January 26

January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 339 days remaining until the end of the year (340 in leap years).

Events

• 1500 – Vicente Yáñez Pinzón becomes the first European to set foot on Brazil.
• 1531 – Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake—thousands die.
• 1564 – The Council of Trent issues its conclusions in the Tridentinum, establishing a distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
• 1564 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Tsardom of Russia in the Battle of Ula during the Livonian War.
• 1565 – Battle of Talikota, fought between the Vijayanagara Empire and the Islamic sultanates of the Deccan, leads to the subjugation, and eventual destruction of the last Hindu kingdom in India, and the consolidation of Islamic rule over much of the Indian subcontinent.
• 1589 – Job is elected as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
• 1699 – Treaty of Karlowitz is signed.
• 1700 – The Cascadia earthquake takes place off the west coast of North America, as evidenced by Japanese records.
• 1736 – Stanislaus I of Poland abdicates his throne.
• 1788 – The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on the continent. Commemorated as Australia Day.
• 1808 – Rum Rebellion, the only successful (albeit short-lived) armed takeover of the government in Australia.
• 1837 – Michigan is admitted as the 26th U.S. state.
• 1838 – Tennessee enacts the first prohibition law in the United States
• 1841 – The United Kingdom formally occupies Hong Kong, which China later formally cedes.
• 1855 – Point No Point Treaty is signed in Washington Territory.
• 1856 – First Battle of Seattle. Marines from the USS Decatur drive off American Indian attackers after all day battle with settlers.
• 1861 – American Civil War: The state of Louisiana secedes from the Union.
• 1863 – 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.
• 1863 – 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.
• 1870 – American Civil War: Virginia rejoins the Union.
• 1885 – Troops loyal to The Mahdi conquer Khartoum, killing the Governor-General Charles George Gordon.
• 1905 – The world's largest diamond ever, the Cullinan weighing 3,106.75 carats (0.621350 kg), is found at the Premier Mine near Pretoria in South Africa.
• 1907 – The Short Magazine Lee–Enfield Mk III is officially introduced into British Military Service, and remains the second oldest military rifle still in official use.
• 1911 – Glenn H. Curtiss flies the first successful American seaplane.
• 1911 – Richard Strauss' opera Der Rosenkavalier receives its debut performance at the Dresden State Opera.
• 1915 – The Rocky Mountain National Park is established by an act of the U.S. Congress.
• 1918 – Finnish Civil War: A group of Red Guards hangs a red lantern atop the tower of Helsinki Workers' Hall to symbolically mark the start of the war.
• 1920 – Former Ford Motor Company executive Henry Leland launches the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer.
• 1924 – Saint Petersburg, Russia, is renamed Leningrad.
• 1930 – The Indian National Congress declares 26 January as Independence Day or as the day for Poorna Swaraj ("Complete Independence") which occurred 17 years later.
• 1934 – The Apollo Theater reopens in Harlem, New York City.
• 1934 – German–Polish Non-Aggression Pact is signed.
• 1939 – Spanish Civil War – Catalonia Offensive: Troops loyal to nationalist General Francisco Franco and aided by Italy take Barcelona.
• 1942 – World War II: The first United States forces arrive in Europe landing in Northern Ireland.
• 1945 – World War II: The Red Army begins encircling the German Fourth Army near Heiligenbeil in East Prussia, which will end in destruction of the 4th Army two months later.
• 1945 – World War II: Audie Murphy in action for which he will be awarded the Medal of Honor.
• 1949 – The Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory sees first light under the direction of Edwin Hubble, becoming the largest aperture optical telescope (until BTA-6 is built in 1976).
• 1950 – The Constitution of India comes into force, forming a republic. Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as its first President of India. Observed as Republic Day in India.
• 1952 – Black Saturday in Egypt: rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
• 1956 – Soviet Union hands Porkkala back to Finland.
• 1958 – Japanese ferry Nankai Maru capsizes off southern Awaji Island, Japan, 167 killed.
• 1960 – Danny Heater sets a worldwide high school basketball scoring record when he records 135 points for Burnsville High School (West Virginia)
• 1961 – John F. Kennedy appoints Janet G. Travell to be his physician. This is the first time a woman holds the appointment of Physician to the President.
• 1962 – Ranger program: Ranger 3 is launched to study the Moon. The space probe later misses the moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km).
• 1965 – Hindi becomes the official language of India.
