Who are famous people born on January 18?

Famous people born on January 18 include: Sophia Reid-Gantzert, Wendy Shongwe, Anastasia Zakharova.

What famous people died on January 18?

Notable historical figures who died on January 18 include: Claire van Kampen, David Crosby, Francisco Gento.

January 18 in History

Q: What happened on January 18 in history?

On January 18, 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.

53 events 350 – 2026

January 18 spans 53 recorded events across recorded history — from 350 – 2026. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · January 18 — Wikipedia

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

Did you know

The Madrid–Seville high-speed rail line was last refurbished in May 2025, just 8 months before the disaster.

Did you know

The incident occurred in the municipality of Adamuz, in the province of Córdoba, Spain, on 18 January 2026.

Did you know

A preliminary investigation by the Civil Guard found that the rail breakage was likely due to a poor weld stemming from use of an improper kit.

Did you know

The crash was Spain's worst railway disaster since the Santiago de Compostela derailment in 2013, which killed 79 people.

Did you know

The line reopened for service on 17 February 2026 after a month of repairs and testing, following the deadly accident.

General Magnentius is proclaimed emperor by Roman aristocrats discontent with the rule of emperor Constans.

Roman usurper

Magnus Magnentius was a Roman general and usurper against Constantius II. Of Germanic descent, Magnentius served with distinction in Gaul, where the army chose him as a replacement for the unpopular emperor Constans. Acclaimed Augustus on 18 January 350, Magnentius quickly killed Constans and gained control over most of the Western Empire. The Eastern emperor Constantius II, brother of Constans, refused to acknowledge Magnentius's legitimacy, leading to three years of civil war. Decisively defeated at the Battle of Mons Seleucus, Magnentius killed himself on 10 August 353.

350

Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor.

He dies ten months later.

Leo II, called the Younger, briefly reigned as a child emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire from 473 to 474. He was the son of Zeno, the Isaurian general and future emperor, and Ariadne, a daughter of the emperor Leo I. Leo II was made co-emperor with his grandfather Leo I on 17 November 473, and became sole emperor on 18 January 474 after Leo I died of dysentery. His father Zeno was made co-emperor by the Byzantine Senate on 29 January, and they co-ruled for a short time before Leo II died in late 474. He is sometimes surnamed with the epithet "the Small", probably to distinguish him from his grandfather and augustus Leo I.

474

Nika riots in Constantinople fail.

532 Byzantine revolt against Justinian I

The Nika riots, Nika revolt or Nika sedition took place against Byzantine emperor Justinian I in Constantinople over the course of a week in 532 AD. They are often regarded as the most violent riots in the city's history, with nearly half of Constantinople being burned or destroyed and tens of thousands of people killed.

532

Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chinese throne in favour of his son Emperor Qinzong.

Emperor of China from 1100 to 1126

Emperor Huizong of Song, personal name Zhao Ji, was the eighth emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the penultimate emperor of the Northern Song dynasty. He was also a very well-known painter, poet and calligrapher. Born as the 11th son of Emperor Shenzong, he ascended the throne in 1100 upon the death of his elder brother and predecessor, Emperor Zhezong, because Emperor Zhezong's only son died prematurely. He lived in luxury, sophistication and art in the first half of his life. In 1126, when the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty invaded the Song dynasty during the Jin–Song Wars, Emperor Huizong abdicated and passed on his throne to his eldest son, Zhao Huan while Huizong assumed the honorary title of Taishang Huang. The following year, the Song capital, Bianjing, was conquered by Jin forces in an event historically known as the Jingkang Incident. Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong and the rest of their family were taken captive by the Jurchens and brought back to the Jin capital, Huining Prefecture in 1128. The Emperor Taizong of Jin, gave the former Emperor Huizong a title, Duke Hunde, to humiliate him. After Zhao Gou, the only surviving son of Huizong to avoid capture by the Jin, declared himself as the dynasty's tenth emperor as Emperor Gaozong, the Jurchens used Huizong, Qinzong, and other imperial family members to put pressure on Gaozong and his court to surrender. Emperor Huizong died in Wuguocheng after spending about nine years in captivity. He, along with his successors, were blamed for the Song dynasty's decline.

