Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is considered by many as the father of India, having been a major factor in India’s struggle for independence from Britain. He embodied the doctrine of non-violent protest (satyagraha) to achieve political and social progress and preached religious tolerance. He was assassinated by Hindu fanatic Nathuram Vinayak Godse, who disagreed with Gandhi’s stance towards the large Muslim population of India.
Other notable events on January 30th:
In 1972, British troops kill 13 unarmed protesters on “Bloody Sunday”, aka the Bogside Massacre, during the Northern Ireland conflict.
In 1969, The Beatles give their last public performance in London.
In 1945, the German ocean liner Wilhelm Gustloff is sunk by the Soviets, in what is the greatest maritime disaster in history, killing 9,000 people.
In 1933, Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany in what marked the end of the Weimar Republic and the beginning of the “Third Reich”.
Mahatma Gandhi, 1930/ Wikimedia Commons
