Years Ago

Today is Thursday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2012. There are 340 days left in the year.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

On this date in:

1788: The first European settlers in Australia, led by Capt. Arthur Phillip, land in present-day Sydney.

1837: Michigan becomes the 26th state.

1841: Britain formally occupies Hong Kong, which the Chinese had ceded to the British.

1861: Louisiana passes an Ordinance of Secession, becoming the sixth state to break free from the United States.

1870: Virginia rejoins the Union.

1911: The Richard Strauss opera “Der Rosenkavalier” (The Cavalier of the Rose) premieres in Dresden, Germany.

1939: During the Spanish Civil War, rebel forces led by Gen. Francisco Franco capture Barcelona.

1950: India officially proclaims itself a republic as Rajendra Prasad takes the oath of office as president.

1942: The first American Expeditionary Force to go to Europe during World War II arrives in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

VINDICATOR FILES

1987: Youngstown fire investigators and the Mahoning County coroner’s office investigate a fire in a North Side boarding home that killed three elderly women.

Two missed field goals in the Denver Broncos 39-20 loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXI “just shows you that in my business you can go from the penthouse to the outhouse real quick,” says Rich Karlis, a Salem native. The Broncos would not have been in the Super bowl except for a Karlis kick that beat the Cleveland Browns in the AFC championship.

A one-man show, “Clyde Singer’s New York,” is being prepared at the Butler Institute of American Art to honor the man who has worked at the Butler since 1940 and is the curator and assistant director.

1972: Warren Mayor Arthur Richards announces the appointment of 13 Warren residents to a mayoral advisory panel.

Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Co., one of the largest fire insurance writers in the area, announces it will reduce rates an average of 10 percent for homeowners coverage.

1962: John B. Morgan Jr. is elected president of the Youngstown Council of Churches.

Youngstown may lose a $102,200 federal grant for airport improvements unless it comes up with a matching share before the end of the year.

FBI agents raid a warehouse at 424 W. Rayen Ave., which they say has been used to store stolen loot from hijacked tractor-trailer rigs.

1937: More than 450 people are taken from their flood-swept homes in Warren and given shelter in downtown buildings and private homes.

Some 900 fight fans attend Ursuline’s benefit boxing match at Rayen-Wood Auditorium. Eight of the 11 bouts ended in knockouts.