January 26
January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the
Gregorian calendar. There are 339 days remaining (340 in
leap years).
*
1340 -
King Edward III of England is declared
King of France.
*
1500 -
Vicente Yáñez Pinzón becomes the first
European to discover
Brazil.
*
1531 -
Lisbon,
Portugal hit by an
earthquake--thousands die.
*
1564 - The
Council of Trent issued its conclusions in the Tridentinum, establishing a distinction between
Roman Catholicism and
Protestantism.
*
1565 -
Battle of Talikota, fought between the
Vijayanagara Empire and the
Islamic sultanates of the
Deccan, leads to the subjugation, and eventual destruction of the last
Hindu kingdom in
India, and the consolidation of Islamic rule over much of the
Indian subcontinent.
*
1589 - Jove (
Patriarch Jove) is elected as
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
*
1699 -
Treaty of Carlowitz signed.
*
1700 - The
magnitude 9
Cascadia Earthquake took place off the west coast of the
North America, as evidenced by
Japanese records.
*
1736 -
Stanislaus I of Poland abdicates his throne.
*
1785 -
Benjamin Franklin writes a letter to his daughter expressing disappointment over the selection of the
eagle as the symbol of the
United States; he wanted the
turkey.
*
1788 - The British
First Fleet, led by
Arthur Phillip, sail into
Sydney Harbour to establish
Sydney, the first permanent
European settlement on the continent. Celebrated as
Australia Day.
*
1802 - The
U.S. Congress passes an act calling for a library to be established within the
U.S. Capitol; eventually this becomes the
Library of Congress.
*
1808 -
Rum Rebellion, the only successful (but temporary) armed takeover of the government in
Australia.
*
1837 -
Michigan is admitted as the 26th
U.S. state.
*
1838 -
Tennessee enacts the first
prohibition law in the
United States*
1841 - The
United Kingdom formally occupies
Hong Kong, which
China had
ceded.
*
1861 -
American Civil War: The state of
Louisiana secedes from the Union.
*
1863 - American Civil War: General
Ambrose Burnside is relieved of command of the
Army of the Potomac after the disastrous
Fredericksburg campaign. He is replaced by
Joseph Hooker.
* 1863 - American Civil War:
Massachusetts Governor receives permission from
Secretary of War to raise a
militia organization for men of
African descent.
*
1870 - American Civil War:
Virginia rejoins the Union.
*
1885 - Troops loyal to the
Mahdi conquer
Khartoum.
*
1887 -
Battle of Dogali:
Abyssinian troops defeat
Italians.
*
1905 - The
Cullinan Diamond is found near
Pretoria,
South Africa at the
Premier Mine.
*
1911 -
Glenn H. Curtiss flies the first successful
seaplane.
*
1920 - Former
Ford Motor Co. executive Henry Leland launches The Lincoln Motor Co., which he'd later sell to his former employer.
*
1930 - The
Indian National Congress declares 26 th January as Independence Day or as the day for Poorna Swaraj (Complete Independence)
*
1934 - The
Apollo Theater opens in
Harlem, New York City.
*
1939 -
Spanish Civil War: Troops loyal to
Francisco Franco and aided by
Italy take
Barcelona.
*
1942 -
World War II: The first
American forces arrive in
Europe landing in
Northern Ireland.
*
1946 -
Félix Gouin becomes
Prime Minister of
France.
*
1950 -
India promulgates its constitution forming a republic and
Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as its first
president.
*
1961 -
John F. Kennedy appoints
Janet G. Travell to be his physician. This is the first time a woman holds this appointment.
*
1962 -
Ranger program:
Ranger 3 is launched to study the
moon. The
space probe later missed the moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km).
*
1965 -
Hindi becomes the official language of
India.
*
1966 - The
Beaumont Children go missing from
Glenelg Beach in
Adelaide,
South Australia.
*
1980 -
Israel and
Egypt establish
diplomatic relations.
*
1983 -
Lotus 1-2-3 is released.
*
1986 - The
Chicago Bears win the
Superbowl.
*
1986 - Halley's Comet is visible in the night sky as it passes in its 76-year orbit around the sun.
*
1991 - Mohamed
Siad Barre is removed in Somalia, ending centralized government
*
1992 -
Boris Yeltsin announces that
Russia is going to stop targeting
United States cities with
nuclear weapons.
*
1993 -
Václav Havel elected President of the
Czech Republic.
*
1998 -
Lewinsky scandal: On
American television,
Bill Clinton denies he had "sexual relations" with former
White House intern
Monica Lewinsky.
*
2000 -
Robert F. Vasa ordained
Bishop of the
Diocese of Baker.
*
2001 - A 50-year-old
Douglas DC-3 crashes near
Ciudad Bolivar,
Venezuela killing 24.
* 2001 - An
earthquake hits
Gujarat,
India, causing more than 20,000 deaths.
*
2004 - President
Hamid Karzai signed the new constitution of
Afghanistan.
*
2005 -
Glendale train crash, two trains derail killing 11 and injuring 200 in
Glendale, California near
Los Angeles.
