On This Day JANUARY18Today's Historical EventsEVENTS336 St Mark elected Catholic Pope350 Roman Emperor Constans is deposed by General Magnentius who proclaims himself the new Emperor474 Leo II briefly becomes Byzantine emperorBattleBattle of Interest532 Nika uprising against Emperor Justinian I in Constantinople fails, 30,000 killed by troops loyal to the Emperor in the HippodromeEastern Roman Emperor Justinian IEastern Roman EmperorJustinian I1126 Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chinese throne in favour of his son Qinzong1307 German king Albrecht I makes his son Rudolf King of Bohemia1478 Grand Duke Ivan II of Moscow occupies Novgorod1520 Christian II of Denmark & Norway defeats Swedes at Lake AsundeVictory in battleNew Settlement1535 Francisco Pizarro founds the city of Lima in PeruSpanish Conquistador Francisco PizarroSpanish ConquistadorFrancisco Pizarro1562 The Council of Trent is reopened by Pope Pius IV for its third (and final) session1591 King Naresuan of Siam kills Crown Prince Minchit Sra of Burma in single combat, date is now observed as Royal Thai Armed Forces day1644 Perplexed Pilgrims in Boston reported America's 1st UFO sighting1650 French Prince Louis II of Condé captured1691 English King William III travels to The Hague1701 Frederick I and Sophie Charlotte of Hanover crowned king and queen of Prussia1733 1st polar bear exhibited in America in Boston1776 James Wright, Royal Governor of Georgia, is placed under house arrest by Major Joseph Habersham1777 San Jose in California foundedEvent of interestEvent of Interest1778 Captain James Cook stumbles over Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands)Explorer James CookExplorerJames CookAppointmentAppointment of Interest1779 John Dickinson is appointed a delegate for Delaware to the Continental CongressFounding Father of the United States John DickinsonFounding Father of the United StatesJohn Dickinson1788 First elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from England to Australia arrives at Botany Bay to set up a penal colony1795 French admitted to Amsterdam without resistance1795 Governor and Viceroy Willem V flees Scheveningen to EnglandEvent of interestEvent of Interest1817 José de San Martín leads a revolutionary army over the Andes to attack Spanish royalists in ChileRevolutionary Leader José de San MartínRevolutionary LeaderJosé de San Martín1840 The Electro-Magnet, and Mechanics Intelligencer, 1st US electrical journal, appears1850 British blockade Piraeus, Greece, to enforce mercantile claims1854 Filibuster William Walker proclaims Republic of Sonora in NW Mexico1862 Confederate Territory of Arizona forms1865 Battle of Ft Moultrie, South Carolina1866 Wesley College is established in Melbourne1869 Elegant California Theater opens in San FranciscoThe German EmpireThe German Empire1871 Second German Empire proclaimed by Kaiser Wilhelm I and Otto von BismarckGerman Statesman Otto von BismarckGerman StatesmanOtto von Bismarck1884 General Charles Gordon departs London for Khartoum1884 Dr. William Price attempts to cremate the body of his infant son, Iesu Grist (Welsh for Jesus Christ) Price, setting a legal precedent for cremation in the United Kingdom1886 Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England1896 1st demonstration of an X-ray machine in US (NYC)1896 British troops occupy Kumasi, West Africa1896 First college basketball game with 5 players on each side is conducted by the University of Iowa; invites student athletes from University of Chicago for an experimental game; Chicago beats Iowa 15-121900 Jan Blockx's "Tÿl Uilenspiegel" premieres in Brussels1901 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Graves De Communi Re1902 Despite reports that favor the US building a route through Nicaragua for a canal, a 'supplementary report' recommends the route through Panama1903 The first transatlantic radio transmission to originate in the United States is sent by a transmitter in Massachusetts1905 French government of Combes falls1908 Frederick Delius' "Brigg Fair" premieres in London1911 1st shipboard landing of a plane (Tanforan Park to USS Pennsylvania)1913 Turkish-Greek sea battle near Troy1915 Train crashes at Colima-Guadalajara Mexico, about 600 die1915 Japan issues the "Twenty-One Demands" to the Republic of China in a bid to increase its power in East Asia.1916 A 611 gram