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
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