Historical Events on January 18

  • 1871: Although Wilhelm I of Germany was named Kaiser Wilhelm since the January 1st constitution, he was reluctant to accept it. He does except the title on this day when the proclamation is made in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles in France.
  • 1866: The Hockey Association is formed in England. This thereby marks the modern version of the sport.
  • 1911: Eugene B. Ely does an aviation first by landing his airplane on the USS Pennsylvania – a ship that was stationed in San Francisco Bay.
  • 1915: In an attempt to bolster its power in Asia, Japan issues China a list of 21 demands.
  • 1941: During WWII, British troops launch an attack against Italian East Africa.
  • 1943: Jew rise up against the Nazis in the first Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
  • 1945: The Soviets librate the city of Krakow, Poland during WWII.
  • 1967: The Boston Strangler – Albert DeSalvo – receives a sentence of life imprisonment.
  • 1977: A bacterium that went previously unidentified is identified by scientists as the cause of a mysterious disease known as Legionnaires Disease.
  • 1977: Over 80 people are killed in Granville, Sydney during a rail disaster marked as one of the worst in Australia’s history.
  • 1981: Two base jumpers, Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield, become the first two people to base jump from objects in 4 different categories when they jump off a skyscraper in Houston.
  • 1990: Mayor Marion Barry of Washington, D.C., is arrested in a Federal Bereau of Investigation sting for possession of drugs.
  • 2002: The Sierra Leone Civil War ends on this day.

Famous Birthdays on January 18

  • American politician and lawyer, Daniel Webster is born in 1782.
  • English author and poet, Henry Austin Dobson is born in 1840.
  • English author and playwright, A.A. Milne is born in 1882.
  • American actor and director, Kevin Costner is born in 1955.
  • NHL player, coach and sportscaster, Mark Messier is born in 1961.
  • American baseball player Brady Anderson is born in 1964.