Casey Williams, Staff Writer
On the calendar today it says Jan. 30, but to some it means a little bit more than that. In years past on this date many famous celebrities and historical figures entered and left this world.
Born:
- Christian Bale
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Gene Hackman
- Dick Cheney
- Phil Collins
Died:
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Coretta Scott King
- Betsy Ross
- Orville Wright
- Ferdinand Porsche
Also in this group of Jan. 30 birthdays is former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt (you might know him as ‘the hot one with polio’). Far from an actor or singer, but something of a huge rock star in the world of politics, FDR is probably best known for running for president of the United States of America four times and being elected each time. He is known, too, for his famous quote “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.”
While we can be happy celebrating today as the birth(s) of celebrities and historical figures, today also marks an interesting and gloomy day in history. The anniversary of the deaths of Mahatma Gandhi and Coretta Scott King are today.
Gandhi, as many know, was the leader of the Indian rebellion against the British, as well as a model pacifist and inspiration to Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. King’s wife, Coretta also died today and also had a large impact on the world. After the death of her husband, King continued to show support for the rights of black people in America and those all over the world.
Additional mentionable events are the occurrence of Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland, the attempted assassination of U.S. president Andrew Jackson, and the deaths of Betsy Ross, Orville Wright and Ferdinand Porsche.
As his name suggests, Ferdinand Porsche is the founder of the renowned foreign car company. I think I speak for all the car fanatics out there by saying we salute you, sir, and thank you for creating cars most of us wouldn’t ever be able to afford in our lifetimes.
This information may seem trivial to the upcoming events planned for this weekend, but know the more we know about yesterday, the better we can plan for tomorrow.