113 things happened on 26 January, from AD 183 to 2020. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1788 · 238 years ago
Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet of eleven British ships landed at Sydney Cove. They had left Portsmouth in May 1787 with more than 1,400 people on board, including convicts sent to Australia as a punishment. The landing set up the first permanent E…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet of eleven British ships landed at Sydney Cove. They had left Portsmouth in May 1787 with more than 1,400 people on board, including convicts sent to Australia as a punishment. The landing set up the first permanent European settlement in Australia and began British colonisation there. Phillip became the first governor of New South Wales.
UK story
Scottish inventor John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of true television pictures, showing moving images of people. His audience was members of the Royal Institution and a reporter from The Times, at his laboratory in Frith Street, Soho, London. Oliver Hutchinson, who helped to fund Baird's work, appeared on screen. A blue plaque now marks the building where it happened.
UK story
During the Second World War, the first United States forces to arrive in Europe landed in Northern Ireland. The United States had entered the war the month before, in December 1941, and was now fighting on the same side as Britain. Northern Ireland, in the north-east of the island of Ireland, is part of the United Kingdom.
UK story
A British naval expedition arrives at and names Port Egmont in the Falkland Islands, founding a settlement there eight days later. (Arrival was 15 January 1765 O.S.)
UK story
William Bligh, the governor of New South Wales, was deposed in the only military coup in Australian history.
UK story
Commodore Gordon Bremer took formal possession of Hong Kong Island for the United Kingdom at Possession Point.
The Cullinan Diamond, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, was discovered at a mine in South Africa. It weighed 3,106 carats, which is about 621 grams. In 1907 it was given to King Edward VII and later cut into smaller stones. The two largest, called the Great Star of Africa and the Second Star of Africa, are part of the British Crown Jewels.
The US Congress created Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The park lies in the Rocky Mountains, about 55 miles north-west of the city of Denver. It is known for its mountains, alpine lakes and wide variety of wildlife, in habitats ranging from forests to mountain tundra. The great Colorado River begins in the north-west of the park.
A theatre in the Harlem area of New York City reopened as the Apollo Theater. It became one of America's leading venues for African American performers. The theatre has about 1,500 seats on three levels, and its front and interior are protected as New York City landmarks. It is also home to the TV show Showtime at the Apollo.
The Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory in California saw 'first light', meaning it was used to look at the sky for the first time. Its main mirror is 200 inches (5.1 metres) across, twice the width of the next biggest telescope of the time. It stayed the world's largest optical telescope of its type for 28 years. It is named after astronomer George Ellery Hale, who planned it.
India became a republic when its new constitution came into force. Rajendra Prasad became president and Jawaharlal Nehru was prime minister. India had gained independence from British rule in 1947. Its constitution is the longest written national constitution in the world, and the day is celebrated every year in India as Republic Day.
NASA launched the space probe Ranger 3 to study the Moon. A series of faults sent it off course, and it missed the Moon by about 22,000 miles (35,000 kilometres). Instead, it ended up in orbit around the Sun. For comparison, the Moon is on average about 384,000 kilometres from Earth.
Livonian War: A Lithuanian surprise attack resulted in a decisive defeat of numerically superior Russian forces.
The Council of Trent establishes an official distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
Reapers' War: Battle of Montjuïc, decisive victory of the Catalan army (with French support) over the Spanish army.
For the first time, the Ottoman Empire permanently cedes territory to the Christian powers.
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 8.7–9.2 Mw Cascadia earthquake takes place off the west coast of North America, as evidenced by Japanese records.
Michigan is admitted as the 26th U.S. state.
Point No Point Treaty is signed in Washington Territory.
First Battle of Seattle: Marines from the USS Decatur drive off Native American attackers after all-day battle with settlers.
American Civil War: The state of Louisiana secedes from the Union.
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.
American Civil War: Governor of Massachusetts John Albion Andrew receives permission from the Secretary of War to raise a militia organization for men of African descent.
Reconstruction Era: Virginia is readmitted to the Union.
Mahdist War: The siege of Khartoum ended as Mahdist forces defeated the Egyptian garrison and captured the city.
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 Indian National Congress declares 26 January as Independence Day or as the day for Poorna Swaraj ("Complete Independence") which occurred 17 years later.
German–Polish declaration of non-aggression is signed.
Spanish Civil War: Catalonia Offensive: Troops loyal to nationalist General Francisco Franco and aided by Italy take Barcelona.
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.
Soviet Union cedes Porkkala back to Finland.
The 41-acre (17 ha) Chain Island is listed for sale by the California State Lands Commission, with a minimum bid of $5,226.
The Ugandan government of Tito Okello is overthrown by the National Resistance Army, led by Yoweri Museveni.
Somali Rebellion: Factions led by the warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid and his rebel group, the United Somali Congress, ousted President Siad Barre.
Nadya Suleman gives birth to the world's first surviving octuplets.
Syrian civil war: The People's Protection Units (YPG) recaptures the city of Kobanî from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), marking a turning point in the Siege of Kobanî.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “The first American troops to reach Europe land in Northern Ireland”?
B: 1942. 1942 — that’s 84 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “The First Fleet lands at Sydney Cove in Australia”?
C: 1788. 1788 — that’s 238 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
A: The First Fleet lands at Sydney Cove in Australia. 1788: The First Fleet lands at Sydney Cove in Australia · 1926: John Logie Baird gives the first demonstration of television · 1942: The first American troops to reach Europe land in Northern Ireland Find it on the page
“John Logie Baird gives the first demonstration of television” happened in 1926. How many years ago was that?
B: 100 years. 2026 − 1926 = 100. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 26 January.
UK story
Jacqueline du Pré was a British cellist, born in Oxford, who is regarded as one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music in London and won its Gold Medal in 1960. She also learned from famous cellists, including Pablo Casals and Mstislav Rostropovich.
UK story
Paula Rego was a Portuguese-born British artist, widely considered the leading woman artist of her time. She was especially known for paintings and prints based on storybooks, and her work often included folk themes from Portugal. For much of her career she preferred pastels to oil paints. She was made a Dame.
Well-known people who died on 26 January.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 26 January somewhere in the world.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “January 26” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.