1788 – The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sailed into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney on the 26th January 1788. This was the start of the first permanent European settlement on the continent of Australia, and commemorated as AUSTRALiA DAY.
1808 ~ AUSTRALiA DAY was first celebrated on the 26th January 1808.
1808 – Rum Rebellion was on the 26th January 1808. It was the only successful armed takeover of the government in Australia.
1818 ~ The first official celebration of the formation of New South Wales was held on the 26th January 1818.
1837 – Michigan was admitted as the 26th U.S. state on the 26th January 1837.
1905 – The world’s largest diamond, the Cullinan weighing 3,106.75 carats (0.62135 kg) was found on the 26th January 1905, at the Premier Mine near Pretoria in South Africa.
1915 – The Rocky Mountain National Park was established by an act of the U.S. Congress on the 26th January 1915.
1920 – Former Ford Motor Company executive Henry Leland launched the Lincoln Motor Company on the 26th January 1920, which he later sold to his former employer.
1924 – Saint Petersburg, Russia, was renamed Leningrad on the 26th January 1924.
1925 – Paul Newman the American actor, director, race car driver, and businessman and co-founder of Newman’s Own was born on the 26th January 1925 (d. 2008).
1934 – The Apollo Theater reopened in Harlem, New York City on the 26th January 1934.
1949 – The Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory saw first light under the direction of Edwin Hubble on the 26th January 1949, becoming the largest aperture optical telescope, until BTA-6 was built in 1976.
1947 ~ Robert Cailliau the Flemish informatics engineer, computer scientist, and co-developer of the World Wide Web was born on the 26th January 1947. Robert Cailliau’s website: www.RobertCailliau.eu
1949 ~ Eureka Stockade British film was released in the UK on the 26th January 1949. The film is about Peter Lalor and the gold miners’ rebellion of 1854 at the Eureka Stockade in Ballarat, Victoria. YouTube video: Eureka Stockade (1949) starring Chips Rafferty (as Peter Lalor), Peter Finch (as Humffray), Jack Lambert (as Commissioner Rede), Peter Illing (as Raffaello Carboni), Ralph Truman (as Governor Charles Hotham), Charles Tasman (as Governor Charles La Trobe), John Fegan (as Hayes), Dorothy Alison (as Mrs Bentley), John Cazabon as Seekamp, Al Thomas as Scobie, Jane Barrett (as Alicia Dunne)…
1955 – Eddie Van Halen the Dutch-American guitarist, songwriter, and producer best known from Van Halen was born on the 26th January 1955.
1955 ~ Shane Howard the Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from the folk rock group Goanna was born on the 26th January 1955. Shane Howard’s official website: www.ShaneHoward.com.au | Shane Howard Facebook page | YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/GoannaFella | YouTube video: Goanna – Solid Rock (1982)…
1958 – Ellen DeGeneres the American comedian, actress, and talk show host was born on the 26th January 1958.
1961 ~ Li Cunxin the Chinese-Australian ballet dancer was born on the 26th January 1961. Li Cunxin is best known for his autobiography book Mao’s Last Dancer (2003) & the 2009 film Mao’s Last Dancer. Li Cunxin is currently the Artistic Director of the Queensland Ballet.
1962 – Ranger 3 was launched to study the moon on the 26th January 1962. The space probe later missed the moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km).
1965 – Hindi became the official language of India on the 26th January 1965.
1966 – The Beaumont Children went missing from Glenelg Beach near Adelaide, South Australia on the 26th January 1966.
1992 – Boris Yeltsin announced that Russia will stop targeting United States cities with nuclear weapons on the 26th January 1992.
1998 – U.S. President Bill Clinton denied having had “sexual relations” with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky on the 26th January 1998, known as the Lewinsky scandal.
2001 – An earthquake hit Gujarat, India on the 26th January 2001, causing over 20,000 deaths.
2004 – A whale exploded in the town of Tainan, Taiwan on the 26th January 2004, due to a build-up of gas in the decomposing sperm whale.
2005 – The Glendale train crash happened on the 26th January 2005, when 2 trains derailed killing 11 people, and injuring 200 in Glendale, California, near Los Angeles.
Today in History for the 26th January video produced by Associated Press
Associated Press official website: www.AP.org