1126

King Henry VII of England marries Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, uniting the House of Lancaster and the House of York.

King of England from 1485 to 1509

Henry VII, also known as Henry Tudor, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.

1486

Pope Pius IV reopens the Council of Trent for its third and final session.

Head of the Catholic Church from 1559 to 1565

Pope Pius IV, born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death, in December 1565.

1562

The magnitude 7.9 Tenshō earthquake strikes Honshu, Japan, killing 8,000 people and triggering a tsunami.

Earthquake in Japan

The Tenshō earthquake occurred in Japan on January 18, 1586, at 23:00 local time. This earthquake had an estimated seismic magnitude of 7.9, and an epicenter in Honshu's Chūbu region. It caused an estimated 8,000 fatalities and damaged 10,000 houses across the prefectures of Toyama, Hyōgo, Kyōto, Osaka, Nara, Mie, Aichi, Gifu, Fukui, Ishikawa and Shizuoka. Historical documentation of this earthquake was limited because it occurred during the tumultuous Sengoku period.

1586

Henry Morgan captures Panama.

Welsh privateer, politician in Jamaica (1635–1688)

Sir Henry Morgan was a Welsh privateer, plantation owner and, later, the lieutenant governor of Jamaica. From his base in Port Royal, Jamaica, he and those under his command raided settlements and shipping on the Spanish Main, from which he profited. With the prize money and plunder from these raids, Morgan purchased three large sugar plantations in Jamaica.

1670

Frederick I crowns himself King in Prussia in Königsberg.

Ruler of Brandenburg–Prussia from 1688 to 1713

Frederick I, of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and Duke of Prussia in personal union (Brandenburg–Prussia). The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia (1701–1713). From 1707 he was also Prince of Neuchâtel.

1701

James Cook is the first known European to discover the Hawaiian Islands, which he names the "Sandwich Islands".

British explorer and naval officer (1728–1779)

Captain James Cook was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer who led three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans between 1768 and 1779. He completed the first recorded circumnavigation of the main islands of New Zealand, and led the first recorded visit by Europeans to the east coast of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands.

1778

The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from Great Britain to Australia arrive at Botany Bay.

11 British ships establishing an Australian penal colony

The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the European colonisation of Australia. It consisted of two Royal Navy vessels, three storeships and six convict transports under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip. On 13 May 1787, the ships, with over 1,400 convicts, marines, sailors, colonial officials, and free settlers onboard, left Portsmouth and travelled over 24,000 kilometres and over 250 days before arriving in Botany Bay, New South Wales, on 18 January 1788. Governor Arthur Phillip rejected Botany Bay, choosing instead Port Jackson to the north as the site for the new colony; the Fleet arrived there on 26 January 1788. The Fleet established the Colony of New South Wales as a penal colony; the first British settlement in Australia.

1788

Jan Willem Janssens surrenders the Dutch Cape Colony to the British.

Dutch military officer, colonial administrator and statesman (1762–1838)

Jonkheer Jan Willem Janssens GCMWO was a Dutch military officer, colonial administrator and statesman who served both as the governor of the Dutch Cape Colony and governor-general of the Dutch East Indies.

1806

Wesley College is established in Melbourne, Australia.

Independent school in Victoria, Australia

Wesley College is a co-educational, open-entry private school in Melbourne, Australia. Established in 1866, the college is the only school in Victoria to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) from early childhood to Year 12.

1866

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.

Wilhelm I was King of Prussia from 1861 and German Emperor from 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the first head of state of a united Germany. He was regent of Prussia from 1858 to 1861 for his elder brother, King Frederick William IV. During the reign of his grandson Wilhelm II, he was known as Emperor Wilhelm the Great.

1871

Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England.

Team sport played with sticks and a ball

Field hockey, or simply hockey in Asia, Europe, Oceania and Africa, is a fast-paced team sport in which two teams of eleven players use curved sticks to maneuver a small, hard hockey ball towards the rival team's shooting circle and then into the goal. The team with the most goals at the end of play wins the match.

