January 30 is the anniversary of two historic executions. In one of them, the accused had to be raised from the dead. Otherwise, this date has seen assassinations, an assassination attempt, and a royal murder-suicide that was an international sensation of its time.
58 BC. Livia Drusilla is born. Livia Drusilla, after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14 also known as Julia Augusta, was a Roman empress as the third wife of the Emperor Augustus as well as his adviser. She was the mother of the Emperor Tiberius, paternal grandmother of the Emperor Claudius, paternal great-grandmother of the Emperor Caligula, and maternal great-great grandmother of the Emperor Nero. She was deified by Claudius who acknowledged her title of Augusta.
133. Roman Emperor Marcus Severus Didius Julianus is born. He ruled from March 28, 193 to June 1, 193. Julianus ascended the throne after buying it from the Praetorian Guard, who had assassinated his predecessor Pertinax. This incited the Roman Civil War of 193–197. Julianus was ousted and sentenced to death by his successor, Septimius Severus.
Severus had Julianus beheaded. He dismissed the Praetorian Guard and executed the soldiers who had killed Pertinax. According to Cassius Dio, Julianus' last words were "But what evil have I done? Whom have I killed?"
1606. English conspirator Everard Digby is executed. Sir Everard Digby was a member of the group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Although he was raised in a Protestant household, and married a Protestant, Digby and his wife were converted to Catholicism by the Jesuit priest John Gerard.
Digby was tried on the same day as seven of his surviving co-conspirators, in Westminster Hall, on Monday 27 January 1606. As the king and his family watched in secret, the charges against the plotters were read aloud. Alone among them Digby pleaded "Guilty", and was tried on a separate indictment.
Digby was hanged, drawn and quartered early on Thursday 30 January. Throngs of spectators lined the streets as he was strapped to a wattled hurdle, and alongside Robert Wintour and John Grant was dragged by horse to the western end of Old St Paul's Cathedral churchyard. Armed guards interspersed along the route were there to defend against any possible rescue, but did not keep the miscreants' families from witnessing the fate of the four men. Cold and grubby, Digby was the first of the four to face the executioner.
Digby was stripped of his clothing, except for his shirt. Murmuring "O Jesus, Jesus, save me and keep me", he climbed the ladder and was hanged for a short period. The executioner cut the rope, and Digby fell back to the scaffold, wounding his forehead. Fully conscious, he was taken to the block and castrated, disembowelled, and quartered.
1648. The Treaty of Münster is signed, ending the Eighty Years' War between the Netherlands and Spain. The Eighty Years' War, or Dutch Revolt (1566–1648), was the revolt of the Seventeen Provinces in the Netherlands against the Spanish (Habsburg) Empire.
Spain was initially successful in suppressing the rebellion. In 1572, however, the rebels captured Brielle and the rebellion flared anew. The northern provinces became independent first de facto, and in 1648 officially. During the revolt, The United Provinces of the Netherlands or Dutch Republic rapidly grew to become a world power through its merchant shipping, and experienced a period of economic, scientific, and cultural growth.
The Southern Netherlands (situated in modern-day Belgium, Luxembourg and Northern France) remained under Spanish rule. The continuous repression by the Spanish in the south caused many of its financial, intellectual, and cultural elite to flee north, significantly contributing to the success of the Dutch Republic.
1649. King Charles I of England is beheaded. The last years of Charles' reign were marked by the English Civil War, in which he was opposed by the forces of Parliament -- who challenged his attempts to augment his own power -- and by Puritans, who were hostile to his religious policies and apparent Catholic sympathy.
The first Civil War (1642 - 1645) ended in defeat for Charles, after which the parliamentarians expected him to accept their demands for a constitutional monarchy. Instead, he remained defiant, provoking a second Civil War (1648 - 1649). This was considered unacceptable, and Charles was subsequently tried, convicted and executed for high treason. The monarchy was then abolished, and a republic was established, called the Commonwealth of England.
When Charles was beheaded, it is reputed that he wore two shirts as to prevent the cold January weather causing any noticeable shivers that the crowd could have been mistaken for fear or weakness. He put his head on the block after saying a prayer and signalled the executioner when he was ready; he was then beheaded with one clean stroke. Even his enemies were impressed by the dignity with which the king died.
It was common practice for the head of a traitor to be held up and exhibited to the crowd with the words "Behold the head of a traitor!"; although Charles' head was exhibited, the words were not used. In an unprecedented gesture, one of the revolutionary leaders, Oliver Cromwell, allowed the King's head to be sewn back on his body so the family could pay its respects. Charles was buried in private and at night on February 7, 1649, in the Henry VIII vault inside St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.
1661. Two years after his death, Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, is formally executed. In 1661, Oliver Cromwell's body was exhumed from Westminster Abbey, and was subjected to the ritual of a posthumous execution. Symbolically, this took place on January 30; the same date that Charles I had been executed. His body was hung in chains at Tyburn. Finally, his disinterred body was thrown into a pit, while his severed head was displayed on a pole outside Westminster Abbey until 1685. Afterwards the head changed hands several times, before eventually being buried in the grounds of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, in 1960.
