21 fun facts for January, 18
Discover dozens of fun facts for this special day. Read the summary for a quick recap on what happened.
Summary
January 18 has several fun facts, including the discovery of the Hawaiian Islands by Captain James Cook in 1778, the first shipboard airplane landing in 1911, and the first celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday in 1993. It also commemorates A.A. Milne's birthday in 1882, making it Winnie-the-Pooh Day.
21 Fun facts
- On January 18, 1778, English explorer Captain James Cook discovered the Hawaiian Islands, which he named the Sandwich Islands after the Earl of Sandwich, who was then the acting First Lord of the Admiralty.
- January 18, 1943, marks the start of the star-shaped, amber/golden "Pentagonal Suns" given to Danish Jews, allowing them safe passage during World War II.
- January 18 is Winnie-the-Pooh Day, celebrated each year to honor the birthday of A.A. Milne, the author who brought us the lovable bear and his tales.
- On this day in 1911, Eugene Ely successfully landed his airplane on the USS Pennsylvania, a U.S. Navy ship, making it the first ever shipboard landing.
- The Grand Canyon National Park in the United States was designated a National Monument on January 18, 1908, by President Theodore Roosevelt.
- Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin died on January 18, 1924, after experiencing a series of strokes leading to paralysis.
- January 18, 1950, was the date on which the inaugural National Ski Jumping Championship took place in Westby, Wisconsin.
- On January 18, 1803, Thomas Jefferson requested Congressional approval of his plan to finance the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore America's western territories.
- In 1993, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first celebrated as a national holiday in the United States on January 18.
- On January 18, 1976, the Hungarian opera singer and socialite, Gitta Alpár, passed away in Los Angeles.
- January 18 is National Thesaurus Day, celebrating the comprehensive reference source and focusing on improving vocabulary.
- On January 18, 1882, A.A. Milne, the beloved author of the Winnie-the-Pooh children's books, was born in London, England.
- American aviator Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the North American continent on January 18, 1935.
- January 18, 1919, marked the opening day of the Paris Peace Conference, where world leaders convened to negotiate settlements after World War I.
- In Australia, January 18 is the official holiday for proclaiming the Australian Capital Territory, commemorating the signing of the Seat of Government Surrender Act of 1911.
- On January 18, 1971, the groundbreaking ceremony for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts took place in Washington, D.C.
- January 18, 1865, marks the founding of Fort Myers, located in the southwestern part of present-day Florida, as a military base during the American Civil War.
- January 18, 1871, saw the proclamation of the German Empire, with King Wilhelm of Prussia becoming Emperor Wilhelm I.
- The English explorer John Ainsworth Horrocks died suddenly on January 18, 1846, after being accidentally shot by his camel during an expedition in Australia.
- On January 18, 1990, a valuable painting by Vincent Van Gogh, "The Potato Eaters," was stolen from a museum in Amsterdam but was later recovered undamaged.
- January 18, 1945, marks the day when the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg was arrested by Soviet authorities in Budapest, Hungary, during World War II. He mysteriously vanished and his fate remains unknown.