January 26th

Today's Highlight in History:
On January 26th, 1950, India officially proclaimed itself a republic as Rajendra Prasad took the oath of office as president.

On this date:
In 1788, the first European settlers in Australia, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, landed in present-day Sydney.

In 1802, Congress passed an act calling for a library to be established within the US Capitol.

In 1837, Michigan became the 26th state.

In 1861, Louisiana seceded from the Union.

In 1870, Virginia rejoined the Union.

In 1911, the Richard Strauss opera "Der Rosenkavalier" premiered in Dresden, Germany.

In 1942, the first American expeditionary force to go to Europe during World War Two went ashore in Northern Ireland.

In 1962, the United States launched "Ranger Three" to land scientific instruments on the moon -- but the probe missed its target by some 22,000 miles.

In 1979, former Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller died in New York at age 70.

In 1998, President Clinton forcefully denied having an affair with a White House intern, telling reporters, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."

Ten years ago: Attorneys for deposed Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega challenged the jurisdiction of the US court system to try their client on drug-trafficking charges, and said Noriega should be declared a prisoner of war.

Five years ago: A little more than three weeks after Republicans took control of Congress, the House endorsed a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution designed to eliminate chronic federal deficits.

One year ago: President Clinton welcomed a frail Pope John Paul the Second 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.

"What we really are matters more than what other people think of us."

-- Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian statesman (1889-1964).