January 26
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Featured Event
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On this day in 1905, a diamond that weighed over a pound was found in the Premier Mine in South Africa. When it was presented to the mining office, however, it was dismissed as a worthless crystal and tossed out a window. It was recovered soon after and sold in 1907 to the king of Britain. The gem, which became known as the Cullinan diamond, eventually spawned 9 major stones and 96 minor stones. [Read today’s edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Canadian ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky, who holds the NHL record for points (2,857), goals (894), and assists (1,963) and is considered by many the game’s greatest player of all time, was born this day in 1961.
Famous Birthdays
More on January 26
Jae C. Hong/AP Images
2020
Basketball player Kobe Bryant—who was considered one of the sport’s greatest players, winning five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers—died in a helicopter crash at the age of 41. [Read our list of the 10 greatest basketball players of all time.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
2001
A massive earthquake struck near Bhuj, Gujarat, India, on the morning of the country’s Republic Day holiday, killing more than 20,000 people, injuring 150,000, and causing extensive damage. [Take our natural disasters quiz.]
Junko Kimura/Getty Images
1988
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, a musical version of Gaston Leroux’s melodramatic novel, opened in New York City. It went on to become the longest-running show in Broadway history, closing in 2023. [How much do you know about the theater?]
Hephaestos
1962
Lucky Luciano, who was the most powerful chief of American organized crime in the early 1930s and was deported to his native Italy in 1946, died at the age of 65. [Test your knowledge of mobster names.]
© James Devaney—GC Images/Getty Images
1958
Comedian and television host Ellen DeGeneres, who was known for her quirky observational humor, was born in Metairie, Louisiana. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about pop culture.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1950
India became a republic, achieving full independence from Great Britain. [Find out how Republic Day is celebrated in India.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1942
The first U.S. expeditionary force to land in Europe during World War II reached Ireland. [Sort fact from fiction in our World War II quiz.]
© 1977 Universal Pictures Company, Inc. with Kings Road Entertainment
1925
Paul Newman, whose good looks and charisma helped make him an enduring screen presence in the second half of the 20th century, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. [How much do you know about Paul Newman?]
© Photos.com/Jupiterimages
1885
British General Charles George Gordon and much of the Egyptian garrison defending Khartoum were killed by Mahdists. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Africa.]
The Harry S. Truman Library/NARA
1880
Douglas MacArthur, the U.S. general who commanded the Southwest Pacific Theater in World War II, administered postwar Japan during the Allied occupation that followed, and led United Nations forces during the first nine months of the Korean War, was born. [Take our quiz about famous war personalities.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1837
Michigan became the 26th U.S. state admitted to the union. [Test your knowledge of U.S. state mottoes.]
Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales (a128112)
1788
Arthur Phillip, who had sailed into what is now Sydney Cove with a shipload of convicts, hoisted the British flag and established the first permanent European settlement on the continent of Australia.