January 26

Pre-1600 • 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph. • 1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people. • 1564 – The Council of Trent establishes an official distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. • 1564 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Tsardom of Russia in the Battle of Ula during the Livonian War. 1601–1900 • 1641 – Reapers' War: Battle of Montjuïc, decisive victory of the Catalan army (with French support) over the Spanish army. • 1699 – For the first time, the Ottoman Empire permanently cedes territory to the Christian powers. • 1700 – The 8.7–9.2 Cascadia earthquake takes place off the west coast of North America, as evidenced by Japanese records. • 1765 – A British naval expedition arrives at and names Port Egmont in the Falkland Islands, founding a settlement there eight days later. (Arrival was 15 January 1765 O.S.) • 1788 – The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on Australia. Commemorated as Australia Day. • 1808 – The Rum Rebellion is the only successful (albeit short-lived) armed takeover of the government in New South Wales. • 1837 – Michigan is admitted as the 26th U.S. state. • 1841 – Gordon Bremer takes formal possession of Hong Kong Island at what is now Possession Point, establishing British Hong Kong. • 1855 – Point No Point Treaty is signed in Washington Territory. • 1856 – First Battle of Seattle: Marines from the drive off Native American attackers after all-day battle with settlers. • 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: Governor of Massachusetts John Albion Andrew receives permission from the Secretary of War to raise a militia organization for men of African descent. • 1870 – Reconstruction Era: Virginia is readmitted to the Union. • 1885 – Troops loyal to The Mahdi conquer Khartoum, killing the Governor-General Charles George Gordon. 1901–present • 1905 – The world's largest diamond ever, the Cullinan, which weighs , is found at the Premier Mine near Pretoria in South Africa. • 1915 – The Rocky Mountain National Park is established by an act of the U.S. Congress. • 1918 – Finnish Civil War: A group of Red Guards hangs a red lantern atop the tower of Helsinki Workers' Hall to symbolically mark the start of the war. • 1926 – The first demonstration of the television by John Logie Baird. • 1930 – The Indian National Congress declares 26 January as Independence Day or as the day for Poorna Swaraj ("Complete Independence") which occurred 17 years later. • 1934 – The Apollo Theater reopens in Harlem, New York City. • 1934 – German–Polish declaration of non-aggression is signed. • 1939 – Spanish Civil War: Catalonia Offensive: Troops loyal to nationalist General Francisco Franco and aided by Italy take Barcelona. • 1942 – World War II: The first United States forces arrive in Europe, landing in Northern Ireland. • 1945 – World War II: Audie Murphy displays valor and bravery in action for which he will later be awarded the Medal of Honor. • 1949 – The Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory sees first light under the direction of Edwin Hubble, becoming the largest aperture optical telescope (until BTA-6 is built in 1976). • 1950 – The Constitution of India comes into force, forming a republic. Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as the first President of India. Observed as Republic Day in India. • 1952 – Black Saturday in Egypt: rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. • 1956 – Soviet Union cedes Porkkala back to Finland. • 1959 – The Chain Island is listed for sale by the California State Lands Commission, with a minimum bid of $5,226. • 1962 – Ranger 3 is launched to study the Moon. The space probe later misses the Moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km). • 1966 – The three Beaumont children disappear from a beach in Glenelg, South Australia, resulting in one of the country's largest-ever police investigations. • 1972 – JAT Flight 367 is destroyed by a terrorist bomb, killing 27 of the 28 people on board the DC-9. Flight attendant Vesna Vulović survives with critical injuries. • 1974 – Turkish Airlines Flight 301 crashes during takeoff from Izmir Cumaovası Airport (now İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport), killing 66 of the 73 people on board the Fokker F28 Fellowship. • 1986 – The Ugandan government of Tito Okello is overthrown