ON THIS DAY

Captain Arthur Phillip sailing into Sydney Harbour in 1788 and whacking a few prawns on the barbie wasn’t the only famous event on 26 January.

1808: Rum Rebellion, the only successful (albeit short-lived) armed takeover of the government in Australia.

1841: Britain formally occupies Hong Kong (handing it back to China on 1 July 1997)

1950: India becomes a republic

1966: The Beaumont children go missing from Glenelg beach in South Australia

1998: Bill Clinton makes his famous “I never had sexual relations with that woman” speech. Close, but no cigar … well, actually!

Famous birthdays:

US general Douglas MacArthur (1880), gangster Frank Costello (1891), Sound of Music’s Maria von Trapp (1905), Paul Newman (1925), Aussie cricket captain Kim Hughes (1954).