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On This Day in History — January 18
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Highlights of January 18
- 2019 — An oil pipeline explosion killed 137 people in Tlahuelilpan, Mexico. Read more
- 1990 — In a sting operation conducted by the FBI, Marion Barry (pictured), the mayor of Washington, D.C., was arrested for possession of crack cocaine. Read more
- 1983 — Thirty years after his death, the International Olympic Committee presented commemorative medals to the family of American athlete Jim Thorpe, who had been stripped of his gold medals for playing semi-professional baseball before the 1912 Summer Olympics. Read more
- 1983 — Singaporean communist activist Tan Chay Wa was executed, leading to a much-publicised trial of his brother for engraving "subversive" material on the gravestone. Read more
- 1969 — In response to months of nationwide student protests, thousands of Japanese police stormed the University of Tokyo. Read more
- 1958 — Willie O'Ree of the Boston Bruins played his first game in the National Hockey League, becoming the first black Canadian to compete in the NHL. Read more
- 1958 — Members of the Lumbee tribe arrived to protest at a Ku Klux Klan rally near Maxton, North Carolina, which turned into an armed confrontation between the two groups (pictured). Read more
- 1956 — Iranian Shia cleric Navvab Safavi, founder of the fundamentalist group Fada'iyan-e Islam, was executed for attempting to assassinate Prime Minister Hossein Ala'. Read more
- 1951 — Construction of the United Nations Military Cemetery (pictured) began in Busan, South Korea. Read more
- 1943 — World War II: In Operation Iskra, the Red Army established a narrow land corridor to Leningrad, partially easing the protracted German siege of the city. Read more
- 1932 — The Alt Llobregat insurrection began with a miners' strike in Fígols and quickly spreads throughout central Catalonia. Read more
- 1915 — Japanese prime minister Ōkuma Shigenobu issued the Twenty-One Demands to China in a bid to increase Japan's power in East Asia. Read more
- 1871 — The German Empire was formed by the unification of previously independent German states, under the rule of Kaiser Wilhelm I. Read more
- 1788 — The armed tender HMS Supply, the first ship of the First Fleet, arrived at Botany Bay, Australia. Read more
- 1535 — Francisco Pizarro founded Ciudad de los Reyes (present-day Lima, Peru) as the capital of the lands he conquered for the Spanish crown. Read more
- 474 — The young child Leo II became the sole Byzantine emperor upon the death of his grandfather Leo I. Read more
Events
- 2026 — At least 45 people are killed and 292 others injured after two trains collide in Adamuz in the worst railway disaster in over a decade in Spain. Read more
- 2025 — The popular social media app, TikTok, is banned in the United States, after the passing of PAFACA. Read more
- 2023 — A helicopter crash in Ukraine leaves 14 people dead, including the country's Interior Minister, Denys Monastyrsky. Read more
- 2019 — An oil pipeline explosion near Tlahuelilpan, Hidalgo, Mexico, kills 137 people. Read more
- 2018 — A bus catches fire on the Samara–Shymkent road in Yrgyz District, Aktobe, Kazakhstan. The fire kills 52 passengers, with three passengers and two drivers escaping. Read more
- 2012 — More than 115,000 websites engage in an online protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act in the US.[citation needed] The websites involved viewed the laws as infringing on the right to free speech and many of them temporarily shut down in protest. Read more
- 2008 — The Euphronios Krater is unveiled in Rome after being returned to Italy by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Read more
- 2007 — The strongest storm in the United Kingdom in 17 years kills 14 people and Germany sees the worst storm since 1999 with 13 deaths. Cyclone Kyrill causes at least 44 deaths across 20 countries in Western Europe. Read more
- 2005 — The Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial jet, is unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse, France Read more
- 2003 — A bushfire kills four people and destroys more than 500 homes in Canberra, Australia. Read more
- 2002 — The Sierra Leone Civil War is declared over. Read more
- 1993 — Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is officially observed for the first time in all 50 US states. Read more
- 1990 — Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry is arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting. Read more
- 1988 — China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146 crashes near Chongqing Baishiyi Airport, killing all 98 passengers and 10 crew members. Read more
- 1986 — An Aerovías Sud Aviation Caravelle crashes on approach to Mundo Maya International Airport in Flores, Petén, Guatemala, killing all 94 people on board. Read more
- 1983 — The International Olympic Committee restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals to his family. Read more
- 1981 — Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield parachute off a Houston skyscraper, becoming the first two people to BASE jump from objects in all four categories: buildings, antennae, spans (bridges), and earth (cliffs). Read more
- 1978 — The European Court of Human Rights finds the United Kingdom's government guilty of mistreating prisoners in Northern Ireland, but not guilty of torture. Read more