chondrite type meteorite stikes a house near the village of Baxter in Stone County, Missouri1919 Bentley Motors Limited is founded1919 The Paris peace conference (aka the Versailles peace conference) opens to draw up the treaties formally ending the Great War (WWI)Event of interestEvent of Interest1919 Composer and musician Ignacy Jan Paderewski becomes Polish Prime MinisterPianist, Composer and Polish Prime Minister Ignacy Jan PaderewskiPianist, Composer and Polish Prime MinisterIgnacy Jan Paderewski1921 William Archer's "Green Goddess" premieres in NYC1922 Irish author Liam O'Flaherty & others occupy Rotunda in Dublin1923 1st radio telegraph message from Netherlands to Dutch East Indies1929 "NY Daily Mirror" columnist Walter Winchell debuts on radio1930 -27°F (-33°C), Watts, Oklahoma (state record)Music releaseMusic Premiere1930 Dmitri Shostakovich's satirical opera "The Nose" premieres in LeningradComposer Dmitri ShostakovichComposerDmitri Shostakovich1933 White Sands National Monument in New Mexico established1934 Eugene O'Neill's "Days Without End" premieres in NYC1938 Pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander is elected to Baseball Hall of Fame1941 World War II: A counter-offensive is launched by the British against the Italians in East Africa1942 Nazis arrest Frans Goedhart & Wiardi BeckmanSoviet UnionSiege of Leningrad1943 Soviets announce they have broken the long siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany by opening a narrow land corridor, though the siege would not be fully lifted until a year laterLearn More >>Two young girls help assemble Soviet submachine guns during the Siege of LeningradTwo young girls help assemble Soviet submachine guns during the Siege of Leningrad1943 US rations bread & metal - banning presliced bread reduce bakery demand for metal parts1944 1st Chinese naturalized US citizen since repeal of exclusion actsMusic concertMusic Concert1944 The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City hosts a jazz concert for the first time. The performers were Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden.Jazz Musician Louis ArmstrongJazz MusicianLouis Armstrong1945 Soviet Armed Forces enter Krakow, Poland and push Germans out, only to eventually occupy entire country1947 "Red Mill" closes at Ziegfeld Theater NYC after 831 performancesAgreementContract of Interest1947 Detroit Tigers sell Hank Greenberg to Pirates (for $25-35,000)Baseball Player Hank GreenbergBaseball PlayerHank Greenberg1947 Small river steamer sinks on Yangtze River, kills 4001948 1st courses begin at University of Ibadan, Nigeria1948 Ted Mack's "Original Amateur Hour" begins, DuMont (later NBC/ABC/CBS)1949 "They Stand Accused" courtroom drama premieres on CBS (later DuMont)1949 1st US Congressional standing committee headed by Negro (W Dawson)1950 Christopher Fry's "Venus Observed" premieres in London1950 Indians pitcher Bob Feller, after 15-14 season, takes $20,000 salary cut to $45,000, pay cut is Feller's own suggestion1951 1st use of lie detector in Netherlands1951 Hermann Flake sentenced to death due to "hate campaign against GDR"1951 NFL rules tackles, guards & centers ineligible for forward pass1951 NFL takes control of failing Baltimore Colts1951 1951 NFL Draft: Kyle Rote from SMU first pick by New York Giants1951 Mount Lamington in Papua New Guinea erupts, killing 2,942 people1954 Amintore Fanfani forms Italian government1955 Battle of Yijiangshan Islands between Chinese National Revolutionary Army and the People's Liberation ArmySport awardNBA All-Star Game1955 5th NBA All-Star Game, Madison Square Garden NYC: East beats West, 100-91; MVP: Bill Sharman, Boston Celtics, GNBA Guard Bill SharmanNBA GuardBill Sharman1956 German Democratic Republic (East Germany) forms own army (National People's Army)1957 3 B-52's set record for around-the-world flight, 45 hr 19 min1958 Willie O’Ree is the 1st African-American to appear in the NHL, making his debut for the Boston Bruins in a 3-0 victory in Montreal1960 US & Japan sign joint defense treaty1960 Capital Airlines Flight 20 crashes in Virginia, killing all 50 people on-board1961 Zanzibar's Afro-Shirazi party wins 1 seat by a single vote & parliament by a single seat1962 Southern University closed due to demonstrations1962 US begins spraying foliage in Vietnam to reveal Viet Cong guerrillas1962 