1703. The Forty-seven Ronin, under the command of Ōishi Kuranosuke, avenge the death of their master. A group of samurai were left leaderless (becoming
ronin) after their
daimyo (feudal lord) Asano Naganori was forced to commit
seppuku (ritual suicide) for assaulting a court official named Kira Yoshinaka. The ronin avenged their master's honor after patiently waiting and planning for two years to kill Kira. In turn, the ronin were themselves forced to commit
seppuku for committing the crime of murder. With much embellishment, this true story was popularized in Japanese culture as emblematic of the loyalty, sacrifice, persistence, and honor that all good people should preserve in their daily lives. The popularity of the almost mythical tale was only enhanced by rapid modernization during the Meiji era of Japanese history, when it is suggested many people in Japan longed for a return to their cultural roots.
1781. Maryland becomes the 13th and final state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, almost three years after the official deadline given by Congress of March 10, 1778.
The problematic Articles of Confederation remained the law of the land for only eight years before the Constitutional Convention rejected them in favor of a new, more centralized form of federal government. They crafted the current U.S. Constitution, which took effect in 1789, giving the federal government greater authority over the states and creating a bicameral legislature.
1798. A brawl breaks out in the House of Representatives in Philadelphia, as Matthew Lyon of Vermont spits in the face of Roger Griswold of Connecticut.
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.
1835. In the first assassination attempt against an American President, a mentally ill man named Richard Lawrence attempts to shoot President Andrew Jackson in the United States Capitol. Both of Lawrence's pistols misfire, and Jackson proceeds to beat his would-be assassin with his cane.
1862. The first United States ironclad warship, the USS
Monitor is launched. She is most famous for her participation in the first-ever naval battle between two ironclad warships, the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862 during the American Civil War, in which
Monitor fought the ironclad CSS
Virginia of the Confederate States Navy. The
Monitor was the first in a long line of Monitor Class U.S. warships.
1882. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, is born in Hyde Park, New York.
1889. Archduke Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown, is found dead with his mistress, Baroness Mary Vetsera in Mayerling.
By 1889, it was known by many, including both his wife Stephanie, and his father Emperor Franz Joseph, that Rudolf and Mary were having an affair. Rudolf's marriage to Stephanie was not particularly happy, and Stephanie carried on affairs of her own with Rudolf's tacit knowledge.
On the morning of January 30, 1889, Mary and Rudolf were found dead at Rudolf's hunting lodge Mayerling. The death of his only son devastated Franz Joseph I. He had no other male heirs.
The initial official explanation for the incident was that Rudolf had suffered heart failure; Mary was not mentioned and her body was buried secretly. However, the official story did not hold up well, and it later had to be admitted that Rudolf had committed suicide. Many stories were floated about the pair's death, with the most widely accepted being that the two lovers had carried out a suicide pact after Franz Joseph demanded they separate. Rudolf shot his mistress in the head, then sat by her body for several hours before shooting himself. A special dispensation from the Vatican was obtained, declaring Rudolf to be in a state of "mental imbalance" in order for Rudolf to be buried in the Imperial Crypt.
1911. The destroyer USS
Terry makes the first airplane rescue at sea saving the life of James McCurdy 10 miles from Havana, Cuba.
1925. The government of Turkey expels Patriarch Constantine VI from Istanbul.
1933. With the stirring notes of the
William Tell Overture and a shout of "Hi-yo, Silver! Away!",
The Lone Ranger debuts on Detroit's WXYZ radio station. The creation of station-owner George Trendle and writer Fran Striker, the "masked rider of the plains" became one of the most popular and enduring western heroes of the 20th century. Joined by his trusty steed, Silver, and loyal Indian scout, Tonto, the Lone Ranger sallied forth to do battle with evil western outlaws and Indians, generally arriving on the scene just in time to save an innocent golden-haired child or sun-bonneted farm wife.
1933. President Paul von Hindenburg names Adolf Hitler, leader or führer of the National Socialist German Workers Party (or Nazi Party), as chancellor of Germany.
The year 1932 had seen Hitler's meteoric rise to prominence in Germany, spurred largely by the German people's frustration with dismal economic conditions and the still-festering wounds inflicted by defeat in the Great War and the harsh peace terms of the Versailles treaty. A charismatic speaker, Hitler channeled popular discontent with the post-war Weimar government into support for his fledgling Nazi party. In an election held in July 1932, the Nazis won 230 governmental seats; together with the Communists, the next largest party, they made up over half of the Reichstag.
Hindenburg, intimidated by Hitler's growing popularity and the thuggish nature of his cadre of supporters, the SA (or Brownshirts), initially refused to make him chancellor. Instead, he appointed General Kurt von Schleicher, who attempted to steal Hitler's thunder by negotiating with a dissident Nazi faction led by Gregor Strasser. At the next round of elections in November, the Nazis lost ground -- but the Communists gained it, a paradoxical effect of Schleicher's efforts that made right-wing forces in Germany even more determined to get Hitler into power.
