History of 26th January

66 - 5th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
1340 - English king Edward III proclaimed king of France
1500 - Vicente Yáñez Pinzón becomes the first European to set foot on Brazil.
1531 - Lisbon hit by Earthquake; about 30,000 die
1564 - The Council of Trent issued its conclusions in the Tridentinum, establishing a distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
1589 - Job is elected as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
1654 - Portuguese troops conquer last Dutch base on Recife
1666 - France declares war on England & Munster
1689 - Jean Racine's "Esther," premieres in Saint-Cyr
1697 - Isaac Newton receives Jean Bernoulli's 6 month time-limit problem, solves problem before going to bed that same night
1699 - Venice, Poland & Austria sign peace treaty with Turkey
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 - Stanislaw Lesczynski flees Polish throne
1736 - Stanislaus I of Poland abdicates his throne.
1748 - England, Netherlands, Austria & Sardinia sign anti-French treaty
1784 - Ben Franklin expresses unhappiness over eagle as America's symbol
1788 - Capt Arthur Phillip hoists English flag on Botany Bay, New South Wales
1789 - John Odell signs contract for £336 to build St Peter's church (Bronx)
1790 - Mozart's opera "Cosi Fan Tutte" premieres in Vienna
1797 - Russia, Prussia & Austria sign treaty
1802 - Congress passes an act calling for a US Capitol library
1808 - Rum Rebellion, the only successful (albeit short-lived) armed takeover of the government in Australia.
1833 - Gaetano Dinozetti's opera "Lucrezia Borgia," premieres in Milan
1837 - Michigan admitted as 26th US state
1838 - Tennessee becomes 1st state to prohibit alcohol
1838 - Tennessee enacts the first prohibition law in the United States
1841 - Hong Kong proclaimed a sovereign territory of Britain
1850 - 1st German-language daily newspaper in US published, NYC
1861 - Louisiana becomes 6th state to secede
1862 - Lincoln issues General War Order #1, calling for a Union offensive McClellan ignores order
1863 - 54th Regiment (Black) infantry forms
1863 - War Dept authorizes Mass governor to recruit black troops
1863 - American Civil War: Massachusetts Governor receives permission from Secretary of War to raise a militia organization for men of African descent.
1870 - Virginia rejoins US
1871 - British Rugby Union forms
1871 - US income tax repealed
1875 - Electric dental drill is patented by George F Green
1881 - Union of Baptists Communities forms in Foxholl
1882 - France govt of Gambetta falls
1884 - 1st Dutch Wagner version of Elizabeth aria
1885 - Muhammad Ahmed ("Mahdi") rebels conquer Khartoum
1886 - Karl Benz patents 1st auto with burning motor
1887 - Battle of Dogali: Abyssinian Emperor John IV defeats Italians
1891 - Oscar Wilde's "Duchess of Padua," premieres in NYC
1897 - Battle at Bida Gold Coast: British troops beat Nupe's army
1900 - Henrik Ibsen's "Naar vi Dode Vaaguer," premieres in Stuttgart
1905 - Arnold Schoenberg's "Pelleas und Melissande," premieres in Vienna
1905 - Han Yong-woon [Bongwan, Manhae] (1879-1944) ordained a monk in Korea
1905 - World's largest diamond, the 3,106-carat Cullinan, is found
1907 - 1st federal corrupt election practices law passed
1907 - J M Synge's "Playboy of Western World" opens; police are called
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.
1910 - Heavy rains cause floods in Paris
1911 - Glenn Curtiss pilots 1st successful hydroplane, San Diego
1911 - Richard Strauss's opera "Die Rosenkavalier" premieres, Dresden
1913 - Jim Thorpe relinquishes his 1912 Olympic medals for being a pro
1914 - 600 Dutch textile workers go on strike
1914 - Vatican puts Belgian Nobel winner Maeterlinck's works in their index
1915 - Rocky Mountain National Park, Colo established
1918 - Pres Hoover calls for "wheatless" & "meatless" days for war effort
1920 - Amadeo Modigliani's mistress jumps out of a window
1920 - Former Ford Motor Co. executive Henry Leland launches the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer.
