the same production during the national tour of the musical in 2016. She originated the role of Nicola in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots. Her other Broadway credits include Cats, 42nd Street, Dracula, the Musical and Tarzan, the Musical. Hall has also starred in Off-Broadway productions such as Radiant Baby, Bedbugs!!!, Rooms: A Rock Romance, The Toxic Avenger, Prometheus Bound, Chix6, Little Shop of Horrors, and the 2017 original play How to Transcend a Happy Marriage.

Josh Kelley, American singer-songwriter and musician

Joshua Bishop Kelley is an American musician and singer-songwriter. Kelley has recorded for Hollywood Records, Threshold Records and DNK Records as a pop rock artist. His songs "Amazing" and "Only You" reached the top ten on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart.

Georgios Vakouftsis, Greek footballer

Georgios Vakouftsis is a Greek footballer. He last played for PAEEK FC in Cyprus, previously he played as a forward for Anagennisi Karditsa in the Gamma Ethniki. A striker, he is 192 cm tall.

Wilmer Valderrama, American actor and producer

Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama is an American actor. He is known for his role as Fez in the sitcom That '70s Show (1998–2006), his current role as Special Agent Nick Torres in NCIS (2016–present), and Agustín Madrigal in Encanto. He was also host of the MTV series Yo Momma (2006–07), the voice of Manny from the Playhouse Disney/Disney Junior animated series Handy Manny (2006–2013), and played Carlos Madrigal in From Dusk till Dawn: The Series (2014–2016). He has had recurring roles on Grey's Anatomy as well as The Ranch.

Lee Zeldin, American politician and 17th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Lee Michael Zeldin is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 17th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since January 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he represented New York's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2023. From 2011 to 2014, Zeldin served as a member of the New York State Senate from the 3rd Senate district.

30/01/1979

Trevor Gillies, Canadian ice hockey player

Trevor Gillies is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with both the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and New York Islanders. Gillies was known for being an enforcer, as evidenced by his NHL career statistics of 57 games with only three points and 261 penalty minutes. Gillies was also known for his distinctive horseshoe moustache during his time with the Islanders.

30/01/1978

Carmen Küng, Swiss curler

Carmen Küng is a curler from Solothurn, Switzerland.

John Patterson, American baseball player

John Hollis Patterson is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2002 to 2007.

30/01/1976

Andy Milonakis, American entertainer

Andrew Michael Milonakis is an American comedian, actor, rapper, and internet personality. He is best known for his work on The Andy Milonakis Show, a sketch comedy series that aired on MTV and MTV2 from 2005 to 2007. Other notable films and TV series in which Milonakis has appeared include Kroll Show, Waiting..., and Adventure Time.

30/01/1975

Juninho Pernambucano, Brazilian footballer

Antônio Augusto Ribeiro Reis Júnior, commonly known as Juninho Pernambucano or simply Juninho, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who was most recently the sporting director of Ligue 1 club Lyon. A dead-ball specialist noted for his bending free kicks, in particular the knuckleball technique which he developed, Juninho has scored the most goals from free kicks (77) and is considered by many to be the greatest free-kick taker of all time.

30/01/1974

Christian Bale, British actor

Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. His accolades include an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to four British Academy Film Awards nominations. He was one of the highest-paid actors in 2014, and The Independent later named him one of the greatest actors of the 21st century.

Olivia Colman, English actress

Sarah Caroline Sinclair, known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress noted for her versatility across both comedic and dramatic roles in film and television. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup.

30/01/1973

Jalen Rose, American basketball player and sportscaster

Jalen Anthony Rose is an American sports analyst and former professional basketball player. In college, he was a member of the University of Michigan Wolverines' "Fab Five" that reached the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games as both freshmen and sophomores.

30/01/1972

Mike Johnson, American politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

James Michael Johnson is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he is in his fifth House term, having represented Louisiana's 4th congressional district since 2017.

Chris Simon, Canadian ice hockey player

Christopher J. Simon was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Known for his physical style of play and enforcer role, Simon played over 15 seasons in the NHL with teams including the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, and Minnesota Wild. He was part of the 1996 Stanley Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche team. Simon was also known for his aggressive play, receiving eight suspensions throughout his NHL career, totaling 65 games. After leaving the NHL, he continued his career in the KHL before retiring from professional hockey in 2013.

30/01/1970

Kimiya Yui, Japanese astronaut

Kimiya Yui is a Japanese astronaut with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and a retired fighter pilot with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. He was selected by JAXA in 2009.

30/01/1969

Justin Skinner, English footballer and manager

Justin Skinner is an English former footballer who played for Fulham, Bristol Rovers, Walsall, Hibernian, Dunfermline Athletic and Brechin City.

30/01/1968

Felipe VI of Spain

Felipe VI is King of Spain, having reigned since 19 June 2014.

30/01/1966

Danielle Goyette, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Danielle Goyette is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played on the Canada women's national ice hockey team. She is an eight-time champion of the Abby Hoffman Cup, the national women's championship of Canada. In 2013, she was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame. In 2017, she was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Goyette was made a member of the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2018.

30/01/1965

Julie McCullough, American actress

Julie Michelle McCullough is an American model, actress and stand-up comedian. She was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for February 1986, and played the role of Julie Costello on Growing Pains in 1989–90.

Kevin Moore, Australian rugby league player and coach

Kevin Moore is an Australian former rugby league football coach and player.

30/01/1964

Otis Smith, American basketball player, coach, and manager

Otis Fitzgerald Smith is an American former professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Jacksonville Dolphins.

30/01/1962

Abdullah II of Jordan

Abdullah II is the King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemites, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is traditionally regarded as a 41st-generation direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Mary Kay Letourneau, American sex offender (died 2020)

Mary Katherine Fualaau was an American teacher who pleaded guilty in 1997 to two counts of felony second-degree rape of a child and subsequently married her victim/former student. The case received national attention.

30/01/1959

Jody Watley, American entertainer

Jody Vanessa Watley is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer. Watley began her career in show business as one of the dancers on the musical television show, Soul Train, from 1974 until 1977. Watley first found musical success in 1977 when she became a part of the original lineup of the R&B group Shalamar, which also featured Jeffrey Daniel and lead vocals by Howard Hewett. The group recorded the hits "The Second Time Around", "A Night to Remember" and "Dead Giveaway". After recording several albums with the group, Watley left the group in 1983.

30/01/1958

Brett Butler, American actress

Brett Butler is an American actress, writer, and stand-up comedian. Butler gained recognition as a stand-up comedian, performing in clubs across the United States and making appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She is, however, best known for playing the title role in the ABC comedy series Grace Under Fire (1993–1998), for which she received two Golden Globe Awards nominations. She has also had guest appearances on various series, including My Name Is Earl and Anger Management.

30/01/1957

Chris Jansing, American television reporter

Christine Ann Kapostasy-Jansing is an American television journalist. She anchors Chris Jansing Reports airing from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET weekdays on MS NOW, having replaced MTP Daily in May 2022.

Payne Stewart, American golfer (died 1999)

William Payne Stewart was an American professional golfer who won 11 PGA Tour events, including three major championships, the last of which came just a few months before his death in an airplane accident at the age of 42.

30/01/1956

Ann Dowd, American actress

Ann Dowd is an American actress. She has appeared in numerous films, including Green Card (1990), Lorenzo's Oil (1992), Philadelphia (1993), Garden State (2004), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Marley & Me (2008), Compliance (2012), Side Effects (2013), St. Vincent (2014), Captain Fantastic (2016), Hereditary (2018), and Mass (2021). For Compliance, she won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress. For Mass, she earned nominations for a British Academy Film Award and a Critics' Choice Award.

30/01/1955

John Baldacci, American politician, 73rd Governor of Maine

John Elias Baldacci is an American politician who served as the 73rd governor of Maine from 2003 to 2011. A Democrat, he also served in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 and in the Maine Senate from 1982 to 1994.

Curtis Strange, American golfer

Curtis Northrup Strange is an American professional golfer and TV color commentator. He is the winner of consecutive U.S. Open titles and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. He spent over 200 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking between their debut in 1986 and 1990.

Mychal Thompson, Bahamian-American basketball player and sportscaster

Mychal George Thompson is a Bahamian-American sports commentator and former professional basketball player. He was the first player born & raised in the Bahamas to make the NBA. The top overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Thompson played the center position for the University of Minnesota and center and power forward for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, and Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson won two NBA championships with the Lakers during their Showtime era in the 1980s. He is the father of basketball players Klay Thompson and Mychel Thompson, and baseball player Trayce Thompson.

30/01/1953

Fred Hembeck, American author and illustrator

Fred Hembeck is an American cartoonist best known for his parodies of characters from major American comic book publishers. His work has frequently been published by the firms whose characters he spoofs. His characters are always drawn with curlicues at the elbows and knees. He often portrays himself as a character in his own work, in the role of "interviewer" of various comic book characters. Interviewer Daniel Best has said of his work, "If you take your comic books seriously, and think that those characters are real, then you're probably not a fan of Hembeck."

30/01/1952

Doug Falconer, Canadian football player and producer (died 2021)

Doug Falconer was a Canadian-American film producer, singer-songwriter, recording artist and professional Canadian football player, having played in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

30/01/1951

Phil Collins, English drummer, singer-songwriter, producer, and actor

Philip David Charles Collins is an English singer, drummer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis and had a successful solo career, achieving three UK number-one singles and seven US number-one singles as a solo artist. In total, his work with Genesis, other artists and solo resulted in more US top-40 singles than any other artist throughout the 1980s. His most successful singles from the period include "In the Air Tonight", "You Can't Hurry Love", "Against All Odds ", "One More Night", "Sussudio", "Another Day in Paradise", "Two Hearts" and "I Wish It Would Rain Down".

Charles S. Dutton, American actor and director

Charles Stanley Dutton is an American actor and director. He is best known for his roles in the television series Roc (1991–1994) and the television film The Piano Lesson (1995), the latter of which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination. His other accolades include three Primetime Emmy Awards and three NAACP Image Awards.

Bobby Stokes, English footballer (died 1995)

Robert William Thomas Stokes was an English footballer, best known for scoring the winning goal in the 83rd minute of the FA Cup Final for Southampton against Manchester United in 1976.

30/01/1950

Jack Newton, Australian golfer (died 2022)

Jack Newton OAM was an Australian professional golfer. Newton had early success in Australia, winning the 1972 Amoco Forbes Classic. He soon moved on to the British PGA where he won three times and finished runner-up at the 1975 Open Championship. Shortly thereafter, Newton started playing on the PGA Tour where he won one event, the 1978 Buick-Goodwrench Open. During the era, Newton still played extensively in his home country culminating with a win at the 1979 Australian Open. Four years later, in 1983, Newton had a near-fatal accident when he accidentally walked into the spinning propeller of an aeroplane, losing his right arm and right eye. Despite the tragedy Newton managed to survive and, though unable to continue as a professional golfer, was able to work a number of golf-related jobs for the remainder of his life.

30/01/1949

Peter Agre, American physician and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate

Peter Agre is a Nobel Laureate American physician, molecular biologist, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute. In 2003, Agre and Roderick MacKinnon shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "discoveries concerning channels in cell membranes." Agre was recognized for his discovery of aquaporin water channels. Aquaporins are water-channel proteins that move water molecules through the cell membrane. In 2009, Agre was elected president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and became active in science diplomacy.

30/01/1947

Les Barker, English poet and author (died 2023)

Les Barker was an English poet. He wrote comedic poetry, parodies of popular songs, and also serious works.

Steve Marriott, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1991)

Stephen Peter Marriott was an English musician, guitarist, singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a student at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London and appeared in the West End, before taking a role in music. He co-founded and played in the rock bands Small Faces and Humble Pie, in a career spanning over 20 years. Marriott was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces.

30/01/1946

John Bird, Baron Bird, English publisher, founded The Big Issue

John Anthony Bird, Baron Bird MBE is a British social entrepreneur, author and life peer.

30/01/1945

Meir Dagan, Israeli military officer and intelligence official, Director of Mossad (2002–11) (died 2016)

Aluf Meir Dagan was an Israel Defense Forces major general (reserve) and director of the Mossad.

Michael Dorris, American author and scholar (died 1997)

Michael Anthony Dorris was an American novelist and scholar who was the first Chair of the Native American Studies program at Dartmouth College. His works include the novel A Yellow Raft in Blue Water (1987) and the memoir The Broken Cord (1989).

30/01/1944

Lynn Harrell, American cellist and academic (died 2020)

Lynn Harrell was an American classical cellist. Known for the "penetrating richness" of his sound, Harrell performed internationally as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with major orchestras over a career spanning nearly six decades.

Colin Rimer, English lawyer and judge

Sir Colin Percy Farquharson Rimer is a former judge of the English Court of Appeal; he retired in 2014.