Hitler's emergence as chancellor on January 30, 1933, marked a crucial turning point for Germany and, ultimately, for the world. His plan, embraced by much of the German population, was to do away with politics and make Germany a powerful, unified one-party state. He began immediately, ordering a rapid expansion of the state police, the Gestapo, and putting Hermann Goering in charge of a new security force, composed entirely of Nazis and dedicated to stamping out whatever opposition to his party might arise. From that moment on, Nazi Germany was off and running, and there was little Hindenburg -- or anyone -- could do to stop it.
1943. In the second day of the Battle of Rennell Island during World War II, the USS
Chicago is sunk and a U.S. destroyer is heavily damaged by Japanese
torpedoes.
1945. During 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 maritime disaster in known history, killing roughly 9,000 people.
1948. Indian pacifist and leader Mohandas Gandhi is assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist.
1950. I Can Dream, Can't I? by The Andrews Sisters is the number one hit in the United States.
1956. American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.'s home is bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
1959. MS
Hans Hedtoft, said to be the safest ship afloat and "unsinkable" like the RMS
Titanic, strikes an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sinks, killing all 95 aboard.
1962. Two of the high-wire Flying Wallendas are killed when their famous seven-person pyramid collapses during a performance in Detroit, Michigan. The Wallendas performed without safety nets.
1965. American
Playboy model, actress, and stand-up comedienne Julie McCullough is born as Julie Michelle McCullough in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. She is known primarily as
Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for February 1986, and for her role as Julie Costello in the sitcom
Growing Pains, a role from which she was controversially fired due to her
Playboy career. (See pictures.)
McCullough appeared in eight episodes until she was fired in 1990, which stemmed series star Kirk Cameron's conversion to evangelical Christianity, a conversion that served to alienate him from his fellow cast members. He called for McCullough's termination because of his objections to her having posed nude in
Playboy, and accused the show's producers of promoting pornography.
A decade later, Cameron apologized to his TV family, attributing his prior behavior to his lack of maturity but did not mend fences with McCullough, who remains critical of him, stating that she lost a lot from the public criticism she endured from the controversy. Although McCullough herself is Catholic, she has criticized the evangelical TV programming Cameron has produced, which she has viewed on one occasion, saying on her MySpace page:
"He thinks if I read science books that I'm going to hell. 'I rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints . . . the sinners are much more fun.' And a lot more interesting than some book-burner who is still having growing pains. I am at peace with God. Kirk thinks people like me are going to Hell; if I do then at least I'll go well informed and well read." (Well said, Julie!)
Having enjoyed doing comedy on stage her entire life, McCullough now works as a stand-up comedienne, and has performed at the Hollywood Improv, the Palms Hotel and Casino, and the Laugh Factory.
1968. The Tet Offensive begins during the Vietnam War when Viet Cong forces launch a series of surprise attacks in South Vietnam. Although every clash resulted in an American victory. the action was a pivotal point in the conflict, turning American public opinion against the war.
1969. The Beatles' give their last public performance on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert is broken up by the police.
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.
1972. British Paratroopers kill fourteen Roman Catholic civil rights-anti internment marchers in Northern Ireland, earning this day the nickname "Bloody Sunday (1972)."
1982. Richard Skrenta writes the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called "Elk Cloner".
1994. Péter Lékó becomes the youngest chess grand master.
1996. Suspected leader of the Irish National Liberation Army Gino Gallagher is killed while in line for his unemployment benefit.
The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) is an Irish republican paramilitary organization which was formed on December 8, 1974. It enjoyed its peak of influence in the late 1970s and early 1980s and is now one of a number of small armed republican groups in Ireland.
2003. Richard Reid, a British citizen and al-Qaida follower, is sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge in Boston for trying to blow up a trans-Atlantic jetliner with explosives hidden in his shoes.
2005. Iraqis vote in their country's first free election in a half-century,
2011. Demonstrations against the government, in which more than 150 people have been killed and over 4,000 injured, continue in Egypt. .Egyptian authorities extend the curfew hours they are imposing on the people of Egypt. The government threatens to open fire on any person who disobeys its rule. Several prison breaks occur, including the escape of 5,000 from a jail in Faiyum Governorate, many including 34 members of the Muslim Brotherhood from Wadi El Natrun, where eight people were killed in riots, and at least eight Hamas militants from Abu Zaabal Prison in Cairo, two of them escaping to Gaza, and two policemen and twelve escaped inmates were killed there; many more escaped from Tora Prison in Cairo, close to where "dozens" of people were killed. Soldiers have been deployed outside of many prisons.
2012. Tibetan advocacy groups claim that as many as seven ethnic Tibetans have been killed and 60 wounded in the past week in protests in China's Sichuan province bordering Tibet.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama answers questions about the State of the Union posed by citizens in the first-ever completely virtual interview from the White House but fails to answer the most popular questions which were related to the controversial topic of marijuana legalization.