by the National Resistance Army, led by Yoweri Museveni. • 1991 – Mohamed Siad Barre is removed from power in Somalia, ending centralized government, and is succeeded by Ali Mahdi. • 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had "sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. • 2001 – The 7.7 Gujarat earthquake shakes Western India, leaving 13,805–20,023 dead and about 166,800 injured. • 2001 – Diane Whipple, a lacrosse coach, is killed in a dog attack in San Francisco. The resulting court case clarified the meaning of implied malice murder. • 2009 – Rioting breaks out in Antananarivo, Madagascar, sparking a political crisis that will result in the replacement of President Marc Ravalomanana with Andry Rajoelina. • 2009 – Nadya Suleman gives birth to the world's first surviving octuplets. • 2015 – An aircraft crashes at Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete, Spain, killing 11 people and injuring 21 others. • 2015 – Syrian civil war: The People's Protection Units (YPG) recaptures the city of Kobanî from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), marking a turning point in the Siege of Kobanî. • 2020 – A Sikorsky S-76B flying from John Wayne Airport to Camarillo Airport crashes in Calabasas, 30 miles west of Los Angeles, killing all nine people on board, including five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant. • 2021 – Protesters and farmers storm the Red Fort near Delhi, clashing with police. One protester is killed and more than 80 police officers are injured. ==Births==

Pre-1600 • 183 – Lady Zhen, wife of Cao Pi (died 221) • 1541 – Florent Chrestien, French poet and translator (died 1596) • 1549 – Jakob Ebert, German theologian (died 1614) • 1582 – Giovanni Lanfranco, Italian painter (died 1647) 1601–1900 • 1657 – William Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury (died 1737) • 1714 – Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, French sculptor and educator (died 1785) • 1715 – Claude Adrien Helvétius, French philosopher (died 1771) • 1716 – George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, English general and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (died 1785) • 1722 – Alexander Carlyle, Scottish minister and author (died 1805) • 1763 – Charles XIV John of Sweden (died 1844) • 1781 – Ludwig Achim von Arnim, German poet and author (died 1831) • 1813 – Juan Pablo Duarte, Dominican philosopher and poet, founding father of the Dominican Republic (died 1876) • 1824 – Emil Czyrniański, Polish chemist (died 1888) • 1832 – George Shiras Jr., American lawyer and Supreme Court justice (died 1924) • 1842 – François Coppée, French poet and author (died 1908) • 1852 – Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, Italian-French explorer (died 1905) • 1861 – Louis Anquetin, French painter (died 1932) • 1863 – Charles Wade, Australian politician, 17th Premier of New South Wales (died 1922) • 1864 – József Pusztai, Slovene-Hungarian poet and journalist (died 1934) • 1866 – John Cady, American golfer (died 1933) • 1877 – Kees van Dongen, Dutch painter (died 1968) • 1880 – Douglas MacArthur, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1964) • 1885 – Harry Ricardo, English engineer and academic (died 1974) • 1885 – Per Thorén, Swedish figure skater (died 1962) • 1887 – François Faber, French-Luxembourgish cyclist (died 1915) • 1887 – Marc Mitscher, American admiral and pilot (died 1947) • 1891 – Frank Costello, Italian-American mob boss (died 1973) • 1891 – August Froehlich, German priest and martyr (died 1942) • 1891 – Wilder Penfield, American-Canadian neurosurgeon and academic (died 1976) • 1892 – Bessie Coleman, American pilot (died 1926) • 1893 – Giuseppe Genco Russo, Italian mob boss (died 1976) • 1899 – Günther Reindorff, Russian-Estonian graphic designer and illustrator (died 1974) • 1900 – Karl Ristenpart, German conductor (died 1967) 1901–present • 1902 – Menno ter Braak, Dutch author (died 1940) • 1904 – Ancel Keys, American physiologist and nutritionist (died 2004) • 1904 – Seán MacBride, Irish lawyer and politician, Irish Minister for External Affairs Nobel Prize laureate (died 1988) • 1905 – Charles Lane, American actor and singer (died 2007) • 1905 – Maria von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (died 1987) • 1907 – Rex Connor, Australian politician (died 1977) • 1910 – Jean Image, Hungarian-French animator, director, and