This Day in History: January 26, 2024

1788

The first European settlers landed in Sydney, Australia.
1802

Congress passed an act calling for establishment of a library within the US Capitol.
1837

Michigan became the 26th state in the United States.
1950

India, three years after gaining its independence from the United Kingdom, formally became a republic.
1979

Former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller died in New York at age 70.
1988

Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway. It would go on to become the longest-running Broadway show.
1993

Vaclav Havel was elected president of the new Czech Republic.
2001

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked the Indian state of Gujarat, killing more than 20,000 people.
2004

President Hamid Karzai signed the new constitution of Afghanistan.

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January 26