1886

An X-ray generating machine is exhibited for the first time by H.

L. Smith.

An X-ray is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 nanometers to 10 picometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range of 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz (3×1016 Hz to 3×1019 Hz) and photon energies in the range of 100 eV to 100 keV, respectively.

1896

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.

Eugene Burton Ely was an American aviation pioneer, credited with the first shipboard aircraft takeoff and landing.

1911

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.

1912–1913 war between the Balkan League and the Ottoman Empire

The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The Balkan states' combined armies overcame the initially numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, achieving rapid success.

1913

Japan issues the "Twenty-One Demands" to the Republic of China in a bid to increase its power in East Asia.

1915 Japanese set of demands to China

The Twenty-One Demands was a set of demands made during the First World War by the Empire of Japan under Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu to the government of the Republic of China on 18 January 1915. The secret demands would greatly extend Japanese control of China. Japan would keep the former German leased territory it had conquered at the start of World War I in 1914 and would have increased influence in Manchuria and Inner Mongolia while having an expanded role in railways. The most extreme demands would give Japan a decisive voice in finance, policing, and government affairs: the latter would make China in effect a protectorate of Japan, and thereby reduce Western influence.

1915

World War I: The Paris Peace Conference opens in Versailles, France.

1914–1918 global conflict

World War I, or the First World War, also known as The Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Central Powers. Major areas of conflict included Europe and the Middle East, as well as parts of Africa and the Asia-Pacific. The war saw important developments in weaponry including tanks, aircraft, artillery, machine guns, and chemical weapons. One of the deadliest conflicts in history, it resulted in an estimated 15 to 22 million military and civilian casualties and genocide. The movement of large numbers of people was a major factor in the deadly Spanish flu pandemic.

1919

Ignacy Jan Paderewski becomes Prime Minister of the newly independent Poland.

Polish pianist, composer, intellectual and statesman (1860–1941)

Ignacy Jan Paderewski was a Polish pianist, composer, philanthropist, and statesman. As a politician and diplomat, Paderewski was vital to securing international recognition of the newly formed Second Polish Republic in 1919. A musical virtuoso, he rose to prominence as a musician and composer in the late 1880s and toured widely in Europe and the United States. He wrote orchestral, instrumental, and vocal works and an opera, Manru, which remains the only opera by a Polish composer performed by the Metropolitan Opera.

1919

Alt Llobregat insurrection breaks out in Central Catalonia, Spain.

1932 general strike in Catalonia, Spain

The Alt Llobregat insurrection was a revolutionary general strike which took place in central Catalonia, in the northeast of Spain, in January 1932. Initially organised as a wildcat strike by miners in Fígols, who were protesting against low wages and poor working conditions, it soon turned into a general revolt and spread throughout the region. Workers seized local institutions, disarmed the police and proclaimed libertarian communism, all without any killing taking place. Within a week, the rebellion was suppressed by the Spanish Army. A subsequent rebellion in Aragon was also suppressed. In the wake of the insurrection, many anarchist activists were imprisoned or deported. The suppression of the insurrection caused a split in the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo, with its radical faction ultimately taking control of the organisation and the moderate faction splitting off to form the Syndicalist Party. Further insurrections were carried out by CNT activists in January and December 1933.

1932

World War II: British troops launch a general counter-offensive against Italian East Africa.

1939–1945 global conflict

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

1941

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: The first uprising of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Jewish insurgency against Nazi Germany in German-occupied Poland during World War II

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was an uprising by the Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto in German-occupied Poland during World War II to oppose Nazi Germany's final effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to the gas chambers of the Majdanek and Treblinka extermination camps in 1943. It was the largest single revolt by Jews against the Nazis during World War II.

1943

World War II: Liberation of Kraków, Poland by the Red Army.

City in Poland

Kraków, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 (2023), with 1,428,363 people living in the Kraków metropolitan area. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 and has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life. Its Old Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, one of the world's first sites granted the status.