1921 - Soccer team GVAV of Groningen Neth forms
1921 - Toronto St Pat Corb Denneny scores 6 goals vs Hamilton Tigers
1922 - Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Pastoral Symphony," premieres in London
1924 - Charles Jewtraw, US 500m skater, takes 1st Winter Olympics gold medal
1926 - Television 1st demonstrated (J L Baird, London)
1927 - Maxwell Anderson's "Saturday's Children," premieres in NYC
1929 - Indian National Congress proclaims goal for India's independence
1930 - Cleveland's Terminal Tower opens (52 stories)
1931 - Hungary-Austria sign peace treaty
1931 - Lynn Riggs' "Green Grow the Lilacs," premieres in NYC
1932 - British submarine M-2 sinks in Channel (60 dead)
1932 - KUT-AM in Austin Texas changes call letters to KNOW
1934 - Bradman scores 128 NSW v Victoria, 96 mins, 17 fours 4 sixes
1934 - Nazi Germany & Poland sign non-attack treaty for 10 years
1934 - The Apollo Theater reopens in Harlem, New York City.
1934 - German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact is signed.
1939 - Federal Hall National Monument established
1939 - Filming begins on "Gone With the Wind"
1939 - Franco conquers Barcelona
1940 - Nazi's forbid Polish Jews to travel on trains
1942 - 1st US force in Europe during WW II go ashore in Northern Ireland
1942 - Italian supreme command demands dismissal of German marshal Rommel
1945 - Soviet forces reach Auschwitz concentration camp
1947 - KLM Dakota crashes near Copenhagen, 22 die
1948 - Executive Order 9981, end segregation in US Armed Forces signed
1949 - WHIO TV channel 7 in Dayton, OH (CBS) begins broadcasting
1950 - India becomes a republic ceaseing to be a British dominion
1951 - Mel Ott & Jimmie Foxx elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1954 - Ground breaking begins on Disneyland
1956 - 7th Winter Olympic games open in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
1956 - Buddy Holly's 1st formal recording session
1956 - Hank Greenberg & Joe Cronin are elected to Hall of Fame
1956 - Porkkala military base returned to Finland by USSR
1957 - Bernanos & Poulenc's opera "Dialogue des Carmelites," premieres
1957 - Dutch PSP, Pacifist Socialistic Party, forms
1957 - India annexes Kashmir
1957 - Joseph F Cairnes succeeds Lou Perini as Pres of Milwaukee Braves

1958 - H Laskow replaces Moshe Dayan on as Israeli minister of Defense
1958 - Jack Smith takes over for Art Baker as TV host of "You Asked for It"
1958 - Marlene Hagge wins LPGA Lake Worth Open Golf Invitational
1958 - Japanese ferry Nankai Maru capsized off southern Awaji Island, Japan, 167 killed.
1959 - Italy govt of Fanfani resigns
1959 - KOKH TV channel 25 in Oklahoma City, OK (IND/PBS) begins broadcasting
1960 - High-school basketball sensation Danny Heater scores 135 points
1960 - Oakland enters AFL
1960 - Pete Rozelle elected NFL commissioner on 23rd ballot
1961 - "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" by Elvis Presley peaks to #1
1961 - 1st woman "personal physician to president"-JG Travell
1962 - Bishop Burke of Buffalo Catholic dioceses declares Chubby Checker's
1962 - Canadian Marine Service renamed Coast Guard
1962 - David Diamond's 7th Symphony, premieres in Philadelphia
1962 - US launches Ranger 3, misses Moon by 22,000-mi (37,000-km)
1962 - "Twist" is impure & bans it from all Catholic schools
1963 - "Milk & Honey" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 543 perfs
1963 - Major League Rules Committee votes to expand strike zone
1965 - South Vietnam milt coup under general Nguyen Khanh
1966 - Ard Schenk skates world record 1500m (2:06.2)
1966 - The Beaumont Children go missing from Glenelg Beach near Adelaide, South Australia.
1967 - USSR performs nuclear test at Sary Shagan USSR
1968 - Israeli submarine Dakar crashes in Mediterranean Sea, 69 die
1969 - "Red, White, & Maddox" opens at Cort Theater NYC for 41 performances
1970 - Pendleton, Ford & Cryer's "Last Sweet Days of Isaac," premieres in NYC
1971 - Charles Manson convicted of murder
1971 - Dutch 2nd Chamber accept law against limitation of war crimes
1972 - Stewardess Vesna Vulovic survives 10,160m fall without parachute
1973 - Belgium govt of Leburton forms
1975 - Edward Albee's "Seascape," premieres in NYC
1976 - 6th AFC-NFC pro bowl, NFC wins 23-20
1976 - Belgium catholic elite start amnesty campaign for war criminals
1976 - David Mamet's "American Buffalo," premieres in NYC
1976 - Israel opens "Good Fence" to Lebanon
1976 - NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 23-20
1977 - Soviet figure skaters Sergei Shakrai & Marine Tcherkasova are 1st to perform a quadruple twist lift, Helsinki
1978 - Frank Herbert completes his novel "Destination: Void"
1978 - International Ultraviolet Explorer placed in Earth orbit
1978 - Mario Soares forms Portuguese govt
1978 - Strikers riot in Tunisia, killing about 40
1979 - "Dukes of Hazzard" premieres on CBS's vast wasteland
1979 - Music Center Vredenburg opens in Utrecht Neth
1980 - 175,000 pay to hear FRANK SINATRA sing in Rio de Janeiro!
