THURSDAY, Jan. 29, 2026

474-Zeno is crowned co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire with his son Leo II (age 6 or 7)

661-Rashidun Caliphate, then the largest empire in history, ends with the death of its leader, Ali. Succeeded by the Umayyad Caliphate.

1595-William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet" is thought to have been first performed; officially published early 1597

1850-Senator Henry Clay drafts the Compromise of 1850 to defuse tensions between slave states and free states over territories won during the Mexican–American War

1886-Karl Benz patents the "Benz Patent-Motorwagen" in Karlsruhe, Germany, the world's first automobile with an internal combustion engine [1]

1892-The Coca-Cola Company is incorporated in Atlanta, Georgia

1896-American Emile Grubbe is the first doctor to use radiation treatment for breast cancer

2002-U.S. President George W. Bush in his State of the Union address describes "regimes that sponsor terror" as an "Axis of Evil," which includes Iraq, Iran, and North Korea