1945

Willie O'Ree, the first Black Canadian National Hockey League player, makes his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins.

Canadian ice hockey player (born 1935)

William Eldon O'Ree is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player from Fredericton, New Brunswick. He is widely recognized for being the first black player in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing as a winger for the Boston Bruins. His accomplishment of breaking the colour barrier in the NHL has led him to sometimes be referred to as the "Jackie Robinson of hockey," whom he had the chance to meet when he was younger. In 2018, O'Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and starting that year the NHL has introduced the annual Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award in his honour.

1958

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.

1960 aviation accident

Capital Airlines Flight 20 was a U.S. scheduled passenger flight from Washington, D.C. to Norfolk, Virginia. A Vickers Viscount flying the route crashed into a farm in Charles City County, Virginia, on January 18, 1960. The accident was the fourth fatal crash involving a Capital Viscount in less than two years; the first three were Capital Airlines Flight 67, Capital Airlines Flight 300 and Capital Airlines Flight 75.

1960

Albert DeSalvo, the "Boston Strangler", is convicted of numerous crimes and is sentenced to life imprisonment.

American rapist and suspected serial killer (1931–1973)

Albert Henry DeSalvo, also known as the Green Man or the Measuring Man, was an American murderer and rapist who was active in Boston, Massachusetts, in the early 1960s. He is known for having confessed to being the "Boston Strangler," a serial killer who murdered thirteen women in the Boston area between 1962 and 1964. Due to physical evidence, DeSalvo's confession was believed, yet he was only prosecuted in 1967 for a series of unrelated rapes, for which he was convicted and imprisoned until his murder in 1973. DeSalvo's claims to have murdered multiple women were disputed, and debates continued regarding which crimes he truly had committed.

1967

United Airlines Flight 266 crashes into Santa Monica Bay killing all 32 passengers and six crew members.

1969 aviation accident

United Airlines Flight 266 was a scheduled passenger flight from Los Angeles International Airport, California, to General Mitchell International Airport, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, via Stapleton International Airport, Denver, Colorado. On January 18, 1969, at approximately 18:21 PST, the Boeing 727 operating the flight crashed into Santa Monica Bay, Pacific Ocean, about 11.5 miles (18.5 km) west of Los Angeles International Airport, four minutes after takeoff, killing all 38 on board.

1969

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.

Bangladeshi guerrilla movement

The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the East Pakistani military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Bangladesh Liberation War that turned East Pakistan into Bangladesh in 1971.

1972

A Disengagement of Forces agreement is signed between the Israeli and Egyptian governments, ending conflict on the Egyptian front of the Yom Kippur War.

Country in West Asia

Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest. Israel illegally occupies the West Bank and the Gaza Strip of the Palestinian territories, as well as the Syrian Golan Heights. Israel's western coast lies on the Mediterranean Sea, its southern tip reaches the Red Sea, and to the east is Earth's lowest point near the Dead Sea. Jerusalem is the government seat and proclaimed capital, while Tel Aviv is Israel's largest urban area and economic centre.

1974

Lebanese Christian militias kill at least 1,000 in Karantina, Beirut.

Christianity has a long and continuous history in Lebanon. Biblical scriptures show that Peter and Paul evangelized the Phoenicians, leading to the dawn of the ancient Patriarchate of Antioch. As such, Christianity in Lebanon is as old as the Christian faith itself. Christianity spread slowly in Lebanon due to pagans who resisted conversion, but it ultimately spread throughout the country. Even after centuries of living under Muslim empires, Christianity remains the dominant faith of the Mount Lebanon region and has substantial communities elsewhere.

1976

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.

United States government public health agency

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

1977

Australia's worst rail disaster occurs at Granville, Sydney, killing 83.

1977 train derailment in Australia

The Granville rail disaster occurred on Tuesday 18 January 1977 at Granville, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, when a crowded commuter train derailed, running into the supports of a road bridge that collapsed onto two of the train's passenger carriages.

