So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

January 30th


- Christian Feast Day:
- Martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi observances:
Martyrs' Day (India)
- School Day of Non-violence and Peace (Spain)

January 30th


- 1969 - The Beatles' last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert is broken up by the police.
- 1847 - Yerba Buena, California is renamed San Francisco.
- 1661 - Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England is ritually executed two years after his death, on the anniversary of the execution of the monarch he himself deposed.
- 2000 - Off the coast of Ivory Coast, Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean, killing 169.
- 1996 - Gino Gallagher, the suspected leader of the Irish National Liberation Army, is killed while waiting in line for his unemployment benefit.
- 1996 - Comet Hyakutake is discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Yuji Hyakutake.
- 1995 - Workers from the National Institutes of Health announce the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment for sickle-cell disease.
- 1994 - Péter Lékó becomes the youngest chess grand master.
- 1989 - The American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan closes.
- 1982 - Richard Skrenta writes the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called "Elk Cloner".
- 1979 - Varig 707-323C freighter, flown by the same commander as Flight 820, disappears over the Pacific Ocean 30 minutes after taking off from Tokyo.
- 1972 - Bloody Sunday: British Paratroopers kill fourteen unarmed civil rights/anti internment marchers in Northern Ireland.
- 1972 - Pakistan withdraws from the Commonwealth of Nations.
- 1971 - Carole King's Tapestry album is released, it would become the longest charting album by a female solo artist and sell 24 million copies worldwide.
- 1968 - Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive begins when Viet Cong forces launch a series of surprise attacks in South Vietnam.
- 1964 - Ranger program: Ranger 6 is launched.
- 1960 - The African National Party is founded in Chad, through the merger of traditionalist parties.
- 1956 - American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.'s home is bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
- 1948 - Indian pacifist and leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist.
- 1945 - World War II: The Wilhelm Gustloff, overfilled with refugees, sinks in the Baltic Sea after being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, leading to the deadliest known maritime disaster, killing approximately 9,000 people.
- 1945 - World War II: Raid at Cabanatuan: 126 American Rangers and Filipino resistance liberate 500 prisoners from the Cabanatuan POW camp.
- 1944 - World War II: United States troops land on Majuro.
- 1943 - World War II: Second day of the Battle of Rennell Island. The USS Chicago (CA-29) is sunk and a U.S. destroyer is heavily damaged by Japanese torpedoes.
- 1933 - Adolf Hitler is sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.
- 1930 - The world's second radiosonde is launched in Pavlovsk, USSR.
- 1925 - The Government of Turkey throws Patriarch Constantine VI out of Istanbul.
- 1913 - The United Kingdom's House of Lords rejects the Irish Home Rule Bill.
- 1911 - The destroyer USS Terry (DD-25) makes the first airplane rescue at sea saving the life of James McCurdy 10 miles from Havana, Cuba.
- 1911 - The Canadian Naval Service becomes the Royal Canadian Navy.
- 1889 - Archduke Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown, is found dead with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera in Mayerling.
- 1862 - The first American ironclad warship, the USS Monitor is launched.
- 1858 - The first Hallé concert is given in Manchester, England, marking the official founding of the Hallé Orchestra as a full-time, professional orchestra.
- 1841 - A fire destroys two-thirds of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
- 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.
- 1826 - The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world's first modern suspension bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the north West coast of Wales, is opened.
- 1820 - Edward Bransfield sights the Trinity Peninsula and claims the discovery of Antarctica.
- 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.
- 1790 - The first boat specializing as a lifeboat is tested on the River Tyne.
- 1649 - King Charles I of England is beheaded.
- 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster and Osnabrück is signed, ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain.
- 1048 - Protestantism: The villagers around today's Baden-Baden elect their own priest in defiance of the local bishop. Later, in a move that would not be seen before the Protestant Reformation, he is also elected Pope by acclamatio, just to die that same day. It is rumored that Ildebrando di Soana heard of the acclamatio and used it later to get elected himself as Pope Gregory VII.