screenwriter (died 1989) • 1911 – Polykarp Kusch, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1993) • 1911 – Norbert Schultze, German composer and conductor (died 2002) • 1913 – Jimmy Van Heusen, American pianist and composer (died 1990) • 1914 – Dürrüşehvar Sultan, Imperial Princess of the Ottoman Empire (died 2006) • 1915 – William Hopper, American actor (died 1970) • 1917 – Louis Zamperini, American runner and captain (died 2014) • 1918 – Philip José Farmer, American author (died 2009) • 1922 – Michael Bentine, English actor and screenwriter (died 1996) • 1922 – Seán Flanagan, Irish footballer and politician, 7th Irish Minister for Health (died 1993) • 1922 – Gil Merrick, English footballer (died 2010) • 1923 – Patrick J. Hannifin, American admiral (died 2014) • 1923 – Anne Jeffreys, American actress and singer (died 2017) • 1924 – Alice Babs, Swedish singer and actress (died 2014) • 1924 – Anahid Ajemian, American violinist (died 2016) • 1924 – Annette Strauss, American philanthropist and politician, Mayor of Dallas (died 1998) • 1925 – David Jenkins, English bishop and theologian (died 2016) • 1925 – Joan Leslie, American actress (died 2015) • 1925 – Paul Newman, American actor, activist, director, race car driver, and businessman, co-founded Newman's Own (died 2008) • 1934 – Roger Landry, Canadian businessman and publisher (died 2020) • 1934 – Charles Marowitz, American director, playwright, and critic (died 2014) • 1934 – Huey "Piano" Smith, American pianist and songwriter (died 2023) • 1934 – Bob Uecker, American baseball player, sportscaster and actor (died 2025) • 1934 – Oldo Hlaváček, Slovak actor and screenwriter (died 2025) • 1935 – Corrado Augias, Italian journalist and politician • 1935 – Henry Jordan, American football player (died 1977) • 1935 – Paula Rego, Portuguese-born British visual artist (died 2022) • 1936 – Sal Buscema, American comics artist (died 2026) • 1937 – Joseph Saidu Momoh, Sierra Leonean soldier and politician, 2nd President of Sierra Leone (died 2003) • 1938 – Henry Jaglom, English-American director and screenwriter (died 2025) • 1940 – Séamus Hegarty, Irish bishop (died 2019) • 1940 – Frank Large, English footballer and cricketer (died 2003) • 1943 – César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player and manager (died 2005) • 1943 – Jack Warner, Trinidadian businessman and politician • 1944 – Angela Davis, American activist, academic, and author • 1944 – Jerry Sandusky, American football coach and criminal • 1945 – Jacqueline du Pré, English cellist (died 1987) • 1945 – David Purley, English race car driver (died 1985) • 1946 – Susan Friedlander, American mathematician • 1946 – Christopher Hampton, Portuguese-English director, screenwriter, and playwright • 1946 – Gene Siskel, American journalist and film critic (died 1999) • 1949 – Jonathan Carroll, American author • 1949 – David Strathairn, American actor • 1950 – Jörg Haider, Austrian lawyer and politician, Governor of Carinthia (died 2008) • 1950 – Ivan Hlinka, Czech ice hockey player and coach (died 2004) • 1950 – Jack Youngblood, American football player • 1951 – David Briggs, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer • 1951 – Andy Hummel, American singer-songwriter and bass player (died 2010) • 1951 – Anne Mills, English economist and academic • 1952 – Tom Henderson, American basketball player • 1953 – Alik L. Alik, Micronesian politician, 7th Vice President of the Federated States of Micronesia • 1953 – Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Danish politician and diplomat, 39th Prime Minister of Denmark • 1965 – Thomas Östros, Swedish businessman and politician • 1965 – Natalia Yurchenko, Russian gymnast and coach • 1966 – Kazushige Nagashima, Japanese baseball player and sportscaster • 1967 – Bryan Callen, American comedian, actor, and writer • 1973 – Melvil Poupaud, French actor, director, and screenwriter • 1973 – Brendan Rodgers, Northern Irish footballer and manager • 1977 – Justin Gimelstob, American tennis player and coach • 1978 – Esteban Germán, Dominican baseball player • 1978 – Corina Morariu, American tennis player and sportscaster • 1978 – Andrés Torres, American baseball player • 1979 – Sara Rue, American actress • 1981 – Gustavo Dudamel, Venezuelan violinist, composer, and conductor • 1981 – Juan José Haedo, Argentine cyclist • 1981 – Colin O'Donoghue, Irish actor • 1983 – Petri