✦ DateLore

On This Day · The 18th day of the year

January 18

A look at January 18 through the almanac — historic events, famous birthdays including Kevin Costner and Chun Doo-hwan, and the day's notable deaths and observances.

♑ZodiacCapricorn ◈BirthstoneGarnet ❀Birth flowerCarnation
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Events

10 notable moments
  1. 2019

    Tlahuelilpan pipeline explosion

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

    2019 gasoline pipeline explosion
  2. 2018

    Samara

    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.

    City in Samara Oblast,
  3. 2007

    1999

    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.

    Calendar year
  4. 1983

    International Olympic Committee

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

    Governing body of Olympic
  5. 1974

    Israel

    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
  6. 1958

    Willie O'Ree

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

    Canadian ice hockey player
  7. 1941

    World War II

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

    1939–1945 global conflict
  8. 1919

    World War I

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

    1914–1918 global conflict
  9. 1886

    Field hockey

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

    Team sport played with
  10. 474

    Leo II (emperor)

    Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later.

    Eastern Roman emperor in
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Famous birthday twins

Born on January 18

Kevin Costner

b. 1955

American actor, director, and producer

Chun Doo-hwan

b. 1931

South Korean general and politician, 5th President of South Korea

Montesquieu

b. 1689

French lawyer and philosopher

Edmund Barton

b. 1849

Australian judge and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Australia

Takeshi Kitano

b. 1947

Japanese actor and director

Dave Bautista

b. 1969

American wrestler, mixed martial artist, and actor

Louis Claude de Saint-Martin

b. 1743

French mystic and philosopher

John Boorman

b. 1933

English director, producer, and screenwriter

Deaths

  • 2006Jan Twardowski, Polish priest and poet
  • 2003Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Indian poet and author
  • 1995Adolf Butenandt, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1936Rudyard Kipling, English author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1862John Tyler, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 10th President of the United States
  • 1479Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria-Landshut from 1450 to 1479

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

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