* 2005 - Having been confirmed earlier in the day by a vote of 85-13 in the
United States Senate,
Condoleezza Rice is sworn in as
U.S. Secretary of State, becoming the first
African American woman to hold the post.
* 2005 - A
helicopter crash in eastern
Iraq kills 31
United States soldiers.
*
2006 - A
large fire breaks out on
Table Mountain in
Cape Town,
South Africa.
* 2006 -
Western Union discontinues use of its
telegram service.
*
1497 -
Emperor Go-Nara of Japan (d.
1557)
*
1541 -
Florent Chrestien, French writer (d.
1596)
*
1714 -
Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, French sculptor (d.
1785)
*
1716 -
George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, British soldier and politician (d.
1785)
*
1722 -
Alexander Carlyle, Scottish church leader (d.
1805)
*
1763 - King
Charles XIV of Sweden, Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, Napoleonic general (d.
1844)
*
1781 -
Achim von Arnim, German poet (d.
1831)
*
1813 -
Juan Pablo Duarte, Dominican founding father (d.
1876)
*
1826 -
Julia Dent Grant,
First Lady of the United States (d.
1902)
*
1857 -
the 12th Dalai Lama (d.
1875)
*
1880 -
Douglas MacArthur, American general and
Medal of Honor recipient (d.
1964)
*
1891 -
Frank Costello, Italian-born gangster (d.
1973)
*
1887 -
François Faber, Luxembourgish cyclist (d.
1915)
*
1892 -
Zara Cully, American actress (d.
1978)
*
1900 -
Karl Ristenpart, German conductor (d.
1967)
*
1901 -
Stuart Symington, American politician (d.
1988)
*
1902 -
Menno ter Braak, Dutch author and polemicist (d.
1940)
*
1904 -
Ancel Keys, American scientist (d.
2004)
* 1904 -
Seán MacBride, Irish statesman,
Nobel Prize Laureate (d.
1988)
*
1905 -
Charles Lane, American actor
* 1905 -
Maria von Trapp, Austrian-born singer (d.
1987)
*
1908 -
Stéphane Grappelli, French jazz violinist (d.
1997)
*
1911 -
Polykarp Kusch, German-born physicist,
Nobel Prize Laureate (d.
1993)
*
1913 -
James Van Heusen, American songwriter (d.
1990)
*
1914 - Princess
Hadice Hayriye Ayshe Dürrühsehvar (d.
2006)
*
1915 -
William Hopper, American actor (d.
1970)
*
1918 -
Nicolae Ceauşescu, Romanian dictator (d.
1989)
* 1918 -
Philip José Farmer, American writer
*
1921 -
Akio Morita, Japanese businessman (d.
1999)
*
1922 -
Michael Bentine, British comedian (d.
1996)
*
1923 -
Anne Jeffreys, American actress
*
1924 -
Rauf Denktash, Cypriot politician
* 1924 -
Annette Strauss, philanthropist and Mayor of Dallas, Texas (d.
1998)
* 1924 -
Alice Babs, Swedish singer
*
1925 -
Joan Leslie, American actress
* 1925 -
Paul Newman, American actor
*
1927 -
José Azcona del Hoyo,
President of Honduras (d.
2005)
* 1927 -
Bob Nieman, baseball player (d.
1985)
*
1928 -
Roger Vadim, French film director and actor (d.
2000)
*
1929 -
Jules Feiffer, American cartoonist and writer
*
1932 -
Clement Seymour "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, Jamaican record producer
*
1933 -
Ercole Baldini, Italian cyclist
*
1935 -
Bob Uecker, baseball player, broadcaster, and actor
*
1937 -
Joseph Saidu Momoh, Sierra Leone political leader (d.
2003)
*
1941 -
Scott Glenn, American actor
* 1941 -
Henry Jaglom, English director
*
1943 -
César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan
Major League Baseball player (d.
2005)
* 1943 -
Jean Knight, American singer
*
1944 -
Angela Davis, American feminist and activist
*
1945 -
Jacqueline du Pré, English cellist (d.
1987)
*
1946 -
Gene Siskel, American film critic (d.
1999)
*
1949 -
Jonathan Carroll, American author
*
1950 -
Janet Lupo, American model
*
1953 -
Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
Prime Minister of Denmark* 1953 -
Lucinda Williams, American singer
*
1955 -
Eddie Van Halen, Dutch-born musician
*
1958 -
Anita Baker, American singer
* 1958 -
Ellen DeGeneres, American actress, comedian, and talk show host
* 1958 -
Salvador Sánchez, Mexican boxer
*
1961 -
Wayne Gretzky, Canadian hockey player, coach, and team owner
*
1962 -
Oscar Ruggeri, Argentine footballer
*
1963 -
José Mourinho, Portuguese football manager
* 1963 -
Andrew Ridgeley, English musician
*
1965 -
Natalia Yurchenko, Soviet gymnast
*
1970 -
Kirk Franklin, American singer
*
1971 -
Dorian Gregory, American actor
*
1976 -
Frankie Rayder, American model
*
1976 -
Maggie Lawson, Australian Musician
*
1977 -
Vince Carter, American basketball player
* 1977 -
Justin Gimelstob, American tennis player
*
1978 -
Corina Morariu, American tennis player
* 1978 -
Kelly Stables, American actress
*
1979 -
Sara Rue, American actress
*
1986 -
Matt Heafy, Japenese-born musician (
Trivium)
* 1986 -
Shantelle Taylor, Canadian professional wrestler
*
1989 -
Emily Hughes, American figure skater
*
1993 -
Cameron Bright, Canadian actor
*
1995 -
Kyle Chavarria, American actress
*
1567 -
Nicholas Wotton, English diplomat
*
1630 -
Henry Briggs, English mathematician (b.
