Today in History

Today is Sunday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2014. There are 339 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 26, 1784, in a letter to his daughter Sarah (also called "Sally"), Benjamin Franklin expressed unhappiness over the choice of the bald eagle as the symbol of America, and stated his own preference: the turkey, calling it "a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America."

On this date:

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 1870, Virginia rejoined the Union.

In 1934, the 125th Street Apollo Theater opened in New York City's Harlem district.

In 1939, during the Spanish Civil War, rebel forces led by Gen. Francisco Franco captured Barcelona. Principal photography began for David O. Selznick's movie version of "Gone with the Wind."

In 1942, the first American Expeditionary Force to go 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.

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

In 1988, Australians celebrated the 200th anniversary of their country as a grand parade of tall ships re-enacted the voyage of the first European settlers. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Phantom of the Opera" opened at Broadway's Majestic Theater.

In 1993, Vaclav Havel was elected president of the newly formed Czech Republic.

In 1994, a scare occurred during a visit to Sydney, Australia, by Britain's Prince Charles as college student David Kang lunged at the prince, firing two blank shots from a starter's pistol. (Kang was later sentenced to 500 hours of community service.)

Ten years ago: The Bush administration 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 six-year-old playmate and became the youngest defendant in the nation to be locked away for life, was released after three years behind bars. (Tate is currently serving 30 years in prison for robbing a pizza delivery man in 2005, a crime which violated his probation in the murder case.) At least 16 people were killed in the collapse of a building in Nasr City, Egypt.

Five years ago: Timothy Geithner (GYT'-nur) was sworn in as the nation's 75th treasury secretary, less than an hour after winning Senate confirmation. The impeachment trial of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY'-uh-vich) opened in Springfield, with Blagojevich refusing to take part, saying the rules were biased against him. Nadya Suleman gave birth at Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center in California to six boys and two girls, the world's longest-surviving set of octuplets.