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site1963 Reinier Paping wins Dutch 11-Cities Skating Race (10:59)Event of interestEvent of Interest1963 Al Davis becomes the head coach and general manager of the Oakland RaidersAmerican Football Coach and Executive Al DavisAmerican Football Coach and ExecutiveAl Davis1964 The Beatles make their first appearance on US Billboard Chart with single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at #451964 Plans for World Trade Center announced (NYC)1965 H L de Vries appointed Dutch governor of Suriname1966 Robert C Weaver, confirmed as 1st black cabinet member (HUD)Sport awardNHL All-Star Game1967 20th NHL All-Star Game, Montreal Forum, Montreal, QC: Montreal Canadiens beat All-Stars, 3-0; MVP: Henri Richard, Montreal, CIce Hockey Great Henri RichardIce Hockey GreatHenri Richard1967 Albert DeSalvo (Boston Strangler) sentenced to life in prison1967 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site1968 "Happy Time" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 286 performances1968 Hester & Appolinar's musical "Your Own Thing" premieres in NYC1968 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR1969 Expanded 4 party Vietnam peace talks began in Paris1969 United Airlines Flight 266 crashes into Santa Monica Bay, killing all 38 people on-board1970 Hasse Borjes skates world record 500m in 38.9 secSport awardNFL Pro Bowl1970 20th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: West beats East, 16-13; MVPs: Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears, HB; George Andrie, Dallas Cowboys, DENFL Running Back Gale SayersNFL Running BackGale Sayers1971 Ivan Koloff beats Bruno Sammartino in New York, to become WWF champ1971 Northern Ireland Prime Minister James Chichester-Clark meets British Home Secretary Reginald Maudling1972 Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Brian Faulkner bans all parades and marches in Northern Ireland until the end of the year1972 Garfield Todd, former Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia and his daughter Judith, supporters of black majority rule in the country, are arrestedSport awardNBA All-Star Game1972 22nd NBA All Star Game, The Forum, Inglewood, Ca: West beats East, 112-110: MVP: Jerry West, LA Lakers, G, hits a last-second, 20-foot game-winning jumperNBA Guard Jerry WestNBA GuardJerry West1973 Boston Red Sox sign Orlando Cepeda as 1st player signed as a DH1973 Islanders break 12 game losing streak, 20 game road winless streakEvent of interestEvent of Interest1973 John Cleese's final episode on "Monty Python's Flying Circus" on BBC TVActor, Comedian John CleeseActor, ComedianJohn CleeseComedian and Actor Michael PalinComedian and ActorMichael Palin1974 "$6 Million Man" starring Lee Majors premieres on ABC TV1974 Israel & Egypt sign weapons accord1975 "Jeffersons" spinoff from "All in the Family" premieres on CBS1976 Super Bowl X, Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, FL: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Dallas Cowboys, 21-17; MVP: Lynn Swann, Pittsburgh, WREvent of interestEvent of Interest1977 Pakistan cricket all-rounder Imran Khan takes 6 for 63 in the Australian 2nd innings for a match total of 12 to lead his side to an easy 8 wicket 3rd Test win in SydneyCricketer and Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran KhanCricketer and Prime Minister of PakistanImran Khan1977 Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious Legionnaires' disease.1977 Australia's worst rail disaster occurs in Sydney, killing 83 people1978 Geoff Boycott captains England for the 1st time, v Pakistan at Karachi1978 Roof of 3-yr-old Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut collapses (no injuries)1978 Thiokol conducts 2nd test firing of space shuttle's SRB1979 Peter Jenkins finishes "A Walk Across America" at Florence, Oregon1980 Gold reaches $1,000 an ounceMusic release#1 in the Charts1980 Pink Floyd's album "The Wall" hits #1Rock Bassist and Vocalist Roger WatersRock Bassist and VocalistRoger WatersSinger-songwriter and Producer David GilmourSinger-songwriter and ProducerDavid Gilmour1980 Studio 54 owners Steve Rubell & Ian Schrager sentenced to 3½ years in prison for tax evasion & fined $20,0001981 Iran accepts US offer of $7.9 billion in frozen assets1981 Punk singer Wendy O. Williams arrested in Milwaukee for on-stage obscenity (later cleared)1981 Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield become the first two people to BASE jump from objects in all four categories (buildings, cliffs, bridges, antennae) after parachuting off a Houston skyscraperEvent of interestEvent of Interest1981 Swedish tennis star Björn Borg claims his second straight ATP Masters Grand Prix title with a 6–4, 6–2, 6–2 win over Ivan Lendl at Madison Square Garden, NYCTennis Player Björn BorgTennis PlayerBjörn BorgTennis Player and Eight-Time Major Champion Ivan LendlTennis Player and Eight-Time Major ChampionIvan LendlEvent of interestEvent of Interest1983 IOC restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals (Pentathlon & Decathlon victories) 70 years after they were taken from him for being paid $25 in semi-pro baseballVersatile Athlete Jim ThorpeVersatile AthleteJim Thorpe1983 Dick Motta becomes the 5th NBA coach to record 600 wins as his Dallas Mavericks defeat the Golden State Warriors, 112-102 in Oakland1984 80th Islander & 3rd dual hat trick (Carroll & Bossy) 9-1 win1985 US renounces jurisdiction of World Court despite previous promise1986 24th Space Shuttle (61-C) Mission-Columbia 7-returns to Earth1986 AIDS charity record "That's What Friends are For" hits #11986 NY Lotto pays $30.5 million to one winner (#s are 19-20-27-34-41-46)1987 3rd Soap Opera Digest Awards - Days of Our Lives wins1988 Airliner crashes in SW China, killing all 108 on board1989 Astronomers discover pulsar in remnants of Supernova 1987A (LMC)1989 IBM announces earnings up 10.4% in 19881989 West Indies beat Australia in a rain-affected 3rd final in Sydney to win cricket's World Series Cup Tri-Series, 2-1; match reduced to 18 overs1990 South Africa says it is reconsidering ban on African National Congress1990 Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry arrested in drug enforcement sting1991 Iraq launches SCUD missiles against IsraelEvent of interestEvent of Interest1991 US acknowledges CIA and US Army paid Manuel Noriega $320,000 over his careerPanamanian General and Dictator Manuel NoriegaPanamanian General and DictatorManuel Noriega1991 WLAF's NY Knights become NY-NJ KnightsEvent of interestEvent of Interest1991 Longest tennis match at the Australian Open, Boris Becker beats Italy's Omar Camporese in 5 hours & 11 minsTennis Legend Boris BeckerTennis LegendBoris BeckerTennis Player Omar CamporeseTennis PlayerOmar Camporese1991 Eastern Air Lines goes out of business after 62 years, citing financial problems.Sport awardNHL All-Star Game1992 43rd NHL All-Star Game, Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA: Campbell beats Wales, 10-6; MVP: Brett Hull, St. Louis, RWNHL Legend Brett HullNHL LegendBrett HullFilm tv awardsGolden Globes1992 49th Golden Globes: Bugsy, Nick Nolte and Jodie Foster winActress Jodie FosterActressJodie Foster1992 Comedian Pat McCormick injured in a car accidentEvent of interestEvent of Interest1993 Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observed in all 50 states of the USA for 1st timeCivil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr.Civil Rights ActivistMartin Luther King Jr.1993 West Indies beat Australia 2-0 win cricket's World Series Cup1994 The Cando event, a possible bolide impact in Cando, Spain. Witnesses claim to have seen a fireball in the sky lasting for almost one minute.1995 Kumble takes 16-99 in match for Karnataka v KeralaBeatificationPapal Visit1995 Pope John Paul II begins visit to Australia264th Pope John Paul II264th PopeJohn Paul II1996 Baseball owners unanimously approve interleague play in 19971997 47th NHL All-Star Game, San Jose Arena, San Jose, CA: East beats West, 11-7; Mark Recchi, Montreal, RW1997 In north west Rwanda, Hutu militia members kill 3 Spanish aid workers, 3 soldiers and seriously wound one other.1997 Boerge Ousland of Norway becomes the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided1998 "Ragtime" opens at Ford Theater NYC1998 48th NHL All-Star Game, General Motors Place, Vancouver, BC: North America beats World, 8-7; MVP: Teemu Selanne, Anaheim, RW1998 ABL All-Star Game at Disney complex in Orlando1998 Boston Celtics retire Robert Parrish's #00Film tv awardsGolden Globes1998 55th Golden Globes: "Titanic", Peter Fonda, & Judi Dench winActress Judi DenchActressJudi DenchEvent of interestEvent of Interest1998 Larry Bird returns to Boston as head coach of the Indiana Pacers