Today is Friday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2018. There are 339 days left in the year.
In 1531, a major earthquake struck Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, followed by a tsunami and several strong aftershocks; an estimated 30,000 people died.
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 1837, Michigan became the 26th state.
In 1870, Virginia rejoined the Union.
In 1915, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Rocky Mountain National Park Act, which created America’s 10th national park.
In 1942, the first American Expeditionary Force to head to Europe during World War II arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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.
The Associated Press
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