Events

• 1340 – King Edward III of England is declared King of France.

• 1500 – Vicente Yáñez Pinzón becomes the first European to set foot on Brazil.

• 1531 – Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake--thousands die.

• 1564 – The Council of Trent issues 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 – Job is elected as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

• 1699 – Treaty of Carlowitz is signed.

• 1700 – The magnitude 9 Cascadia Earthquake takes place off the west coast of the North America, as evidenced by Japanese records.

• 1736 – Stanislaus I of Poland abdicates his throne.

• 1788 – The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on the continent. Commemorated as Australia Day

• 1808 – Rum Rebellion, the only successful (albeit short-lived) 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 later formally cedes.

• 1855 – Point No Point Treaty is signed in Washington Territory.

• 1856 – First Battle of Seattle. Marines from the drive off American Indian 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: 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.

• 1905 – The Cullinan Diamond is found at the Premier Mine near Pretoria in South Africa.

• 1907 – The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III is officially introduced into British Military Service, and remains the oldest military rifle still in official use.

• 1911 – Glenn H. Curtiss flies the first successful American seaplane.

• 1911 – Richard Strauss' opera Der Rosenkavalier receives its debut performance at the Dresden State Opera.

• 1920 – Former Ford Motor Company executive Henry Leland launches the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer.

• 1924 – St.Petersburg is renamed Leningrad

• 1930 – The Indian National Congress declares 26 January as Independence Day or as the day for Poorna Swaraj (Complete Independence) which occurred 20 years later.

• 1934 – The Apollo Theater reopens in Harlem, New York City.

• 1934 – German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact is signed.

• 1939 – Spanish Civil War: 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.

• 1950 – The Constitution of India comes into force, forming a republic. Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as its 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.

• 1958 – Japanese ferry Nankai Maru capsizes off southern Awaji Island, Japan, 167 killed.

• 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 misses 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 near Adelaide, South Australia.

• 1978 – The Great Blizzard of 1978, a rare severe blizzard with the lowest non-tropical atmospheric pressure ever recorded in the US, strikes the Ohio – Great Lakes region with heavy snow and winds up to 100 mph (161 km/h).

• 1980 – Israel and Egypt establish diplomatic relations.

• 1988 – Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera has its first performance on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre in New York.

• 1991 – Mohamed Siad Barre is removed from power in Somalia, ending centralized government, and is succeeded by Ali Mahdi.

• 1992 – Boris Yeltsin announces that Russia will stop targeting United States cities with nuclear weapons.

• 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had "sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

• 2001 – An earthquake hits Gujarat, India, causing more than 20,000 deaths.

• 2004 – President Hamid Karzai signs the new constitution of Afghanistan.

• 2004 – A whale explodes in the town of Tainan, Taiwan. A build-up of gas in the decomposing Sperm whale is suspected of causing the explosion.

• 2005 – Glendale train crash: Two trains derail killing 11 and injuring 200 in Glendale, California, near Los Angeles.

Births

• 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 – Charles XIV John of Sweden, 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)

• 1832 – George Shiras Jr., U.S. Supreme Court justice (d. 1924)

• 1842 – François Coppée, French poet and novelist (d. 1908)

• 1852 – Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza (Pietro Paolo Savorgnan di Brazzà), explorer (d. 1905)

• 1857 – Trinley Gyatso, Tibetan, The 12th Dalai Lama (d. 1875)

• 1864 – József Pusztai slovene writer, poet and journalist in Hungary (d. 1934)

• 1878 – Dave Nourse, South African cricketer (d. 1948)

• 1880 – Douglas MacArthur, American general and Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1964)

• 1885 – Michael Considine, Australian politician (d. 1959)

• 1887 – François Faber, Luxembourgian cyclist (d. 1915)

• 1887 – Marc Mitscher, American admiral (d. 1947)

• 1891 – Frank Costello, Italian-born gangster (d. 1973)

• 1891 – Wilder Penfield, American-born Canadian neurosurgeon (d. 1976)

• 1892 – Zara Cully, American actress (d. 1978)

• 1892 – Bessie Coleman, American pioneer aviator (d. 1926)

• 1893 – Giuseppe Genco Russo, Sicilian mafioso (d. 1976)

• 1900 – Karl Ristenpart, German conductor (d. 1967)

• 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 (d. 2007)

• 1905 – Maria von Trapp, Austrian-born singer (d. 1987)

• 1908 – Stéphane Grappelli, French jazz violinist (d. 1997)

• 1908 – Jill Esmond, English actress (d. 1990)

• 1910 – Jean Image, Hungarian-born French animator (d. 1989)

• 1911 – Polykarp Kusch, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1993)

