In short
On 30 January 1972, British Army paratroopers opened fire on unarmed civil rights marchers in Derry, Northern Ireland, killing 13 people and wounding dozens more. The massacre, which took place during escalating sectarian tensions, became a watershed moment that hardened Irish republican opposition to British rule and fueled decades of violence in the conflict known as the Troubles.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
Bloody Sunday, or the Bogside Massacre, occurred on 30 January 1972 when British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a protest march in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland. Thirteen men were killed outright, and the death of another man four months later has been attributed to his gunshot injuries. Many of the victims were shot while fleeing from the soldiers and some were shot while trying to help the wounded. All of those shot were Catholics. The march had been organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) to protest against internment without trial. The soldiers were from the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, the same battalion implicated in the Ballymurphy massacre several months earlier.
As it was happening
12 voices, 14190 days.
One beat at a time. Click any dot on the timeline to jump, press play for autoplay, or use the arrow keys to step.
Internment without trial introduced
British authorities begin mass arrests of suspected IRA members in Northern Ireland, igniting nationalist anger and accelerating recruitment into armed groups.
Voices from this moment (1)
Internment without trial introduced
Aug 9
“British authorities begin mass arrests of suspected IRA…”
As it was happening
12 voices, 14190 days.
Day 0 · August 9, 1971
Internment without trial introduced
British authorities begin mass arrests of suspected IRA members in Northern Ireland, igniting nationalist anger and accelerating recruitment into armed groups.
“British authorities begin mass arrests of suspected IRA…”
- Internment without trial introduced, Aug 9
Day 174 · January 30, 1972
Paratroopers open fire on marchers
1st Battalion Parachute Regiment fires on approximately 3,000 civil rights protesters marching against internment in the Bogside. Thirteen die at the scene; another man, Jackie Duddy, dies of wounds in July 1972.
“I saw boys being shot down in cold blood.”
- BBC News and Irish media interviews, 30 January 1972, Jan 30
“Bogside residents describe a scene of chaos and terror.”
- Irish Times front page, 31 January 1972, Jan 31
“Those responsible for yesterday's tragic events will be…”
- House of Commons statement, 1 February 1972, Feb 1
“1st Battalion Parachute Regiment fires on approximately…”
- Paratroopers open fire on marchers, Jan 30
Day 177 · February 2, 1972
Irish Embassy in London burned
Furious crowds in Dublin burn the British Embassy following Bloody Sunday, marking the first major spillover of violence into the Republic of Ireland.
“Furious crowds in Dublin burn the British Embassy following…”
- Irish Embassy in London burned, Feb 2
Day 178 · February 3, 1972
IRA recruitment surge begins
Membership applications to the IRA spike dramatically across Ireland in the days following the massacre, with former civil rights activists turning to armed struggle.
“The trajectories and wound patterns are consistent with…”
- Coroner's court testimony and medical reports, February 1972, Feb 15
“Membership applications to the IRA spike dramatically…”
- IRA recruitment surge begins, Feb 3
Day 228 · March 24, 1972
Widgery Report published
Official inquiry by Lord Chief Justice John Widgery largely clears paratroopers, claiming soldiers fired in self-defense. The report is widely rejected by nationalists as a whitewash.
“The soldiers fired in self-defence and in the reasonable…”
- Widgery Report, April 1972, Apr 19
“Official inquiry by Lord Chief Justice John Widgery largely…”
- Widgery Report published, Mar 24
Day 9670 · January 29, 1998
Saville Inquiry announced
British Prime Minister Tony Blair announces a new public inquiry, led by Lord Saville, to re-examine the evidence and provide fresh conclusions.
“British Prime Minister Tony Blair announces a new public…”
- Saville Inquiry announced, Jan 29
Day 14190 · June 15, 2010
Saville Report released
The 5,000-page Saville Inquiry concludes that soldiers had no justification to open fire, that none of the dead fired weapons, and that the killings were unjustified. Prime Minister David Cameron apologizes on behalf of the British state.
“The 5,000-page Saville Inquiry concludes that soldiers had…”
- Saville Report released, Jun 15
The numbers.
3 numbers that anchor the scale.
By the numbers
The countable parts.
Deaths
0 killed outright; 1 additional death in 1972 from injuries sustained
Wounded
0-17 people injured
Unit involved
0st Battalion, Parachute Regiment, British Army
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.Bloody Sunday (Northern Ireland 1972)
en.wikipedia.org