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Historical events on January 26

JANUARY 26, 1700
An earthquake with a moment magnitude of around 9.0 occurred off the Pacific Northwest coast of North America, as evidenced by Japanese records of tsunamis.
The 1700 Cascadia earthquake occurred along the Cascadia subduction zone on January 26, 1700, with an estimated moment magnitude of 8.7–9.2. The Read More
JANUARY 26, 1926
Oliver Hutchinson appeared on television (pictured) in inventor John Logie Baird's first successful demonstration of using the technology to show humans.
Oliver George Hutchinson was a Northern Irish businessman who played a key role in popularising John Logie Baird's invention of television. Hutchinson Read More
JANUARY 26, 2009
Rioting broke out in Antananarivo, Madagascar, sparking a political crisis that led to the deposal of President Marc Ravalomanana.
Antananarivo, also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the Read More
JANUARY 26, 1991
Somali Rebellion: Factions led by the warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid and his rebel group, the United Somali Congress, ousted President Siad Barre.
The Somali Rebellion was the start of the Somali Civil War that began in the 1970s and resulted in the collapse of Read More
JANUARY 26, 1934
Hurtig & Seamon's New Burlesque Theater in New York City reopened as the Apollo Theater, becoming one of the nation's premier venues for African-American performers.
The Apollo Theater is a multi-use theater at 253 West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York Read More
JANUARY 26, 1952
Spontaneous anti-British riots erupted in Cairo following the killings of 50 Egyptian auxiliary police officers the previous day.
The Cairo fire, also known as Black Saturday, was a series of riots that took place on 26 January 1952, marked by Read More
JANUARY 26, 1950
Indian independence movement: India became a republic under a new constitution, with Rajendra Prasad as president and Jawaharlal Nehru as prime minister.
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British colonial rule. Read More
JANUARY 26, 1885
Mahdist War: The siege of Khartoum ended as Mahdist forces defeated the Egyptian garrison and captured the city.
The Mahdist War was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese, led by Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Read More
JANUARY 26, 1998
In a nationally televised press conference, U.S. president Bill Clinton denied having "sexual relations" with intern Monica Lewinsky.
William Jefferson Clinton is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Read More
JANUARY 26, 661
Ali, the fourth Rashidun caliph, was assassinated (depicted) by Ibn Muljim, leading to the end of the caliphate.
Ali ibn Abi Talib was the first Shia Imam, as well as the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from 656 CE to 661. Read More
JANUARY 26, 1972
JAT Flight 367 exploded in mid-air over Czechoslovakia; the only survivor of the 28 on board, flight attendant Vesna Vulović, fell 10,160 m (33,330 ft), setting the record for surviving the highest fall without a parachute.
JAT Flight 367 was a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 aircraft which exploded shortly after overflying NDB Hermsdorf, East Germany, while en route from Read More
JANUARY 26, 1564
Livonian War: A Lithuanian surprise attack resulted in a decisive defeat of numerically superior Russian forces.
The Livonian War (1558–1583) concerned control of Old Livonia. The Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of the Dano-Norwegian Realm, the Read More
JANUARY 26, 1788
Captain Arthur Phillip and the British First Fleet landed at Sydney Cove on the shore of Port Jackson, establishing the first permanent European settlement in Australia.
Arthur Phillip was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first governor of the Colony of New South Wales.
JANUARY 26, 1808
William Bligh, the governor of New South Wales, was deposed in the only military coup in Australian history.
Vice-Admiral William Bligh, FRS was a Royal Navy officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New South Wales from Read More
JANUARY 26, 2001
An earthquake in the Indian state of Gujarat killed at least 13,000 people, injured 167,000 others and destroyed nearly 400,000 homes.
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake, also known as the Bhuj earthquake, occurred on 26 January at 08:46 am IST. The epicentre was about Read More
JANUARY 26, 1974
Turkish Airlines Flight 301 crashed while taking off from İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport, killing 67 people.
Turkish Airlines Flight 301 was a passenger flight operated by a Fokker F28-1000 Fellowship of Turkish Airlines registered as TC-JAO that crashed Read More
JANUARY 26, 1905
The 3,106-carat (621 g) Cullinan Diamond (pictured), the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, was discovered at the Premier Mine in Gauteng, South Africa.
The carat (ct) is a unit of mass equal to 200 mg, which is used for measuring gemstones and pearls. The current definition, sometimes Read More
JANUARY 26, 2015
A jet fighter crashed at Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete, Spain, killing 11 people and injuring 21 others.
On 26 January 2015, an F-16D Fighting Falcon jet fighter of the Hellenic Air Force crashed into a flight line shortly after Read More
JANUARY 26, 1841
Commodore Gordon Bremer took formal possession of Hong Kong Island for the United Kingdom at Possession Point.
Sir James John Gordon Bremer was a British Royal Navy officer. He served in the Napoleonic Wars against France, the First Anglo-Burmese Read More
JANUARY 26, 2020
A Sikorsky S-76B helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California, killing all nine people on board, including former basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.
The Sikorsky S-76 is a medium-size commercial utility helicopter designed and produced by the American helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. It is the Read More
JANUARY 26, 1949
The Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory in California, the largest aperture optical telescope in the world for 28 years, saw first light.
The Hale Telescope is a 200-inch (5.1 m), f/3.3 reflecting telescope at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, US, named after Read More
JANUARY 26, 1945
Audie Murphy engaged in action at the Colmar Pocket that won him a Medal of Honor and made him one of the most famous and decorated U.S. soldiers of World War II.
Audie Leon Murphy was an American soldier, actor, and songwriter. He was widely celebrated as the most decorated American combat soldier of Read More
JANUARY 26, 1918
A group of Red Guards hung a red lantern atop the tower of the Helsinki Workers' House, symbolically marking the start of the Finnish Civil War.
The Red Guards were the paramilitary units of the labour movement in Finland during the early 1900s. The Red Guards formed the Read More

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