• 1911 – Norbert Schultze, German composer and songwriter (d. 2002)

• 1913 – Jimmy 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 (d. 2009)

• 1919 – Bill Nicholson, English footballer and manager for Tottenham Hotspur. (d. 2004)

• 1919 – Valentino Mazzola, Italian footballer (d. 1949)

• 1921 – Akio Morita, Japanese businessman (d. 1999)

• 1921 – Eddie Barclay, French producer (Barclay Records) (d. 2005)

• 1922 – Michael Bentine, British comedian (d. 1996)

• 1923 – Anne Jeffreys, American actress

• 1924 – Rauf Denktaş, Cypriot politician

• 1924 – Annette Strauss, American philanthropist and politician (d. 1998)

• 1924 – Alice Babs, Swedish singer

• 1925 – Joan Leslie, American actress

• 1925 – Paul Newman, American actor, philanthropist, race car driver and race team owner (d. 2008)

• 1925 – Claude Ryan, Quebec newspaper editor (d. 2004)

• 1926 – Farman Fatehpuri, Pakistani scholar

• 1927 – José Azcona del Hoyo, President of Honduras (d. 2005)

• 1927 – Bob Nieman, American baseball player (d. 1985)

• 1928 – Roger Vadim, French film director and actor (d. 2000)

• 1929 – Jules Feiffer, American cartoonist and writer

• 1929 – Gordon Solie, American wrestling commentator (d. 2000)

• 1930 – Napoleón Abueva, Filipino sculptor

• 1931 – Mary Murphy, American film actress

• 1932 – Coxsone Dodd, Jamaican record producer

• 1933 – Ercole Baldini, Italian cyclist

• 1934 – Roger Landry, Quebec businessman and newspaper publisher

• 1935 – Bob Uecker, American baseball player and broadcaster

• 1936 – Sal Buscema, American comic book artist

• 1937 – Joseph Saidu Momoh, Sierra Leone political leader (d. 2003)

• 1941 – Scott Glenn, American actor

• 1941 – Henry Jaglom, English director

• 1942 – Souad Hosni, Egyptian actress (d. 2001)

• 1943 – César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 2005)

• 1943 – Jean Knight, American singer

• 1943 – Austin "Jack" Warner,Trinidadian FIFA Vice-President and CONCACAF President

• 1944 – Angela Davis, American feminist and activist

• 1945 – Jacqueline du Pré, English cellist (d. 1987)

• 1946 – Gene Siskel, American film critic (d. 1999)

• 1947 – Michel Sardou, French singer

• 1947 – Patrick Dewaere, French actor (d. 1982)

• 1949 – Jonathan Carroll, American author

• 1949 – David Strathairn, American actor

• 1950 – Jörg Haider, Austrian far-right politician (d. 2008)

• 1950 – Janet Lupo, American model

• 1953 – Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark

• 1953 – Lucinda Williams, American singer

• 1953 – Alik L. Alik, vice-president of the Federate States of Micronesie

• 1954 – Kim Hughes, Australian cricketer

• 1955 – Eddie Van Halen, Dutch musician (Van Halen)

• 1958 – Anita Baker, American singer

• 1958 – Ellen DeGeneres, American actress and comedian

• 1958 – Salvador Sánchez, Mexican boxer

• 1960 – Road Warrior Animal, American professional wrestler

• 1960 – Charlie Gillingham, American musician (Counting Crows)

• 1961 – Tom Keifer, American musician (Cinderella)

• 1961 – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1962 – Oscar Ruggeri, Argentine footballer

• 1963 – José Mourinho, Portuguese football manager

• 1963 – Andrew Ridgeley, English musician

• 1963 – Riddell Akua, Nauruan politician

• 1963 – Gisela Valcarcel, Peruvian Hostess

• 1964 – Paul Johansson, American actor

• 1965 – Natalia Yurchenko, Soviet gymnast

• 1965 – Thomas Östros, Swedish politician

• 1967 – Pradip Somasundaran, Indian playback singer

• 1968 – Ravi Teja, Tollywood film actor

• 1969 – Michael O'Hearn, American bodybuilder

• 1970 – Kirk Franklin, American singer

• 1970 – Tracy Middendorf, American actress

• 1971 – Bryan Callen, American actor

• 1971 – Dorian Gregory, American actor

• 1973 – Mayu Shinjo, Japanese mangaka

• 1973 – Melvil Poupaud, French actor

• 1974 – Shannon Hale, American author

• 1975 – Frankie Rayder, American model

• 1976 – Willie Adler, American guitar player

• 1977 – Vince Carter, American basketball player

• 1977 – Justin Gimelstob, American tennis player

• 1977 – Tye Tribbett, American Singer

• 1978 – Estéban Germán, Dominican baseball player

• 1978 – Corina Morariu, American tennis player

• 1978 – Kelly Stables, American actress

• 1979 – Sara Rue, American actress

• 1981 – Juan Jose Haedo, Argentinian Cyclist

• 1983 – Petri Oravainen, Finnish footballer

• 1984 – Layla Kayleigh, British television personality

• 1984 – Iain Turner, Scottish footballer

• 1984 – Luo Xuejuan, Chinese swimmer

• 1986 – Gerald Green, American basketball player

• 1986 – Matt Heafy, American musician (Trivium)

