On this day: January 30

/on/january-30
2026 • weird • 34 views

Raccoon Hits the Road: Stowaway Discovered in Shipped Car from U.S. to Belarus

Customs officials inspecting a car at a Belarus border crossing, with a raccoon visible inside the vehicle through the window

Belarus customs officials uncovered an unexpected passenger—a raccoon—inside a car imported from the United States. The critter’s journey across continents left many wondering just how it got there.

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2026 • weird • 24 views

Four Years, A Snowstorm, And A Cross-Country Reunion: Lost Dog Finally Found

A car driving on a snow-covered highway across the Midwest with a distant city skyline visible under heavy snowfall

A Wisconsin man braved a fierce snowstorm to reunite with his dog lost in Philadelphia four years ago. The heartwarming reunion journey spanned thousands of miles and years of uncertainty.

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2026 • weird • 39 views

Ohio Man's Holiday Luck: From Stocking Stuffer to $100,000 Lottery Win

Cozy Ohio family living room on Christmas morning with decorated tree, stockings on mantle, a scratch-off lottery ticket and cash prize on the coffee table

An Ohio man's father's quirky Christmas tradition of gifting scratch-off lottery tickets led to a surprising $100,000 prize, blending holiday cheer with unexpected fortune.

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1994 • neutral • 55 views

Thurman Thomas' Helmet Comes Off on Opening Play of Super Bowl XXVIII

Football play at the start of a Super Bowl in 1994: a running back on a kickoff return with his helmet knocked off on the field and teammates around him.

On January 30, 1994, Bills running back Thurman Thomas lost his helmet attempting to catch the opening kickoff return in Super Bowl XXVIII; he continued play briefly without it before the return was nullified by a penalty.

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1972 • neutral • 41 views

Bloody Sunday: British troops shoot civilians at a Derry civil rights march, January 1972

Wide street scene in Derry's Bogside, January 1972: rubble-strewn roads, groups of civilians in period clothing, and British soldiers in combat uniforms with helmets and rifles; smoke or haze in the background and makeshift barricades visible.

On 30 January 1972 in Derry (Londonderry), soldiers of the British Army's Parachute Regiment fired on civil rights marchers and bystanders, killing 14 people and wounding others; the shootings intensified the Northern Ireland conflict and led to long-running inquiries and political fallout.

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1649 • neutral • 47 views

Execution of King Charles I at Whitehall, 1649

A scaffold outside the Banqueting House, Whitehall, January 30, 1649, with a small crowd and soldiers nearby; the scene is somber and period-appropriate.

On January 30, 1649, Charles I was executed outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall after being tried and convicted by a High Court of Justice, marking the temporary abolition of the monarchy and establishment of the Commonwealth of England.

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1989 • neutral • 49 views

Olympic diver Bruce Kimball sentenced to 17 years for fatal DUI crash

A nighttime roadside scene in late 1980s suburbia showing two damaged vehicles at the scene of a crash, emergency responders and bystanders, and snow on the ground.

Former U.S. Olympic diver Bruce Kimball was sentenced to 17 years in prison after a 1988 drunk-driving crash that killed a 7-year-old boy and severely injured others; the case drew national attention because of Kimball’s athletic prominence and the severity of the wreck.

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