January 18 in Pop Culture History

January 18th History, Trivia, and Fun Facts

January 18th History Highlights

  • 1788 – The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from Great Britain to Australia arrived at Botany Bay.
  • 1967 – Albert DeSalvo, the “Boston Strangler”, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
  • January 18, 1975 Birthday (fictional) Leslie Knope, Parks & Recreation, TV
  • 1993 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed for the first time in all 50 states.
  • If you were born on January 18th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… April 27th (prior year)

January 18th is…

Gourmet Coffee Day
Maintenance Day
National Peking Duck Day
Thesaurus Day
Winnie The Pooh Day

January 18th Birthday Quotes

The deterioration of a government begins almost always by the decay of its principles.
– Charles de Secondat

Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
– A.A. Milne

In this year one James Everell, a sober, discreet man, and two others, saw a great light in the night at Muddy River. When it stood still, it flamed up, and was about three yards square; when it ran, it was contracted into the figure of a swine: it ran as swift as an arrow towards Charlton, and so up and down about two or three hours. They were come down in their lighter about a mile, and, when it was over, they found themselves carried quite back against the tide to the place they came from. Divers[e] other credible persons saw the same light, after, about the same place.
– John Winthrop (1588-1649) in 1644. John was the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. *some reports say it was 1638

There is absolutely nothing that can be taken for granted in this world.
– Robert Anton Wilson

I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally, I became that person. Or he became me.
– Cary Grant

Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.
– A.A. Milne

If you must make a noise, make it quietly.
– Oliver Hardy

Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.
– Danny Kaye

January 18th Birthdays

1689 – Charles de Secondat, French Philosopher (died in 17555)
1782 – Daniel Webster, American lawyer, and politician (died in 1852)
1854 – Thomas A. Watson, American assistant to Alexander Graham Bell (died in 1934)
1882 – A.A. Milne, English author, poet, and playwright (died in 1956)
1892 – Oliver Hardy, American actor, and comedian, partner of Stan Laurel (died in 1957)
1904 – Cary Grant, English-American actor (died in 1986)
1911 – Danny Kaye, American actor, singer, and dancer (died in 1987)
1932 – Robert Anton Wilson, American writer (died in 2007)
1933 – Ray Dolby, American engineer, and businessman, founded Dolby Laboratories (died in 2013
1941 – Bobby Goldsboro, American singer-songwriter
1941 – David Ruffin, American singer (The Temptations) (died in 1991)
1955 – Kevin Costner, American actor, director, and producer
1969 – Dave Bautista, American wrestler, mixed martial artist, and actor
1969 – Jesse L. Martin, American actor, and singer
1980 – Jason Segal, American actor

January 18th History

1778 – James Cook ‘discovered’ Hawaii. During his voyage, Cook and his crew aboard the HMS Resolution became the first Europeans to visit the Hawaiian Islands. Cook named the islands the “Sandwich Islands” after the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, the First Lord of the Admiralty at the time. Cook’s visit to Hawaii was an important moment in the islands’ history, as it marked the beginning of significant European influence in the region. Cook’s voyage also helped to increase European knowledge about the Pacific and its peoples and paved the way for further exploration and colonization of the region.

1896 – The X-Ray Machine was shown to the public. Not really. The Cabaret du Neant charged people to see an ‘illusion’ of the effect.

1911 – The first landing of an aircraft on a ship took place as pilot Lt. Eugene B. Ely landed on the USS Pennsylvania.

1944 – Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge, and Jack Teagarden performed at the Metropolitan Opera House, in NYC.

1960 – #1 Hit January 18, 1960 – February 7, 1960: Johnny Preston – Running Bear

1971 – Ivan Koloff beat Bruno Sammartino in New York, to become WWWF champion.

1975 – #1 Hit January 18, 1975 – January 24, 1975: Barry Manilow – Mandy

1975 – The Jeffersons premiered on CBS.

January 18, 1975 Birthday (fictional) Leslie Knope, Parks & Recreation, TV

1980 – Gold reached $1,000 an ounce for the first time.

1985 – Blood Simple was released in theaters.

1986 – #1 Hit January 18, 1986 – February 14, 1986: Dionne Warwick – That’s What Friends Are For

1990 – Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry arrested in a drug enforcement sting. He claimed that the “bitch set me up” when he was caught with crack cocaine.

1991 – White Fang & Flight of the Intruder were released in theaters.

1993 – Martin Luther King Day became official in all 50 United States.

2002 – Snow Dogs debuted in theaters.

2004 – The L Word premiered on Showtime.

2008 – Cloverfield, 27 Dresses, Blonde and Blonder and Teeth debuted in theaters.

2014 – #1 Hit January 18, 2014 – February 7, 2014: Pitbull featuring Kesha – Timber

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

“I’m not an actor, I’m a movie star.” #moviequotes

‘Naturally & Artificially Flavored’ is a long way to say Flavored.

We’re closer to the year The Jetsons is set in (2062) than we are to when it first aired (1962).

The names for the spacecraft from the ALIEN movie series (the Nostromo, Narcissus, and Sulaco) are derived from a 1904 Joseph Conrad novel.

Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?

Microscopic algae, not trees, produce the majority of the oxygen we breathe.

The spider I killed in my room has spent his entire life thinking he was my roommate and that suddenly I had some sort of psychotic break.

Hakuna Matata = YOLO

Contrary to popular ideas given to us by movies/games, Thermal Vision does not work through a thin pane of glass.

The Capital of Venezuela is Caracas

No matter how large a number is, it is always closer to zero than infinity.

A group of Doves is called a Dule or Bevy or Cote or Dole or Paddling.

Kiefer Sutherland’s full name is Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland.

The word “laser” is an acronym. It’s short for Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation.

I have an EpiPen. My friend gave it to me as he was dying. It seemed very important to him that I have it.

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