1977

SFR Yugoslavia's Prime minister, Džemal Bijedić, his wife and six others are killed in a plane crash in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1992

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, and commonly referred to as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It was established in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, dissolving amid the onset of the Yugoslav Wars. Spanning an area of 255,804 square kilometres (98,766 sq mi) in the Balkans, Yugoslavia was bordered by the Adriatic Sea and Italy to the west, Austria and Hungary to the north, Bulgaria and Romania to the east, and Albania and Greece to the south. It was a one-party socialist state and federation governed by the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, and had six constituent republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. Within Serbia was the Yugoslav capital city of Belgrade as well as two autonomous Yugoslav provinces: Kosovo and Vojvodina.

1977

The European Court of Human Rights finds the United Kingdom's government guilty of mistreating prisoners in Northern Ireland, but not guilty of torture.

Supranational court of the Council of Europe

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a contracting state has breached one or more of the human rights enumerated in the convention or its optional protocols to which a member state is a party. The court is based in Strasbourg, France.

1978

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).

Sport of jumping from fixed objects using a parachute

BASE jumping is the sport of jumping from fixed objects, using a parachute to descend to the ground. BASE is an acronym that stands for four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: buildings, antennas, spans (bridges) and earth (cliffs). Participants jump from a fixed object such as a cliff and after an optional freefall delay deploy a parachute to slow their descent and land. A popular form of BASE jumping is wingsuit BASE jumping.

1981

The International Olympic Committee restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals to his family.

Governing body of Olympic sports

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The IOC is the authority responsible for organising the Summer, Winter, and Youth Olympics. The IOC is also the governing body of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the worldwide Olympic Movement, which includes all entities and individuals involved in the Olympic Games. As of 2020, 206 NOCs officially were recognised by the IOC. Since 2025, the IOC president has been Kirsty Coventry.

1983

An Aerovías Sud Aviation Caravelle crashes on approach to Mundo Maya International Airport in Flores, Petén, Guatemala, killing all 94 people on board.

Guatemalan airline

Aerovías is a defunct private passenger and cargo airline formerly based in Guatemala La Aurora International Airport founded by Jimmy K Hall. It was the first private airline in Guatemala. It was operational between 1977 and 1998. While one of their Heralds 206s aircraft was stored at La Aurora International Airport, their two Aérospatiale N 262s went to RACSA airlines.

1986

China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146 crashes near Chongqing Baishiyi Airport, killing all 98 passengers and 10 crew members.

1988 aviation accident

China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146 was a domestic flight from Beijing Capital International Airport to Chongqing Baishiyi Airport. On 18 January 1988, an Ilyushin Il-18 flying the route crashed near Longfengxinmin Village, Chongqing, China, with the loss of all 108 passengers and crew. The crash was caused by poor maintenance.

1988

Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry is arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting.

Mayor of the District of Columbia (1979–1991; 1995–1999)

Marion Shepilov Barry was an American politician who served as mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991 and 1995 to 1999. A Democrat, Barry had served three tenures on the Council of the District of Columbia, representing as an at-large member from 1975 to 1979, in Ward 8 from 1993 to 1995, and again from 2005 to 2014.

1990

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Day is officially observed for the first time in all 50 US states.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the third Monday of January each year. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which protested legalized racial discrimination in federal and state law and civil society. The movement led to several groundbreaking legislative reforms in the United States.

1993

The Sierra Leone Civil War is declared over.

1991–2002 war in West Africa

The Sierra Leonean Civil War (1991–2002) was a civil war in Sierra Leone that began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), with support from the special forces of Liberian dictator Charles Taylor, the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government. The resulting civil war lasted almost 11 years, and had over 50,000, up to 70,000, casualties in total; an estimated 2.5 million people were displaced during the conflict, and widespread atrocities occurred.

2002

A bushfire kills four people and destroys more than 500 homes in Canberra, Australia.

Bushfires near Canberra, Australia

The 2003 Canberra bushfires caused severe damage to the suburbs and outer areas of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, during 18–22 January 2003. Almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory's (ACT) pastures, pine plantations, and nature parks were severely damaged, and most of the Mount Stromlo Observatory was destroyed. After burning for a week around the edges of the ACT, the fires entered the suburbs of Canberra on 18 January 2003. Over the next ten hours, four people died, over 490 were injured, and more than 500 homes were destroyed or severely damaged, requiring a significant relief and reconstruction effort.

