January 30
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Featured Event
© Apple Films/United Artists
Beatles perform together for the last time
On this day in 1969, the BeatlesâJohn Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starrâperformed together for the last time. The 42-minute set, which took place on the rooftop of Apple Corps headquarters in London, ended after neighbors filed noise complaints, leading the police to show up. Footage from the session appeared in the documentary Let it Be. [Read todayâs edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum website; version date 2009
Born this day in 1882, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only person to win four terms as U.S. president, introduced the New Deal to address the crisis brought on by the Great Depression and led the U.S. during World War II.
Famous Birthdays
More on January 30
Library of Congress, Washington D.C. (neg. no. LC-DIG-ppprs-00226 DLC)
2011
California became the first state to celebrate Fred Korematsu Day, which honors the Japanese American activist who was convicted in 1942 of violating an exclusion order requiring him to relocate. His subsequent legal appeals were denied, though the ruling was eventually overturned in 2018. [Find out what Japanese Americans experienced in internment camps.]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1995
Flooding forced the evacuation of more than 100,000 people from low-lying areas of the Netherlands. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about natural disasters.]
© William L. RukeyserâHulton Archive/Getty images
1972
A demonstration by Roman Catholic civil rights supporters in Londonderry (Derry), Northern Ireland, turned violent when British paratroopers opened fire, killing 13 and injuring 14 others (one of the injured later died). Bloody Sunday, as it became known, spiked support for the Irish Republican Army. [Why is Ireland two countries?]
History Archive/REX/Shutterstock.com
1948
Mahatma Gandhiâconsidered the father of India and internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (satyagraha) to achieve political and social progressâwas assassinated by Hindu extremist Nathuram Godse.
German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv), Bild 121-0665
1945
One of the greatest maritime disasters in history, the German ocean liner Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk by a Soviet submarine, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 9,000 people. [Watch a video about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.]
The White House
1941
Dick Cheneyâwho held various government offices, most notably the U.S. vice presidency (2001â09)âwas born. Cheney developed a controversial reputation, wielding immense power while vice president. [Do you know the order of presidential succession in the United States?]
Heinrich Hoffmann, Munich
1933
President Paul von Hindenburg named Adolf Hitler chancellor of Germany, beginning the chain of events that eventually led to Hitlerâs appointment as FĂŒhrer, in which he merged the presidency with the chancellorship. [Discover nine things you might not know about Adolf Hitler.]
American Broadcasting Company
1933
The Lone Ranger was introduced by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker on radio station WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan. [How does radio work?]
Charles Chaplin Productions
1931
The silent romantic-comedy film City Lights had its world premiere, and it is considered by many to be Charlie Chaplinâs crowning achievement in cinema. [Take our movie quiz.]
© Jerry Bauer
1912
Barbara Tuchman, one of the foremost popular historians in the United States in the second half of the 20th century and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, was born in New York. [Take our history buff quiz.]
Metronome/Archive Photos
1911
Roy Eldridge, a jazz trumpeter known for his quick improvisation skills and unorthodox note choices, was born in Pittsburgh. [Test your knowledge of music.]
© Nomad_Soul/stock.adobe.com
1847
Previously known as Yerba Buena (the name of a plant, meaning âgood herbâ), San Francisco was given its current name. [Watch a time-lapse video of San Francisco.]
Giraudon/Art Resource, New York
1649
Charles I, king of Great Britain and Ireland (1625â49)âwhose authoritarian rule and quarrels with Parliament provoked the English Civil Warâwas executed in London. [Sort fact from fiction in our English royalty quiz.]
Photograph by philophilosopher. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, Rogers Fund, 1908 (08.258.47)
9 bce
The shrine Ara Pacis (âAltar of Peaceâ) was dedicated to the Roman emperor Augustus. [How much do you know about the Roman Empire?]