30/01/1943

Davey Johnson, American baseball player and manager (died 2025)

David Allen Johnson was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played as a second baseman from 1965 through 1978, most notably in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynasty which won four American League pennants and two World Series championships between 1966 and 1971. Johnson played in MLB from 1965 to 1975, then played for two seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) before returning to play in MLB with the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs from 1977 to 1978. A three-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner, he was selected to four All-Star Game teams during his playing career.

30/01/1942

Marty Balin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2018)

Martyn Jerel Buchwald, known as Marty Balin, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.

30/01/1941

Gregory Benford, American astrophysicist and author

Gregory Benford is an American science fiction author and astrophysicist who is professor emeritus at the department of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. He is a contributing editor of Reason magazine.

Dick Cheney, American businessman and politician, 46th Vice President of the United States (died 2025)

Richard Bruce Cheney was an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. Cheney was a leading advocate for the Iraq War, and has been called the most powerful vice president in the history of the United States.

Tineke Lagerberg, Dutch swimmer

Catharina Bernadetta Jacoba ("Tineke") Lagerberg is a retired Dutch swimmer who won the bronze medal in the 400 m freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in a time of 4:56.9. She was also part of the Dutch team that broke the 4×100 m medley Olympic record in the preliminaries; however, they finished fourth in the final. Lagerberg broke the world record in the women's 200 m butterfly on 13 September 1958 in Naarden, Netherlands. She was also part of the Dutch relay team that set a new world record in the 4×100 m medley in the same year.

30/01/1938

Islam Karimov, Uzbek politician, 1st President of Uzbekistan (died 2016)

Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov was an Uzbek politician who served as the first president of Uzbekistan, from the country's independence in 1991 until his death in 2016. He was the last First Secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan from 1989 to 1991, when the party was reconstituted as the People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (O‘zXDP); which he led until 1996. He was the President of the Uzbek SSR from 24 March 1990 until he declared the independence of Uzbekistan on 1 September 1991.

30/01/1937

Vanessa Redgrave, English actress

Dame Vanessa Redgrave is an English actress and activist. In a career spanning over six decades, her accolades include an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, Volpi Cup and an Olivier Award, making her one of the few performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting. She has also received various honorary awards, including the BAFTA Fellowship Award, the Golden Lion Honorary Award, and an induction into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

Boris Spassky, Russian chess grandmaster (died 2025)

Boris Vasilyevich Spassky was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster who was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. Spassky played three world championship matches: he lost to Tigran Petrosian in 1966; defeated Petrosian in 1969 to become world champion; then lost to Bobby Fischer in a famous match in 1972.

30/01/1936

Horst Jankowski, German pianist and composer (died 1998)

Horst Jankowski was a classically trained German pianist, most famous for his internationally successful easy listening music.

30/01/1935

Richard Brautigan, American novelist, poet, and short story writer (died 1984)

Richard Gary Brautigan was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer. He wrote throughout his life and published ten novels, two collections of short stories, and ten books of poetry. Brautigan's work has been published both in the United States and internationally throughout Europe, Japan, and China. He is best known for his novels Trout Fishing in America (1967), In Watermelon Sugar (1968), and The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966 (1971).

Tubby Hayes, English saxophonist and composer (died 1973)

Edward Brian "Tubby" Hayes was a British jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his virtuosic musicianship on tenor saxophone and for performing in jazz groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar. He is widely considered to be one of the finest jazz saxophonists to have emerged from Britain.

30/01/1934

Tammy Grimes, American actress and singer (died 2016)

Tammy Lee Grimes was an American film and stage actress and singer.

30/01/1932

Knock Yokoyama, Japanese comedian and politician (died 2007)

Knock Yokoyama was a Japanese politician and comedian.

30/01/1931

John Crosbie, Canadian lawyer and politician, 34th Canadian Minister of Justice (died 2020)

John Carnell Crosbie was a Canadian provincial and federal politician who served as the 12th lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Prior to being lieutenant governor, he served as a provincial cabinet minister under Premiers Joey Smallwood and Frank Moores as well as a federal cabinet minister during the Progressive Conservative (PC) governments of Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney. Crosbie held several federal cabinet posts, including minister of finance, minister of justice, minister of transport, minister of international trade, and minister of fisheries and oceans.

Shirley Hazzard, Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (died 2016)

Shirley Hazzard was an Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. She was born in Australia and also held U.S. citizenship.

30/01/1930

Gene Hackman, American actor and author (died 2025)

Eugene Allen Hackman was an American actor. Considered one of the greatest actors of his generation and a paragon of the New Hollywood movement, Hackman's mainstream acting career spanned over four decades. He received several accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, one Silver Bear and four Golden Globe Awards.

Magnus Malan, South African general and politician, South African Minister of Defence (died 2011)

General Magnus André de Mérindol Malan was a South African military figure and politician during the last years of apartheid in South Africa. He served as Minister of Defence in the cabinet of President P. W. Botha, Chief of the South African Defence Force (SADF), and Chief of the South African Army. Rising quickly through the lower ranks, he was appointed to strategic command positions. His tenure as chief of the defence force saw it increase in size, efficiency and capabilities.

30/01/1929

Lois Hole, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (died 2005)

Lois Elsa Hole, CM, AOE DStJ was a Canadian politician, businesswoman, academician, professional gardener and best-selling author. She was the 15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta from 10 February 2000 until her death on 6 January 2005. She was known as the "Queen of Hugs" for breaking with protocol and hugging almost everyone she met, including journalists, diplomats and other politicians.

Hugh Tayfield, South African cricketer (died 1994)

Hugh Joseph Tayfield was a South African international cricketer. He played 37 Test matches for South Africa between 1949 and 1960 and was one of the best off spinners the game has seen. He was the fastest South African to take 100 wickets in Tests until Dale Steyn claimed the record in March 2008. He was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1956. He was known as 'Toey' due to his habit of stubbing his toes into the ground before every delivery. He would also kiss the badge on his cap before handing it to the umpire at the start of every over.

Lucille Teasdale-Corti, Canadian-Italian physician and humanitarian (died 1996)

Lucille Teasdale-Corti was a Canadian physician and pediatric surgeon, who worked in Uganda from 1961 until her death in 1996. With her husband she co-founded a university hospital in the north of Uganda.

30/01/1928

Harold Prince, American director and producer (died 2019)

Harold Smith Prince, commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theater director and producer known for his work in musical theater.

Paul Seymour, American basketball player and coach (died 1998)

Paul Norman Seymour was an American professional basketball player and coach. Seymour played college basketball for the Toledo Rockets before playing professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the NBA, he played for the Baltimore Bullets and Syracuse Nationals. While with the Nationals, Seymour was named to the NBA All-Star game in three consecutive years, from 1953 to 1955. He also coached in the NBA for the Nationals, St. Louis Hawks, Baltimore Bullets, and Detroit Pistons.

30/01/1927

Olof Palme, Swedish statesman, 26th Prime Minister of Sweden (died 1986)

Sven Olof Joachim Palme was a Swedish politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1969 to 1976 and 1982 to 1986. Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 until his assassination in 1986.

30/01/1925

Douglas Engelbart, American computer scientist, invented the computer mouse (died 2013)

Douglas Carl Engelbart was an American engineer, inventor, and a pioneer in many aspects of computer science. He is best known for his work on founding the field of human–computer interaction, particularly while at his Augmentation Research Center Lab in SRI International, which resulted in creation of the computer mouse, and the development of hypertext, networked computers, and precursors to graphical user interfaces. These were demonstrated at The Mother of All Demos in 1968. Engelbart's law, the observation that the intrinsic rate of human performance is exponential, is named after him.

30/01/1924

Ernie Calverley, American basketball player and coach (died 2003)

Ernest Albert Calverley was an American professional basketball player. He was an All-American while playing for the University of Rhode Island. He played professionally with the Providence Steamrollers of the Basketball Association of America for three seasons from 1946 to 1949. Calverley led the league in assists and was an All-BAA Second Team selection in his first season in the league.

S. N. Goenka, Burmese-Indian author and educator (died 2013)

Satya Narayana Goenka was an Indian teacher of vipassanā meditation. Born in Burma to an Indian family, he learnt Vipassana from Sayagyi U Ba Khin, retired from business in 1962 during business nationalization by military government in Burma, and moved to India in 1969 to start teaching Vipassana meditation. His teachings stay away from rites and rituals and emphasize that Buddha's path to liberation was non-sectarian, universal, and scientific in character, leading to Vipassana meditation appealing to people of all religions as well as no religion, from all parts of the world. He became an influential teacher and played an important role in establishing non-commercial Vipassana meditation centers globally where Vipassana Meditation is taught as a 10 Day residential program with no charges for food, stay as well as for teaching meditation, with centers funded by willful donations from past meditators. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2012, an award given for distinguished service of high order.

30/01/1923

Marianne Ferber, Czech-American economist and author (died 2013)

Marianne A. Ferber was an American feminist economist and the author of many books and articles on the subject of women's work, the family, and the construction of gender. She held a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

30/01/1922

Dick Martin, American comedian, actor, and director (died 2008)

Thomas Richard Martin was an American comedian and director. He was known for his role as the co-host of the sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973.

30/01/1920

Michael Anderson, English director and producer (died 2018)

Michael Joseph Anderson Sr was an English film and television director. His career spanned nearly 50 years across three countries, working at various times in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. His most critically and commercially successful works include the World War II film The Dam Busters (1955), the dystopian sci-fi film Logan's Run (1976), and the comedy adventure epic Around the World in 80 Days (1956), which won the 1957 Academy Award for Best Picture.

Patrick Heron, British painter (died 1999)

Patrick Heron was a British abstract and figurative artist, critic, writer, and polemicist, who lived in Zennor, Cornwall.

Delbert Mann, American director and producer (died 2007)

Delbert Martin Mann Jr. was an American television and film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film Marty (1955), adapted from a 1953 teleplay which he had also directed. From 1967 to 1971, he was president of the Directors Guild of America. In 2002, he received the DGA's honorary life member award. Mann was credited to have "helped bring TV techniques to the film world."

30/01/1919

Fred Korematsu, American activist (died 2005)

Fred Toyosaburo Korematsu was an American civil rights activist who resisted the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Shortly after the Imperial Japanese Navy launched its attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which authorized the removal of individuals of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast from their homes and their mandatory imprisonment in incarceration camps. Korematsu challenged the order and became a fugitive.

30/01/1918

David Opatoshu, American actor and screenwriter (died 1996)

David Opatoshu was an American actor. He is best known for his role in the film Exodus (1960).

30/01/1917

Paul Frère, Belgian racing driver and journalist (died 2008)

Paul Frère was a racing driver and journalist from Belgium. He participated in eleven World Championship Formula One Grands Prix debuting on 22 June 1952 and achieving one podium finish with a total of eleven championship points. He drove in several non-Championship Formula One races, winning the 1952 Grand Prix des Frontières and 1960 VI South African Grand Prix.

30/01/1915

Joachim Peiper, German SS officer (died 1976)

Joachim Peiper was a German Schutzstaffel (SS) commander and a Nazi war criminal convicted for the Malmedy massacre of US Army prisoners of war. During the Second World War in Europe, Peiper served as personal adjutant to Heinrich Himmler, leader of the SS, and as a tank commander in the Waffen-SS.

John Profumo, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for War (died 2006)

John Dennis Profumo was a British politician whose career ended in 1963 after a sexual relationship with the 19-year-old model Christine Keeler in 1961. The scandal, which became known as the Profumo affair, led to his resignation from the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan.

30/01/1914

Luc-Marie Bayle, French commander and painter (died 2000)

Luc-Marie Bayle was a French naval officer, painter, and artist.

John Ireland, Canadian-American actor and director (died 1992)

John Benjamin Ireland was a Canadian-born American actor and film director. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia and raised in New York City, he came to prominence with film audiences for his supporting roles in several high-profile Western films, including My Darling Clementine (1946), Red River (1948), Vengeance Valley (1951), and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Jack Burden in All the King's Men (1949), making him the first British Columbia-born actor to receive an Oscar nomination.

David Wayne, American actor (died 1995)

David Wayne was an American actor and singer, with a stage and screen career spanning over 50 years. He was a recipient of two Tony Awards, Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Finian's Rainbow and Best Actor in a Play for The Teahouse of the August Moon, with a third nomination for The Happy Time.

30/01/1913

Amrita Sher-Gil, Hungarian-Indian painter (died 1941)

Amrita Sher-Gil was a Hungarian–Indian painter. She has been called "one of the greatest avant-garde women artists of the early 20th century" and a pioneer in modern Indian art. Drawn to painting from an early age, Sher-Gil started formal lessons at the age of eight. She first gained recognition at the age of 19, for her 1932 oil painting Young Girls. Sher-Gil depicted everyday life of the people in her paintings.

