1. In 1781, the El Pueblo de Los Angeles was founded. This settlement would later become the present-day city of Los Angeles.

2. January 26, 1847 marked the end of the Mexican-American War in California with the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga. This treaty recognized California as a part of the United States and allowed for a peaceful transition of power.

3. In 1913, the historic Rose Bowl game was played for the first time on January 1st, but due to poor weather conditions the game was moved to January 26th. The game was won by the University of Washington Huskies over the Brown University Bulldogs with a score of 14-0.

4. On January 26, 1945, the USS Iwo Jima was commissioned in San Francisco Bay. This ship, named after the Battle of Iwo Jima, went on to serve in the Korean War and was decommissioned in 1993.

5. In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area on October 17th. However, the earthquake caused significant damage to the Bay Bridge and it was not reopened until January 26, 1990.