# On this day: January 26

January 26 is the 26th day of the year (26th in leap years), with 339 days left until the end of the year (340 in a leap year).

## January 26 in one line

Headline entries for January 26, from Wikipedia: in 661, Ali, the fourth Rashidun caliph, was assassinated by Ibn Muljim, leading to the end of the caliphate; born 1880: Douglas MacArthur, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1964); died 1823: Edward Jenner, English physician and immunologist, creator of the smallpox vaccine (born 1749). In 2026 it is a Monday, in 2027 a Tuesday.

## Events on January 26

- 661 Ali, the fourth Rashidun caliph, was assassinated by Ibn Muljim, leading to the end of the caliphate. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Ali)
- 1564 Livonian War: A Lithuanian surprise attack resulted in a decisive defeat of numerically superior Russian forces. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Ula)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1700_Cascadia_earthquake)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Fleet)
- 1808 William Bligh, the governor of New South Wales, was deposed in the only military coup in Australian history. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_Rebellion)
- 1841 Commodore Gordon Bremer took formal possession of Hong Kong Island for the United Kingdom at Possession Point. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Bremer)
- 1885 Mahdist War: The siege of Khartoum ended as Mahdist forces defeated the Egyptian garrison and captured the city. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Khartoum)
- 1905 The 3,106-carat (621 g) Cullinan Diamond, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, was discovered at the Premier Mine in Gauteng, South Africa. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cullinan_Diamond)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Civil_War)
- 1926 Oliver Hutchinson appeared on television in inventor John Logie Baird's first successful demonstration of using the technology to show humans. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Hutchinson)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Theater)
- 1942 World War II: The first United States forces arrive in Europe, landing in Northern Ireland. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy)
- 1949 The Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory in California, the largest aperture optical telescope in the world for 28 years, saw first light. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hale_Telescope)
- 1950 Indian independence movement: India became a republic under a new constitution, with Rajendra Prasad as president and Jawaharlal Nehru as prime minister. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajendra_Prasad)
- 1952 Spontaneous anti-British riots erupted in Cairo following the killings of 50 Egyptian auxiliary police officers the previous day. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo_fire)
- 1966 The three Beaumont children disappeared from a beach in Glenelg, South Australia, resulting in one of the country's largest-ever police investigations. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_the_Beaumont_children)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JAT_Flight_367)
- 1974 Turkish Airlines Flight 301 crashed while taking off from İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport, killing 67 people. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_Airlines_Flight_301)
- 1986 The Ugandan government of Tito Okello is overthrown by the National Resistance Army, led by Yoweri Museveni. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoweri_Museveni)
- 1991 Somali Rebellion: Factions led by the warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid and his rebel group, the United Somali Congress, ousted President Siad Barre. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Farrah_Aidid)
- 1998 In a nationally televised press conference, U.S. president Bill Clinton denied having "sexual relations" with intern Monica Lewinsky. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton%E2%80%93Lewinsky_scandal)
- 2001 An earthquake in the Indian state of Gujarat killed at least 20,000 people, injured 167,000 others and destroyed nearly 400,000 homes. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Gujarat_earthquake)
- 2009 Rioting broke out in Antananarivo, Madagascar, sparking a political crisis that led to the deposal of President Marc Ravalomanana. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Malagasy_political_crisis)
- 2015 A jet fighter crashed at Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete, Spain, killing 11 people and injuring 21 others. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Los_Llanos_Air_Base_crash)
- 2020 A Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California, killing all nine people on board, including former basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Calabasas_helicopter_crash)