• 1966 – The Beaumont Children go missing from Glenelg Beach near Adelaide, South Australia.
• 1978 – The Great Blizzard of 1978, a rare severe blizzard strikes the Ohio – Great Lakes region with heavy snow and winds up to 100 mph (161 km/h).
• 1980 – Israel and Egypt establish diplomatic relations.
• 1986 – The Ugandan government of Tito Okello is overthrown by the National Resistance Army, led by Yoweri Museveni.
• 1991 – Mohamed Siad Barre is removed from power in Somalia, ending centralized government, and is succeeded by Ali Mahdi.
• 1992 – Boris Yeltsin announces that Russia will stop targeting United States cities with nuclear weapons.
• 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had "sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica 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 – Glendale train crash: Two trains derail killing 11 and injuring 200 in Glendale, California, near Los Angeles.
• 2009 – Rioting breaks out in Antananarivo, Madagascar, sparking a political crisis that will result in the replacement of President Marc Ravalomanana with Andry Rajoelina.
• 2015 – A giant snow storm hits much of the Northeastern United States.
• 2015 – A plane crash at Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete, Spain kills 11 people and injures 21 others.
• 2015 – Libby Lane becomes the first woman ordained a bishop of the Church of England.

Births

• 1497 – Emperor Go-Nara of Japan (d. 1557)
• 1541 – Florent Chrestien, French poet and translator (d. 1596)
• 1595 – Antonio Maria Abbatini, Italian composer (d. 1679)
• 1708 – William Hayes, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1777)
• 1714 – Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, French sculptor (d. 1785)
• 1716 – George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, English general and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (d. 1785)
• 1722 – Alexander Carlyle, Scottish minister and author (d. 1805)
• 1761 – Jens Zetlitz, Norwegian priest and poet (d. 1821)
• 1763 – Charles XIV John of Sweden (d. 1844)
• 1781 – Ludwig Achim von Arnim, German poet and author (d. 1831)
• 1813 – Juan Pablo Duarte, Dominican philosopher and poet (d. 1876)
• 1826 – Julia Grant, American wife of Ulysses S. Grant, 19th First Lady of the United States (d. 1902)
• 1832 – George Shiras, Jr., American lawyer and jurist (d. 1924)
• 1842 – François Coppée, French poet and author (d. 1908)
• 1852 – Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, Italian-French explorer (d. 1905)
• 1864 – József Pusztai, Slovene-Hungarian poet and journalist (d. 1934)
• 1866 – John Cady, American golfer (d. 1933)
• 1878 – Dave Nourse, English-South African cricketer and coach (d. 1948)
• 1880 – Douglas MacArthur, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1964)
• 1882 – André Rischmann, French rugby player (d. 1955)
• 1885 – Michael Considine, Irish-Australian politician (d. 1959)
• 1885 – Harry Ricardo, English engine designer and researcher (d. 1974)
• 1887 – François Faber, French-Luxembourgian cyclist (d. 1915)
• 1887 – Marc Mitscher, American admiral and pilot (d. 1947)
• 1891 – Frank Costello, Italian-American mob boss (d. 1973)
• 1891 – August Froehlich, German priest and martyr (d. 1942)
• 1891 – Wilder Penfield, American-Canadian neurosurgeon and academic (d. 1976)
• 1892 – Bessie Coleman, American pilot (d. 1926)
• 1892 – Zara Cully, American actress (d. 1978)
• 1893 – Giuseppe Genco Russo, Italian mob boss (d. 1976)
• 1899 – Günther Reindorff, Russian-Estonian graphic designer and illustrator (d. 1974)
• 1900 – Karl Ristenpart, German conductor (d. 1967)
• 1902 – Jokichi Ikarashi, Japanese super-centenarian (d. 2013)
• 1902 – Menno ter Braak, Dutch author (d. 1940)
• 1904 – Ancel Keys, American physiologist and nutritionist (d. 2004)
• 1904 – Seán MacBride, Irish lawyer and politician, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1988)
• 1905 – Charles Lane, American actor and singer (d. 2007)
• 1905 – Maria von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (d. 1987)
• 1907 – Dimitrios Holevas, Greek priest (d. 2001)
• 1908 – Jill Esmond, English actress (d. 1990)
• 1908 – Rupprecht Geiger, German painter and sculptor (d. 2009)