30/01/1912

Werner Hartmann, German physicist and academic (died 1988)

Werner Hartmann was a German physicist who introduced microelectronics into East Germany. He studied physics at the Technische Hochschule Berlin and worked at Siemens before joining Fernseh GmbH. At the end of World War II, he and his research staff were flown to the Soviet Union to work on their atomic bomb project; he was assigned to Institute G. In 1955, he arrived in the German Democratic Republic (GDR); in the same year, he founded and became the director of the VEB Vakutronik Dresden, later VEB RFT Meßelektronik Dresden. In 1956, he completed his Habilitation at the Technische Hochschule Dresden and also became a professor for Kernphysikalische Elektronik there. In 1961, he founded the Arbeitsstelle für Molekularelektronik Dresden (AME). He was awarded the National Prize of GDR in 1958. In 1974, he was removed from his positions, significantly demoted, and sent to work as a staff scientist at the VEB Spurenmetalle Freiberg. Hartmann had been the object of security investigations by the Stasi for some time; while he was investigated at length and repeatedly interrogated, the alleged charges were politically motivated and no trial ever took place. The Werner-Hartmann-Preis für Chipdesign is an industrial award given in Hartmann's honor for achievement in the field of semiconductors.

Francis Schaeffer, American pastor and theologian (died 1984)

Francis August Schaeffer was an American evangelical theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor. He co-founded the L'Abri community in Switzerland with his wife Edith Schaeffer, a prolific author in her own right. Opposed to theological modernism, Schaeffer promoted what he claimed was a more historic Protestant faith and a presuppositional approach to Christian apologetics, which he believed would answer the questions of the age.

Barbara W. Tuchman, American historian and author (died 1989)

Barbara Wertheim Tuchman was an American historian, journalist and author. She won the Pulitzer Prize twice, for The Guns of August (1962), a best-selling history of the prelude to and the first month of World War I, and Stilwell and the American Experience in China (1971), a biography of General Joseph Stilwell.

30/01/1911

Roy Eldridge, American jazz trumpet player (died 1989)

David Roy Eldridge, nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from the dominant style of jazz trumpet innovator Louis Armstrong, and his strong impact on Dizzy Gillespie mark him as one of the most influential musicians of the swing era and a precursor of bebop.

30/01/1910

Chidambaram Subramaniam, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Defence (died 2000)

Chidambaram Subramaniam was an Indian politician and independence activist. He served as Minister of Finance and Minister of Defence in the union cabinet. He later served as the Governor of Maharashtra. As the Minister for Food and Agriculture, he ushered the Indian Green Revolution, an era of self-sufficiency in food production along with M. S. Swaminathan, B. Sivaraman and Norman E. Borlaug. He was awarded Bharat Ratna, Indian's highest civilian award, in 1998, for his role in ushering Green Revolution.

30/01/1902

Nikolaus Pevsner, German-English historian and scholar (died 1983)

Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner was a German-British historian who specialised in the art and architecture genres. He is best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, The Buildings of England (1951–1974), as well as his editorship of the Pelican History of Art.

30/01/1901

Rudolf Caracciola, German racing driver (died 1959)

Otto Wilhelm Rudolf Caracciola was a German racing driver. He won the European Drivers' Championship, the pre-1950 equivalent of the modern Formula One World Championship, an unsurpassed three times. He also won the European Hillclimbing Championship three times – twice in sports cars, and once in Grand Prix cars. Caracciola raced for Mercedes-Benz during their original dominating Silver Arrows period, named after the silver colour of the cars, and set speed records for the firm. He was affectionately dubbed Caratsch by the German public, and was known by the title of Regenmeister, or "Rainmaster", for his prowess in wet conditions.

30/01/1900

Martita Hunt, Argentine-born British actress (died 1969)

Martita Edith Hunt was a British theatre and film actress. She had a dominant stage presence and played a wide range of powerful characters. She is best remembered for her performance as Miss Havisham in David Lean's Great Expectations (1946).

30/01/1899

Max Theiler, South African-American virologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1972)

Max Theiler was a South African-American virologist and physician. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1951 for developing a vaccine against yellow fever in 1937, becoming the first African-born Nobel laureate.

30/01/1889

Jaishankar Prasad, Indian poet and playwright (died 1937)

Jaishankar Prasad was a prominent figure in modern Hindi literature as well as Hindi theatre. Prasad was his pen name. He was also known as Chhayavadi kavi.

30/01/1882

Franklin D. Roosevelt, American lawyer and statesman, 32nd President of the United States (died 1945)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving US president and the only one to have served more than two terms. His first two terms were centered on combating the Great Depression, while his third and fourth focused on US involvement in World War II. A member of the Democratic Party, Roosevelt served in the New York State Senate from 1911 to 1913 and as the 44th governor of New York from 1929 to 1932.

30/01/1878

A. H. Tammsaare, Estonian author (died 1940)

Anton Hansen, better known by his pseudonym A. H. Tammsaare and its variants, was an Estonian writer whose pentalogy Truth and Justice is considered one of the major works of Estonian literature and "The Estonian Novel".

30/01/1866

Gelett Burgess, American author, poet, and critic (died 1951)

Frank Gelett Burgess was an American artist, art critic, poet, author and humorist. He was an important figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary renaissance of the 1890s, particularly through his iconoclastic little magazine, The Lark, and association with The Crowd literary group. He is best known as a writer of nonsense verse, such as "The Purple Cow", and for introducing French modern art to the United States in an essay titled "The Wild Men of Paris." He was the illustrator of the Goops murals, in Coppa's restaurant, in the Montgomery Block and author of the popular Goops books. Burgess coined the term "blurb."

30/01/1862

Walter Damrosch, German-American conductor and composer (died 1950)

Walter Johannes Damrosch was a Prussian and American conductor and composer. He was the director of the New York Symphony Orchestra and conducted the world premiere performances of various works, including Aaron Copland's Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, George Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F and An American in Paris, and Jean Sibelius' Tapiola. Damrosch was also instrumental in the founding of Carnegie Hall. He also conducted the first performance of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the composer himself as soloist.

30/01/1861

Charles Martin Loeffler, German-American violinist and composer (died 1935)

Charles Martin Tornov Loeffler was a German-born American violinist and composer.

30/01/1846

Angela of the Cross, Spanish nun and saint (died 1932)

Angela of the Cross Guerrero y González, HCC was a Spanish religious sister and the foundress of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross, a Catholic religious institute dedicated to helping the abandoned poor and the ill with no one to care for them. She was canonized in 2003 by Pope John Paul II.

30/01/1844

Richard Theodore Greener, American lawyer, academic, and diplomat (died 1922)

Richard Theodore Greener was a pioneering African-American scholar, excelling in elocution, philosophy, law and classics in the Reconstruction era. In 1870, he became the first black undergraduate at Harvard University to receive a bachelor's degree. The previous year, Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine awarded degrees to their first black graduates in 1869.

30/01/1841

Félix Faure, French politician, 7th President of France (died 1899)

Félix François Faure was President of France from 1895 until his death in 1899. A native of Paris, he worked as a tanner in his younger years. Faure became a member of the Chamber of Deputies for Seine-Inférieure in 1881. He rose to prominence in national politics up until unexpectedly assuming the presidency, during which time France's relations with Russia improved.

30/01/1822

Franz Ritter von Hauer, Austrian geologist and curator (died 1899)

Franz Ritter von Hauer, or Franz von Hauer was an Austrian geologist.

30/01/1816

Nathaniel P. Banks, American general and politician, 24th Governor of Massachusetts (died 1894)

Nathaniel Prentice Banks was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War. A millworker, Banks became prominent in local debating societies and entered politics as a young adult. Initially a member of the Democratic Party, Banks's abolitionist views drew him to the nascent Republican Party, through which he won election to the United States House of Representatives and as Governor of Massachusetts in the 1850s. At the start of the 34th Congress, he was elected Speaker of the House in an election that spanned a record 133 ballots taken over the course of two months.

30/01/1781

Adelbert von Chamisso, German botanist and poet (died 1838)

Adelbert von Chamisso was a German poet, writer and botanist. He was commonly known in French as Adelbert de Chamisso de Boncourt, a name referring to the family estate at Boncourt.

30/01/1775

Walter Savage Landor, English poet and author (died 1864)

Walter Savage Landor was an English writer, poet, and activist. His best known works were the prose Imaginary Conversations, and the poem "Rose Aylmer," but the critical acclaim he received from contemporary poets and reviewers was not matched by public popularity. As remarkable as his work was, it was equalled by his rumbustious character and lively temperament. Both his writing and political activism, such as his support for Lajos Kossuth and Giuseppe Garibaldi, were imbued with his passion for liberal and republican causes. He befriended and influenced the next generation of literary reformers such as Charles Dickens and Robert Browning.

30/01/1754

John Lansing Jr., American lawyer and politician (died 1829)

John Ten Eyck Lansing Jr., a Founding Father of the United States, was an attorney, jurist, and politician.

30/01/1720

Charles De Geer, Swedish entomologist and archaeologist (died 1778)

Charles De Geer was an entomologist, industrialist, civil servant and book collector. He is sometimes referred to as Charles the Entomologist, to distinguish him from other relatives with the same name. Charles De Geer came from a prominent Swedish-Dutch family. Born in Sweden, he spent most of his childhood and youth in the Dutch Republic. At the age of 18 he moved back to Sweden and would spend the rest of his life there. Upon his return to Sweden, he took over the management of the ironworks of Lövstabruk. He was a successful businessman and with time became one of the richest men in Sweden, head of an early industry employing around 3,000 people. He had a successful civic career, became Marshal of the Court and was elevated to the rank of friherre (baron) in 1773.

30/01/1703

François Bigot, French politician (died 1778)

François Bigot was a French government official. He served as the Financial Commissary on Île Royale, commissary general of the ill-fated Duc d'Anville expedition and finally as the Intendant of New France, the last before its conquest by Britain. Subsequently, he was accused of corruption, trialed and convicted in France, and imprisoned in the Bastille for eleven months. Before he could be banished, his sentence upon release, he escaped to Switzerland, where he would live until his death.

30/01/1697

Johann Joachim Quantz, German flute player and composer (died 1773)

Johann Joachim Quantz was a German composer, flautist and flute maker of the late Baroque period. Much of his professional career was spent in the court of Frederick the Great, where he served as the king's flute teacher. Quantz composed hundreds of flute sonatas and concertos, and wrote On Playing the Flute, an influential treatise on flute performance. His works were known and appreciated by Bach, Haydn and Mozart.

30/01/1661

Charles Rollin, French historian and educator (died 1741)

Charles Rollin was a French historian and educator.

30/01/1628

George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, English statesman (died 1687)

George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, 19th Baron de Ros was an English statesman and poet who exerted considerable political power during the reign of Charles II of England.

30/01/1590

Lady Anne Clifford, 14th Baroness de Clifford (died 1676)

Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery, suo jure 14th Baroness de Clifford was an English peeress. In 1605 she inherited her father's ancient barony by writ and became suo jure 14th Baroness de Clifford, but for decades after was engaged in legal battles to get the property she saw as her inheritance. She was a patron of literature and as evidenced by her diary and many letters was a literary personage in her own right. She held the hereditary office of High Sheriff of Westmorland which role she exercised from 1653 to 1676.

30/01/1580

Gundakar, Prince of Liechtenstein, court official in Vienna (died 1658)

Gundakar of Liechtenstein was a member of the House of Liechtenstein and as such the owner of a large estate. He also served the Habsburg dynasty.

30/01/1573

Georg Friedrich, Margrave of Baden-Durlach (died 1638)

George Frederick of Baden-Durlach was Margrave of Baden-Durlach from 1604 until his abdication in 1622. He also ruled Baden-Baden.

30/01/1563

Franciscus Gomarus, Dutch theologian and academic (died 1641)

Franciscus Gomarus was a Dutch theologian, a strict Calvinist and an opponent of the teaching of Jacobus Arminius, whose theological disputes were addressed at the Synod of Dort (1618–19).

30/01/1520

William More, English courtier (died 1600)

Sir William More, of Loseley, Surrey, was the son of Sir Christopher More. The great house at Loseley Park was built for him, which is still the residence of the More Molyneux family. Of Protestant sympathies, as Sheriff and Vice-Admiral of Surrey he was actively involved in local administration of the county of Surrey and in the enforcement of the Elizabethan religious settlement, and was a member of every Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was the owner of property in the Blackfriars in which the first and second Blackfriars theatres were erected. He has been described as "the perfect Elizabethan country gentleman" on account of his impeccable character and his assiduity and efficiency of service.

