Did you know that India celebrates Republic Day on this day to honor the time their constitution came into effect? Reading the following major events of January 26 will unveil more historical facts.
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- 1905 – The world’s largest diamond is found in South Africa
- 1911 – Inventor Glenn H. Curtiss flew the first successful seaplane.
- 1926 – John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of television in his laboratory in London.
- 1934 – The Apollo Theatre opened in New York City.
- 1942 – The first American expeditionary force to go to Europe during World War II went ashore in Northern Ireland.
- 1950 – India officially proclaimed itself a republic as Rajendra Prasad took the oath of office as president.
- 1950 – The American Associated Insurance Companies, of St. Louis, MO, issued the first baby sitter insurance policy.
- 1961 – U.S. President John F. Kennedy appointed Dr. Janet G. Travell as the first woman to be the personal physician to the President.
- 1961 – Canadian ice hockey player, coach Wayne Gretzky, was born on this day.
- 1965 – Hindi was made the official language of India.
- 1972 – Serbian air stewardess Vesna Vulovic survived 10,160m fall without a parachute – the world’s highest fall without a parachute.
- 1980 – 175,000 people paid to hear Frank Sinatra sing in Rio de Janeiro.
- 1992 – Russian president Boris Yeltsin announced that his country would stop targeting U.S. cities with nuclear weapons.
- 1996 – Hillary Clinton testified before a grand jury concerning the Whitewater probe.
- 1998 – U.S. President Clinton denied having an affair with a former White House intern.
- 1999 – Saddam Hussein vowed revenge against the U.S. in response to air strikes that reportedly killed civilians.
- 1999 – A massive earthquake hit Gujarat, India, killing 20,000 people.
- 2009 – The Icelandic government and banking system collapsed.
- 2010 – The movie “Avatar” became the highest-grossing film worldwide.
- 2014 – First Class postage rate increased to 49 cents in the U.S.