On This Day

[Altobelli]

30 JANUARY

1736 The birth of James Watt, Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1781. His engine was fundamental to the changes of the Industrial Revolution.

1790 The first purpose-built lifeboat, The Original, was launched on the River Tyne at South Shields. The boat was 28 feet (8.5m) long and was rowed by up to 12 crew for whom cork life jackets were provided.

1826 The opening of the Menai Bridge, the world's first modern suspension bridge. It was designed by Thomas Telford and links North Wales to the island of Anglesey

1915 The birth of John Profumo, British politician. He is best remembered today for his involvement in a 1963 scandal involving the 'call-girl' Christine Keeler. After his resignation, Profumo began to work as a volunteer, cleaning toilets at Toynbee Hall, a charity based in the East End of London with a focus on working towards a future without poverty. Eventually Profumo volunteered as the charity's chief fundraiser and was awarded a CBE in 1975 for his charitable activities.

1937 Birth of the actress Vanessa Redgrave. She remains the only British actress ever to win the Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Cannes, Golden Globe, and the Screen Actors Guild awards. She was also the recipient of the 2010 BAFTA Fellowship 'in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film'.

1939 Hitler threatens the Jews during his speech to the German Reichstag (Parliament)

1965 The state funeral, in London, of Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Britain. It was the biggest state funeral of its kind since the burial of the Duke of Wellington in 1852. After his state funeral service, his body was taken by train to Bladon, Oxfordshire and there the private burial took place, conducted by the rector. By contrast with the earlier service, only relatives and close friends were present. The grave of Winston Churchill is in Bladon churchyerd. The bells in the church were rung for 2 hrs and 40 minutes.

1969 The Beatles played their last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert was broken up by the police.

1988 A microlight aircraft landed near Sydney, Australia, to create a record time of 55 days since leaving London.

2003 British-born Richard Reid was sentenced to life in jail for trying to bomb an American Airlines flight carrying 197 people.

2012 London City trader Kweku Adoboli appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court accused of fraudulently gambling away a record £1.5bn whilst working for Swiss bank UBS. He was subsequently jailed for seven years after being found guilty of two counts of fraud.

2015 Sir Jay Tidmarsh, Lord-Lieutenant of Bristol between 1996 and 2007, found an old school library book as he cleared his shelves. He decided to return the book to Taunton School, in Somerset, and made a £1,500 donation to the library in lieu of a fine for not returning the book for 65 years.

Famous Birthday's

Franklin D. Roosevelt
(1882 - 1945)



Payne Stewart
(1957 - 1999)



Gene Hackman
88th Birthday

Vanessa Redgrave, British actress (Blow-Up, Julia, Orient Express), born in London, England
81st Birthday

Phil Collins
67th Birthday

Dimitar Berbatov
37th Birthday

Peter Crouch
37th Birthday

Famous Weddings

1853 Emperor and French President Napoleon III marries Eugenie de Montijo, Countess of Teba

1929 Mitford sister Diana Mitford (18) marries Irish peer Bryan Walter Guinness (23) in the British society wedding of the year

1934 Actor and comedian Lou Costello marries burlesque dancer Anne Battler

1934 Painter Salvador Dali (30) weds Gala Dali (39) in a civil ceremony in Paris

1985 NFL Quarterback Dan Marino (23) weds Claire Veazey at St. Regis Roman Catholic Church in Pennsylvania

Famous Deaths

Charles I
(1600 - 1649)

Mahatma Gandhi
(1869 - 1948)



Orville Wright
(1871 - 1948)

1951 Ferdinand Porsche, German automotive engineer (Volkswagen Beetle, Mercedes-Benz SS) and founder of the Porsche car company, dies at 75

2007 Sidney Sheldon, American novelist and playwright (Master of the Game, Bloodline, The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer), dies of pneumonia at 89

2008 Jeremy Beadle, British television host (Beadle's About), dies of pneumonia at 59


2016 Frank Finlay, English actor (Bouquet of Barbed Wire), dies at 89