Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on January 30th?

King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark dies, and his son, Cnut the Great, becomes king of Denmark.

A peace treaty is signed between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England.

A peace treaty is signed between England and Scotland in the midst of the Second War of Scottish Independence.

The Battle of Saintes takes place during the Hundred Years' War between England and France, resulting in an English victory.

King Charles I is handed over to the English Parliamentarians by the Scots, marking a pivotal moment in the English Civil War.

King Charles I of England is executed by beheading after being found guilty of treason. Thousands had perished during the seven years of fighting between Charles’ supporters and Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarians and finally the life of the King himself. More

The English Parliament passes the Humble Petition and Advice, seeking to reinstate a monarchy under Oliver Cromwell.

The colonial territory of New Jersey is established.

The Royal Greenwich Observatory in London is established by King Charles II.

The Treaty of Nijmegen ends the Franco-Dutch War, resulting in territorial changes and peace in Europe.

King Charles II calls the English Parliament to session after a prolonged period of dissolution.

Sweden introduces the Julian calendar, shifting from the old-style calendar to the Gregorian calendar.

Frederick I of Prussia crowns himself as King in Prussia.

Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, French philosopher, publishes "The Spirit of the Laws."

The publication of "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society" features Benjamin Franklin's account of his kite experiment to study electricity.

The London Metropolitan Police, led by Sir Robert Peel, begins operating at Scotland Yard.

Michigan becomes the 26th state of the United States.

The United States buys Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, known as the Alaska Purchase.

Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany. More

The German MV Wilhelm Gustloff military transport ship is sunk by the Soviet submarine S-13 in the Baltic Sea while on a mission to evacuate civilians and military personnel from East Prussia and other German occupied areas as the Red army advanced, It was estimated that between 6,000-9,000 people died, making it the largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history. More

Mahatma Gandhi, is assassinated at age 78 following a prayer vigil in New Delhi. His killer was Nathuram Vinayak Godse, a Hindu fanatic Hindu nationalist fanatic and a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu paramilitary organization, who believed Gandhi had been too conciliatory to the Indian subcontinent's large Muslim minority.

The Beatles perform their last public concert on the rooftop of Apple Records in London.

British Paratroopers open fire on Roman Catholic civil rights supporters in Derry, Northern Ireland, killing 13 in what becomes known as Bloody Sunday. The demonstration began as a peaceful, but illegal, demonstration by some 10,000 people organized by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association in opposition to the British government’s policy of interning suspected members of the IRA without trial. The incident remained a source of controversy for decades, with competing accounts of the events. In 2010 the Saville Report, the final pronouncement of a government inquiry initiated by British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998, concluded that none of the victims had posed any threat to the soldiers and that their shooting was without justification.

The 10 millionth Volkswagen Beetle is produced.

Mount Semeru in Indonesia erupts, spewing ash and triggering evacuations in nearby areas.