- 1977 — Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announce they have identified a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious Legionnaires' disease. Read more
- 1977 — Australia's worst rail disaster occurs at Granville, Sydney, killing 83. Read more
- 1977 — SFR Yugoslavia's Prime minister, Džemal Bijedić, his wife and six others are killed in a plane crash in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Read more
- 1976 — Lebanese Christian militias kill at least 1,000 in Karantina, Beirut. Read more
- 1974 — A Disengagement of Forces agreement is signed between the Israeli and Egyptian governments, ending conflict on the Egyptian front of the Yom Kippur War. Read more
- 1972 — Members of the Mukti Bahini lay down their arms to the government of the newly independent Bangladesh, a month after winning the war against the occupying Pakistan Army. Read more
- 1969 — United Airlines Flight 266 crashes into Santa Monica Bay killing all 32 passengers and six crew members. Read more
- 1967 — Albert DeSalvo, the "Boston Strangler", is convicted of numerous crimes and is sentenced to life imprisonment. Read more
- 1960 — Capital Airlines Flight 20 crashes into a farm in Charles City County, Virginia, killing all 50 aboard, the third fatal Capital Airlines crash in as many years. Read more
- 1958 — Willie O'Ree, the first Black Canadian National Hockey League player, makes his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins. Read more
- 1945 — World War II: Liberation of Kraków, Poland by the Red Army. Read more
- 1943 — Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: The first uprising of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. Read more
- 1941 — World War II: British troops launch a general counter-offensive against Italian East Africa. Read more
- 1932 — Alt Llobregat insurrection breaks out in Central Catalonia, Spain. Read more
- 1919 — World War I: The Paris Peace Conference opens in Versailles, France. Read more
- 1919 — Ignacy Jan Paderewski becomes Prime Minister of the newly independent Poland. Read more
- 1915 — Japan issues the "Twenty-One Demands" to the Republic of China in a bid to increase its power in East Asia. Read more
- 1913 — First Balkan War: A Greek flotilla defeats the Ottoman Navy in the Naval Battle of Lemnos, securing the islands of the Northern Aegean Sea for Greece. Read more
- 1911 — Eugene B. Ely lands on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania anchored in San Francisco Bay, the first time an aircraft landed on a ship. Read more
- 1898 — British colonial engineer and estate manager William Claxton Peppé discovered the Buddha's remains in Piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh, India. Read more
- 1896 — An X-ray generating machine is exhibited for the first time by H. L. Smith. Read more
- 1886 — Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. Read more
- 1871 — Wilhelm I of Germany is proclaimed Kaiser Wilhelm in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles (France) towards the end of the Franco-Prussian War. Wilhelm already had the title of German Emperor since the constitution of 1 January 1871, but he had hesitated to accept the title. Read more
- 1866 — Wesley College is established in Melbourne, Australia. Read more
- 1806 — Jan Willem Janssens surrenders the Dutch Cape Colony to the British. Read more
- 1788 — The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from Great Britain to Australia arrive at Botany Bay. Read more
- 1778 — James Cook is the first known European to discover the Hawaiian Islands, which he names the "Sandwich Islands". Read more
- 1701 — Frederick I crowns himself King in Prussia in Königsberg. Read more
- 1670 — Henry Morgan captures Panama. Read more
- 1586 — The magnitude 7.9 Tenshō earthquake strikes Honshu, Japan, killing 8,000 people and triggering a tsunami. Read more
- 1562 — Pope Pius IV reopens the Council of Trent for its third and final session. Read more
- 1486 — King Henry VII of England marries Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, uniting the House of Lancaster and the House of York. Read more
- 1126 — Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chinese throne in favour of his son Emperor Qinzong. Read more
- 532 — Nika riots in Constantinople fail. Read more
- 474 — Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later. Read more
- 350 — General Magnentius is proclaimed emperor by Roman aristocrats discontent with the rule of emperor Constans. Read more
Born on January 18
- 2010 — Sophia Reid-Gantzert, Canadian actress and dancer Read more
- 2009 — Lumi Pollack, American actress Read more
- 2003 — Wendy Shongwe, South African sprinter and soccer player Read more
- 2002 — Anastasia Zakharova, Russian tennis player Read more
- 2002 — Ki-Jana Hoever, Dutch footballer Read more
- 2002 — Karim Adeyemi, German footballer Read more
- 1999 — Karan Brar, American actor Read more
- 1999 — Tee Higgins, American football player Read more
- 1999 — Djorkaeff Reasco, Ecuadorian footballer Read more
- 1999 — Gary Trent Jr., American basketball player Read more
- 1999 — Mateus Ward, American actor Read more
- 1998 — Aitana Bonmatí, Spanish footballer Read more
- 1998 — Lisandro Martínez, Argentinian footballer Read more
- 1998 — Éder Militão, Brazilian footballer Read more
- 1997 — Emil Audero, Indonesian footballer Read more