• 1908 – Stéphane Grappelli, French violinist (d. 1997)
• 1910 – Jean Image, Hungarian-French animator, director, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
• 1911 – Polykarp Kusch, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1993)
• 1911 – Norbert Schultze, German composer and conductor (d. 2002)
• 1913 – Jimmy Van Heusen, American pianist and composer (d. 1990)
• 1914 – Princess Durru Shehvar of the Ottoman Empire (d. 2006)
• 1915 – William Hopper, American actor (d. 1970)
• 1917 – Louis Zamperini, American runner and captain (d. 2014)
• 1918 – Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romanian general and politician, 1st President of Romania (d. 1989)
• 1918 – Philip José Farmer, American author (d. 2009)
• 1919 – Valentino Mazzola, Italian footballer (d. 1949)
• 1919 – Bill Nicholson, English footballer and manager (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Hans Holzer, Austrian-American paranormal researcher and author (d. 2009)
• 1921 – Eddie Barclay, French record producer, founded Barclay Records (d. 2005)
• 1921 – Akio Morita, Japanese businessman, co-founded Sony (d. 1999)
• 1922 – Michael Bentine, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1996)
• 1922 – Seán Flanagan, Irish footballer and politician, 7th Irish Minister for Health (d. 1993)
• 1922 – Ellen Vogel, Dutch actress (d. 2015)
• 1923 – Patrick J. Hannifin, American admiral (d. 2014)
• 1923 – Patricia Hughes, English radio host (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Anne Jeffreys, American actress and singer
• 1924 – Alice Babs, Swedish singer and actress (d. 2014)
• 1924 – Annette Strauss, American philanthropist and politician, Mayor of Dallas (d. 1998)
• 1925 – David Jenkins, English bishop and theologian
• 1925 – Joan Leslie, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
• 1925 – Paul Newman, American actor, director, race car driver, and businessman, co-founded Newman's Own (d. 2008)
• 1925 – Ben Pucci, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Claude Ryan, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2004)
• 1926 – Farman Fatehpuri, Pakistani linguist and scholar (d. 2013)
• 1926 – Joseph Bacon Fraser, Jr., American businessman, co-founded the Sea Pines Company (d. 2014)
• 1927 – José Azcona del Hoyo, Honduran politician, President of Honduras (d. 2005)
• 1927 – Bob Nieman, American baseball player and scout (d. 1985)
• 1927 – Hubert Schieth, German footballer and manager (d. 2013)
• 1928 – Roger Vadim, French actor and director (d. 2000)
• 1929 – Jules Feiffer, American cartoonist, screenwriter, and educator
• 1929 – Gordon Solie, American wrestling announcer (d. 2000)
• 1930 – Napoleon Abueva, Filipino sculptor
• 1931 – Alfred Lynch, English actor (d. 2003)
• 1931 – Mary Murphy, American actress (d. 2011)
• 1932 – George Clements, American priest and activist
• 1932 – Coxsone Dodd, Jamaican record producer (d. 2004)
• 1933 – Ercole Baldini, Italian cyclist
• 1934 – Roger Landry, Canadian businessman and publisher
• 1934 – Charles Marowitz, American director, playwright, and critic
• 1935 – Corrado Augias, Italian journalist and politician
• 1935 – Bob Uecker, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1936 – Sal Buscema, American illustrator
• 1936 – Theophanis Lamboukas, Greek-French actor and singer (d. 1970)
• 1936 – Huey "Piano" Smith, American pianist
• 1937 – Joseph Saidu Momoh, Sierra Leonean soldier and politician, 2nd President of Sierra Leone (d. 2003)
• 1940 – Séamus Hegarty, Irish bishop
• 1941 – Scott Glenn, American actor
• 1941 – Henry Jaglom, English-American director and screenwriter
• 1941 – Joan A. Steitz, molecular biologist and academic
• 1942 – Soad Hosny, Egyptian actress and singer (d. 2001)
• 1943 – César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player and manager (d. 2005)
• 1943 – Jean Knight, American singer
• 1943 – Jack Warner, Trinidadian businessman and politician
• 1944 – Angela Davis, American activist, author, and scholar
• 1944 – Jerry Sandusky, American football player and coach
• 1945 – Jacqueline du Pré, English cellist (d. 1987)
• 1945 – David Purley, English race car driver (d. 1985)
• 1946 – Michel Delpech, French singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2016)
