TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS THURSDAY, JAN. 26, the 26th day of 2017. There are 339 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1942, the first American Expeditionary Force to head to Europe during World War II arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
In 1784, in a letter to his daughter, Sarah, Benjamin Franklin expressed unhappiness over the choice of the bald eagle as the symbol of America, and stated his own preference: the turkey. 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 1915, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Rocky Mountain National Park Act, which created America’s 10th national park. In 1939, during the Spanish Civil War, rebel forces led by Gen. Francisco Franco captured Barcelona. 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 ended up missing its target by more than
22,000 miles.
In 1988, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Phantom of the Opera” opened at Broadway’s Majestic Theater.
In 1992, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton, appearing with his wife, Hillary, on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” acknowledged “causing pain in my marriage,” but said past problems were not relevant to the campaign.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Actress Anne Jeffreys is 94. Cartoonist Jules Feiffer is 88. Sportscaster-actor Bob Uecker is 82. Actor Scott Glenn is 78. Singer Jean Knight is 74. Activist Angela Davis is 73. Actor Richard Portnow is 70. Rock musician Corky Laing (Mountain) is 69. Actor David Strathairn is 68. Alt-country singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams is 64. Rock singer-musician Eddie Van Halen is 62. Actress-comedian-talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is 59. Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is 56. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jazzie B. (Soul II Soul) is 54. Gospel singer Kirk Franklin is 47. Actress Jennifer Crystal is 44. Rock musician Chris Hesse (Hoobastank) is 43. Gospel singer Tye Tribbett is 41. NBA player Vince Carter is 40. Actress Sarah Rue is 39. Country musician Michael Martin (Marshall Dyllon) is 34.