January 18

January 18: This Day in History

• 1778— British explorer Captain James Cook became the first European to encounter the Hawaiian Islands, which he named the Sandwich Islands.
• 1871— The German Empire was proclaimed with Wilhelm I as its first Kaiser at the Palace of Versailles.
• 1919— The Paris Peace Conference opened, formally beginning negotiations to end World War I.
• 2012— Wikipedia staged an unprecedented English-language blackout to protest the SOPA and PIPA anti-piracy bills in the U.S.

Famous Birthdays on January 18

• Cary Grant (1904) — Hollywood golden age actor known for his wit and charm
• Kevin Costner (1955) — Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker
• Dave Bautista (1969) — professional wrestler turned actor known as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy
• Jason Segel (1980) — actor and screenwriter known for How I Met Your Mother
• Mark Rylance (1960) — Oscar-winning British stage and screen actor

What Happens on January 18?

Did You Know? January 18 Fun Facts

• Captain James Cook's discovery of Hawaii on January 18, 1778, ultimately led to the islands being annexed by the United States in 1898.
• The German Empire was proclaimed at Versailles on January 18, 1871 — and the same palace hosted the peace treaty ending World War I exactly 48 years later.
• Thesaurus Day is observed on January 18 to mark the birthday of Peter Mark Roget, who published Roget's Thesaurus in 1852.

Count Down to Events on January 18

• How many days until Australian Open?
• How many days until Martin Luther King Jr Day?