30/01/1410

William Calthorpe, English knight (died 1494)

Sir William Calthorpe was an English knight and Lord of the Manors of Burnham Thorpe and Ludham in Norfolk. He is on record as High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1442, 1458 and 1464 and 1476.

01/01/1970

Livia, Roman wife of Augustus (died 29)

Livia Drusilla was Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal adoption into the Julia gens in AD 14.

Lives Remembered on 29th January

On 29th January, 95 remarkable people passed away — from 680 to 2026. Remember the lives and legacies of those we lost on this day.

30/01/2026

Catherine O'Hara, Canadian-American actress, comedian and screenwriter (born 1954)

Catherine Anne O'Hara was a Canadian and American actress and comedian, whose career spanned over 50 years. O'Hara started in sketch and improvisational comedy in film and television before taking dramatic roles to expand her career. She received various accolades including two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. Her films have grossed more than US$4.3 billion worldwide. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2017.

30/01/2025

Dick Button, American figure skater and actor (born 1929)

Richard Totten Button was an American figure skater and skating analyst. He was a two-time Olympic champion and five-time consecutive world champion (1948–1952). He was also the only non-European man to have become European champion. Button is credited as having been the first skater to successfully land the double Axel jump in competition in 1948, as well as the first triple jump of any kind – a triple loop – in 1952. He also invented the flying camel spin, which was originally known as the "Button camel". He "brought increased athleticism" to figure skating in the years following World War II. According to figure skating historian James R. Hines, Button represented the "American School" of figure skating, which was a more athletic style than skaters from Europe.

Julius Chan, Papua New Guinean politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (born 1939)

Sir Julius Chan was a Papua New Guinean politician who served as Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 1980 to 1982 and from 1994 to 1997. He was Member of Parliament for New Ireland Province, having won the seat in the 2007 national election. He was also the Governor of New Ireland Province from 2007 until his death in 2025. On 26 May 2019, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announced he would soon resign and that he wished for Sir Julius to succeed him. An outgoing Prime Minister does not, however, have the power to appoint his successor, and the following day O'Neill delayed his own formal resignation. He was also a leading figure in his country during the years-long Bougainville conflict.

Marianne Faithfull, English singer-songwriter and actress (born 1946)

Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull was an English singer-songwriter and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single "As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female artists of the British Invasion in the United States.

Edcel Lagman, Filipino politician (born 1942)

Edcel Castelar Lagman Sr. was a Filipino human rights lawyer and politician from the province of Albay. He was elected as a member of the House from 1987 to 1998 and 2004 to 2013 and from 2016 up until his death. He served as Minority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives of the Philippines until 2012, when he resigned the office. Lagman was one of the key Liberal Party figures in the House of Representatives, having supported the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act, the SOGIE Equality Bill, the Free Tertiary Education Act, the Anti-Dynasty Bill, and the Freedom of Information Bill. He was also the principal author of the Divorce Bill, the Human Rights Defenders Bill, the Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy Bill, and the Anti-Child Marriage Bill.

30/01/2024

Chita Rivera, American actress, singer, and dancer (born 1933)

Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero, known professionally as Chita Rivera, was an American actress, singer, and dancer. Rivera received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and a Drama League Award. She was the first Latina and the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. She won the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.

30/01/2023

Bobby Beathard, American Pro Football Hall of Fame executive (born 1937)

Robert King Beathard Jr. was an American professional football executive who was the general manager for the Washington Redskins (1978–1988) and the San Diego Chargers (1990–2000) of the National Football League (NFL). His teams won four Super Bowls and competed in three others during his 38 years in the NFL, doing so with the Kansas City Chiefs (1966), Miami Dolphins, Redskins, and the Chargers (1994). Beathard was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

Bobby Hull, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1939)

Robert Marvin Hull was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blond hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot the puck at very high velocity all earned him the nickname "the Golden Jet". His talents were such that an opposing player was often assigned just to shadow him.

30/01/2022

Cheslie Kryst, American television presenter and model (born 1991)

Cheslie Corrinne Kryst was an American television correspondent, model, and beauty pageant titleholder. She was also an attorney and a correspondent for the TV show Extra from October 2019 until her death. For her work on Extra, she was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards. As Miss USA 2019, Kryst represented the United States at Miss Universe 2019, where she placed in the Top 10. She was the third woman from North Carolina to win Miss USA.

30/01/2021

Sophie, Scottish musician (born 1986)

Sophie Xeon, known mononymously as Sophie, was a British music producer, songwriter, and DJ. Her distinctive musical style incorporated experimental sound design, "sugary" synthesised textures, and underground dance elements. She helped pioneer the 2010s hyperpop microgenre.

30/01/2019

Dick Miller, American actor (born 1928)

Richard Miller was an American character actor who appeared in more than 180 films, including many produced by Roger Corman. He later appeared in the films of directors who began their careers with Corman, including Joe Dante, James Cameron, and Martin Scorsese, with the distinction of appearing in every film directed by Dante. His turn in Dante's 1985 sci-fi drama Explorers earned Miller a nomination for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was known for playing the beleaguered everyman, often in one-scene appearances.

30/01/2018

Mark Salling, American actor and musician (born 1982)

Mark Wayne Salling was an American actor and musician known for his role as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the television series Glee.

30/01/2016

Frank Finlay, English actor (born 1926)

Francis Finlay was an English actor. He earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Iago in Othello (1965). His first leading television role came in 1971 in Casanova. This led to appearances on The Morecambe and Wise Show. Finlay starred alongside famous Italian actress Stefania Sandrelli in Tinto Brass' The Key, the most successful Italian film of the 1983–1984 season. He also appeared in the drama Bouquet of Barbed Wire. A four-time BAFTA nominee, Finlay won one for his television performances in 1974.

Francisco Flores Pérez, Salvadorian politician, President of El Salvador (born 1959)

Francisco Guillermo Flores Pérez was a Salvadoran politician who served as the 39th President of El Salvador from 1 June 1999 to 1 June 2004 as a member of the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA). He previously served as a deputy of the Legislative Assembly from 1994 to 1999, having been president of the Assembly from 1997 to 1999.

Georgia Davis Powers, American activist and politician (born 1923)

Georgia Davis Powers was an American politician who served for 21 years as a state senator in the Kentucky Senate. In 1967, she was the first African American elected to the senate. During her term, she was "regarded as the leading advocate for blacks, women, children, the poor, and the handicapped," and was the chair of the Health and Welfare committee from 1970 to 1976 and the Labor and Industry committee from 1978 to 1988.

Gaston Mialaret, French pedagogist and professor (born 1918)

Gaston Mialaret was a French educator, pedagogist and professor at the University of Caen. He contributed to the establishment of educational sciences at the university from 1967.

30/01/2015

Carl Djerassi, Austrian-American chemist, author, and playwright (born 1923)

Carl Djerassi was an Austrian-born Bulgarian-American pharmaceutical chemist, novelist, playwright and co-founder of Djerassi Resident Artists Program with Diane Wood Middlebrook. He is best known for his contribution to the development of oral contraceptive pills, nicknamed the "father of the pill".

Ülo Kaevats, Estonian academic, philosopher, and politician (born 1947)

Ülo Kaevats was an Estonian statesman, academic and philosopher.

Geraldine McEwan, English actress (born 1932)

Geraldine McEwan was an English actress, who had a long career in film, theatre and television. Michael Coveney described her, in a tribute article, as "a great comic stylist, with a syrupy, seductive voice and a forthright, sparkling manner".

Gerrit Voorting, Dutch cyclist (born 1923)

Gerardus "Gerrit" Petrus Voorting was a Dutch road cyclist who was active between 1947 and 1960. As an amateur he won the silver medal in the individual road race at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. In his professional career Voorting won two Tour de France stages and wore the yellow jersey for 4 days. Voorting died on 30 January 2015 in his home in Heemskerk at the age of 92, within a week of two other members of the Dutch men's team pursuit squad, Henk Faanhof and Joop Harmans. He was the elder brother of Olympic cyclist Adrie Voorting.

Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgarian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of Bulgaria (born 1935)

Zhelyu Mitev Zhelev was a Bulgarian politician and former dissident who served as the first democratically elected and non-Communist president of Bulgaria, from 1990 to 1997. Zhelev was one of the most prominent figures of the 1989 Bulgarian Revolution, which ended the 35 year rule of President Todor Zhivkov. A member of the Union of Democratic Forces, he was elected as president by the 7th Grand National Assembly. Two years later, he won Bulgaria's first direct presidential elections. He lost his party's nomination for his 1996 reelection campaign after losing a tough primary race to Petar Stoyanov.

30/01/2014

Stefan Bałuk, Polish general and photographer (born 1914)

Stefan Bałuk was a Polish general and photographer.

The Mighty Hannibal, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1939)

James Timothy Shaw, known as The Mighty Hannibal, was an American R&B, soul, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his showmanship, and outlandish costumes often incorporating a pink turban, several of his songs carried social or political themes. His biggest hit was "Hymn No. 5", a commentary on the effects of the Vietnam War on servicemen, which was banned from being played on the radio.

Russell D. Hemenway, American political activist (born 1925)

Russell D. Hemenway was an American political activist. He is most well-known for his activities with the National Committee for an Effective Congress, a political action committee that he served as the national director of from 1966 until his death. As the head of that organization for almost 50 years, he supported liberal and progressive candidates for United States Congress and advocated for campaign finance reform. He was also involved in other nonprofit organizations, serving as the chairman of the board for both The Fund for Constitutional Government and the National Security Archive and a trustee for the Fund for Peace. Concerning his political impact, journalist Michael Tomasky said that he was "one of the great unheralded liberal operatives of the last 50 years in American politics".

William Motzing, American composer and conductor (born 1937)

William Edward Motzing Jr. was an American composer, conductor, arranger and trombonist best known for the award-winning film and television scores and gold and platinum pop album arrangements he wrote in Australia. He was a jazz lecturer and the Director of Jazz Studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music over a period of 40 years.

Arthur Rankin Jr., American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1924)

Arthur Gardner Rankin Jr. was an American director, producer and screenwriter, who mostly worked in animation. Co-creator of Rankin/Bass Productions with his friend Jules Bass, he created stop-motion and traditional animation features such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, and the 1977 cartoon special of The Hobbit. He is credited on over 1,000 television programs.

Greater, oldest known greater flamingo and Feast Festival 2021 mascot (h. c.1919–1933)

Greater, also known as Flamingo One and Flamingo 1, was the world's oldest greater flamingo, residing at the Adelaide Zoo in Adelaide, Australia. It was at least 83 years old, having arrived at the zoo from either Cairo or Hamburg in either 1933, 1930, 1925, or 1919, at which point it was already a full-grown adult. Greater's sex was never determined.

30/01/2013

Gamal al-Banna, Egyptian author and scholar (born 1920)

Gamal al-Banna was an Egyptian author, and trade unionist. He was the youngest brother of Hassan al-Banna (1906–49), founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Banna was considered a liberal scholar, known for his criticism of Islamic traditional narratives. He rejected 635 Hadiths of Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim which he found contradictory to the Qur'an. He was a great-uncle of the Swiss Muslim academic and writer Tariq Ramadan.

Patty Andrews, American singer (born 1918)

The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (1911–1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (1916–1995), and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie Andrews (1918–2013). The sisters have sold an estimated 80 million records. Their 1941 hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" can be considered an early example of jump blues. Other songs closely associated with the Andrews Sisters include their first major hit, "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön " (1937), "Beer Barrel Polka " (1939), "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" (1940), "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree " (1942), and "Rum and Coca-Cola" (1945), which helped introduce American audiences to calypso.

George Witt, American baseball player and coach (born 1931)

George Adrian "Red" Witt, was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball (1957–62) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Angels and Houston Colt .45s. The native of Long Beach, California, stood 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg) during his playing career. He graduated from California State University, Long Beach.

30/01/2012

Frank Aschenbrenner, American football player and soldier (born 1925)

Francis Xavier Aschenbrenner was a professional American football player for the Chicago Hornets and the Montreal Alouettes.

Doeschka Meijsing, Dutch author (born 1947)

Maria Johanna Meijsing was a Dutch novelist. She won the AKO Literatuurprijs in 2000 for her novel De tweede man, and in 2008 the Ferdinand Bordewijk Prijs for her novel Over de liefde. Doeschka Meijsing is the older sister of writer Geerten Meijsing and philosopher Monica Meijsing.

30/01/2011

John Barry, English composer and conductor (born 1933)

John Barry Prendergast was an English composer and conductor of film music. Born in York, Barry spent his early years working in cinemas owned by his father. During his national service with the British Army in Cyprus, Barry began performing as a musician after learning to play the trumpet. Upon completing his national service, he formed a band in 1957, the John Barry Seven. He later developed an interest in composing and arranging music, making his début for television in 1958. He came to the notice of the filmmakers of the first James Bond film Dr. No, who were dissatisfied with a theme for James Bond given to them by Monty Norman. Noel Rogers, the head of music at United Artists, approached Barry. This started a successful association between Barry and the Bond series that lasted for 25 years.

