On This Day in History - January 26th - Almanac

Today is Sunday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2025 with 340 to follow.

The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury and Uranus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Uranus and Venus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include first lady Julia Grant in 1826; U.S. Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1880; Bessie Coleman, first female Black/Native American pilot in 1892; musician Maria von Trapp in 1905; Louis Zamperini, American World War II prisoner of war and subject of the film Unbroken, in 1917; Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1918; writer Philip Jose Farmer in 1918; actor Paul Newman in 1925; cartoonist/writer Jules Feiffer in 1929; sports personality Bob Uecker in 1934; actor Scott Glenn in 1939 (age 86); political activist Angela Davis in 1944 (age 81); film critic Gene Siskel in 1946; actor David Strathairn in 1949 (age 76); musician Lucinda Williams in 1953 (age 72); musician Eddie Van Halen in 1955; musician Anita Baker in 1958 (age 67); comedian/TV personality Ellen DeGeneres in 1958 (age 67); musician Norman Hassan (UB40) in 1958 (age 67); Hockey Hall of Fame member Wayne Gretzky in 1961 (age 64); musician Charlie Gillingham (Counting Crows) in 1960 (age 64); musician Andrew Ridgeley (Wham!) in 1963 (age 61); soccer player/coach Brendan Rodgers in 1973 (age 52); musician Chris Hesse (Hoobastank) in 1974 (age 51); actor Sara Rue in 1979 (age 46); actor Colin O'Donoghue in 1981 (age 44); conductor Gustavo Dudamel in 1981 (age 44); wrestler Mercedes Moné, formerly known as Sasha Banks, in 1992 (age 33); actor Joseph Quinn in 1994 (age 31).

On this date in history:

In 1788, the first shipload of British convicts arrived in Australia. The establishment of an Australian prison colony was aimed at relieving overcrowding in British prisons.

In 1837, Michigan joined the United States as the 26th state.

In 1861, Louisiana seceded from the United States.

In 1875, the electric dental drill was patented by George Green of Kalamazoo, Mich.

In 1915, President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation establishing Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

In 1918, to promote food conservation during World War I, the U.S. government called for one meatless day, two wheatless days and two porkless days each week.

In 1950, India ceased to be a British dominion and became the Republic of India, the most populous democracy in the world.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy named Dr. Janet Travell of New York City as his personal White House physician -- the first woman ever to be given such an assignment.

In 1988, The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre in New York.

In 1990, hurricane-force winds pounded the British Isles and much of Northern Europe, killing at least 92 people and knocking out power to nearly 1 million people.

In 1998, in response to allegations that he had an affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, U.S. President Bill Clinton declared, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."

In 2001, a magnitude-7.9 earthquake struck western India, killing more than 20,000 people, injuring tens of thousands and causing billions of dollars in damage.

In 2009, a 33-year-old single California mother, Nadya Suleman, who already had six children, gave birth to eight babies, only the second set of octuplets ever to be born alive in the United States. She became known as "Octomom."

In 2016, one of the occupiers in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge standoff in Oregon, LaVoy Finicum, was fatally shot by state troopers during a confrontation at a roadblock. Officers said he was reaching for a gun when they fired on him.

In 2019, Naomi Osaka beat Petra Kvitova to win the Australian Open, becoming Asia's first No. 1 ranked player in tennis.

In 2020, Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, were among nine killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif.

In 2023, five Memphis, Tenn., police officers were charged with murder for the beating death of Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop earlier in the month.

A thought for the day: "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be." -- Hockey Hall of Fame member Wayne Gretzky