## Born on January 26

- 1715 Claude Adrien Helvétius, French philosopher (died 1771) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Adrien_Helv%C3%A9tius)
- 1763 Charles XIV John of Sweden (died 1844) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_XIV_John)
- 1781 Ludwig Achim von Arnim, German poet and author (died 1831) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achim_von_Arnim)
- 1877 Kees van Dongen, Dutch painter (died 1968) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kees_van_Dongen)
- 1880 Douglas MacArthur, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1964) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_MacArthur)
- 1904 Seán MacBride, Irish lawyer and politician, Irish Minister for External Affairs Nobel Prize laureate (died 1988) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se%C3%A1n_MacBride)
- 1911 Polykarp Kusch, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1993) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polykarp_Kusch)
- 1921 Akio Morita, Japanese businessman, co-founded Sony (died 1999) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akio_Morita)
- 1925 Paul Newman, American actor, activist, director, race car driver, and businessman, co-founded Newman's Own (died 2008) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Newman)
- 1928 Roger Vadim, French actor and director (died 2000) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Vadim)
- 1944 Angela Davis, American activist, academic, and author [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Davis)
- 1950 Jörg Haider, Austrian lawyer and politician, Governor of Carinthia (died 2008) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B6rg_Haider)
- 1953 Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Danish politician and diplomat, 39th Prime Minister of Denmark [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders_Fogh_Rasmussen)
- 1955 Eddie Van Halen, Dutch-American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (died 2020) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Van_Halen)
- 1958 Ellen DeGeneres, American comedian, actress, and talk show host [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_DeGeneres)
- 1961 Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gretzky)
- 1963 José Mourinho, Portuguese footballer and manager [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mourinho)
- 1965 Kevin McCarthy, American politician, 55th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_McCarthy)
- 1973 Brendan Rodgers, Northern Irish footballer and manager [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Rodgers)
- 1990 Sergio Pérez, Mexican race car driver [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_P%C3%A9rez)
- 1991 Alex Sandro, Brazilian footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Sandro)
- 1993 Florian Thauvin, French footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florian_Thauvin)

## Died on January 26

- 1823 Edward Jenner, English physician and immunologist, creator of the smallpox vaccine (born 1749) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Jenner)
- 1824 Théodore Géricault, French painter and lithographer (born 1791) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9odore_G%C3%A9ricault)
- 1855 Gérard de Nerval, French poet and translator (born 1808) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A9rard_de_Nerval)
- 1885 Charles George Gordon, English general and politician (born 1833) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_George_Gordon)
- 1887 Anandi Gopal Joshi, one of the first female Indian physicians (born 1865) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anandi_Gopal_Joshi)
- 1891 Nicolaus Otto, German engineer, invented the internal combustion engine (born 1833) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaus_Otto)
- 1895 Arthur Cayley, English mathematician and academic (born 1825) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Cayley)
- 1943 Nikolai Vavilov, Russian botanist and geneticist (born 1887) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Vavilov)
- 1962 Lucky Luciano, Italian-American mob boss (born 1897) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Luciano)
- 1973 Edward G. Robinson, Romanian-American actor (born 1893) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_G._Robinson)
- 1979 Nelson Rockefeller, American businessman and politician, 41st Vice President of the United States (born 1908) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Rockefeller)
- 1990 Lewis Mumford, American sociologist and historian (born 1895) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Mumford)
- 1992 José Ferrer, Puerto Rican-American actor (born 1912) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Ferrer)
- 2020 Kobe Bryant, American basketball player (born 1978) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Bryant)

## Holidays and observances

- Christian feast day: Saint Alberic of Cîteaux [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberic_of_C%C3%AEteaux)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Gabriele Allegra [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriele_Allegra)
- Christian feast day: Saint Paula of Rome [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_of_Rome)
- Christian feast day: Saint Timothy [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Timothy)
- Christian feast day: Saint Titus [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Titus)
- Christian feast day: January 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_26_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Australia Day (Australia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Day)
- Republic Day (India) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_Day_(India))

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “January 26”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_26) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/January 26”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/January_26) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“January 26”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_26) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_26?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for January 26 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## January 26 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Monday | 2026-W05 | 🌓 First Quarter |
| 2027 | Tuesday | 2027-W04 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2028 | Wednesday | 2028-W04 | 🌑 New Moon |
| 2029 | Friday | 2029-W04 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2030 | Saturday | 2030-W04 | 🌗 Last Quarter |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on January 26

- [🇦🇺 Australia](https://whathappen.today/holidays/australia/): Australia Day (2026 and 2027)
- [🇮🇳 India](https://whathappen.today/holidays/india/): Republic Day (2026 and 2027)

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← January 25](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/january-25/) · [January 27 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/january-27/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/january-26/