131 things happened on 30 January, from 58 BC to 2026. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1969 · 57 years ago
The Beatles gave their last public performance, playing on the roof of their Apple Corps offices at 3 Savile Row in central London. The surprise lunchtime concert lasted 42 minutes, until police arrived and asked them to turn the volume down. The final song w…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
The Menai Suspension Bridge opened, linking the island of Anglesey with the mainland of north-west Wales across the Menai Strait. It was designed by the engineer Thomas Telford. It was one of the world's first major suspension bridges, where the road hangs from huge chains. The bridge still carries road traffic and is a Grade I listed structure.
UK story
The Hallé gave its first concert as a full-time professional orchestra in Manchester. It was set up by the pianist and conductor Charles Hallé. He had first gathered the musicians to play at a big art exhibition in 1857. The orchestra's first home was the Free Trade Hall, and since 1996 it has been based at the Bridgewater Hall.
UK story
Britain and Japan signed a defence agreement, called the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, at Lansdowne House in London. It was signed by the British foreign secretary, Lord Lansdowne, and the Japanese diplomat Hayashi Tadasu. It was a military pact made on fairly equal terms between a Western power and a non-Western nation, which was unusual at the time. The alliance lasted until 1923.
UK story
The Beatles gave their last public performance, playing on the roof of their Apple Corps offices at 3 Savile Row in central London. The surprise lunchtime concert lasted 42 minutes, until police arrived and asked them to turn the volume down. The final song was 'Get Back'. Afterwards John Lennon joked, 'I hope we've passed the audition.'
UK story
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Bolesław I, the Piast ruler of Poland, signed the Peace of Bautzen to end the German–Polish War.
UK story
British South American Airways' Tudor IV Star Tiger disappears over the Bermuda Triangle.
UK story
Pakistan leaves the Commonwealth of Nations in protest of its recognition of breakaway Bangladesh.
Spain and the Dutch Republic signed the Peace of Münster. Under the treaty, Spain formally recognised the Dutch Republic as an independent country. It ended the Eighty Years' War, also known as the Dutch Revolt, which rebels had fought against Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The causes of the war included religion and heavy taxes.
Edward Bransfield, a Royal Navy officer, sighted the Trinity Peninsula, the northernmost part of the Antarctic Peninsula. He claimed the discovery of Antarctica, just three days after a Russian expedition had come close to the Antarctic coast. Bransfield had been forced to join the navy in Ireland when he was 18. He took part in several explorations of parts of Antarctica.
The small settlement of Yerba Buena, on San Francisco Bay in California, was renamed San Francisco. It had been founded in 1834 and was named after a herb that grew there in large amounts. It was first meant to be a trading post for ships visiting the bay. The settlement grew into the famous city of San Francisco.
The United States Navy launched USS Monitor during the American Civil War. It became the first ironclad, or iron-armoured, warship to serve in the US Navy. Monitor had an unusual revolving gun turret, an idea that was soon copied. In March 1862 it fought the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia to a draw at the Battle of Hampton Roads.
The American destroyer USS Terry made the first rescue at sea of an aeroplane pilot. It saved the life of the flyer Douglas McCurdy about 16 kilometres from Havana, Cuba. Aeroplanes were still very new at the time. USS Terry was also the first ship commanded by Ernest J. King, who later became one of the US Navy's top admirals.
The company that became the Japanese carmaker Mazda was founded by Jujiro Matsuda. At first it was called Toyo Cork Kogyo and made cork, the material used for bottle stoppers. It changed its name in 1927 and started making vehicles in 1931. Mazda's headquarters are near Hiroshima, Japan.
Hydroxycarbamide became the first approved medicine to help prevent the attacks caused by sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder. Red blood cells can take on a curved, sickle-like shape, which stops them squeezing through tiny blood vessels. The medicine, which is taken by mouth, reduces the number of attacks.
South Korea's Naro-1 rocket placed a small satellite called STSAT-2C into orbit around the Earth. It was the first time a South Korean rocket had reached orbit. This was the third Naro-1 rocket to be built. It was launched by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, South Korea's space agency, which was founded in 1989.
Wareru created the Hanthawaddy Kingdom in today's Lower Burma and declared himself king following the collapse of the Pagan Empire.
The Truce of Andrusovo is signed, ending the Russian-Polish War of 1654-1667.
Tây Sơn forces emerge victorious against Qing armies and liberate the capital Thăng Long.
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.
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.
World War II: The Battle of Cisterna, part of Operation Shingle, begins in central Italy.
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.
The African National Party is founded in Chad, through the merger of traditionalist parties.
Vietnam War: Forces of the Viet Cong and the Vietnamese People's Army launched the Tet Offensive to strike military and civilian command and control centers throughout South Vietnam.
The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is established as the first United States National Marine Sanctuary.
Richard Skrenta writes the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called "Elk Cloner".
The American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan is closed.
Microsoft Corporation releases Windows Vista, a major release of the operating system Microsoft Windows and the NT based kernel.
The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be a public health emergency of international concern.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “The Beatles play their famous rooftop concert in London”?
B: 1969. 1969 — that’s 57 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “Thomas Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge opens in Wales”?
B: 1826. 1826 — that’s 200 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: Thomas Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge opens in Wales. 1858: The Hallé orchestra gives its first concert in Manchester · 1969: The Beatles play their famous rooftop concert in London · 1826: Thomas Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge opens in Wales Find it on the page
“The Hallé orchestra gives its first concert in Manchester” happened in 1858. How many years ago was that?
B: 168 years. 2026 − 1858 = 168. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 30 January.
Well-known people who died on 30 January.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 30 January somewhere in the world.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “January 30” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.