• 1986 – Shantelle Taylor, Canadian professional wrestler

• 1986 – Hero (singer) , South Korean singer TVXQ

• 1987 – Vladimir Garin, Russian actor (d. 2003)

• 1987 – Marlon Mario Brandao da Silveira, Brazilian footballer

• 1987 – Mia Rose, British-Portuguese singer

• 1989 – Emily Hughes, American figure skater

• 1990 – Christopher Massey, American actor

• 1993 – Cameron Bright, Canadian actor

• 2009 – Suleman octuplets

Deaths

• 946 – Eadgyth, German Queen (b. 910)

• 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)

• 1869 – Duncan Gordon Boyes, English recipient of the Victoria Cross (b. 1846)

• 1870 – Victor, 3rd duc de Broglie, French statesman and diplomat (b. 1785)

• 1885 – Edward Davy, English inventor (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, credited inventor of baseball (b. 1819)

• 1904 – Whitaker Wright, English mining tycoon (b. 1846)

• 1926 – John Flannagan, 2nd president of St. Ambrose University

• 1932 – William Wrigley Jr., American industrialist (b. 1861)

• 1933 – Alva Belmont, American socialite (b. 1853)

• 1942 – Felix Hausdorff, German mathematician (b. 1868)

• 1943 – Harry H. Laughlin, American eugenicist (b. 1880)

• 1943 – Nikolai Vavilov, Russian botanist (b. 1887)

• 1946 – Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-American astronomer (b. 1884)

• 1947 – Grace Moore, American soprano (b. 1898)

• 1947 – Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, (b. 1906)

• 1948 – John Lomax, American teacher, pioneering musicologist and folklorist (b. 1867)

• 1952 – Khorloogiin Choibalsan, leader of Mongolia (b. 1895)

• 1953 – Athanase David, French Canadian politician and businessman (b. 1882)

• 1961 – Stan Nichols, English cricketer (b. 1900)

• 1962 – Lucky Luciano, American mobster (b. 1897)

• 1968 – Merrill C. Meigs, American newspaper publisher (b. 1883)

• 1968 – Yvor Winters, American poet (b. 1900)

• 1973 – Edward G. Robinson, American actor (b. 1893)

• 1973 – Jay C. Higginbotham, American musician (b. 1906)

• 1976 – João Branco Núncio, Portuguese Bullfighter (b. 1901)

• 1979 – Nelson Rockefeller, 41st Vice President of the United States (b. 1908)

• 1983 – Paul "Bear" Bryant, American football coach (b. 1913)

• 1990 – Lewis Mumford, American historian (b. 1895)

• 1990 – Bob Gerard, British racing driver (b. 1914)

• 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)

• 1993 – Robert Jacobsen, Danish artist (b. 1912)

• 1996 – Georg Alexander, Duke of Mecklenburg, head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1921)

• 1996 – Harold Brodkey, American author (b. 1930)

• 1996 – Henry Lewis, American musician and conductor (b. 1932)

• 1996 – Stevie Plunder, Australian musician (b. 1963)

• 1996 – Dave Schultz, American wrestler (b. 1959)

• 1996 – Frank Howard, American college football player and coach (b. 1909)

• 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, Soviet Olympic 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)

• 2006 – Khan Abdul Wali Khan, Pakistani opposition leader and Pashtun nationalist (b. 1917)

• 2006 – Len Carlson, Canadian actor (b. 1937)

• 2006 – Carol Lambrino, son of Carol II of Romania and Zizi Lambrino (b. 1920)

• 2007 – Hans J. Wegner, Danish furniture designer (b. 1914)

• 2007 – Gump Worsley, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)

• 2008 – Christian Brando, actor and son of Marlon Brando (b. 1958)

• 2008 – Viktor Schreckengost, leader of American 20th century design (b. 1906)

Holidays and observances

• 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

• *Saint Alberic

• *Saint Margaret of Hungary

• India – Republic Day – One of only three national holidays in India, celebrated with pomp and pageantry with a military parade in New Delhi and across the rest of the nation.

• Uganda – Liberation Day.

• January 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)