2003

The Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial jet, is unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse, France

European wide-body airliner

The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner, developed and produced by Airbus from 2003 to 2021. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and the only full-length double-deck jet airliner.

2005

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.

1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1999th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 999th year of the 2nd millennium, the 99th year of the 20th century, and the 10th and last year of the 1990s decade.

2007

The Euphronios Krater is unveiled in Rome after being returned to Italy by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Ancient Greek red-figure vase from Athens c. 515 BC

The Euphronios Krater is an ancient Greek terra cotta calyx-krater, a bowl used for mixing wine with water. Created around 515 BC, it is the only complete example of the 27 vases painted by the renowned Euphronios and is considered one of the finest Ancient Greek vases in existence.

2008

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.

Series of protests from 2011 to 2012

On January 18, 2012, a series of coordinated protests occurred against two proposed laws in the United States Congress—the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). These followed smaller protests in late 2011. Protests were based on concerns that the bills, intended to provide more robust responses to copyright infringement arising outside the United States, contained measures that could possibly infringe online freedom of speech, websites, and Internet communities. Protesters also argued that there were insufficient safeguards in place to protect sites based upon user-generated content.

2012

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.

Samara, formerly known as Kuybyshev (1935–1991), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara rivers, with a population of over 1.14 million residents, up to 1.22 million residents in the urban agglomeration, not including Novokuybyshevsk, which is not conurbated. The city covers an area of 541.4 square kilometers (209.0 sq mi), and is the ninth-largest city in Russia and tenth agglomeration, the third-most populous city on the Volga, as well as the Volga Federal District.

2018

An oil pipeline explosion near Tlahuelilpan, Hidalgo, Mexico, kills 137 people.

2019 gasoline pipeline explosion in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico

On 18 January 2019, a pipeline transporting gasoline exploded in the town of Tlahuelilpan, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. The blast killed at least 137 people and injured dozens more. Mexican authorities blamed fuel thieves, who had illegally tapped the pipeline. The explosion was particularly deadly because large crowds of people had gathered at the scene to steal fuel. Security forces tried to persuade people to move away from the scene, but they were outnumbered and asked not to engage with civilians for fear of causing a violent confrontation. The leak was reported at 17:04 CST (23:04 UTC), and the explosion occurred two hours later at 19:10. It took about four hours for responders to extinguish the fire.

2019

A helicopter crash in Ukraine leaves 14 people dead, including the country's Interior Minister, Denys Monastyrsky.

Transport disaster in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine

On 18 January 2023, a Ukrainian Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma carrying ten people, including Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrsky, his deputy Yevhen Yenin, and State Secretary Yurii Lubkovych, crashed into a kindergarten in Brovary, a suburb of Kyiv, Ukraine. The crash killed fourteen people, including Monastyrsky, Yenin, and Lubkovych. Four of the victims were killed on the ground, including one child. Twenty-five other people were injured on the ground, including eleven children.

2023

The popular social media app, TikTok, is banned in the United States, after the passing of PAFACA.

Video-focused social media platform

TikTok is a social media and short-form online video platform. It hosts user-submitted videos, which range in duration from three seconds to 60 minutes. It can be accessed through a mobile app or through its website.

2025

Born on January 18

20 people 1994 – 2010

Sophia Reid-Gantzert

Canadian actress and dancer

Sophia Reid-Gantzert is a Canadian actress and dancer. She began dancing at age two and won a competition in Austria at age six. In 2017, she made her acting debut in the television film The Sweetest Christmas.…

2010

Wendy Shongwe

South African sprinter and soccer player

Wendy Shongwe is a South African sprinter and soccer player who plays as a forward for SAFA Women's League club Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies and the South Africa women's national team.

