January 26th

'Octomom' Nadya Suleman of Whittier, Calif., gave birth to octuplets conceived by in vitro fertilization. Suleman was already a mother of six.

Confronted by Oprah Winfrey on her syndicated talk show, author James Frey acknowledged lies in his addiction memoir 'A Million Little Pieces.'.

Condoleezza Rice was sworn in as secretary of state.

President Hamid Karzai signed the new constitution of Afghanistan.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked the Indian state of Gujarat, killing more than 20,000 people.

In a TV statement, Bill Clinton denies having had “sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky”. On August 17, 1998, Clinton admitted to having had an “improper physical relationship” with Monica Lewinsky.

First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton testified before a grand jury connected to the Whitewater probe.

Former Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel was elected president of the new Czech Republic.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical 'Phantom of the Opera,' the longest-running show in Broadway history, opened at the Majestic Theater in New York.

Former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller died in New York at age 70.

India, three years after gaining its independence from the United Kingdom, formally became a republic.

Actor Paul Newman was born in Cleveland, Ohio.

The world's largest diamond is found in South Africa. The Cullinan Diamond weighed 3106.75 carats (621.35 g or 1.37 lb) and has an estimated value of 2 billion USD.

Virginia rejoined the Union.

Louisiana seceded from the Union.

Michigan became the 26th state in the United States.

Congress passed an act calling for a library to be established within the U.S. Capitol.

Captain Arthur Phillip and British colonists hoist the Union Flag at Sydney Cove, New South Wales, now celebrated as Australia Day.

The Council of Trent issued its conclusions in the Tridentinum, establishing a distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.

Lisbon hit by Earthquake. about 30,000 die

'Pentateuch' the Jewish Bible is 1st printed as a book in Bologna, Italy.