Today in History: January 30, Gandhi assassinated in New Delhi

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Today is Friday, Jan. 30, the 30th day of 2026. There are 335 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Jan. 30, 1948, Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi, 78, was shot and killed in New Delhi by Nathuram Godse (neh-too-RAHM’ gahd-SAY’), a Hindu extremist.

Also on this date:

In 1649, England’s King Charles I was executed for high treason.

In 1835, in the first-known attempt to assassinate a U.S. president, an unemployed house painter tried to kill President Andrew Jackson, but both of the attacker's pistols misfired and he was tackled as Jackson was safely hustled away.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany.

In 1945, during World War II, a Soviet submarine torpedoed the German ship MV Wilhelm Gustloff in the Baltic Sea, killing over 9,000 people, most of them war refugees; roughly 1,000 people survived.

In 1968, the Tet Offensive began during the Vietnam War as Communist forces launched surprise attacks against South Vietnamese towns and cities.

In 1969, The Beatles staged an unannounced concert atop Apple headquarters in London that would be their last public performance.

In 1972, 13 Catholic civil rights marchers were shot and killed by British soldiers in Northern Ireland on what became known as “Bloody Sunday.”

In 2017, President Donald Trump fired Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates after she publicly questioned the constitutionality of his refugee and immigration ban and refused to defend it in court.

In 2020, health officials reported the first known case in which the new coronavirus was spread from one person to another in the United States.

Today’s birthdays: Actor Vanessa Redgrave is 89. Musician Phil Collins is 75. Actor Charles S. Dutton (“Roc”) is 75. Golf Hall of Famer Curtis Strange is 71. Actor Ann Dowd (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) is 70. Comedian Brett Butler (″Grace Under Fire”) is 68. Singer Jody Watley is 67. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is 54. Actor Christian Bale is 52. Actor Olivia Colman is 52. Actor Wilmer Valderrama (“That ’70s Show”) is 46. Rapper-musician Kid Cudi is 42. Pop singer Tyla is 24.