for the first time, as former Celtics center Robert Parish is honoured by having his No. 00 raised to the Fleet Center raftersNBA Legend Larry BirdNBA LegendLarry Bird2000 The Tagish Lake meteorite impacts the Earth.2001 New York's Mike Richter picks up his 267th career NHL win to become the winningest goaltender in team history; passes Ed Giacomin; Rangers beat the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-1 in overtime2002 Sierra Leone Civil War finally declared over.2003 A bushfire kills 4 people and destroys more than 500 homes in Canberra, Australia.2004 AFC Championship, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough: New England Patriots beat Indianapolis Colts, 24-142004 NFC Championship, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia: Carolina Panthers beat Philadelphia Eagles, 14-32005 The world's largest commercial jet, the Airbus A380, is unveiled in France2007 Hurricane Kyrill: kills at least 44 in Western Europe: strongest British storm in 17 years kills 14 people, worst German storm since 1999 with 13 deaths and causes container Ship MSC Napoli to be destroyed off coast of DevonUnited NationsUnited Nations2008 The United Nations announce George Clooney as a UN messenger of peaceActor George ClooneyActorGeorge Clooney2009 AFC Championship, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Baltimore Ravens, 23-142009 NFC Championship, University of Phoenix Stadium: Arizona Cardinals beat Philadelphia Eagles, 32-252012 Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) blackout becomes the largest protest in the history of the internetAgreementContract of Interest2013 Former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin is indicted on corruption charges stemming from post-Hurricane Katrina business contracts and bribesMayor of New Orleans Ray NaginMayor of New OrleansRay NaginEvent of interestEvent of Interest2013 Brandon Boyd announces his new band, Sons of the SeaMusician Brandon BoydMusicianBrandon BoydFilm tv awardsFilm Awards2014 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards: Matthew McConaughey and Cate Blanchett winActress Cate BlanchettActressCate BlanchettActor Matthew McConaugheyActorMatthew McConaughey2015 AB de Villiers makes the fastest century in ODI cricket history from 31 balls against the West Indies2015 AFC Championship, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough: New England Patriots beat Indianapolis Colts, 45-72015 NFC Championship, CenturyLink Field, Seattle: Seattle Seahawks beat Green Bay Packers, 28-22 (OT)2016 World's 62 richest people are now as wealthy as half the world's population according to a report published by OxfamHall of fameHall of Fame2017 Baseball Hall of Fame adds Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan RodriguezMLB Outfielder Tim RainesMLB OutfielderTim Raines2017 NASA and NOAA announce that 2016 was the hottest year on record, surpassing the previous record set in 2015 which itself topped a record set in 20142018 First drone rescue of swimmers by lifeguards in New South Wales, Australia2018 Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira rides the largest-ever wave by a female surfer at 20.72 m (68 ft) at Praia do Norte in Nazaréin, PortugalShare Share17 JanJan 19Articles on Events in JanuaryBritish Museum Opens its DoorsBritish Museum Opens its DoorsThe British Museum opened to visitors on January 15, 1759. Fearing damage to the collections by unruly hordes, nobody was admitted without a ticket.January 15, 1759 Designer Throws His Hat Into the Ring; Creates a SensationDesigner Throws His Hat Into the Ring; Creates a SensationThe first time a man stepped out in London wearing a topper it caused a sensation, then a court case. Who now could imagine Fred Astaire without his famous top hat?January 15, 1797 Squaring Up for Radio CommentarySquaring Up for Radio CommentaryThis was the day when the BBC broadcast live sports commentary for the first time and introduced a novel way of involving listeners in the action.January 15, 1927 War Victim Goes to Bottom of the PileWar Victim Goes to Bottom of the PileOne of the first to die in World War I fell not in the trenches of France but in a leafy lane in rural England. So should he be ranked alongside battle heroes?January 19, 1915Search the world's largest, most accurate site for today in history.Enter Date, Event or PersonAll