On This Day: January 26th
This is 26th day of the year and 339 days remain in the year.
- Hebrew calendar—20 Shevat 5779
- Chinese calendar—the 21st day of the 12th month of 4716 (Wu Xu)
- Islamic calendar—(note)
in history
1788
The first European settlers landed in Sydney, Australia.
1802
Congress passed an act calling for establishment of a library within the US Capitol.
1837
Michigan became the 26th state in the United States.
1950
India, three years after gaining its independence from the United Kingdom, formally became a republic.
1979
Former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller died in New York at age 70.
1988
Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway. It would go on to become the longest-running Broadway show.
1993
Vaclav Havel was elected president of the new Czech Republic.
2001
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked the Indian state of Gujarat, killing more than 20,000 people.
2004
President Hamid Karzai signed the new constitution of Afghanistan.
January 26 BirthdaysDouglas MacArthur
Bessie Colemanaviator
Paul Newmanactor
Wayne Gretzkyhockey player
David Strathairnactor
Charles XIVking of Sweden and Norway
Angela Davisactivist
Jules Feiffercartoonist and writer
Ellen DeGenerescomedienne, actress
1880–1964, American General.
Bessie Colemanaviator
Paul Newmanactor
Wayne Gretzkyhockey player
David Strathairnactor
Charles XIVking of Sweden and Norway
Angela Davisactivist
Jules Feiffercartoonist and writer
Ellen DeGenerescomedienne, actress
Return to perpetual calendar
Note: Dates in the Islamic calendar are provided for planning purposes only, and calculated with the hdate Islamic calendar program for moonrise in Boston, Masschusetts. Depending on your location and other factors, this result may differ from actual religious observances by one day. Please consult your local religious authority for any religious determinations of hejiric date.