What Happened on January 26?

January 26 is Australia Day, a national holiday of barbecues and beaches — and the day India's Constitution made it the world's biggest republic. It's also Michigan's statehood birthday!

• 1788 — The First Fleet raises Britain's flag at Sydney Cove

  Captain Arthur Phillip landed eleven ships carrying convicts and marines at Sydney Cove, founding the first permanent European settlement in Australia. Read the full story →

• 1837 — Michigan becomes the 26th U.S. state

  After agreeing to give up Toledo but gain the Upper Peninsula, Michigan joined the Union — trading one famous city dispute for millions of acres of wilderness. Read the full story →

• 1950 — India's Constitution takes effect — the world's largest republic is born

  Three years after independence, India adopted its constitution and became a sovereign republic, choosing the date to honor a 1930 independence pledge. Read the full story →

• 1962 — Ranger 3 launched toward the Moon

  NASA launched its first attempt at a Moon probe on January 26, 1962; a guidance error meant it missed the Moon — but it became the first American spacecraft in solar orbit. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Paul Newman (1925–2008) · Wayne Gretzky (1961) · Eddie Van Halen (1955–2020) · Ellen DeGeneres (1958)

Days & observances

Australia Day · International Customs Day · National Peanut Brittle Day