Today in History

January 26, 1788

January 26, 1950

Australia Day and The Republic of India

January 26th is known as Anniversary Day or Foundation Day in Australia and commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships in 1788 and the founding of Sydney. The fleet of 11 ships left England on May 13, 1787 to establish a penal colony at Botany Bay, which upon arrival the captain deemed unsuitable. The region had been earlier explored by Captain Cook, but the British First Fleet, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, established the first permanent European settlement on the continent

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On January 26, 1950, the Indian constitution took effect, making the Republic of India the world's most populous democracy. Mohandas Gandhi's struggles to win Indian Independence bore fruit in what he called the "noblest act of the British nation." Its first leader, Jawaharlal Nehru was a follower of Ghandi yet led the young independent nation through wars with China and suppressed Indian states seeking autonomy. He died in 1964.

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