This day in history

[January 26, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Monday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2009. There are 339 days left in the year. This is the Lunar New Year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Jan. 26, 1788, the first European settlers in Australia, led by Capt. Arthur Phillip, landed in present-day Sydney.

On this date:

In 1784, in a letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin expressed unhappiness over the choice of the eagle as the symbol of America, and stated his own preference: the turkey.

In 1837, Michigan became the 26th state.

In 1841, Britain formally occupied Hong Kong, which the Chinese had ceded to the British.

In 1861, Louisiana seceded from the Union.

In 1870, Virginia rejoined the Union.

In 1942, the first American expeditionary force to go to Europe during World War II went ashore in Northern Ireland.

In 1950, India officially proclaimed itself a republic as Rajendra Prasad took the oath of office as president.

In 1962, the United States launched Ranger 3 to land scientific instruments on the moon - but the probe missed its target by more than 22,000 miles.

In 1969, President Richard M. Nixon declared a federal disaster in California in the wake of major flooding.

In 1979, former Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller died in New York at age 70.

Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton welcomed a frail Pope John Paul II as the pontiff began his seventh pilgrimage to the United States in St. Louis. Jordan's King Hussein turned over the temporary operation of his country to his eldest son and flew back to the United States for urgent medical care.

Five years ago: The White House retreated from its once-confident claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction; Democrats swiftly sought to turn the about-face into an election-year issue. Lionel Tate, the Florida teen who'd killed a 6-year-old playmate and became the youngest defendant in the nation to be locked away for life, was released after three years behind bars. At least 16 people were killed in the collapse of a building in Nasr City, Egypt.

One year ago: Barack Obama routed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the South Carolina primary. Maria Sharapova won the Australian Open, beating Ana Ivanovic 7-5, 6-3 for her third Grand Slam singles title. Mirai Nagasu became the second-youngest woman (after Tara Lipinski) to win the title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held in St. Paul, Minn. Christian Brando, the troubled eldest son of the late actor Marlon Brando, died in Los Angeles at age 49. Radical PLO leader George Habash died in Amman, Jordan, at age 81.

Today's birthdays: Actress Anne Jeffreys is 86. Actress Joan Leslie is 84. Cartoonist Jules Feiffer is 80. Sportscaster-actor Bob Uecker is 74. Actor Scott Glenn is 70. Singer Jean Knight is 66. Activist Angela Davis is 65. Rock musician Corky Laing (Mountain) is 61. Actor David Strathairn is 60. Alt-country singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams is 56. Rock singer-musician Eddie Van Halen is 54. Reggae musician Norman Hassan (UB40) is 51. Actress-comedian-talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is 51. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky is 48. Musician Andrew Ridgeley is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jazzie B. (Soul II Soul) is 46. Actor Paul Johansson is 45. Gospel singer Kirk Franklin is 39. Actress Jennifer Crystal is 36. Rock musician Chris Hesse (Hoobastank) is 35. Actress Sarah Rue is 31. Country musician Michael Martin (Marshall Dyllon) is 26.

Thought for today: "Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking." -- Albert Einstein, German-born physicist (1879-1955)

[Associated Press]

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