2003

Anastasia Zakharova

Russian tennis player

Anastasia Vladimirovna Zakharova is a Russian tennis player. She has career-high WTA rankings of No. 74 in singles, achieved on 16 March 2026, and No. 93 in doubles. Zakharova has won sixteen singles and eight doubles…

2002

Ki-Jana Hoever

Dutch footballer

Ki-Jana Delano Hoever ; is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a right-back or right wing-back for EFL Championship club Sheffield United, on loan from Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.

2002

Karim Adeyemi

German footballer

Karim David Adeyemi is a German professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national team.

2002

Karan Brar

American actor

Karan Brar is an American actor. He portrayed Chirag Gupta in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film franchise and Ravi Ross on the Disney Channel Original Series Jessie and its subsequent spin-off Bunk'd.

1999

Tee Higgins

American football player

Tamaurice William "Tee" Higgins is an American professional football wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, where he won the…

1999

Djorkaeff Reasco

Ecuadorian footballer

Djorkaeff Néicer Reasco González is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Instituto Córdoba and the Ecuador national team.

1999

Gary Trent Jr.

American basketball player

Gary Dajaun Trent Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils.

1999

Mateus Ward

American actor

Mateus Cole Ward is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jake Sanders in the CBS television series Hostages, and as Dustin Maker in the TNT television series Murder in the First. He is also known for his role…

1999

Aitana Bonmatí

Spanish footballer

Aitana Bonmatí i Conca is a Spanish professional footballer from Catalonia who plays as a midfielder for Liga F club Barcelona and the Spain national team. She has also represented Catalonia. Having won all major club…

1998

Lisandro Martínez

Argentinian footballer

Lisandro Martínez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays primarily as a centre-back for Premier League club Manchester United and the Argentina national team. Nicknamed "The Butcher", he is known for his…

1998

Éder Militão

Brazilian footballer

Éder Gabriel Militão Pinheiro, better known as Éder Militão is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazil national team.

1998

Emil Audero

Indonesian footballer

Emilio Audero Mulyadi is an Indonesian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Cremonese, on loan from Como. A former Italian youth international, he plays for the Indonesia national team.

1997

Denis Malgin

Swiss ice hockey player

Denis Malgin is a Swiss professional ice hockey player who is a centre for the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL). Malgin was selected by the Florida Panthers in the fourth round, 102nd overall, of the 2015 NHL entry…

1997

Bryce Alford

American basketball player

Bryce Michael Alford is an American former professional basketball player who is an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He set school records…

1995

Leonard Fournette

American football player

Leonard Joseph Fournette III is an American former professional football running back. He played college football for the LSU Tigers, and was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the fourth overall pick in the 2017…

1995

Samu Castillejo

Spanish footballer

Samuel "Samu" Castillejo Azuaga is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Malaysia Super League club Johor Darul Ta'zim.

1995

Max Fried

American baseball player

Max Dorian Fried is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He debuted with the Atlanta Braves in 2017.

1994

Kang Ji-young

South Korean singer

Kang Ji-young, also known mononymously as Jiyoung or under the stage name JY, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actress. At age 14, she rose to fame as a member of the South Korean girl group Kara, joining the…

1994

See all birthdays on January 18

Died on January 18

20 people 2014 – 2025

Claire van Kampen

English director and composer (born 1953)

Claire Louise van Kampen, Lady Rylance was an English director, composer, and playwright. She was the founding director of music at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre from 1997 to 2015, first as assistant to her husband, actor…

2025

David Crosby

American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

David Van Cortlandt Crosby was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of the Byrds, with whom he helped pioneer the genres of folk rock and psychedelia in the mid-1960s, and later…

2023

Francisco Gento

Spanish football player (born 1933)

Francisco "Paco" Gento López was a Spanish footballer who played as an outside left. A fast runner, Gento was referred to as the "Gale of the Cantabrian Sea" in reference to his speed down the wing. He was voted by…

2022

Yvette Mimieux

American actress (born 1942)

Yvette Carmen Mimieux was an American film and television actress who was a major star of the 1960s and 1970s. Her breakout role was in The Time Machine (1960). She was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards during her…

2022

André Leon Talley

American fashion journalist (born 1948)