30/01/2010

Fadil Ferati, Kosovar accountant and politician (born 1960)

Fadil Ferati was a Kosovar political leader, he was the Mayor of Istok and vice-president of Democratic League of Kosovo and he was widely known as a politician who never lost any election.

30/01/2009

H. Guy Hunt, American soldier, pastor, and politician, 49th Governor of Alabama (born 1933)

Harold Guy Hunt was an American politician who served as the 49th governor of Alabama from 1987 to 1993. He was the first Republican to serve as governor of the state since Reconstruction.

30/01/2008

Marcial Maciel, Mexican-American priest, founded the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi (born 1920)

Marcial Maciel Degollado was a Mexican Catholic priest and sex offender. Maciel founded the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi movement. He was general director of the Legion from 1941 to 2005. Throughout most of his career, he was respected within the church as "the greatest fundraiser of the modern Roman Catholic church" and as a prolific recruiter of new seminarians.

30/01/2007

Sidney Sheldon, American author and screenwriter (born 1917)

Sidney Sheldon was an American writer. He was prominent in the 1940s and 50s, first working on Broadway plays, and then in motion pictures, notably writing the successful comedy The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), which earned him an Oscar in 1948. He went on to work in television, where over 20 years he created The Patty Duke Show (1963–66), I Dream of Jeannie (1965–70), and Hart to Hart (1979–84). After turning 50, he began writing best-selling romantic suspense novels, such as The Other Side of Midnight (1973), Master of the Game (1982), and Rage of Angels (1980).

30/01/2006

Coretta Scott King, American author and activist (born 1927)

Coretta Scott King was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was the wife of Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his assassination in 1968. As an advocate for African-American equality, she was a leader for the civil rights movement in the 1960s. King was also a singer who often incorporated music into her civil rights work. King met her husband while attending graduate school in Boston. They both became increasingly active in the American civil rights movement.

Wendy Wasserstein, American playwright and academic (born 1950)

Wendy Wasserstein was an American playwright. She was an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University. She received the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1989 for her play The Heidi Chronicles.

30/01/2005

Martyn Bennett, Canadian-Scottish violinist (born 1971)

Martyn Bennett was a Canadian-Scottish musician who was influential in the evolution of modern Celtic fusion, a blending of traditional Celtic and modern music. He was a piper, violinist, composer and producer. Diagnosis of serious illness at the age of thirty curtailed his live performances, although he completed a further two albums in the studio. He died from cancer in 2005, fifteen months after the release of his fifth album Grit.

30/01/2004

Egon Mayer, Swiss-American sociologist (born 1944)

Egon Mayer was a Swiss-born American sociologist and professor at Brooklyn College. He wrote a number of books on Jewish culture and history, including From Suburb to Shtetl (1979), The Court Jew: A Contribution to the History of Absolutism in Europe (1984), and Love and Tradition: Marriage Between Jews and Christians (1985).

30/01/2001

Jean-Pierre Aumont, French soldier and actor (born 1911)

Jean-Pierre Aumont was a French film and theatre actor. He was a matinée idol and a leading man during the 1930s, but his burgeoning career was interrupted by the Second World War. He served in the Free French Forces, and receiving both the Légion d'Honneur and the Croix de Guerre for his actions.

Johnnie Johnson, English air marshal and pilot (born 1915)

Air Vice Marshal James Edgar Johnson, nicknamed "Johnnie", was an English Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot and flying ace who flew and fought during the Second World War.

Joseph Ransohoff, American surgeon and educator (born 1915)

Dr. Joseph Ransohoff, II was a member of the Ransohoff family and a pioneer in the field of neurosurgery. In addition to training numerous neurosurgeons, his "ingenuity in adapting advanced technologies" saved many lives and even influenced the television program Ben Casey. Among other innovations, he created the first intensive care unit dedicated to neurosurgery, pioneered the use of medical imaging and catheterization in the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumors, and helped define the fields of pediatric neurosurgery and neuroradiology.

30/01/1999

Huntz Hall, American actor (born 1919)

Henry Richard "Huntz" Hall was an American radio, stage, and movie performer who appeared in the popular "Dead End Kids" movies, including Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), and in the later "Bowery Boys" movies, during the late 1930s to the late 1950s.

Ed Herlihy, American journalist (born 1909)

Edward Joseph Herlihy was an American newsreel narrator for Universal-International. He was also a long-time radio and television announcer for NBC, hosting The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour in the 1940s and 1950, and was briefly interim announcer on The Tonight Show in 1962. He was also the voice of Kraft Foods radio and television commercials from the 1940s through the early 1980s. When he died in 1999, his obituary in The New York Times said he was "A Voice of Cheer and Cheese".

30/01/1994

Pierre Boulle, French soldier and author (born 1912)

Pierre François Marie Louis Boulle was a French author. He is best known for two works, The Bridge over the River Kwai (1952) and Planet of the Apes (1963), that were both made into award-winning films.

30/01/1993

Alexandra of Yugoslavia, the last Queen of Yugoslavia (born 1921)

Alexandra was the last Queen of Yugoslavia as the wife of King Peter II.

30/01/1991

John Bardeen, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1908)

John Bardeen was an American physicist. He is the only person to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics twice: first in 1956 with William Shockley and Walter Brattain for their invention of the transistor; and again in 1972 with Leon Cooper and John Robert Schrieffer for their microscopic theory of superconductivity, known as the BCS theory.

Clifton C. Edom, American photographer and educator (born 1907)

Clifton Cedric Edom, often credited with the title "Father of Photojournalism", was prolific in the development of photojournalism education.

30/01/1982

Lightnin' Hopkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1912)

Samuel John "Lightnin'" Hopkins was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 71 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

30/01/1980

Professor Longhair, American singer-songwriter and pianist (born 1918)

Henry Roeland Byrd, better known as Professor Longhair or "Fess" for short, was an American singer and pianist who performed New Orleans blues. He was active in two distinct periods, first in the heyday of early rhythm and blues and later in the resurgence of interest in traditional jazz after the founding of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1970. His piano style has been described as "instantly recognizable, combining rumba, mambo, and calypso".

30/01/1977

Paul Marais de Beauchamp, French zoologist (born 1883)

Charles Alfred Paul Marais de Beauchamp, 5th Baron Soye, was a French zoologist.

30/01/1974

Olav Roots, Estonian pianist and composer (born 1910)

Olav Roots was an Estonian conductor, pianist and composer.

30/01/1973

Elizabeth Baker, American economist and academic (born 1885)

Elizabeth Faulkner Baker was an American economist and academic who specialized in scientific management and the relationship between employment and technological change, especially the role of women.

Titina Silá, Bissau-Guinean revolutionary (born 1943)

Ernestina "Titina" Silá was a Bissau-Guinean revolutionary. Recruited into the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), while she was a young woman, she joined in the Guinea-Bissau War of Independence against the Portuguese Empire.

30/01/1969

Dominique Pire, Belgian friar, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1910)

Dominique Pire, O.P. was a Belgian Dominican friar whose work helping refugees in post-World War II Europe saw him receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1958. Pire delivered his Nobel lecture, entitled Brotherly Love: Foundation of Peace, in December 1958.

30/01/1968

Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Indian poet, playwright, and journalist (born 1889)

Pandit Makhanlal Chaturvedi, also called Pandit ji, was an Indian poet, writer, essayist, playwright and who is particularly remembered for his participation in India's national struggle for independence and his contribution to Chhayavaad, the Neo-romanticism movement of Hindi literature. He was awarded the first Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi for his work Him Tarangini in 1955. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan in 1963. For his works reinforcing Indian nationalism during the British Raj, he is referred to as the Yug Charan.

30/01/1966

Jaan Hargel, Estonian flute player, conductor, and educator (born 1912)

Jaan (Joann) Hargel was an Estonian conductor, music teacher, oboe and flute player.

30/01/1963

Francis Poulenc, French pianist and composer (born 1899)

Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-known are the piano suite Mouvements perpétuels (1919), the ballet Les Biches (1923), the Concert champêtre (1928) for harpsichord and orchestra, the Organ Concerto (1938), the opera Dialogues des Carmélites (1957), and the Gloria (1959) for soprano, choir, and orchestra.

30/01/1962

Manuel de Abreu, Brazilian physician and engineer (born 1894)

Manuel Dias de Abreu was a Brazilian physician and scientist, the inventor of abreugraphy, a rapid radiography of the lungs for screening tuberculosis. He is considered one of the most important Brazilian physicians, side by side with Carlos Chagas, Vital Brazil and Oswaldo Cruz.

30/01/1958

Jean Crotti, Swiss painter (born 1878)

Jean Crotti was a French painter.

Ernst Heinkel, German engineer and businessman; founded the Heinkel Aircraft Company (born 1888)

Dr. Ernst Heinkel was a German aircraft designer, manufacturer, Wehrwirtschaftsführer in Nazi Germany, and member of the Nazi Party. His company Heinkel Flugzeugwerke produced the Heinkel He 178, the world's first turbojet-powered aircraft, and the Heinkel He 176, the first rocket aircraft.

30/01/1951

Ferdinand Porsche, Austrian-German engineer and businessman, founded Porsche (born 1875)

Ferdinand Porsche was an Austrian-German automotive engineer and founder of the Porsche AG. He is best known for creating the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle (Lohner-Porsche), the Volkswagen Beetle, the Auto Union racing cars, the Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK, and several other important developments and Porsche automobiles.

30/01/1948

Arthur Coningham, Australian air marshal (born 1895)

Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham,, nicknamed "Mary", was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force. During the First World War, he was at Gallipoli with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, was discharged in New Zealand as medically unfit for active service, and journeyed to Britain at his own expense to join the Royal Flying Corps, where he became a flying ace. Coningham was later a senior Royal Air Force commander during the Second World War, as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief 2nd Tactical Air Force and subsequently the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Flying Training Command.

Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule (born 1869)

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule, and to later inspire movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahātmā, first applied to him in 1914 in South Africa, is now used throughout the world.

Orville Wright, American pilot and engineer, co-founded the Wright Company (born 1871)

The Wright brothers, Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright, were American aviation pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful airplane. They made the first controlled, sustained flight of an engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft with the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903, four miles (6 km) south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, at what is now known as Kill Devil Hills. In 1904 the Wright brothers developed the Wright Flyer II, which made longer-duration flights including the first circle, followed in 1905 by the first truly practical fixed-wing aircraft, the Wright Flyer III.

30/01/1947

Frederick Blackman, English botanist and physiologist (born 1866)

Frederick Frost Blackman FRS was a British plant physiologist.

30/01/1934

Frank Nelson Doubleday, American publisher, founded the Doubleday Publishing Company (born 1862)

Frank Nelson Doubleday, known to friends and family as "Effendi", founded the Doubleday & McClure Company in 1897, which later operated under other names. Starting work at the age of 14 after his father's business failed, Doubleday began with Charles Scribner's Sons in New York.

30/01/1928

Johannes Fibiger, Danish physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1867)

Johannes Andreas Grib Fibiger was a Danish physician and professor of anatomical pathology at the University of Copenhagen. He was the recipient of the 1926 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his discovery of the Spiroptera carcinoma". He claimed to have shown that the roundworm which he called Spiroptera carcinoma could cause stomach cancer in rats and mice. His experimental results were later proven to be a case of mistaken conclusion.

30/01/1926

Barbara La Marr, American actress (born 1896)

Barbara La Marr was an American film actress and screenwriter who appeared in twenty-seven films during her career between 1920 and 1926. La Marr was also noted by the media for her beauty, dubbed as the "Girl Who Is Too Beautiful", as well as her tumultuous personal life.

30/01/1923

Columba Marmion, Benedictine abbot (born 1858)

Columba Marmion, O.S.B was an Irish Benedictine monk and the third abbot of Maredsous Abbey in Belgium. Beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 3, 2000, Columba was one of the most popular and influential Catholic authors of the 20th century. His books are considered spiritual classics.

30/01/1889

Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, heir apparent to the throne of Austria-Hungary (born 1858)

Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria was the only son and third child of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. He was heir apparent to the imperial throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from birth. In 1889, he died in a suicide pact with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera at the Mayerling hunting lodge. The ensuing scandal made international headlines.

30/01/1881

Arthur O'Shaughnessy, English poet and herpetologist (born 1844)

Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy was a British poet and herpetologist. Of Irish descent, he was born in London. He is most remembered for his poem "Ode", from his 1874 collection Music and Moonlight, which begins with the words "We are the music makers, / And we are the dreamers of dreams", and which has been set to music by several composers including Edward Elgar, Zoltán Kodály, Alfred Reed and, more recently, 808 State and Aphex Twin.

