TODAY IN HISTORY - JANUARY 26TH

1826 – Julia Grant, American wife of Ulysses S. Grant, 19th First Lady of the United States (d. 1902) is born.

1837 – Michigan is admitted as the 26th U.S. state.

1838 – Tennessee enacts the first prohibition law in the United States

1861 – American Civil War: The state of Louisiana secedes from the Union.

1870 – American Civil War: Virginia rejoins the Union.

1880 – Douglas MacArthur, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1964) is born.

1911 – Glenn H. Curtiss flies the first successful American seaplane.

1915 – The Rocky Mountain National Park is established by an act of the U.S. Congress.

1918 – Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romanian general and politician, 1st President of Romania (d. 1989) is born.

1920 – Former Ford Motor Company executive Henry Leland launches the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer.

1925 – Paul Newman, American actor, director, race car driver, and businessman, co-founded Newman's Own (d. 2008) is born.

1930 – The Indian National Congress declares 26 January as Independence Day or as the day for Poorna Swaraj ("Complete Independence") which occurred 17 years later.

1932 – William Wrigley, Jr., American businessman, founded the Wrigley Company (b. 1861) dies.

1934 – The Apollo Theater reopens in Harlem, New York City.

1935 – Bob Uecker, American baseball player and sportscaster, Milwaukee Brewers, is born.

1942 – World War II: The first United States forces arrive in Europe landing in Northern Ireland.

1946 – Gene Siskel, American journalist and film critic (d. 1999) is born.

1949 – The Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory sees first light under the direction of Edwin Hubble, becoming the largest aperture optical telescope (until BTA-6 is built in 1976).

1955 – Eddie Van Halen, Dutch-American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Van Halen) is born.

1960 – Danny Heater sets a worldwide high school basketball scoring record when he records 135 points for his school team in Burnsville, West Virginia.

1961 – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player, "The Great One", and coach is born.

1961 – John F. Kennedy appoints Janet G. Travell to be his physician. This is the first time a woman holds the appointment of Physician to the President.

1967 – Col Needham, English businessman, co-founded the Internet Movie Database is born.

1978 – The Great Blizzard of 1978 strikes the Ohio – Great Lakes region with heavy snow and winds up to 100 mph (161 km/h).

1979 – Nelson Rockefeller, American businessman and politician, 41st Vice President of the United States (b. 1908) dies.

1992 – Boris Yeltsin announces that Russia will stop targeting United States cities with nuclear weapons.

1998 – Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had "sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

2001 – Al McGuire, American basketball player and coach (b. 1928) dies.

2004 – President Hamid Karzai signs the current Constitution of Afghanistan.

2015 – A giant snow storm hits much of the Northeastern United States.

2015 – Libby Lane becomes the first woman to be ordained a bishop of the Church of England.