January 30th


- 2005 - Prince Hashem bin Al Abdullah II, of Jordan
- 1990 - Jake Thomas, American actor
- 1990 - Luca Sbisa, Swiss ice hockey player
- 1990 - Eiza Gonzalez, Mexican actress/singer
- 1989 - Khleo Thomas, American actor and rapper
- 1988 - Rob Pinkston, American actor
- 1987 - Rebecca Knox, Irish professional wrestler
- 1987 - Renato Santos, Brazilian footballer
- 1987 - Arda Turan, Turkish footballer
- 1986 - Sam Duckworth, British singer-songwriter
- 1986 - Nick Evans, American baseball player
- 1985 - Aaadietya Pandey, Indian astrologer
- 1985 - Trae Williams, American football player
- 1984 - Jeremy Hermida, American baseball player
- 1984 - Kid Cudi, American hip hop performer, Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi
- 1982 - Jorge Cantu, Mexican baseball player
- 1981 - Peter Crouch, English footballer
- 1981 - Mathias Lauda, Austrian racing driver
- 1981 - Jonathan Bender, American basketball player
- 1981 - Dimitar Berbatov, Bulgarian footballer
- 1980 - Leilani Dowding, British glamour model
- 1980 - Josh Kelly, American musician
- 1980 - Wilmer Valderrama, American actor
- 1980 - Pavel Ponomaryov, Russian-Estonian actor
- 1980 - Joăozinho, Brazilian footballer
- 1978 - John Patterson, American baseball player
- 1978 - Carmen Küng, Swiss curler
- 1977 - Dan Hinote, American ice hockey player
- 1977 - Deltha O'Neal, American football player
- 1977 - Tom Malchow, American swimmer
- 1976 - Andy Milonakis, American comedian
- 1975 - Juninho Pernambucano, Brazilian footballer
- 1975 - Yumi Yoshimura, Japanese singer (Puffy Amiyumi)
- 1974 - Christian Bale, English actor
- 1974 - Olivia Colman, English actress
- 1974 - Jemima Khan, English socialite
- 1973 - Jalen Rose, American basketball player
- 1972 - Lupillo Rivera, Mexican singer
- 1972 - Chris Simon, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1971 - Darren Boyd, British actor
- 1971 - Kimo von Oelhoffen, American football player
- 1969 - Carolyn Kepcher, American businesswoman and reality TV show star
- 1968 - Trevor Dunn, American musician (Mr. Bungle, Fantômas, Secret Chiefs 3)
- 1968 - Prince Felipe of Spain
- 1968 - Tony Maudsley, British film actor
- 1967 - Jay Gordon, American musician
- 1966 - Danielle Goyette, Quebec female ice hockey player
- 1965 - Julie McCullough, American model and actress
- 1964 - Otis Smith, American basketball player
- 1963 - Tina Malone, English actress
- 1962 - King Abdullah II of Jordan
- 1962 - Mary Kay Letourneau, American convicted statutory rapist
- 1961 - Dexter Scott King, American actor and son of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King
- 1960 - Alex Titomirov, Russian-American businessman and former founder and CEO of InforMax Inc
- 1959 - Mark Eitzel, American singer and musician (American Music Club)
- 1959 - Jody Watley, American singer
- 1958 - Brett Butler, American actress and comedian
- 1957 - Payne Stewart, American golfer (d. 1999)
- 1956 - Jeremy Gittins, English actor
- 1956 - Keiichi Tsuchiya, Japanese racing driver
- 1955 - John Baldacci, American politician, 73rd governor of Maine
- 1955 - Curtis Strange, American golfer
- 1955 - Judith Tarr, American author
- 1955 - Mychal Thompson, Bahamian basketball player
- 1952 - Doug Falconer, Canadian football player
- 1951 - Phil Collins, English musician
- 1951 - Charles S. Dutton, American actor
- 1951 - Bobby Stokes, English former footballer (d. 1995)
- 1950 - Trinidad Silva, American actor (d. 1988)
- 1949 - Peter Agre, American biologist, Nobel laureate
- 1948 - Nick Broomfield, English film- and documentary-maker
- 1948 - Paul Magee, Provisional Irish Republican Army member
- 1948 - Miles Reid, English mathematician
- 1947 - Les Barker, English poet
- 1947 - Steve Marriott, English musician (Humble Pie, The Small Faces) (d. 1991)
- 1945 - Michael Dorris, American author (d. 1997)
- 1943 - Davey Johnson, American baseball player and manager
- 1942 - Marty Balin, American musician
- 1941 - Gregory Benford, American author and scientist
- 1941 - Dick Cheney, 46th Vice President of the United States