• 1946 – Christopher Hampton, Portuguese-English director, screenwriter, and playwright
• 1946 – Gene Siskel, American journalist and critic (d. 1999)
• 1947 – Patrick Dewaere, French actor and composer (d. 1982)
• 1947 – Les Ebdon, English chemist and academic
• 1947 – Redmond Morris, 4th Baron Killanin, Irish director, producer, and production manager
• 1947 – Michel Sardou, French singer-songwriter and actor
• 1949 – Jonathan Carroll, American author
• 1949 – David Strathairn, American actor
• 1950 – Jörg Haider, Austrian lawyer and politician, Governor of Carinthia (d. 2008)
• 1953 – Alik L. Alik, Micronesian politician, 7th Vice President of the Federated States of Micronesia
• 1953 – Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Danish politician and diplomat, 39th Prime Minister of Denmark
• 1953 – Lucinda Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1954 – Kim Hughes, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
• 1955 – Eddie Van Halen, Dutch-American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Van Halen)
• 1957 – Shivlal Yadav, Indian cricketer and manager
• 1958 – Anita Baker, American singer-songwriter
• 1958 – Ellen DeGeneres, American comedian, actress, and talk show host
• 1958 – Salvador Sánchez, Mexican boxer (d. 1982)
• 1960 – Road Warrior Animal, American wrestler
• 1960 – Charlie Gillingham, American pianist and accordion player
• 1961 – Li Cunxin, Chinese-Australian ballet dancer
• 1961 – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1961 – Tom Keifer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Cinderella)
• 1962 – Guo Jian, Chinese-Australian painter
• 1962 – Oscar Ruggeri, Argentinian footballer and manager
• 1963 – Riddell Akua, Nauruan politician
• 1963 – José Mourinho, Portuguese footballer and manager
• 1963 – Andrew Ridgeley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1963 – Gisela Valcárcel, Peruvian actress and publisher, founded Gisela
• 1964 – Paul Johansson, American-Canadian actor and director
• 1965 – Thomas Östros, Swedish politician
• 1965 – Natalia Yurchenko, Russian gymnast and coach
• 1967 – Bryan Callen, American actor and screenwriter
• 1967 – Anatoly Komm, Russian chef and businessman
• 1967 – Toshiyuki Morikawa, Japanese voice actor
• 1967 – Col Needham, English businessman, co-founded the Internet Movie Database
• 1967 – Pradip Somasundaran, Indian singer
• 1968 – Ravi Teja, Indian actor and singer
• 1969 – George Dikeoulakos, Greek-Romanian basketball player and coach
• 1969 – Michael O'Hearn, American bodybuilder and actor
• 1970 – Kirk Franklin, American singer-songwriter and producer (One Nation Crew)
• 1970 – Tracy Middendorf, American actress
• 1971 – Deathprod, Norwegian music artist and producer (Supersilent, Motorpsycho, Biosphere)
• 1971 – Dorian Gregory, American actor
• 1973 – Melvil Poupaud, French actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1973 – Mayu Shinjo, Japanese author and illustrator
• 1973 – Brendan Rodgers, Irish footballer and manager
• 1974 – Rokia Traoré, Malian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1976 – hitomi, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
• 1976 – Willie Adler, American guitarist and songwriter
• 1977 – Vince Carter, American basketball player
• 1977 – Justin Gimelstob, American tennis player and coach
• 1978 – Atsuko Kurusu, Japanese actress
• 1978 – Corina Morariu, American tennis player and sportscaster
• 1978 – Kelly Stables, American actress
• 1979 – Sara Rue, American actress and producer
• 1980 – Ertuğrul Arslan, Turkish footballer
• 1980 – Sanae Kobayashi, Japanese voice actress
• 1981 – José de Jesús Corona, Mexican footballer
• 1981 – Gustavo Dudamel, Venezuelan violinist, composer, and conductor
• 1981 – Juan José Haedo, Argentinian cyclist
• 1981 – Volador Jr., Mexican wrestler
• 1981 – Colin O'Donoghue, Irish actor and singer
• 1982 – Gō Ayano, Japanese actor
• 1982 – Yuki Koyanagi, Japanese singer
• 1982 – Brahim Takioullah, Moroccan giant
• 1982 – Yasushi Tsujimoto, Japanese wrestler
• 1983 – Petri Oravainen, Finnish footballer
• 1983 – Lee Su-hwan, South Korean kick-boxer
• 1984 – Wu Qian, Chinese pianist
• 1984 – Iain Turner, Scottish footballer
