THURSDAY, Jan. 8, 2026

1656 -Oldest surviving commercial newspaper, "Weeckelycke Courante van Europa", now known as "Haarlems Dagblad", still in printed circulation begins publication in Haarlem, Netherlands

1790-First U.S. President George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address

1835-U.S. national debt is $0 for the first and only time in history

1912-Chiefs, representatives of people's and church organizations, and other prominent individuals form the African National Congress and declare its aim to bring all Africans together as one people to defend their rights and freedoms

1926-Abdulaziz Ibn Saud becomes King of Nejd and Hejaz, forerunner of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

1959-Charles de Gaulle inaugurated as president of France's 5th Republic

1964-President Lyndon B. Johnson declares "War on Poverty"

2016-Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announces the recapture of drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán six months after his escape from prison