This day in history

[January 26, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Wednesday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2011. There are 339 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Jan. 26, 1861, Louisiana passed an Ordinance of Secession, 113-17, at the state capitol in Baton Rouge, becoming the sixth state to break free from the United States.

On this date:

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

In 1837, Michigan became the 26th state.

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

In 1870, Virginia rejoined the Union.

In 1911, the Richard Strauss opera "Der Rosenkavalier" (The Cavalier of the Rose) premiered in Dresden, Germany.

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 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Dr. Janet G. Travell to be his personal physician; she was the first woman to hold the job.

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

In 1996, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton testified before a grand jury connected to the Whitewater probe.

Ten years ago: Lacrosse coach Diane Whipple, 33, was attacked and killed by two huge dogs belonging to neighbors outside her apartment in San Francisco. (One of the dogs' owners, Marjorie Knoller, is serving 15 years to life in prison for second-degree murder; her husband, Robert Noel, served just over two years for involuntary manslaughter.) A devastating earthquake hit the Indian subcontinent, killing some 20,000 people. Joseph Kabila was sworn in as Congo's president, following the assassination of his father, Laurent Kabila.

Five years ago: Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Denmark to protest caricatures of the prophet Muhammad published in a Danish newspaper. (Protests spread across the Muslim world for weeks, and dozens of people were killed.) Confronted by Oprah Winfrey on her syndicated talk show, author James Frey acknowledged lies in his addiction memoir "A Million Little Pieces."

One year ago: Toyota suspended U.S. sales of several popular vehicle models to fix sticking accelerator pedals; the suspension was on top of a recall of 23 million vehicles. Louis Auchincloss, 92, a prolific author of fiction and nonfiction, died in New York.

Today's birthdays: Actress Anne Jeffreys is 88. Actress Joan Leslie is 86. Cartoonist Jules Feiffer is 82. Sportscaster-actor Bob Uecker is 76. Actor Scott Glenn is 72. Singer Jean Knight is 68. Activist Angela Davis is 67. Rock musician Corky Laing (Mountain) is 63. Actor David Strathairn (streh-THEHRN') is 62. Alt-country singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams is 58. Rock singer-musician Eddie Van Halen is 56. Reggae musician Norman Hassan (UB40) is 53. Actress-comedian-talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is 53. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky is 50. Musician Andrew Ridgeley is 48. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jazzie B. (Soul II Soul) is 48. Actor Paul Johansson is 47. Gospel singer Kirk Franklin is 41. Actress Jennifer Crystal is 38. Rock musician Chris Hesse (Hoobastank) is 37. Actor Gilles Marini (ZHEEL ma-REE'-nee) is 35. NBA player Vince Carter is 34. Actress Sarah Rue is 33. Country musician Michael Martin (Marshall Dyllon) is 28.

Thought for today: "My experience of the world is that things left to themselves don't get right." -- T.H. Huxley, English biologist and author (1825-1895)

[Associated Press]

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