• 1984 – Luo Xuejuan, Chinese swimmer
• 1985 – Heather Stanning, English rower
• 1986 – Gerald Green, American basketball player
• 1986 – Matt Heafy, Japanese-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Trivium and Capharnaum)
• 1986 – Mads Ibenfeldt, Danish footballer
• 1986 – Kim Jae-joong, South Korean singer-songwriter and actor (JYJ and TVXQ)
• 1986 – Thiago Pereira, Brazilian swimmer
• 1986 – Taylor Wilde, Canadian wrestler
• 1986 – Mustapha Yatabaré, French-Malian footballer
• 1986 – Kian Kazemi, Filipino-Persian actor
• 1987 – Mário Brandão da Silveira, Brazilian footballer
• 1987 – Sebastian Giovinco, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Mia Rose, English singer-songwriter
• 1988 – Dimitrios Chondrokoukis, Greek high jumper
• 1988 – Yukiyo Mine, Japanese softball player
• 1989 – MarShon Brooks, American basketball player
• 1989 – Emily Hughes, American figure skater
• 1989 – Yukari Kabutomushi, Japanese actress
• 1989 – Lin Qingfeng, Chinese weightlifter
• 1990 – Christopher Massey, American actor and singer
• 1990 – Sergio Pérez, Mexican race car driver
• 1990 – Peter Sagan, Slovak cyclist
• 1993 – Cameron Bright, Canadian actor
• 1993 – Peter Čerešňák, Slovak ice hockey player
• 1993 – Florian Thauvin, French footballer
• 1996 – Igor Decraene, Belgian cyclist (d. 2014)
• 1996 – Tyger Drew-Honey, English actor and singer

Deaths

• 724 – Yazid II, Arab caliph (b. 687)
• 738 – John of Dailam, Syrian monk and saint (b. 660)
• 946 – Eadgyth, German wife of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 910)
• 1567 – Nicholas Wotton, English diplomat (b. 1497)
• 1630 – Henry Briggs, English mathematician and astronomer (b. 1556)
• 1636 – Jean Hotman, Marquis de Villers-St-Paul, French diplomat (b. 1552)
• 1697 – Georg Mohr, Danish mathematician and theorist (b. 1640)
• 1744 – Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller, Austrian field marshal (b. 1683)
• 1750 – Albert Schultens, Dutch philologist and academic (b. 1686)
• 1795 – Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, German harpsichord player and composer (b. 1732)
• 1799 – Gabriel Christie, Scottish general (b. 1722)
• 1823 – Edward Jenner, English physician and immunologist (b. 1749)
• 1824 – Théodore Géricault, French painter and lithographer (b. 1791)
• 1831 – Sangolli Rayanna, Indian soldier (b. 1798)
• 1849 – Thomas Lovell Beddoes, English poet, playwright, and physician (b. 1803)
• 1855 – Gérard de Nerval, French poet and translator (b. 1808)
• 1869 – Duncan Gordon Boyes, English soldier Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1846)
• 1870 – Victor de Broglie, French politician; 9th Prime Minister of France (b. 1785)
• 1885 – Edward Davy, English-Australian physician and engineer (b. 1806)
• 1885 – Charles George Gordon, English general (b. 1833)
• 1886 – David Rice Atchison, American general and politician (b. 1807)
• 1891 – Nikolaus Otto, German engineer, invented the Internal combustion engine (b. 1833)
• 1891 – Arthur Cayley, English mathematician and academic (b. 1825)
• 1893 – Abner Doubleday, American general (b. 1819)
• 1904 – Whitaker Wright, English businessman (b. 1846)
• 1926 – John Flannagan, American priest and academic (b. 1860)
• 1932 – William Wrigley, Jr., American businessman, founded the Wrigley Company (b. 1861)
• 1933 – Alva Belmont, American-French activist (b. 1853)
• 1942 – Felix Hausdorff, German mathematician and academic (b. 1868)
• 1943 – Harry H. Laughlin, American sociologist and eugenicist (b. 1880)
• 1943 – Nikolai Vavilov, Russian botanist and geneticist (b. 1887)
• 1946 – Oskar Kallas, Estonian linguist and diplomat (b. 1868)
• 1946 – Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-American astronomer and academic (b. 1884)
• 1947 – Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (b. 1906)
• 1947 – Grace Moore, American soprano and actress (b. 1898)
• 1948 – Kâzım Karabekir, Turkish general and politician, 5th Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (b. 1882)
• 1948 – John Lomax, American musicologist and academic (b. 1867)
• 1952 – Khorloogiin Choibalsan, Mongolian general and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Mongolia (b. 1895)
