India celebrates its 74th Republic Day today, 26 January. On this day in 1950, the country became a republic gaining full independence from the British Empire. Apart from this, a lot of significant events have taken place across the world over the years on 26 January. On this day in 1988, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s popular musical The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway, New York. On the same day in 2001, the Gujarat earthquake took the lives of more than 20,000 people. NBA legend Kobe Bryant, along with his 13-year-old daughter died in an unfortunate helicopter crash on 26 January 2020.
26 January- Historic Events:
India became a republic; 1950:
The State Emblem of India was established on 26 January 1950. It features a portrayal of the Lion Capital of Ashoka over the words “Satyameva Jayate.” The Lion Capital, which was initially situated atop the Ashoka Column at Sarnath and erected in 250 BC, served as the inspiration for the national emblem. On the same day, the Constitution of India also came into force.
The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway; 1988:
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, a musical version of Gaston Leroux’s melodramatic novel, debuted on Broadway in New York on 26 January 1988. Webber composed the piece by joining hands with lyricists Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. It was named the best musical at the Tony Awards and later went on to become the longest-running show in the history of Broadway theatre in 2006. In 2010, a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera opened in London.
Gujarat Earthquake; 2001:
On 26 January 2001, a massive earthquake hit Bhuj, Gujarat and resulted in considerable damage. Owing to the natural catastrophe, more than 20,000 people lost their lives while 167,000 people were injured. Numerous historic structures and popular tourist destinations were among the more than one million structures that were destroyed or damaged.
Nearly 40% of the residences, eight schools, two hospitals, and 4 km of road in Bhuj were demolished by the earthquake. It partially destroyed the city’s famous Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal forts as well as the Swaminarayan temple. More than 250 historic structures in Kutch and Saurashtra were examined by the Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which discovered that half of them had either collapsed or been severely damaged.
Death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant; 2020:
Renowned basketball player Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash on 26 January 2020. The NBA legend, accompanied by his 13-year-old daughter was going to attend a girls’ basketball game. The tragic incident took the lives of as many as 9 people onboard including Bryant and his daughter. Later that year, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Besides his illustrious career in the NBA, Bryant was also a member of the U.S. men’s basketball teams that won the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics.
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