January 26
1788 - The first European settlers landed in Sydney, Australia.
1802 - Congress passed an act calling for the establishment of a library within the U.S. Capitol.
1837 - Michigan became the 26th state.
1887 - Groundbreaking took place for the construction of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
1905 - The Cullinan Diamond, at 3,106 carats, the largest diamond ever found, was discovered in South Africa.
1915 - President Woodrow Wilson signed the act establishing Rocky Mountain National Park.
1950 - India, three years after gaining independence from Britain, formally became a republic.
1979 - Former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller died in New York City at age 70.
1988 - Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" debuted on Broadway, and would go on to become the longest-running show in Broadway history.
1993 - Vaclav Havel was elected president of the new Czech Republic.
1998 - President Bill Clinton forcefully denied having an affair with a former White House intern, telling reporters, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."
2001 - A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked the Indian state of Gujarat, killing more than 20,000 people.
2004 - President Hamid Karzai signed the new constitution of Afghanistan.
2023 - Israeli forces killed at least nine Palestinians and wounded several others in a large-scale raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the deadliest single operation in the territory in two decades.
Birthdays
21 - Addison Riecke (actress)
25 - Ester Exposito (actress)
31 - Joseph Quinn (actor)
33 - Mercedes Varnado (professional wrestler)
48 - Vince Carter (basketball player)
55 - Kirk Franklin (singer)
64 - Wayne Gretzky (hockey player)
67 - Ellen DeGeneres (actress/comedian/TV host)
67 - Anita Baker (singer)
72 - Lucinda Williams (singer)
75 - Jack Youngblood (football player)
76 - David Strathairn (actor)
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Today in Sports History - January 26
1913 - Jim Thorpe relinquishes his 1912 Olympic medals for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics.
1924 - Charles Jewtraw of the United States won the 500-meter speed skating. He was the first Gold Medalist at the Winter Olympics.
1951 - Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1956 - Hank Greenberg and Joe Cronin are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1960 - The Oakland Raiders join the American Football League.
1960 - Pete Rozelle is elected NFL Commissioner on the 23rd ballot.
1985 - Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) became the first NHL player to score 50 goals in 49 games.
1986 - The Chicago Bears defeat the New England Patriots 46-10 to win Super Bowl XX.
1990 - Steffi Graf won her 48th consecutive tennis match.
1991 - Jan Stenerud becomes the first placekicker elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
1992 - The Washington Redskins defeat the Buffalo Bills 37-24 to win Super Bowl XXVI.
1995 - With a record 6,254,427 ballots cast by fans in NBA All-Star Game voting, Detroit's Grant Hill becomes the first rookie to lead all NBA players in All-Star votes received, earning #1 on 1,289,585 ballots.
1997 - The Green Bay Packers defeated the New England Patriots 35-21 to win Super Bowl XXXI.
2003 - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders 48-21 to win Super Bowl XXXVII.
2020 - NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed when the helicopter they were riding in plunged into a steep hillside in dense morning fog in Southern California; the former Los Angeles Lakers star was 41 years old.
1788 - The first European settlers landed in Sydney, Australia.
1802 - Congress passed an act calling for the establishment of a library within the U.S. Capitol.
1837 - Michigan became the 26th state.
1887 - Groundbreaking took place for the construction of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
1905 - The Cullinan Diamond, at 3,106 carats, the largest diamond ever found, was discovered in South Africa.
1915 - President Woodrow Wilson signed the act establishing Rocky Mountain National Park.
1950 - India, three years after gaining independence from Britain, formally became a republic.
1979 - Former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller died in New York City at age 70.
1988 - Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" debuted on Broadway, and would go on to become the longest-running show in Broadway history.
1993 - Vaclav Havel was elected president of the new Czech Republic.
1998 - President Bill Clinton forcefully denied having an affair with a former White House intern, telling reporters, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."
2001 - A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked the Indian state of Gujarat, killing more than 20,000 people.
2004 - President Hamid Karzai signed the new constitution of Afghanistan.
2023 - Israeli forces killed at least nine Palestinians and wounded several others in a large-scale raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the deadliest single operation in the territory in two decades.
Birthdays
21 - Addison Riecke (actress)
25 - Ester Exposito (actress)
31 - Joseph Quinn (actor)
33 - Mercedes Varnado (professional wrestler)
48 - Vince Carter (basketball player)
55 - Kirk Franklin (singer)
64 - Wayne Gretzky (hockey player)
67 - Ellen DeGeneres (actress/comedian/TV host)
67 - Anita Baker (singer)
72 - Lucinda Williams (singer)
75 - Jack Youngblood (football player)
76 - David Strathairn (actor)
==============================
Today in Sports History - January 26
1913 - Jim Thorpe relinquishes his 1912 Olympic medals for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics.
1924 - Charles Jewtraw of the United States won the 500-meter speed skating. He was the first Gold Medalist at the Winter Olympics.
1951 - Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1956 - Hank Greenberg and Joe Cronin are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1960 - The Oakland Raiders join the American Football League.
1960 - Pete Rozelle is elected NFL Commissioner on the 23rd ballot.
1985 - Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) became the first NHL player to score 50 goals in 49 games.
1986 - The Chicago Bears defeat the New England Patriots 46-10 to win Super Bowl XX.
1990 - Steffi Graf won her 48th consecutive tennis match.
1991 - Jan Stenerud becomes the first placekicker elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
1992 - The Washington Redskins defeat the Buffalo Bills 37-24 to win Super Bowl XXVI.
1995 - With a record 6,254,427 ballots cast by fans in NBA All-Star Game voting, Detroit's Grant Hill becomes the first rookie to lead all NBA players in All-Star votes received, earning #1 on 1,289,585 ballots.
1997 - The Green Bay Packers defeated the New England Patriots 35-21 to win Super Bowl XXXI.
2003 - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders 48-21 to win Super Bowl XXXVII.
2020 - NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed when the helicopter they were riding in plunged into a steep hillside in dense morning fog in Southern California; the former Los Angeles Lakers star was 41 years old.