Oravainen, Finnish footballer • 1983 – Eric Werner, American ice hockey player • 1984 – Ryan Hoffman, Australian rugby league player • 1984 – Iain Turner, Scottish footballer • 1984 – Luo Xuejuan, Chinese swimmer • 1985 – Heather Stanning, English rower • 1986 – Gerald Green, American basketball player • 1986 – Kim Jae-joong, South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, and director • 1986 – Mustapha Yatabaré, French-Malian footballer • 1987 – Sebastian Giovinco, Italian footballer • 1987 – Héctor Noesí, Dominican baseball player • 1988 – Dan Bailey, American football player • 1988 – Dimitrios Chondrokoukis, Greek high jumper • 1989 – MarShon Brooks, American basketball player • 1989 – Emily Hughes, American figure skater • 1989 – Torrey Smith, American football player • 1990 – Brandon Bolden, American football player • 1990 – Sergio Pérez, Mexican race car driver • 1990 – Peter Sagan, Slovak professional cyclist • 1991 – Esteban Andrada, Argentine footballer • 1991 – Nicolò Melli, Italian-American basketball player • 1991 – Alex Sandro, Brazilian footballer • 1991 – Manti Te'o, American football player • 1992 – Mercedes Moné, American wrestler • 1993 – Miguel Borja, Colombian footballer • 1993 – Lana Clelland, Scottish footballer • 1993 – Kevin Pangos, Canadian-Slovenian basketball player • 1993 – Alice Powell, British racing driver • 1993 – Florian Thauvin, French footballer • 1994 – Montrezl Harrell, American basketball player • 1995 – Jean-Charles Castelletto, Cameroonian footballer • 1995 – Sione Katoa, New Zealand rugby league player • 1996 – Zakaria Bakkali, Belgian footballer • 1996 – Hwang Hee-chan, South Korean football player • 1997 – Gedion Zelalem, German-born American soccer player • 1998 – Moonbin, South Korean singer and actor. (died 2023) • 1999 – Leonardo Balerdi, Argentine footballer • 1999 – Travis Etienne, American football player • 2000 – Ester Expósito, Spanish actress • 2000 – Darius Garland, American basketball player • 2001 – Latalia Bevan, Welsh artistic gymnast • 2001 – Isaac Okoro, American basketball player • 2002 – Darya Astakhova, Russian tennis player • 2009 – YaYa Gosselin, American actress • 2009 – The Suleman octuplets ==Deaths==

Pre-1600 • 738 – John of Dailam, Syrian monk and saint (born 660) • 1390 – Adolph IX, Count of Holstein-Kiel (born c. 1327) • 1567 – Nicholas Wotton, English courtier and diplomat (born 1497) 1601–1900 • 1620 – Amar Singh I, ruler of Mewar (born 1559) • 1630 – Henry Briggs, English mathematician and astronomer (born 1556) • 1641 – Lawrence Hyde, English lawyer (born 1562) • 1697 – Georg Mohr, Danish mathematician and theorist (born 1640) • 1744 – Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller, Austrian field marshal (born 1683) • 1750 – Albert Schultens, Dutch philologist and academic (born 1686) • 1795 – Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, German harpsichord player and composer (born 1732) • 1799 – Gabriel Christie, Scottish general (born 1722) • 1814 – Manuel do Cenáculo, Portuguese prelate and antiquarian (born 1724) • 1823 – Edward Jenner, English physician and immunologist, creator of the smallpox vaccine (born 1749) • 1824 – Théodore Géricault, French painter and lithographer (born 1791) • 1830 – Filippo Castagna, Maltese politician (born 1765) • 1849 – Thomas Lovell Beddoes, English poet, playwright, and physician (born 1803) • 1855 – Gérard de Nerval, French poet and translator (born 1808) • 1860 – Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient, opera singer (born 1804) • 1869 – Duncan Gordon Boyes, English soldier; Victoria Cross recipient (born 1846) • 1885 – Edward Davy, English-Australian physician and engineer (born 1806) • 1886 – David Rice Atchison, American general and politician (born 1807) • 1887 – Anandi Gopal Joshi, one of the first female Indian physicians (born 1865) • 1891 – Nicolaus Otto, German engineer, invented the internal combustion engine (born 1833) • 1893 – Abner Doubleday, American general (born 1819) • 1895 – Arthur Cayley, English mathematician and academic (born 1825) • 1896 – James Edwin Campbell, American educator, school administrator, newspaper editor, poet, and essayist (born 1867) • 1920 – Jeanne Hébuterne, French painter and author (born 1898) • 1932 – William Wrigley Jr., American businessman, founded the Wrigley Company (born 1861) • 1943 – Harry H. Laughlin, American sociologist and eugenicist (born 1880) • 1943 – Nikolai Vavilov, Russian botanist and geneticist (born 1887) • 1946 – Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-American astronomer and academic (born 1884) • 1947 – Grace Moore, American soprano and actress (born 1898) • 1948 – Fred Conrad Koch, American biochemist and endocrinologist (born 1876) • 1953 – Athanase David, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1882) • 1962 – Lucky Luciano, Italian-American mob boss (born 1897) • 1968 – Merrill C. Meigs, American publisher (born 1883) • 1973 – Edward G. Robinson, Romanian-American actor (born 1893) • 1976 – João Branco Núncio, Portuguese bullfighter (born 1901) • 1977 – Dietrich von Hildebrand, German Catholic philosopher and author (born 1889) • 1979 – Nelson Rockefeller, American businessman and politician, 41st Vice President of the United States (born 1908) • 1983 – Bear Bryant, American football player and coach (born 1913) • 1985 – Kenny Clarke, American jazz drummer and bandleader (born 1914) • 1986 – Ruben Nirvi, Finnish linguist and professor (born 1905) • 1990 – Lewis Mumford, American sociologist and historian (born 1895) • 1992 – José Ferrer, Puerto Rican-American actor (born 1912) • 1993 – Jan Gies, Dutch businessman and humanitarian (born 1905) • 1993 – Jeanne Sauvé, Canadian journalist and politician, Governor General of Canada (born 1922) • 1996 – Harold Brodkey, American author and academic (born 1930) • 1996 – Frank Howard, American football player and coach (born 1909) • 1996 – Henry Lewis, American bassist and conductor (born 1932) • 1997 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer and psychic (born 1904) • 2000 – Don Budge, American tennis player and coach (born 1915) • 2000 – Kathleen Hale, English author and illustrator (born 1898) • 2000 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-American author (born 1912) • 2001 – Al McGuire, American basketball player and coach (born 1928) • 2003 – Valeriy Brumel, Russian high jumper (born 1942) • 2003 – Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian and academic (born 1917) • 2003 – George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie, Scottish banker and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland (born 1931) • 2004 – Fred Haas, American golfer (born 1916) • 2006 – Khan Abdul Wali Khan, Pakistani politician (born 1917) • 2007 – Gump Worsley, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1929) • 2008 – Viktor Schreckengost, American sculptor and designer (born 1906) • 2008 – George Habash, Palestinian politician, founder of the PFLP (born 1926) • 2010 – Louis Auchincloss, American novelist and essayist (born 1917) • 2011 – David Kato Kisule, Ugandan teacher and LGBT rights activist, considered a father of Uganda's gay rights movement (born 1964) • 2011 – Charlie Louvin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1927) • 2012 – Roberto Mieres, Argentinian race car driver (born 1924) • 2013 – Christine M. Jones, American educator and politician (born 1929) • 2013 – Stefan Kudelski, Polish-Swiss engineer, inventor of the Nagra (born 1929) • 2013 – Padma Kant Shukla, Indian physicist and academic (born 1950) • 2013 – Shōtarō Yasuoka, Japanese author (born 1920) • 2014 – Tom Gola, American basketball player, coach, and politician (born 1933) • 2014 – Paula Gruden, Slovenian-Australian poet and translator (born 1921) • 2014 – José Emilio Pacheco, Mexican poet and author (born 1939) • 2015 – Cleven "Goodie" Goudeau, American art director and cartoonist (born 1932) • 2015 – Tom Uren, Australian politician (born 1921) • 2016 – Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, Pakistani military leader, foreign minister, and diplomat (born 1920) • 2016 – Abe Vigoda, American actor (born 1921) • 2017 – Mike Connors, American actor (born 1925) • 2017 – Tam Dalyell, Scottish politician (born 1932) • 2017 – Lindy Delapenha, Jamaican footballer and sports journalist (born 1927) • 2017 – Barbara Hale, American actress (born 1922) • 2017 – Barbara Howard, Canadian sprinter and educator (born 1920) • 2020 – John Altobelli, American college baseball coach (born 1963) ==Holidays and observances==

• Christian feast day: • Saint Alberic of Cîteaux • Blessed Gabriele Allegra • Saint Paula of Rome • Timothy • Titus • January 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) • Australia Day (Australia) • Republic Day (India) ==References==