• 1953 – Athanase David, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1882)
• 1961 – Stan Nichols, English cricketer (b. 1900)
• 1962 – Lucky Luciano, Italian-American mob boss (b. 1897)
• 1963 – H. S. Lloyd, English dog breeder (b. 1887)
• 1968 – Merrill C. Meigs, American publisher (b. 1883)
• 1973 – Edward G. Robinson, Romanian-American actor and singer (b. 1893)
• 1976 – João Branco Núncio, Portuguese bullfighter (b. 1901)
• 1977 – Filopimin Finos, Greek production manager and producer, founded Finos Film (b. 1908)
• 1977 – Margaret Hayes, American actress (b. 1916)
• 1979 – Nelson Rockefeller, American businessman and politician, 41st Vice President of the United States (b. 1908)
• 1980 – Simon Kapwepwe, Zambian politician; 2nd Vice President of Zambia (b. 1922)
• 1983 – Bear Bryant, American football player and coach (b. 1913)
• 1986 – A. J. P. Ponrajah, Sri Lankan engineer (b. 1927)
• 1988 – Ethelreda Leopold, American actress (b. 1914)
• 1990 – Bob Gerard, English race car driver and businessman (b. 1914)
• 1990 – Lewis Mumford, American sociologist and historian (b. 1895)
• 1992 – José Ferrer, Puerto Rican-American actor, singer, and director (b. 1912)
• 1993 – Jan Gies, Dutch businessman (b. 1905)
• 1993 – Robert Jacobsen, Danish sculptor and painter (b. 1912)
• 1993 – Jeanne Sauvé, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Governor General of Canada (b. 1922)
• 1995 – Pat Welsh, American actress (b. 1915)
• 1996 – Georg Alexander, Duke of Mecklenburg (b. 1921)
• 1996 – Harold Brodkey, American short story writer and novelist (b. 1930)
• 1996 – Stevie Plunder, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Whitlams) (b. 1963)
• 1996 – Dave Schultz, American wrestler and coach (b. 1959)
• 1997 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer and psychic (b. 1904)
• 1998 – Shinichi Suzuki, Japanese violinist and educator (b. 1898)
• 2000 – Don Budge, American tennis player and coach (b. 1915)
• 2000 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-American author (b. 1912)
• 2001 – Al McGuire, American basketball player and coach (b. 1928)
• 2003 – Valeriy Brumel, Russian high jumper (b. 1942)
• 2003 – Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian and academic (b. 1917)
• 2003 – George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie, Scottish banker and politician; Secretary of State for Scotland (b. 1931)
• 2004 – Fred Haas, American golfer (b. 1916)
• 2006 – Len Carlson, Canadian actor and singer (b. 1937)
• 2006 – Roberto Mières, Argentine racing driver (d. 1924)
• 2006 – Khan Abdul Wali Khan, Pakistani politician (b. 1917)
• 2007 – Gump Worsley, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)
• 2008 – Christian Brando, American actor (b. 1958)
• 2008 – Paul the Octopus, English octopus (d. 2010)
• 2008 – Viktor Schreckengost, American sculptor and designer (b. 1906)
• 2010 – Louis Auchincloss, American lawyer, historian, and author (b. 1917)
• 2012 – Ian Abercrombie, English-American actor (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Clare Fischer, American keyboard player and composer (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Stefan Kudelski, Polish-Swiss engineer; invented the Nagra (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Patricia Lovell, Australian television host and producer (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Padma Kant Shukla, Indian physicist and academic (b. 1950)
• 2013 – Shōtarō Yasuoka, Japanese author (b. 1920)
• 2014 – Tom Gola, American basketball player, coach, and politician (b. 1933)
• 2014 – Paula Gruden, Slovenian-Australian poet and translator (b. 1921)
• 2014 – José Emilio Pacheco, Mexican poet and author (b. 1939)
• 2015 – R. K. Laxman, Indian illustrator (b. 1921)
• 2015 – Lucjan Lis, Polish-German cyclist (b. 1950)
• 2015 – Lee Spick, English snooker player (b. 1980)

Holidays and observances

• Australia Day (Australia)
• Christian feast day:
  • Alberic
  • Blessed Gabriele Allegra
  • Paula
  • Timothy and Titus
  • January 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Duarte Day (Dominican Republic)
• Liberation Day (Uganda)
• Republic Day (India)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On this day in Canada