- 1997 — Denis Malgin, Swiss ice hockey player Read more
- 1996 — Sarah Gilman, American actress Read more
- 1995 — Bryce Alford, American basketball player Read more
- 1995 — Leonard Fournette, American football player Read more
- 1995 — Samu Castillejo, Spanish footballer Read more
- 1994 — Max Fried, American baseball player Read more
- 1994 — Kang Ji-young, South Korean singer Read more
- 1994 — Ilona Kremen, Belarusian tennis player Read more
- 1993 — Sean Keenan, Australian actor Read more
- 1993 — Juan Fernando Quintero, Colombian footballer Read more
- 1992 — Francesco Bardi, Italian footballer Read more
- 1991 — Douglas Wreden, a.k.a. DougDoug, American streamer Read more
- 1990 — Gorgui Dieng, Senegalese basketball player Read more
- 1990 — Hayle Ibrahimov, Ethiopian-Azerbaijani runner Read more
- 1990 — Brett Lawrie, Canadian baseball player Read more
- 1990 — Nacho, Spanish footballer Read more
- 1990 — Gift Ngoepe, South African baseball player Read more
- 1990 — Alex Pietrangelo, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1990 — Zeeko Zaki, Egyptian-American actor Read more
- 1989 — Rubén Miño, Spanish footballer Read more
- 1989 — Michael Pineda, Dominican baseball player Read more
- 1988 — Ronnie Day, American singer-songwriter Read more
- 1988 — Angelique Kerber, German tennis player Read more
- 1988 — Anastasios Kissas, Greek footballer Read more
- 1988 — Ashleigh Murray, American actress and singer Read more
Died on January 18
- 2025 — Claire van Kampen, English director and composer (born 1953) Read more
- 2023 — David Crosby, American singer-songwriter (born 1941) Read more
- 2022 — Francisco Gento, Spanish football player (born 1933) Read more
- 2022 — Yvette Mimieux, American actress (born 1942) Read more
- 2022 — André Leon Talley, American fashion journalist (born 1948) Read more
- 2019 — John Coughlin, American figure skater (born 1985) Read more
- 2019 — Lamia Al-Gailani Werr, Iraqi archaeologist (born 1938) Read more
- 2017 — Peter Abrahams, South African-Jamaican writer (born 1919) Read more
- 2017 — Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Baroness Heyhoe Flint, English cricketer, businesswoman and philanthropist (born 1939) Read more
- 2017 — Roberta Peters, American coloratura soprano (born 1930) Read more
- 2016 — Johnny Bach, American basketball player and coach (born 1924) Read more
- 2016 — Glenn Frey, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (born 1948) Read more
- 2016 — T. S. Sinnathuray, Judge of the High Court of Singapore (born 1930) Read more
- 2016 — Michel Tournier, French journalist and author (born 1924) Read more
- 2015 — Alberto Nisman, Argentinian lawyer and prosecutor (born 1963) Read more
- 2015 — Christine Valmy, Romanian cosmetologist and author (born 1926) Read more
- 2015 — Piet van der Sanden, Dutch journalist and politician (born 1924) Read more
- 2015 — Tony Verna, American director and producer, invented instant replay (born 1933) Read more
- 2014 — Kathryn Abbe, American photographer and author (born 1919) Read more
- 2014 — Michael Botmang, Nigerian politician, 17th Governor of Plateau State (born 1938) Read more
- 2014 — Dennis Frederiksen, American singer-songwriter (born 1951) Read more
- 2014 — Andy Graver, English footballer (born 1927) Read more
- 2014 — Sarah Marshall, English actress (born 1933) Read more
- 2014 — Eugenio Cruz Vargas, Chilean poet and painter (born 1923) Read more
- 2013 — Sean Fallon, Irish footballer and manager (born 1922) Read more
- 2013 — Jim Horning, American computer scientist and academic (born 1942) Read more
- 2013 — Jon Mannah, Australian rugby league player (born 1989) Read more
- 2013 — Lewis Marnell, Australian skateboarder (born 1982) Read more
- 2013 — Ron Nachman, Israeli lawyer and politician (born 1942) Read more
- 2012 — Anthony Gonsalves, Indian composer and educator (born 1927) Read more
- 2012 — Georg Lassen, German captain (born 1915) Read more
- 2012 — Yuri Rasovsky, American playwright and producer, founded The National Radio Theater of Chicago (born 1944) Read more
- 2011 — Sargent Shriver, American politician and diplomat, 21st United States Ambassador to France (born 1915) Read more
- 2010 — Kate McGarrigle, Canadian musician and singer-songwriter (born 1946) Read more
- 2010 — Robert B. Parker, American author and academic (born 1932) Read more
- 2009 — Tony Hart, English painter and television host (born 1925) Read more
- 2009 — Nora Kovach, Hungarian-American ballerina (born 1931) Read more
- 2009 — Danai Stratigopoulou, Greek singer-songwriter (born 1913) Read more
- 2009 — Grigore Vieru, Romanian poet and author (born 1935) Read more
- 2008 — Georgia Frontiere, American businesswoman and philanthropist (born 1927) Read more
Holidays & observances
Christian feast day:
Amy Carmichael (Church of England); Christian feast day:
Athanasius of Alexandria (Eastern Orthodox Church); Christian feast day:
Confession of Peter (Eastern Orthodox, some Anglican and Lutheran Churches); Christian feast day:
Deicolus; Christian feast day:
Margaret of Hungary; Christian feast day:
Prisca; Christian feast day:
Blessed Regina Protmann; Christian feast day:
Volusianus of Tours; Christian feast day:
January 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Royal Thai Armed Forces Day (Thailand)
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “January 18”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.