1556)
*
1636 -
Jean Hotman, Marquis de Villers-St-Paul, French diplomat (b.
1552)
*
1697 -
Georg Mohr, Danish mathematician (b.
1640)
*
1744 -
Ludwig Andreas Graf Khevenhüller, Austrian field marshal (b.
1683)
*
1750 -
Albert Schultens, Dutch philologist (b.
1686)
*
1795 -
Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, German composer (b.
1732)
*
1799 -
Gabriel Christie, British general (b.
1722)
*
1823 -
Edward Jenner, English physician (b.
1749)
*
1824 -
Théodore Géricault, French painter (b.
1791)
*
1855 -
Gérard de Nerval, French writer (b.
1808)
*
1870 -
Victor, 3rd duc de Broglie, French statesman and diplomat (b.
1785)
*
1885 -
Edward Davy, English inventor, physician, and scientist (b.
1806)
* 1885 -
Charles George Gordon, British general (b.
1833)
*
1886 -
David Rice Atchison, American politician (b.
1807)
*
1891 -
Nikolaus August Otto, German inventor (b.
1833)
*
1893 -
Abner Doubleday, American general and inventor of baseball (b.
1819)
*
1942 -
Felix Hausdorff, German mathematician (b.
1868)
*
1943 -
Harry H. Laughlin, American eugenicist (b.
1880)
* 1943 -
Nikolai Vavilov, Russian botanist (b.
1887)
*
1947 -
Grace Moore, American soprano (plane crash) (b.
1898)
* 1947 -
Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Westrobothnia, second in line to the Swedish throne (b.
1906)
*
1952 -
Horloogiyn Choybalsan, leader of Mongolia (b.
1895)
*
1961 -
Stan Nichols, English cricketer (b.
1900)
*
1962 -
Lucky Luciano, American mobster (b.
1897)
*
1968 -
Merrill C. Meigs, American newspaper publisher, and aviation promoter (b.
1883)
* 1968 -
Yvor Winters, American poet and critic (b.
1900)
*
1973 -
Edward G. Robinson, American actor (b.
1893)
*
1979 -
Nelson Rockefeller, 41st
Vice President of the United States (b.
1908)
*
1983 -
Stjefen Kolcaj, American-Albanian Artist (b.
1913)
*
1984 -
Paul "Bear" Bryant, American football coach (b.
1913)
*
1990 -
Lewis Mumford, American historian (b.
1895)
*
1992 -
José Ferrer, Puerto Rican actor (b.
1912)
*
1993 -
Jan Gies, Dutch resistance leader (b.
1905)
* 1993 -
Jeanne Sauvé,
Governor-General of Canada (b.
1922)
*
1996 -
Harold Brodkey, American author (b.
1930)
* 1996 -
Dave Schultz, American wrestler (b.
1959)
*
1997 -
Jeane Dixon, American astrologer (b.
1904)
*
1998 -
Shinichi Suzuki, Japanese music teacher (b.
1898)
*
2000 -
Don Budge, American tennis player (b.
1915)
* 2000 -
Kathleen Hale, British author (b.
1898)
* 2000 -
A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-born author (b.
1912)
*
2001 -
Al McGuire, American basketball coach (b.
1928)
*
2003 -
Valeriy Brumel, Russian athlete (b.
1942)
* 2003 -
Hugh Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton, English historian (b.
1917)
* 2003 -
George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie, British politician (b.
1931)
*
2004 -
Fred Haas, American golfer (b.
1916)
* 2004 -
Miklós Fehér, Hungarian footballer (b.
1979)
*
Australia -
Australia Day.
*
Roman Empire - third day of the
Sementivae in honor of
Ceres and
Terra.
*
Feast day of the following
saints in the
Roman Catholic Church:
**
Timothy and
Titus**
Saint Paula**
Polycarp**
Saint Alberic**
Margaret of Hungary*
India -
Republic Day - One of only three state holidays in
India, celebrated with pomp and a military parade in
New Delhi.
*
International Holocaust Remembrance Day*
Uganda -
Liberation Day.
*
International Customs Day.
*
On this day in Canada*
NY Times: On this day*
BBC: On This DayJanuary 25 -
January 27 -
December 26 -
February 26 â€"
listing of all days