30/01/1869

William Carleton, Irish author (born 1794)

William Carleton was an Irish writer and novelist. He is best known for his Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry, a collection of ethnic sketches of the stereotypical Irishman.

30/01/1867

Emperor Kōmei of Japan (born 1831)

Emperor Kōmei was the 121st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Kōmei's reign spanned the years from 1846 through 1867, corresponding to the final years of the Edo period.

30/01/1858

Coenraad Jacob Temminck, Dutch zoologist and ornithologist (born 1778)

Coenraad Jacob Temminck was a Dutch patrician, zoologist and museum director.

30/01/1838

Osceola, American tribal leader (born 1804)

Osceola, named Billy Powell at birth, was an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfather was a Scotsman, James McQueen. He was reared by his mother in the Creek (Muscogee) tradition. When he was a child, they migrated to Florida with other Red Stick refugees, led by a relative, Peter McQueen, after their group's defeat in 1814 in the Creek Wars. There they became part of what was known as the Seminole people.

30/01/1836

Betsy Ross, American seamstress, said to have designed the American Flag (born 1752)

Elizabeth Griscom Ross, also known by her second and third married names, Ashburn and Claypoole, was an American upholsterer who was credited by her relatives in 1870 with designing and making the first U.S. flag, commonly known as the Betsy Ross flag. Though historians dismissed the story both then and now, Ross family tradition holds that General George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and two members of a congressional committee—Robert Morris and George Ross—visited Ross in 1776. Ross convinced Washington to change the shape of the stars in a sketch of a flag he showed her from six-pointed to five-pointed by demonstrating that it was easier and speedier to cut the latter. However, there is no archival evidence or other recorded verbal tradition to substantiate this story of the first U.S. flag. It appears that the story first surfaced in the writings of her grandson in the 1870s, with no mention or documentation in earlier decades. The myth was later incorporated into a large oil painting that appeared at the 1893 Chicago World's fair. The painter, Charles Weisgerber, subsequently promoted the myth, even buying a house he deemed The Betsy Ross House. He solicited money nationwide for the upkeep of the house as a tourist attraction. With the solicitations, he provided a synopsis of the myth with reproductions of his painting.

30/01/1770

Giovanni Pietro Francesco Agius de Soldanis, Maltese linguist, historian and cleric (born 1712)

Canon Giovanni Pietro Francesco Agius de Soldanis, often called de Soldanis, was a Maltese linguist, historian and cleric from the island of Gozo. He wrote the first lexicon and systematic grammar of the Maltese language, and he was the first librarian of the Bibliotheca Publica, the precursor of the National Library of Malta.

30/01/1730

Peter II of Russia (born 1715)

Peter II Alexeyevich was Emperor of Russia from 1727 until 1730, when he died at the age of 14. He was the only son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich and Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg. After Catherine I's death, Alexander Menshikov controlled Peter II, but was thwarted by his opponents and exiled by Peter. Peter was also influenced by favorites like Prince Aleksey Dolgorukov, leading to a neglect of state affairs and the tightening of serfdom. Peter's reign was marked by disengagement, disorder, and indulgence. He was engaged to Ekaterina Dolgorukova, but died suddenly of smallpox before the marriage, thus making him the last male agnatic member of the House of Romanov.

30/01/1664

Cornelis de Graeff, Dutch mayor (born 1599)

Cornelis de Graeff, often named Polsbroek or de heer van (lord) Polsbroek during his lifetime, was an influential regent and Burgemeester of Amsterdam, statesman and diplomat of Holland and the Republic of the United Netherlands at the height of the Dutch Golden Age.

30/01/1649

Charles I of England, Scotland, and Ireland (born 1600)

Charles I was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649.

30/01/1606

Everard Digby, English criminal (born 1578)

Sir Everard Digby was a member of the group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Although he was raised in a Protestant household and married a Protestant, Digby and his wife were converted to Catholicism by the Jesuit priest John Gerard. In the autumn of 1605, he was part of a Catholic pilgrimage to the shrine of St Winefride's Well in Holywell, Wales. About this time, he met Robert Catesby, who planned to blow up the House of Lords with gunpowder, killing James I. Catesby then planned to incite a popular revolt, through which a Catholic monarch would be placed upon the English throne.

John Grant, English conspirator (born 1570)

John Grant was a member of the failed Gunpowder Plot, a conspiracy to replace the Protestant King James I of England with a Catholic monarch. Grant was born around 1570, and lived at Norbrook in Warwickshire. He married the sister of another plotter, Thomas Wintour. Grant was enlisted by Robert Catesby, a religious zealot who had grown so impatient with James's lack of toleration for Catholics that he planned to kill him, by blowing up the House of Lords with gunpowder. Grant's role in the conspiracy was to provide supplies for a planned Midlands uprising, during which James's daughter, Princess Elizabeth, would be captured. However, on the eve of the planned explosion, Guy Fawkes was discovered guarding the explosives the plotters had positioned in the undercroft beneath the House of Lords, and arrested.

Robert Wintour, English conspirator (born 1565)

Robert Wintour and Thomas Wintour, also spelt Winter, were members of the Gunpowder Plot, a failed conspiracy to assassinate King James I. They were brothers, and related to other conspirators, such as their cousin, Robert Catesby; a half-brother, John Wintour, also joined them following the plot's failure. Thomas was an intelligent and educated man, fluent in several languages and trained as a lawyer, but chose instead to become a soldier, fighting for England in the Low Countries, France, and possibly in Central Europe. By 1600, however, he changed his mind and became a fervent Catholic. On several occasions he travelled to the continent and entreated Spain on behalf of England's oppressed Catholics, and suggested that with Spanish support a Catholic rebellion was likely.

30/01/1574

Damião de Góis, Portuguese historian and philosopher (born 1502)

Damião de Góis was a Portuguese diplomat, historian, musician, and humanist philosopher. A friend and student of Erasmus, Góis is considered one of the most influential intellectuals of the Portuguese Renaissance. He was appointed secretary to the Portuguese factory in Antwerp in 1523 by King John III of Portugal. He compiled one of the first accounts on Ethiopian Christianity.

30/01/1384

Louis II, Count of Flanders (born 1330)

Louis II, also known as Louis of Male, a member of the House of Dampierre, was the count of Flanders, Nevers, and Rethel from 1346 to 1384, and also of Artois and Burgundy from 1382 until his death. He was the son and successor of Count Louis I of Flanders and Countess Margaret I of Burgundy, a daughter of King Philip V of France.

30/01/1344

William Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury (born 1301)

William Montagu, alias de Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 3rd Baron Montagu, King of Man was an English nobleman and loyal servant of King Edward III.

30/01/1314

Nicholas III of Saint Omer

Nicholas III of Saint-Omer was one of the most powerful and influential lords of Frankish Greece. He was hereditary Marshal of the Principality of Achaea, lord of one third of Akova and of one half of Thebes. He also served on three occasions as bailli of the Principality of Achaea.

30/01/1240

Pelagio Galvani, Leonese lawyer and cardinal (born 1165)

Pelagio Galvani was a Leonese cardinal, and canon lawyer. He became a papal legate and leader of the Fifth Crusade.

30/01/1181

Emperor Takakura of Japan (born 1161)

Emperor Takakura was the 80th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1168 through 1180.

30/01/1030

William V, Duke of Aquitaine (born 969)

William the Great was duke of Aquitaine and count of Poitou from 990 until his death. Upon the death of the emperor Henry II, he was offered the kingdom of Italy but declined to contest the title against Conrad II.

30/01/0970

Peter I of Bulgaria

Peter I was the emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from 27 May 927 to 969. Facing Bogomilism and rebellions by his brothers and also by Časlav Klonimirović early on in his reign, Peter secured more success later in life; he ensured the retreat of the invading Rus by inciting Bulgaria's allies, the Pechenegs, to attack Kiev itself. Traditionally seen as a weak ruler who lost land and prestige, recent scholarship challenges this view, emphasizing the empire's affluence and internal peace. Considered a good ruler during the Middle Ages, his name was adopted by later leaders trying to restore Bulgarian independence under Byzantine rule to emphasize legitimacy and continuity.

30/01/0680

Balthild, Frankish queen (born 626)

Balthild, also spelled Bathilda, Bauthieult or Baudour, was queen consort of Neustria and Burgundy by marriage to Clovis II, the King of Neustria and Burgundy (639–658), and regent during the minority of her son, Chlothar III. Her hagiography was intended to further her successful candidature for sainthood.

Celebrations & Special Days Worldwide on 29th January

Christian Feast Day: Adelelmus of Burgos

Adelelmus was a French-born Benedictine monk venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.

Christian Feast Day: Aldegonde

Aldegund, also Aldegundis or Aldegonde, was a Frankish Benedictine abbess who is honored as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in France and by the Orthodox Church.

Christian Feast Day: Anthony the Great (Coptic Church)

Anthony the Great was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is distinguished from other saints named Anthony, such as Anthony of Padua, by various epithets: Anthony of Egypt, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Anthony the Hermit, and Anthony of Thebes. For his importance among the Desert Fathers and to all later Christian monasticism, he is also known as the Father of All Monks. His feast day is celebrated on 17 January among the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches and on Tobi 22 in the Coptic calendar.

Christian Feast Day: Armentarius of Pavia

Armentarius of Pavia was Bishop of Pavia from 711 to 732.

Christian Feast Day: Balthild

Balthild, also spelled Bathilda, Bauthieult or Baudour, was queen consort of Neustria and Burgundy by marriage to Clovis II, the King of Neustria and Burgundy (639–658), and regent during the minority of her son, Chlothar III. Her hagiography was intended to further her successful candidature for sainthood.

Christian Feast Day: Charles, King and Martyr (various provinces of the Anglican Communion)

King Charles the Martyr, or Charles, King and Martyr, is a title of Charles I, who was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1625 until his execution on 30 January 1649. The title is used by high church Anglicans who regard Charles's execution as a martyrdom. His feast day in the Anglican calendar of saints is 30 January, the anniversary of his execution in 1649. The cult of Charles the Martyr was historically popular with Tories.

Christian Feast Day: Hyacintha Mariscotti

Hyacintha Mariscotti, T.O.R., or Hyacintha of Mariscotti, was an Italian religious sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis. She was born in 1585 of a noble family at Vignanello, in the Province of Viterbo, and died 30 January 1640 in Viterbo, noted for the depth of her spiritual gifts. She is honored as a saint in the Catholic Church.

Christian Feast Day: Martina

Martina of Rome, a Christian virgin, was martyred in 226 under the pontificate of Pope Urban I, according to others. Her feast day is 30 January. She is one of the patron saints of Rome.

Christian Feast Day: Matthias of Jerusalem

Matthias of Jerusalem was a 2nd-century Christian saint and a Bishop of Jerusalem, whose episcopacy was about 113–120 AD.

Christian Feast Day: Mutien-Marie Wiaux

Mutien-Marie Wiaux was a Belgian member of the Brothers of Christian Schools, who spent his life as a teacher and is honored as a saint by the Catholic Church.

Christian Feast Day: Savina

Savina of Milan was a Milanese Christian martyr who was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church, being commemorated on 30 January.

Christian Feast Day: Three Holy Hierarchs (Eastern Orthodox), and its related observances: Teacher's Day (Greece)

Teachers' Day is a special day for the appreciation of teachers. It may include celebrations to honor them for their special contributions in a particular field area, or the community tone in education. This is one of the most celebrated days and the primary reason why countries celebrate this day on different dates, unlike many other International Days. For example, Argentina has commemorated Domingo Faustino Sarmiento's death on 11 September as Teachers' Day since 1915. In India, the birthday of the second president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, 5 September, is celebrated as Teachers' Day since 1962.

Christian Feast Day: January 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

January 29 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - January 31

Day of Azerbaijani customs (Azerbaijan)

There are several public holidays in Azerbaijan. Public holidays were regulated in the constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR for the first time on 19 May 1921. They are now regulated by the Constitution of Azerbaijan.

Day of Saudade (Brazil)

Saudade. in Portuguese and Galician is an emotional state of melancholic or profoundly nostalgic longing for a beloved yet absent someone or something. It derives from the Latin word for solitude. It is often associated with a repressed understanding that one might never encounter the object of longing ever again. It is a recollection of feelings, experiences, places, or events, often elusive, that cause a sense of separation from the exciting, pleasant, or joyous sensations they once caused. Duarte Nunes Leão defines saudade as, "Memory of something with a desire for it". In Brazil, the day of saudade is officially celebrated on 30 January. It is not a widely acknowledged day in Portugal.

