1778 – James Cook was the first known European to discover the Hawaiian Islands, which he named the “Sandwich Islands” on the 18th January 1778.
1788 – The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from England to Australia arrived at Botany Bay on the 18th January 1788.
1849 – Edmund Barton the Australian politician, judge and 1st Prime Minister of Australia was born on the 18th January 1949 (ded 1920).
1866 – Wesley College in Melbourne was established on the 18th January 1866.
1886 – Modern field hockey was born on the 18th January 1886, with the formation of The Hockey Association in England.
1892 – Oliver Hardy the American comedian and actor was born on the 18th January 1892 (died 1957).
1896 – An X-ray generating machine was exhibited for the first time on the 18th January 1896, by H.L. Smith.
1903 – President Theodore Roosevelt sent a radio message to King Edward VII on the 18th January 1903, becoming the first transatlantic radio transmission originating in the United States.
1910 – Kenneth E. Boulding the English economist was born on the 18th January 1910 (died 1993).
1911 – Eugene B. Ely landed on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania on the 18th January 1911, while it was stationed in San Francisco harbor, and was the first time an aircraft landed on a ship.
1916 – A 611 gram chondrite type meteorite hit a house near the village of Baxter in Stone County, Missouri on the 18th January 1916.
1919 – Bentley Motors Limited was founded on the 18th January 1919.
1932 – Robert Anton Wilson the American author was born on the 18th January 1932 (died 2007).
1933 – Ray Dolby the American engineer, businessman and founder of Dolby Laboratories was born on the 18th January 1933.
1944 – The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City hosted a jazz concert for the first time on the 18th January 1944. The performers were Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden.
1944 – Paul Keating the Australian politician and 24th Prime Minister of Australia was born on the 18th January 1944.
1954 – Tom Bailey the English singer-songwriter from Thompson Twins was born on the 18th January 1954.
1954 – Jagdish Mali the Indian photographer was born on the 18th January 1954 (died 2013).
1955 – Kevin Costner the American actor, singer, director, and producer was born on the 18th January 1955.
1955 – Fergus Martin the Irish painter was born on the 18th January 1955.
1973 – Anthony Koutoufides the Australian footballer was born on the 18th January 1973.
1977 – Scientists identified a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious Legionnaires’ disease on the 18th January 1977.
1977 – Australia‘s worst rail disaster occurred at Granville in Sydney on the 18th January 1977, killing 83 people.
1980 – Jason Segel the American actor, singer, and screenwriter was born on the 18th January 1980.
1981 – Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield parachuted off a Houston skyscraper on the 18th January 1981, becoming the first 2 people to BASE jump from objects in all 4 categories: buildings, antennae, spans (bridges), and earth (cliffs).
1985 – Dale Begg-Smith the Australian skier was born on the 18th January 1985.
1993 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was officially observed for the first time in all 50 states on the 18th January 1993.
1993 ~ Sean Keenan the Australian actor from Busselton, Western Australia was born on the 18th January 1993. Sean Keenan is best known for his leading role in Lockie Leonard filmed in Albany, and role as Gary Hennessey on Puberty Blues. YouTube video: Lockie Leonard ~ Series 1 Trailer…
1994 ~ Blue Heelers the Australian police drama series based at the fictional Mount Thomas police station in Victoria was 1st broadcast on the 18th January 1994, until the 4th June 2006. YouTube video: Blue Heelers – Extended Theme Song…
1997 – Boerge Ousland of Norway became the 1st person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided on the 18th January 1997.
2000 – The Tagish Lake meteorite impacted the Earth on the 18th January 2000.
2002 – Sierra Leone Civil War was finally declared over on the 18th January 2002.
2003 – A bushfire killed 4 people and destroys more than 500 homes in Canberra, Australia on the 18th January 2003.
2005 – The Airbus A380, the world’s largest commercial jet, is unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse, France
2007 – The strongest storm in the United Kingdom in 17 years killed 14 people on the 18th January 2007. Germany saw the worst storm since 1999 with 13 deaths. Hurricane Kyrill, causeed at least 44 deaths across 20 countries in Western Europe.
2012 – SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) was opposed online on the internet by Blackout on the 18th January 2012 (2012 Wikipedia blackout).
Today in History for the 18th January video produced by Associated Press
Associated Press official website: www.AP.org