- 1941 - Tineke Lagerberg, Dutch swimmer
- 1938 - Islom Karimov, President of Uzbekistan
- 1937 - Ed Hansen, American film director and editor (d. 2005)
- 1937 - Vanessa Redgrave, English actress
- 1937 - Boris Spassky, Russian chess player and 10th world chess champion (1969–1972)
- 1936 - F. Vernon Boozer, American politician
- 1936 - Patrick Caulfield, British painter and printmaker (d. 2005)
- 1936 - Horst Jankowski, German popular pianist (d. 1998)
- 1935 - Richard Brautigan, American writer and poet (d. 1984)
- 1933 - Louis Rukeyser, American journalist (d. 2006)
- 1932 - Knock Yokoyama, Japanese comedian and politician
- 1931 - John Crosbie, Canadian politician
- 1931 - Allan W. Eckert, American historian, naturalist, and author
- 1931 - Shirley Hazzard, Australian-born author
- 1930 - Sandy Amorós, Cuban baseball player (d. 1992)
- 1930 - Samuel J. Byck, American attempted assassin of Richard Nixon (d. 1974)
- 1930 - Gene Hackman, American actor
- 1930 - Magnus Malan, South African politician
- 1929 - Lucille Teasdale-Corti, Canadian surgeon and international aid worker (d. 1996)
- 1928 - Hal Prince, American stage producer and director
- 1927 - Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1986)
- 1927 - Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana, Indian dermatologist (d. 2005)
- 1925 - Douglas Engelbart, American computer scientist
- 1925 - Dorothy Malone, American actress
- 1924 - Lloyd Alexander, American writer (d. 2007)
- 1922 - Dick Martin, American comedian (d. 2008)
- 1920 - Carwood Lipton, American WWII veteran (d. 2001)
- 1920 - Michael Anderson, English film director
- 1920 - Delbert Mann, American film director (d. 2007)
- 1919 - Nikolay Glazkov, Russian poet (d. 1979)
- 1918 - David Opatoshu, American television actor (d. 1996)
- 1917 - Paul Frčre, Belgian racing driver and motorsport journalist (d. 2008)
- 1915 - Joachim Peiper, German SS officer (d. 1976)
- 1915 - John Profumo, British cabinet minister (d. 2006)
- 1914 - John Ireland, Canadian actor (d. 1992)
- 1914 - David Wayne, American actor (d. 1995)
- 1913 - Percy Thrower, British Television Gardener (d. 1988)
- 1912 - Werner Hartmann, German physicist (d. 1988)
- 1912 - Francis Schaeffer, American Evangelical theologian and pastor (d. 1984)
- 1912 - Barbara W. Tuchman, American historian (d. 1989)
- 1911 - Roy Eldridge, American musician (d. 1989)
- 1910 - C Subramaniam, Indian politician (d. 2000)
- 1902 - Nikolaus Pevsner, German-born art historian (d. 1983)
- 1901 - Rudolf Caracciola, German race car driver (d. 1959)
- 1899 - Max Theiler, South African virologist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1972)
- 1894 - Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria (d. 1943)
- 1889 - Jaishankar Prasad, Hindi poet, dramatist and novelist (d. 1937)
- 1882 - Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States (d. 1945)
- 1878 - Anton Hansen Tammsaare, Estonian author (d. 1940)
- 1873 - Georges Ricard-Cordingley, painter (d. 1939)
- 1861 - Charles Martin Loeffler, German-born composer (d. 1935)
- 1859 - Tony Mullane, Irish-born American baseball player (d. 1944)
- 1841 - Félix Faure, 6th President of the French Third Republic (d. 1899)
- 1832 - Infanta Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Montpensier (d. 1897)
- 1822 - Franz Ritter von Hauer, Austrian geologist (d. 1899)
- 1816 - Nathaniel Prentice Banks, 24th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1894)
- 1781 - Adelbert von Chamisso, German writer (d. 1838)
- 1754 - John Lansing, Jr., American statesman (d. 1829)
- 1720 - Charles De Geer, Swedish industrialist and entomologist (d. 1778)
- 1697 - Johann Joachim Quantz, German flautist and composer (d. 1773)
- 1687 - Johann Balthasar Neumann, German architect (d. 1753)
- 1661 - Charles Rollin, French historian (d. 1741)
- 1615 - Thomas Rolfe, American colonial settler and only child of Pocahontas and John Rolfe (d. 1675)
- 1563 - Franciscus Gomarus, Dutch theologian (d. 1641)
- 133 - Marcus Severus Didius Julianus, Roman Emperor (d. 193)