Fred Korematsu Day (California, Florida, Hawaii, Virginia)

The Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution is celebrated in some parts of the USA on January 30 each year. It is recognized in seven states and New York City, and commemorates the birthday of Fred Korematsu, a Japanese-American civil rights activist best known for resisting the internment of Japanese Americans. It also recognizes American civil liberties and rights under the Constitution of the United States. It is the first day in U.S. history named after an Asian American.

Martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi, and its related observances: Martyrs' Day (India)

Martyrs' Day are days declared in India to honour recognised martyrs of the nation.

Martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi, and its related observances: School Day of Non-violence and Peace (Spain)

The School Day of Non-violence and Peace is an observance founded by the Spanish poet Llorenç Vidal Vidal in Majorca in 1964 as a starting point and support for a pacifying and non-violent education of a permanent character. Different as the first proposed by the UNESCO "Armistice Day" in 1948, DENIP is observed on January 30 or thereabouts every year, on the anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandhi, in schools all over the world. In countries with a Southern Hemisphere school calendar, it can be observed on 30 March. Its basic and permanent message is: "Universal love, non-violence and peace. Universal love is better than egoism, non-violence is better than violence, and peace is better than war". In Navarra the slogan for the 2009 was "above all, we are friends".

Martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi, and its related observances: Start of the Season for Nonviolence (January 30 – April 4)

The Season for Nonviolence was established in 1998 by Arun Gandhi, Mohandas Gandhi's grandson, as a yearly event celebrating the philosophies and lives of Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. The idea was developed with the help of Dr. Michael Beckwith and Dr. Mary Morrissey, of the Association for Global New Thought and The Parliament of The World's Religions. Before his 2023 death Arun Gandhi co-chaired the Season along with Rev. Beckwith of the Agape International Spiritual Center.

What Happened on 29th January?

51 significant events took place on Saturday, 29th January — stretching from 1018 to 2020. Explore the moments that shaped history on this day.

30/01/2020

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

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has six regional offices and 150 field offices worldwide. Only sovereign states are eligible to join, and it is the largest intergovernmental health organization at the international level.

30/01/2013

Naro-1 becomes the first carrier rocket launched by South Korea.

Naro-1, previously designated the Korea Space Launch Vehicle or KSLV, was South Korea's first carrier rocket, and the first South Korean launch vehicle to achieve Earth orbit. On 30 January 2013, the third Naro-1 vehicle built successfully placed STSAT-2C into low Earth orbit.

30/01/2007

Microsoft Corporation releases Windows Vista, a major release of the operating system Microsoft Windows and the NT based kernel.

Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. The company became influential in the rise of personal computers through software like Windows and has since expanded into areas such as Internet services, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, video gaming, and more. A Big Tech company, Microsoft is the largest software company by revenue, one of the most valuable public companies, and one of the most valuable brands globally.

30/01/2006

The Goleta postal facility shootings occur, killing seven people before the perpetrator took her own life.

The 2006 Goleta postal facility shooting was a mass shooting perpetrated by Jennifer San Marco on January 30, 2006. Jennifer San Marco, a 44-year-old former United States Postal Service employee, shot and killed six people in Goleta, California before committing suicide. Prior to the Goleta shooting, San Marco shot and killed her former neighbor in Santa Barbara.

30/01/2000

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

Kenya Airways Flight 431 was an international scheduled Abidjan–Lagos–Nairobi passenger service, operated by Kenyan national airline Kenya Airways. On 30 January 2000, the Airbus A310-300 serving the flight crashed into the sea off the Ivory Coast, shortly after takeoff at night from Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport, Abidjan. There were 179 people on board, of whom 169 were passengers. Only ten people survived.

30/01/1995

Hydroxycarbamide becomes the first approved preventive treatment for sickle cell disease.

Hydroxycarbamide, also known as hydroxyurea, is an antimetabolite medication used in sickle-cell disease, essential thrombocythemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, polycythemia vera, and cervical cancer. In sickle-cells disease it increases fetal hemoglobin and decreases the number of attacks. It is taken by mouth.

30/01/1989

The American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan is closed.

The Embassy of the United States of America in Kabul was the official diplomatic mission of the United States of America to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Its chancery on Great Massoud Road in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood of the Afghan capital of Kabul was built at a cost of nearly $800 million.

30/01/1982

Richard Skrenta writes the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called "Elk Cloner".

Richard J. Skrenta Jr. is an American computer programmer and Silicon Valley entrepreneur who created the web search engine Blekko. He is currently the executive director of Common Crawl.

30/01/1979

A Varig Boeing 707-323C freighter, flown by the same commander as Flight 820, disappears over the Pacific Ocean 30 minutes after taking off from Tokyo.

Varig was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990, it was Brazil's leading airline and virtually its only international one. In 2005, Varig went into judicial restructuring, and in 2006 it was split into two companies: Flex Linhas Aéreas, informally known as "old" Varig, heir to the original airline, now defunct; and "new" Varig, a new company, fully integrated into Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes.

30/01/1975

The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is established as the first United States National Marine Sanctuary.

Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is the site of the wreck of the USS Monitor, one of the most famous shipwrecks in U.S. history. It was designated as the country's first National Marine Sanctuary on February 5, 1975, and is one of only two of the seventeen national marine sanctuaries created to protect a cultural resource rather than a natural resource. The sanctuary comprises a column of water 1 nautical mile in diameter extending from the ocean's surface to the seabed around the wreck of the American Civil War ironclad warship, which lies 16 nautical miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Average water depth in the sanctuary is 230 feet (70 m). Since it sank in 1862, Monitor has become an artificial reef attracting numerous fish species, including amberjack, black sea bass, oyster toadfish, and great barracuda.

Turkish Airlines Flight 345 crashes into the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul Yeşilköy Airport, killing 42.

Turkish Airlines Flight 345 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by a Fokker F28-1000 Fellowship from İzmir Cumaovası Airport to Istanbul Yeşilköy Airport that crashed into the Sea of Marmara on 30 January 1975 during approach. It was the second worst accident involving a Fokker F28 and third deadliest aviation accident in Turkey at that time.

30/01/1974

Pan Am Flight 806 crashes near Pago Pago International Airport in American Samoa, killing 97.

Pan Am Flight 806 was an international scheduled flight from Auckland, New Zealand, to Los Angeles, California, with intermediate stops at Pago Pago, American Samoa and Honolulu, Hawaii. On January 30, 1974, the Boeing 707 Clipper Radiant crashed on approach to Pago Pago International Airport, killing 87 passengers and ten crew members, making it the deadliest aviation incident in American Samoan history.

30/01/1972

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.

The Troubles were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed to have ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although the Troubles mostly took place in Northern Ireland, at times violence spilled over into parts of the Republic of Ireland, England, and mainland Europe.

Pakistan leaves the Commonwealth of Nations in protest of its recognition of breakaway Bangladesh.

Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. Islamabad is the nation's capital, while Karachi is its largest city and financial centre. Pakistan is the 33rd-largest country by area. Bounded by the Arabian Sea on the south, the Gulf of Oman on the southwest, and the Sir Creek on the southeast, it shares land borders with India to the east; Afghanistan to the west; Iran to the southwest; and China to the northeast. It shares a maritime border with Oman in the Gulf of Oman, and is separated from Tajikistan in the northwest by Afghanistan's narrow Wakhan Corridor.

30/01/1969

The Beatles' last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert is broken up by the police.

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band in popular music and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and the recognition of popular music as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock 'n' roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways. They also explored styles ranging from folk and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of the music industry and were often publicised as leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements.

30/01/1968

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

The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China, while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The conflict was the second of the Indochina wars and a proxy war of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and US. The Vietnam War was one of the postcolonial wars of national liberation, a theater in the Cold War, and a civil war, with civil warfare a defining feature from the outset. Direct US military involvement escalated from 1965 until US forces were withdrawn in 1973. The fighting spilled into the Laotian and Cambodian civil wars, which ended with all three countries becoming communist in 1975.

30/01/1964

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

Nguyễn Khánh was a Vietnamese military officer and politician. A general of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, he was the leader of South Vietnam from January 1964 until February 1965 while at the head of a military junta, serving during that time in various capacities, alternatively as head of state and as prime minister. He was involved in or against many coup attempts, failed and successful, from 1960 until his defeat and exile from South Vietnam in 1965. Khánh lived out his later years with his family in exile in the United States. He died in 2013 in San Jose, California, at age 85.

30/01/1960

The African National Party is founded in Chad, through the merger of traditionalist parties.

The African National Party was a political party in Chad. PNA was founded on January 30, 1960, through the merger of remnants of four parties based in the Muslim-dominated northern Chad; African Socialist Movement, Chadian Social Action, Independent Democratic Union of Chad and Grouping of Rural and Independent Chadians. Initially, PNA held 25 seats in the National Assembly, but the party suffered from defections to the Chadian Progressive Party, first the number of MPs went down to 17 and then to ten. In April 1961, PNA merged with the Chadian Progressive Party at a Unity Congress in Abéché, forming the Union for the Progress of Chad (UPT).

30/01/1959

The forces of the Sultanate of Muscat occupy the last strongholds of the Imamate of Oman, Saiq and Shuraijah, marking the end of Jebel Akhdar War in Oman.

Saiq is a town in the region Ad Dakhiliyah, in northeastern Oman. It has its own airport, Saiq Airport.

MS Hans Hedtoft, specifically designed to operate in icebound seas, strikes an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sinks, killing all 95 aboard.

MS Hans Hedtoft was a Danish cargo passenger liner that struck an iceberg and sank on 30 January 1959 on her maiden voyage off the coast of Western Greenland. The only piece of the wreckage found was a lifebelt.

30/01/1956

In the United States, Civil Rights Movement leader Martin Luther King Jr.'s home is bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery bus boycott.

The civil rights movement was a social movement in the United States from 1954 to 1968 which aimed to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement in the country, which most commonly affected African Americans. The movement had origins in the Reconstruction era in the late 19th century, and modern roots in the 1940s and in Mohandas Gandhi's nonviolent movement in India. After years of nonviolent protests and civil disobedience campaigns, the civil rights movement achieved many of its legislative goals in the 1960s, during which it secured new protections in federal law for the civil rights of all Americans, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

30/01/1948

British South American Airways' Tudor IV Star Tiger disappears over the Bermuda Triangle.

British South American Airways (BSAA) was a state-run airline of the United Kingdom in the mid-to-late 1940s responsible for services to the Caribbean and South America. Originally named British Latin American Air Lines, it was renamed before services started in 1946. BSAA operated mostly Avro aircraft: Yorks, Lancastrians and Tudors and flew to Bermuda, the West Indies, Mexico and the western coast of South America. After two high-profile aircraft disappearances it was merged into the British Overseas Airways Corporation at the end of 1949.

Following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in his home compound, India's prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, broadcasts to the nation, saying "The light has gone out of our lives". The date of the assassination becomes observed as "Martyrs' Day" in India.

Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 at the age of 78 in the compound of The Birla House, a large mansion in central New Delhi. His assassin was Nathuram Godse, from Pune, Maharashtra, a right-wing Hindu nationalist, with a history of association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu paramilitary organization, and with membership in the Hindu Mahasabha.

30/01/1945

World War II: The Wilhelm Gustloff, overfilled with German refugees, sinks in the Baltic Sea after being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, killing approximately 9,500 people.

MV Wilhelm Gustloff was a German military transport ship, sunk on 30 January 1945 by Soviet submarine S-13 in the Baltic Sea while evacuating civilians and military personnel from East Prussia and the German-occupied Baltic states, and German military personnel from Gotenhafen (Gdynia), as the Red Army advanced. By one estimate, 9,343 people died, making its sinking the deadliest maritime disaster in modern history.

World War II: Raid at Cabanatuan: One hundred and twenty-six American Rangers and Filipino resistance fighters liberate over 500 Allied prisoners from the Japanese-controlled Cabanatuan POW camp.

The Raid at Cabanatuan, also known as the Great Raid, was a rescue of Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and civilians from a Japanese camp near Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. On January 30, 1945, during World War II, United States Army Rangers, Alamo Scouts and Filipino guerrillas attacked the camp and liberated more than 500 prisoners.

30/01/1944

World War II: The Battle of Cisterna, part of Operation Shingle, begins in central Italy.

The Battle of Cisterna took place during World War II, on 30 January–2 February 1944, near Cisterna, Italy, as part of the Battle of Anzio, part of the Italian Campaign. The battle was a clear German victory, which also had repercussions on the employment of U.S. Army Rangers that went beyond the immediate tactical and strategic results of the battle.

30/01/1942

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.

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

30/01/1939

During a speech in the Reichstag, Adolf Hitler makes a prediction about the end of the Jewish race in Europe if another world war were to occur.

On 30 January 1939, Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany, gave a speech in the Kroll Opera House to the Reichstag delegates, which is best known for the prediction he made that "the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe" would ensue if another world war were to occur.

30/01/1933

Adolf Hitler's rise to power: Hitler takes office as the Chancellor of Germany.

