JANUARY 26TH

Today is Monday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2009.
There are 339 days left in the year.
This is the Lunar New Year.

Today's Highlight in History:

• On Jan. 26, 1788, the first European settlers in Australia, led by Capt. Arthur Phillip, landed in present-day Sydney.

On this date:

• In 1784, in a letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin expressed unhappiness over the choice of the eagle as the symbol of America, and stated his own preference: the turkey.
• In 1837, Michigan became the 26th state.
• In 1841, Britain formally occupied Hong Kong, which the Chinese had ceded to the British.
• In 1861, Louisiana seceded from the Union.
• In 1870, Virginia rejoined the Union.
• In 1942, the first American expeditionary force to go to Europe during World War II went ashore in 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 missed its target by more than 22,000 miles.
• In 1969, President Richard M. Nixon declared a federal disaster in California in the wake of major flooding.
• In 1979, former Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller died in New York at age 70.

Ten years ago:

• President Bill Clinton welcomed a frail Pope John Paul II as the pontiff began his seventh pilgrimage to the United States in St. Louis.
• Jordan's King Hussein turned over the temporary operation of his country to his eldest son and flew back to the United States for urgent medical care.

Five years ago:

• The White House retreated from its once-confident claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction; Democrats swiftly sought to turn the about-face into an election-year issue.
• Lionel Tate, the Florida teen who'd killed a 6-year-old playmate and became the youngest defendant in the nation to be locked away for life, was released after three years behind bars.
• At least 16 people were killed in the collapse of a building in Nasr City, Egypt.

One year ago:

• Barack Obama routed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the South Carolina primary.
• Maria Sharapova won the Australian Open, beating Ana Ivanovic 7-5, 6-3 for her third Grand Slam singles title.
• Mirai Nagasu became the second-youngest woman (after Tara Lipinski) to win the title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held in St. Paul, Minn.
• Christian Brando, the troubled eldest son of the late actor Marlon Brando, died in Los Angeles at age 49.
• Radical PLO leader George Habash died in Amman, Jordan, at age 81.

Today's Birthdays:

• Actress Anne Jeffreys is 86.
• Actress Joan Leslie is 84.
• Cartoonist Jules Feiffer is 80.
• Sportscaster-actor Bob Uecker is 74.
• Actor Scott Glenn is 70.
• Singer Jean Knight is 66.
• Activist Angela Davis is 65.
• Rock musician Corky Laing (Mountain) is 61.
• Actor David Strathairn is 60.
• Alt-country singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams is 56.
• Rock singer-musician Eddie Van Halen is 54.
• Reggae musician Norman Hassan (UB40) is 51.
• Actress-comedian-talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is 51.
• Hockey Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky is 48.
• Musician Andrew Ridgeley is 46.
• Rhythm-and-blues singer Jazzie B. (Soul II Soul) is 46.
• Actor Paul Johansson is 45.
• Gospel singer Kirk Franklin is 39.
• Actress Jennifer Crystal is 36.
• Rock musician Chris Hesse (Hoobastank) is 35.
• Actress Sarah Rue is 31.
• Country musician Michael Martin (Marshall Dyllon) is 26.

Thought for Today:

"Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking."
Albert Einstein, German-born physicist (1879-1955).

"Let's all be careful out there!"