André Leon Talley was an American fashion journalist, stylist, creative director, author, and editor-at-large of Vogue magazine. He was the magazine's fashion news director from 1983 to 1987, its first African-American…

2022

John Coughlin

American figure skater (born 1985)

John Patrick Coughlin was an American pair skater. With Caydee Denney, he was the 2012 Four Continents silver medalist and 2012 U.S. national champion. With previous partner Caitlin Yankowskas, he was the 2011 U.S.…

2019

Lamia Al-Gailani Werr

Iraqi archaeologist (born 1938)

Lamia Al-Gailani Werr was an Iraqi archaeologist specialising in ancient Mesopotamian antiquities.

2019

Peter Abrahams

South African-Jamaican writer (born 1919)

Peter Henry Abrahams Deras, commonly known as Peter Abrahams, was a South African-born novelist, journalist and political commentator who in 1956 settled in Jamaica, where he lived for the rest of his life. His death at…

2017

Rachael Heyhoe Flint

Baroness Heyhoe Flint, English cricketer, businesswoman and philanthropist (born 1939)

Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Baroness Heyhoe Flint, was an English cricketer, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She was best known for being captain of England from 1966 to 1978, and was unbeaten in six Test series: in total,…

2017

Roberta Peters

American coloratura soprano (born 1930)

Roberta Peters was an American coloratura soprano.

2017

Johnny Bach

American basketball player and coach (born 1924)

John William Bach was an American professional basketball player and coach. A swingman, Bach played college basketball at Fordham University and Brown University. He was selected by the Boston Celtics in the 1948…

2016

Glenn Frey

American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (born 1948)

Glenn Lewis Frey was an American musician. He was a founding member of the rock band Eagles, for whom he was the co-lead singer and frontman, roles he came to share with fellow member Don Henley, with whom he wrote most…

2016

T. S. Sinnathuray

Judge of the High Court of Singapore (born 1930)

Thirugnana Sampanthar Sinnathuray, known professionally as T. S. Sinnathuray and to his friends as Sam Sinnathuray, was a judge of the High Court of Singapore. Educated at University College London and called to the bar…

2016

Michel Tournier

French journalist and author (born 1924)

Michel Tournier was a French writer. He won awards such as the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française in 1967 for Friday, or, The Other Island and the Prix Goncourt for The Erl-King in 1970. His inspirations…

2016

Alberto Nisman

Argentinian lawyer and prosecutor (born 1963)

Natalio Alberto Nisman was an Argentine lawyer who worked as a federal prosecutor, noted for being the chief investigator of the 1994 car bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people, the deadliest…

2015

Christine Valmy

Romanian cosmetologist and author (born 1926)

Christine Valmy was a Romanian-American esthetician, consultant, and entrepreneur known as a pioneer in the fields of skin care and esthetics in the United States. Valmy founded the first esthetician school in the…

2015

Piet van der Sanden

Dutch journalist and politician (born 1924)

Petrus Joannes Antonius "Piet" van der Sanden was a Dutch politician and journalist. He was a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands between 1971 and 1972 and again from 1973 to 1989 for the Catholic…

2015

Tony Verna

American director and producer, invented instant replay (born 1933)

Anthony F. Verna was a producer of television sports and entertainment blockbusters.

2015

Kathryn Abbe

American photographer and author (born 1919)

Kathryn Abbe was an American photographer.

2014

Michael Botmang

Nigerian politician, 17th Governor of Plateau State (born 1938)

Chief Michael Botmang was a Nigerian politician who served as the governor of Plateau State from 2006 to 2007, following the impeachment of Joshua Dariye. He served as deputy governor of Plateau State from 1999 to 2004;…

2014

See all deaths on January 18

What happened on January 18 in history?

On January 18, one notable event in history was 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..

This date currently highlights 53 recorded events on thisDay.info, spanning 350 – 2026.

DateJanuary 18

Featured year2026

LocationAdamuz in the worst railway disaster in over a decade in Spain

Events listed53

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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

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January 18 in History

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

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Died on January 18

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