The rise to power of Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany during the Nazi era from 1933 until his suicide in 1945, began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919, when Hitler joined the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei. He quickly rose to a place of prominence and became one of its most popular speakers. In an attempt to more broadly appeal to larger segments of the population and win over German workers, the party name was changed to the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, commonly known as the Nazi Party, and a new platform was adopted. Hitler was made the party leader in 1921 after he threatened to otherwise leave. By 1922, his control over the party was unchallenged. The Nazis were a right-wing party, but in the early years they also had anti-bourgeois elements. Hitler later initiated a purge of these elements and reaffirmed the Nazi Party's support for collaboration with German businesses. This included killings of Hitler's critics within the party during the Night of the Long Knives, which also served as a tool to secure power.

30/01/1930

The Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union orders the confiscation of lands belonging to the Kulaks in a campaign of Dekulakization, resulting in the executions and forced deportations of millions.

The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, abbreviated as Politburo, was the de facto highest executive authority in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). While elected by and formally accountable to the Central Committee, in practice the Politburo operated as the ruling body of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union from its creation in 1919 until the party's dissolution in 1991. Full members and candidate (non-voting) members held among the most powerful positions in the Soviet hierarchy, often overlapping with top state roles. Its duties, typically carried out at weekly meetings, included formulating state policy, issuing directives, and ratifying appointments.

30/01/1925

The Government of Turkey expels Patriarch Constantine VI from Istanbul.

Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a smaller part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south; and the Aegean Sea, Greece, and Bulgaria to the west. Turkey is home to over 86 million people; most are ethnic Turks, while Kurds are the largest ethnic minority. Officially a secular state, Turkey has a Muslim-majority population. Ankara is Turkey's capital and second-largest city. Istanbul is its largest city and economic center. Other major cities include İzmir, Bursa, and Antalya.

30/01/1920

Japanese carmaker Mazda is founded, initially as a cork-producing company.

Mazda Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., a cork-making factory, by Jujiro Matsuda. The company then acquired Abemaki Tree Cork Company. It changed its name to Toyo Kogyo Co., Ltd. in 1927 and started producing vehicles in 1931.

30/01/1911

The destroyer USS Terry makes the first airplane rescue at sea saving the life of Douglas McCurdy 16 kilometres (10 miles) from Havana, Cuba.

USS Terry was a modified Paulding-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I, and later in the United States Coast Guard, designated CG-19. She was the first ship named for Edward A. Terry, and the first ship commanded by future Fleet Admiral and Chief of Naval Operations Ernest J. King.

30/01/1908

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.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule, and to later inspire movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahātmā, first applied to him in 1914 in South Africa, is now used throughout the world.

30/01/1902

The first Anglo-Japanese Alliance is signed in London.

The Anglo-Japanese Alliance was an alliance between the United Kingdom and the Empire of Japan which was effective from 1902 to 1923. The treaty creating the alliance was signed at Lansdowne House in London on 30 January 1902 by British foreign secretary Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne and Japanese diplomat Hayashi Tadasu. After the preceding era of unequal treaties enforced on Asian countries including Japan, the alliance was a military pact concluded on more equal terms between a Western power and non-Western nation. It reflected the success of Meiji era reforms that modernized and industrialized Japan's economy, society and military, which enabled Japan to extract itself from the inferior position it had previously shared with other Asian countries like China, which had been subordinated to Western empires either through formal colonial acquisition or unequal treaties.

30/01/1889

Archduke Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown, is found dead with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera in the Mayerling.

Archduke, or in feminine form Archduchess was a title of nobility in the Holy Roman Empire, and later in the Austrian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. It denoted a rank above the duke, but below the king or emperor, and was roughly equal to that of a grand duke. The title was initially devised by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria from the House of Habsburg, who claimed the archducal rank and title since 1358-1359, and the same aspiration was later reaffirmed by Ernest, Duke of Austria, but both failed to secure imperial confirmation of their claims. The title was officially established by Emperor Frederick III in 1453, who awarded the archducal title to the Austrian ruling House of Habsburg, thus elevating the Duchy of Austria to the Archduchy of Austria. By further dynastic provisions, the title Archduke of Austria,, was awarded to all members of the Habsburg dynasty, and the same use of the title was later continued by the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.

30/01/1862

American Civil War: The first American ironclad warship, the USS Monitor is launched.

The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded from the Union to preserve slavery in the United States, which they saw as threatened because of the election of Abraham Lincoln and the growing abolitionist movement in the North. The war ended with Union victory, the dissolution of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery, freeing four million African Americans.

30/01/1858

The first Hallé concert is given in Manchester, England, marking the official founding of The Hallé orchestra as a full-time, professional orchestra.

Manchester is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of over 589,000 in 2024. It borders the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the city of Salford to the west. The two cities and the surrounding towns form one of the United Kingdom's most populous conurbations, the Greater Manchester Built-up Area, which has a population of 2.87 million.

30/01/1847

Yerba Buena, California is renamed San Francisco, California.

Yerba Buena was an anchorage spot and later a settlement that grew into the city of San Francisco, California. The settlement, built in an area known earlier as El Paraje de Yerba Buena and named for an herb that grew abundantly there, was founded in 1834 and was located near the northeastern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, on the shores of Yerba Buena Cove. Yerba Buena was the first Spanish colonial or Mexican civilian settlement in San Francisco, which had previously only had indigenous, missionary, and military settlements, and was originally intended as a trading post for ships visiting San Francisco Bay. The settlement was arranged in the Spanish style around a plaza that remains as the present day Portsmouth Square. The area that was the Yerba Buena settlement is now in the Financial District and Chinatown neighborhoods of San Francisco.

30/01/1835

In the first assassination attempt against a President of the United States, Richard Lawrence attempts to shoot president Andrew Jackson, but fails and is subdued by a crowd, including several congressmen as well as Jackson himself.

Richard Lawrence was a British-born American unemployed house painter who was the first known person to attempt the assassination of a sitting president of the United States. Lawrence attempted to shoot President Andrew Jackson outside the United States Capitol on January 30, 1835, however both of his pistols misfired and he was taken into custody. At trial, Lawrence was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent the remainder of his life in insane asylums.

30/01/1826

The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world's first modern suspension bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the northwest coast of Wales, is opened.

The Menai Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, it was one of the world's first major suspension bridges, and second such bridge designed to carry vehicular traffic, after the Union Chain Bridge (1820) across the River Tweed. The bridge still carries road traffic and is a Grade I listed structure.

30/01/1820

Edward Bransfield sights the Trinity Peninsula and claims the discovery of Antarctica.

Edward Bransfield was a Royal Navy officer who served as a master on several ships, after being impressed into service in Ireland at the age of 18. He is noted for his participation in several explorations of parts of Antarctica, including a sighting of the Trinity Peninsula in January 1820.

30/01/1806

The original Lower Trenton Bridge (also called the Trenton Makes the World Takes Bridge), which spans the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey, is opened.

The Lower Trenton Toll Supported Bridge, commonly called the Lower Free Bridge, Warren Street Bridge or Trenton Makes Bridge, is a two-lane Pennsylvania (Petit) through truss bridge that crosses over the Delaware River between Trenton, New Jersey and Morrisville, Pennsylvania.

30/01/1789

Tây Sơn forces emerge victorious against Qing armies and liberate the capital Thăng Long.

The Tây Sơn dynasty, officially Đại Việt, was an imperial dynasty of Vietnam. It originated in a revolt led by three peasant brothers with the surname Nguyễn, rebelling against the Lê dynasty, Trịnh lords and Nguyễn lords. The Tây Sơn would later be succeeded by the Nguyễn dynasty.

30/01/1667

The Truce of Andrusovo is signed, ending the Russian-Polish War of 1654-1667.

The Truce of Andrusovo established a thirteen-and-a-half year truce, signed on 9 February [O.S. 30 January] 1667 between the Tsardom of Russia and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, which had fought the Russo-Polish War since 1654.

30/01/1661

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.

Oliver Cromwell was an English statesman, farmer and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially as a senior commander in the Parliamentarian army and later as a politician. A leading advocate of the execution of Charles I in January 1649, which led to the establishment of the Commonwealth of England, Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector from December 1653 until his death.

30/01/1649

Charles I of England is executed in Whitehall, London.

Charles I was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649.

30/01/1648

Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster and Osnabrück is signed, ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain.

The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, excessive taxation, and the rights and privileges of the Dutch nobility and cities.

30/01/1607

An estimated 200 square miles (51,800 ha) along the coasts of the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary in England are destroyed by massive flooding, resulting in an estimated 2,000 deaths.

The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales and South West England. It extends from the smaller Severn Estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean. It takes its name from the English city and port of Bristol.

30/01/1287

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

Wareru, personal name Magadu, was the founder of the Martaban Kingdom, located in present-day Myanmar (Burma). By using both diplomatic and military skills, he successfully carved out a Mon-speaking polity in Lower Burma, during the collapse of the Pagan Empire in the 1280s. Wareru was assassinated in 1307 but his line ruled the kingdom until its fall in the mid-16th century.

30/01/1018

Poland and the Holy Roman Empire conclude the Peace of Bautzen.

Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, and borders Lithuania and Russia to the northeast; Belarus and Ukraine to the east; Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south; and Germany to the west. The territory has a varied landscape, diverse ecosystems, and a temperate climate. Poland is composed of sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 million people, and the fifth largest EU country by land area, covering 312,696 km2 (120,733 sq mi). The capital and largest city is Warsaw; other major cities include Kraków, Wrocław, Łódź, Poznań, and Gdańsk.

On this day

World Leprosy Day

World Nonviolence Day

30th January in the Stars – Star Sign Aquarius

Personality Profile

Fun Facts About 30th January

Famous Birthdays on 29th January

Prince Hashem, second son of King Abdullah II of Jordan

Amen Thompson, American basketball player

Ausar Thompson, American basketball player

Tyla, South African singer and songwriter.

Bijan Robinson, American football player

Curtis Jones, English footballer

Markella Kavenagh, Australian actress

Bryan Woo, American baseball player

Thomas Chabot, Canadian ice hockey player

Colin White, American ice hockey player

Dafne Navarro, Mexican trampoline gymnast

Danielle Campbell, American actress

Jack Laugher, English diver

Marcos Llorente, Spanish footballer

Amelia Dimoldenberg, English comedian, writer and presenter

Katy Marchant, English track cyclist

Kodai Senga, Japanese baseball player

Thitipoom Techaapaikhun, Thai actor

Stefan Elliott, Canadian ice hockey player

Jason Gastrow, American YouTuber

Melissa Duncan, Australian track and field athlete

Eiza González, Mexican actress and singer

Luca Sbisa, Italian-Swiss ice hockey player and coach

Mitchell Starc, Australian cricketer

Jake Thomas, American actor

Jahvid Best, American football player and athlete

Kylie Bunbury, Canadian-American actress

Misha Zilberman, Israeli Olympic badminton player

Becky Lynch, Irish wrestler

Phil Lester, English Youtuber

Renato Santos, Brazilian footballer

Arda Turan, Turkish footballer

Gisela Dulko, Argentinian tennis player

Kid Cudi, American entertainer

Junior dos Santos, Brazilian mixed martial artist

Kotoshōgiku Kazuhiro, Japanese sumo wrestler

Drake Maverick, English wrestler

Slavko Vraneš, Montenegrin basketball player

Jorge Cantú, American-Mexican baseball player

DeSagana Diop, Senegalese basketball player and coach

Cameron Wake, American football player

Jonathan Bender, American basketball player

Dimitar Berbatov, Bulgarian footballer

Peter Crouch, English footballer

Mathias Lauda, Austrian racing driver

Lena Hall, American actress and singer

Josh Kelley, American singer-songwriter and musician

Georgios Vakouftsis, Greek footballer

Wilmer Valderrama, American actor and producer

Lee Zeldin, American politician and 17th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Trevor Gillies, Canadian ice hockey player

Carmen Küng, Swiss curler

John Patterson, American baseball player

Andy Milonakis, American entertainer

Juninho Pernambucano, Brazilian footballer

Christian Bale, British actor

Olivia Colman, English actress

Jalen Rose, American basketball player and sportscaster

Mike Johnson, American politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

Chris Simon, Canadian ice hockey player

Kimiya Yui, Japanese astronaut

Justin Skinner, English footballer and manager

Felipe VI of Spain

Danielle Goyette, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Julie McCullough, American actress

Kevin Moore, Australian rugby league player and coach

Otis Smith, American basketball player, coach, and manager

Abdullah II of Jordan

Mary Kay Letourneau, American sex offender (died 2020)

Jody Watley, American entertainer

Brett Butler, American actress

Chris Jansing, American television reporter

Payne Stewart, American golfer (died 1999)