1980 - Islanders & Whalers play a NHL penalty-free game
1980 - Israel & Egypt establish diplomatic relations
1980 - Mary Decker became 1st woman to run a mile in under 4½ minutes
1981 - Sandeep Patil scores memorable 174 v Australia at Adelaide Oval
1982 - Islanders score 4 goals within 1:38, 5 within 2:37 vs Penguins
1982 - Mauno Koivisto elected president of Finland
1983 - Dutch/British infrared satellite IRAS launched from Calif
1984 - Nordiques' Michel Goulet scored on 9th penalty shot against Islanders
1984 - US navy exhibits Piasecki helistat-4 helicopters & a blimp able to lift 26 tons-Lakehurst, NJ
1985 - 42th Golden Globes: Amadeus wins
1985 - Edmonton Oiler Wayne Gretzky scores 50th goal in 49th game of season
1986 - Hein Vergeer becomes European skating champ
1986 - Val Skinner wins LPGA Mazda Golf Classic
1986 - Yoweri Museveni's rebel army conquerors Kampala Uganda
1986 - Superbowl XX: Chicago Bears beat NE Patriots, 46-10 in New Orleans Superbowl MVP: Richard Dent, Chicago, DE
1987 - 14th American Music Award: Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie & Alabama
1987 - Hart Foundation beat British Bulldogs for WWF tag team title
1988 - "Phantom of the Opera" opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 4,000+ perfs
1988 - Australia's 200th anniversary-parade of tall ships in Sydney Harbor
1989 - "Black & Blue" opens at Minskoff Theater NYC for 829 performances
1989 - AT&T reports 1st loss in 103 years; $1.67 B in 1988
1989 - Allan Border takes 7-46 against the West Indies at the SCG
1989 - Madison Sq Garden announces 2-year $100 M renovation plan
1989 - Test debut of Mark Taylor, Australia v West Indies, Sydney
1989 - US computer security expert warns of catastrophic virus
1990 - Annular eclipse visible over Antarctica & South Atlantic
1990 - Boston Red Sox hires Elaine Weddington as asst GM (highest-ranking black female in a major-league front office)
1991 - "Few Good Men" closes at Music Box Theater NYC after 497 performances
1991 - 65th Australian Womens Tennis: Monica Seles beats J Novotna (57 63 61)
1991 - Alfaro Vive guerrilla group of Ecuador gives arms to Catholic church
1991 - Houston guard Vernon Maxwell is 4th NBAer to score 30 pts in a quarter
1991 - Jan Stenerud becomes 1st pure placekicker to make NFL Hall of Fame
1991 - NY Lotto pays $90 million to nine winner (#s are 5-15-30-35-46-50)
1992 - "Little Hotel on the Side" opens at Belasco Theater NYC for 41 perfs
1992 - 80th Australian Mens Tennis: Jim Courier beats S Edberg (63 36 64 62)
1992 - Americans with Disabilities Act went into effect
1992 - Superbowl XXVI: Wash Red Skins beat Buffalo Bills, 37-24 in Minn Superbowl MVP: Mark Rypien, Washington, QB
1993 - West Indies defeat Australia by one run in 4th Test at Adelaide
1995 - NJ Governor Christine Whitman, dedicates a rest stop to Howard Stern
1996 - "Les Miserables," opens at Musichall Theatre, Duisburg
1997 - "Ideal Husband" closes at Barrymore Theater NYC after 308 performances
1997 - 85th Australian Mens Tennis: Pete Sampras beats Carlos Moya (62 63 63)
1997 - Brunswick World Bowling Tournament of Champions won by John Gant
1997 - Superbowl XXXI: Green Bay Packers beat NE Patriots, 35-21 in Pasadena
1998 - 25th American Music Award: Spice Girls & Babyface win
1998 - Intel launches 333 MHz Pentium II chip
1998 - Pres Clinton says "I want to say one thing to the American people I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss 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 - Condoleezza Rice is sworn in as U.S. Secretary of State, becoming the first African American woman to hold the post.
2005 - Glendale train crash: Two trains derail killing 11 and injuring 200 in Glendale, California, near Los Angeles.
2006 - Western Union discontinues use of its telegram service.