On Jan. 26, 2020, NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed when their helicopter plunged into a steep hillside in dense morning fog in Southern California; the former Lakers star was 41.

Also on this date:

1887: Groundbreaking began for the construction of the Eiffel Tower; the tower would be completed just over two years later.

1905: The Cullinan Diamond, at 3,106 carats (621.2 g) the largest diamond ever found, was discovered in South Africa.

1915: President Woodrow Wilson signed the act establishing Rocky Mountain National Park.

1950: The Constitution of India took effect, making the country the world’s largest democratic republic.

1993: Václav Havel was elected president of the newly formed Czech Republic.

1998: President Bill Clinton denied having an affair with a former White House intern, telling reporters, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”

2023: Israeli forces killed at least nine Palestinians and wounded several others in a large-scale raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

Today’s birthdays

Activist Angela Davis is 81. Actor David Strathairn (streh-THEHRN’) is 76. Football Hall of Famer Jack Youngblood is 75. Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams is 72. Singer Anita Baker is 67. Actor-comedian Ellen DeGeneres is 67. Hockey’s Wayne Gretzky is 64.