Duarte Day (Dominican Republic)
Liberation Day (Uganda)

Events January 26

1531 – Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake--thousands die.
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.
1700 – The magnitude 9 Cascadia Earthquake takes place off the west coast of the North America, as evidenced by Japanese records.
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
1841 – The United Kingdom formally occupies Hong Kong, which China later formally cedes.
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 20 years later.
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.
1965 – Hindi becomes the official language of India.
2001 – An earthquake hits Gujarat, India, causing more than 20,000 deaths.

For details, contact Datacentre