Summary of the Day ✨ 26 January (26/01)
Protesters stormed India’s Red Fort near Delhi while farmers clashed with police, resulting in one death and over 80 injuries, while a helicopter crash in California killed NBA star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna among nine victims. Simultaneously, Spain mourned 11 dead in a military aircraft crash, Syrian forces recaptured Kobanî from ISIL in a major turning point, and Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo erupted in riots that would soon oust President Marc Ravalomanana.
Historical Events 📜
- 2021: Protesters and farmers storm the Red Fort near Delhi, clashing with police. One protester is killed and more than 80 police officers are injured.
- 2020: 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.
- 2015: An aircraft crashes at Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete, Spain, killing 11 people and injuring 21 others.
- 2015: Syrian civil war: The People’s Protection Units (YPG) recaptures the city of Kobanî from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), marking a turning point in the Siege of Kobanî.
- 2009: Rioting breaks out in Antananarivo, Madagascar, sparking a political crisis that will result in the replacement of President Marc Ravalomanana with Andry Rajoelina.
- 2009: Nadya Suleman gives birth to the world’s first surviving octuplets.
- 2001: The 7.7 Mw Gujarat earthquake shakes Western India, leaving 13,805–20,023 dead and about 166,800 injured.
- 2001: Diane Whipple, a lacrosse coach, is killed in a dog attack in San Francisco. The resulting court case clarified the meaning of implied malice murder.
- 1998: Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had “sexual relations” with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
- 1991: Mohamed Siad Barre is removed from power in Somalia, ending centralized government, and is succeeded by Ali Mahdi.
- 1986: The Ugandan government of Tito Okello is overthrown by the National Resistance Army, led by Yoweri Museveni.
- 1974: 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.
- 1972: 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.
- 1966: The three Beaumont children disappear from a beach in Glenelg, South Australia, resulting in one of the country’s largest-ever police investigations.
- 1962: Ranger 3 is launched to study the Moon. The space probe later misses the Moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km).
Famous Births 👶
- 2009: YaYa Gosselin, American actress
- 2009: The Suleman octuplets
- 2002: Darya Astakhova, Russian tennis player
- 2001: Latalia Bevan, Welsh artistic gymnast
- 2001: Isaac Okoro, American basketball player
- 2000: Ester Expósito, Spanish actress
- 2000: Darius Garland, American basketball player
- 1999: Leonardo Balerdi, Argentine footballer
- 1999: Travis Etienne, American football player
- 1998: Moonbin, South Korean singer and actor. (died 2023)
- 1997: Gedion Zelalem, German-born American soccer player
- 1996: Zakaria Bakkali, Belgian footballer
- 1996: Hwang Hee-chan, South Korean football player
- 1995: Jean-Charles Castelletto, Cameroonian footballer
- 1995: Sione Katoa, New Zealand rugby league player
Notable Deaths 🕊️
- 2025: Suzanne Massie, American historian (born 1931)
- 2020: John Altobelli, American college baseball coach (born 1963)
- 2020: Gianna Bryant, American student-athlete (born 2006)
- 2020: Kobe Bryant, American basketball player (born 1978)
- 2017: Mike Connors, American actor (born 1925)
- 2017: Tam Dalyell, Scottish politician (born 1932)
- 2017: Lindy Delapenha, Jamaican footballer and sports journalist (born 1927)
- 2017: Barbara Hale, American actress (born 1922)
- 2017: Barbara Howard, Canadian sprinter and educator (born 1920)
- 2016: Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, Pakistani military leader, foreign minister, and diplomat (born 1920)
- 2016: Abe Vigoda, American actor (born 1921)
- 2015: Cleven “Goodie” Goudeau, American art director and cartoonist (born 1932)
- 2015: Tom Uren, Australian politician (born 1921)
- 2014: Tom Gola, American basketball player, coach, and politician (born 1933)
- 2014: Paula Gruden, Slovenian-Australian poet and translator (born 1921)
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)