Date·Lore

On This Day · The 26th day of the year

January 26

January 26 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1841 and 2020. Gordon Bremer takes formal possession of Hong Kong Island at what is now Possession Point, establishing British Hong Kong.

♒ZodiacAquarius ◈BirthstoneGarnet ❀Birth flowerCarnation

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on January 26?

January 26 is the 26th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1841 and 2020. Famous people born on January 26 include Oldo Hlaváček, Florian Thauvin and Jimmy Van Heusen.

The shape of the day

January 26's recorded history is unusually compressed, gathered within recent centuries rather than reaching into antiquity. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

Aquarius is the sign for January 26 — read more on the Aquarius page, or see January's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on January 26

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • Game Highguard

2025

  • TV Paradise

2024

  • Game Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
  • Game Tekken 8
  • TV Mahsun J

2023

  • Game Pizza Tower
  • TV Shrinking

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1841

    Gordon Bremer

    Gordon Bremer takes formal possession of Hong Kong Island at what is now Possession Point, establishing British Hong Kong.

  2. 1934

    Apollo Theater

    The Apollo Theater reopens in Harlem, New York City.

  3. 1945

    Audie Murphy

    World War II: Audie Murphy displays valor and bravery in action for which he will later be awarded the Medal of Honor.

  4. 1949

    Hale Telescope

    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).

  5. 1952

    Cairo fire

    Black Saturday in Egypt: rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.

  6. 1966

    Disappearance of the Beaumont children

    The three Beaumont children disappear from a beach in Glenelg, South Australia, resulting in one of the country's largest-ever police investigations.

  7. 1972

    JAT Flight 367

    JAT Flight 367 is destroyed by a terrorist bomb, killing 27 of the 28 people on board the DC-9. Flight attendant Vesna Vulović survives with critical injuries.

  8. 1974

    Turkish Airlines Flight 301

    Turkish Airlines Flight 301 crashes during takeoff from Izmir Cumaovası Airport (now İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport), killing 66 of the 73 people on board the Fokker F28 Fellowship.

  9. 2009

    Antananarivo

    Rioting breaks out in Antananarivo, Madagascar, sparking a political crisis that will result in the replacement of President Marc Ravalomanana with Andry Rajoelina.

  10. 2020

    Sikorsky S-76

    A Sikorsky S-76B flying from John Wayne Airport to Camarillo Airport crashes in Calabasas, 30 miles west of Los Angeles, killing all nine people on board, including five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant.

Famous birthday twins

Born on January 26

Oldo Hlaváček

b. 1934

Slovak actor and screenwriter

Florian Thauvin

b. 1993

French footballer

Jimmy Van Heusen

b. 1913

American pianist and composer

Paul Newman

b. 1925

American actor, activist, director, race car driver, and businessman, co-founded Newman's Own

Jörg Haider

b. 1950

Austrian lawyer and politician, Governor of Carinthia

Anders Fogh Rasmussen

b. 1953

Danish politician and diplomat, 39th Prime Minister of Denmark

Charles XIV John

b. 1763

of Sweden

Achim von Arnim

b. 1781

German poet and author

Deaths

  • 2020Kobe Bryant
  • 2000Don Budge
  • 1979Nelson Rockefeller
  • 1977Dietrich von Hildebrand
  • 1823Edward Jenner
  • 1795Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Saint Alberic of Cîteaux
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Gabriele Allegra
  • —Christian feast day: Saint Paula of Rome
  • —Christian feast day: Timothy
  • —Christian feast day: Titus
  • —Christian feast day: January 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • —Australia Day (Australia)
  • —Republic Day (India)

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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