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January 2025
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On This Day 5 mins Read

January 18: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Did you know that on this day, January 18, 1733, the first polar bear in America was exhibited in Boston?

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January 18th is also known as Thesaurus Day and Winnie the Pooh Day.

Welcome to the eighteenth day of the year! We’re gradually getting through the beginning of the year, but we still have another 347 days remaining in 2025.

We have put together a range of amazing facts and historical events that happened on this day throughout history.

Did you know that on this day, January 18, 1733, the first polar bear in America was exhibited in Boston? When asked what polar bears eat, the handler replied “drunk Irishmen”.

Keep reading for more fun & interesting facts about January 18th in history!

Historical Events

What memorable events happened on January 18 in history? Keep reading to find out!

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter took off for its 72nd and final flight on Mars.

OTD in 2024: NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter took off for its 72nd and final flight on Mars.

In January 2021, Ingenuity became the first aircraft to fly on another planet. Ingenuity far exceeded its expected life, as it was only ever supposed to be able to handle five flights and last about a month.

Microsoft announced its plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion.

France revealed the world’s largest commercial aircraft, nicknamed the superjumbo.

OTD in 2005: France revealed the world's largest commercial aircraft

Officially called the Airbus A380, it's a double-decker 262 ft carrier and has a capacity of 555 passengers. Its first flight was on April 27, 2005.

Charity song “That’s What Friends Are For” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song by Dionne & Friends featured Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder and was released to support and create awareness for AIDS. As a result, $3 million was raised for the cause.

NASA’s Columbia Space Shuttle completed mission STS-61-C when it landed at the Edwards Air Force Base.

This completed the Columbia shuttle's seventh mission and the 24th space shuttle mission overall. Aside from carrying a wide variety of experiments, the shuttle also brought a new satellite into orbit. It's also claimed that a classified US Air Force infrared experiment was conducted during the flight. STS-61-C was the last shuttle flight before the Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster.

The final episode of Monty Python’s “Flying Circus” season 3 was aired on BBC.

The plans to construct the World Trade Center in New York City were announced to the public.

British band, The Beatles made it onto the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first time.

OTD in 1964: British band

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" peaked at number 45 in the charts.

The lie detector, invented in 1921 by John Augustus Larson, was first used in the Netherlands.

OTD in 1951: The lie detector

The Paris Peace Conference began in France.

During the conference, five major peace treaties were created: the Treaty of Versailles, the Treaty of Saint-Germain, the Treaty of Neuilly, the Treaty of Trianon, and the Treaty of Sevres.

Massachusetts’s Marconi Wireless Station Site successfully sent the first radio transmission between the US and Europe.

Wesley College was established in Melbourne, Australia

Wesley was the first registered school in Australia.

Captain James Cook became the first European to travel to the Hawaiian islands.

Although he traveled past Oahu, Captain Cook landed at Waimea, which is located on the island of Kauai. Cook named the group of islands the "Sandwich" islands.

The first polar bear in America was exhibited in Boston.

OTD in 1733: The first polar bear in America was exhibited in Boston.

When asked what polar bears ate, the handler said, "drunk Irishmen."

Leo II was crowned Emperor of Rome at just seven years of age.

Famous Births

Is today your birthday? If so, did you know that Kevin Costner was also born on this day? Here are more famous people born on this day.

1999

Karan Brar

American Actor

Age

26 years old

Born IN

Washington, USA

1988

Ashleigh Murray

American Actress

Age

37 years old

Born IN

Kansas, USA

1980

Jason Segel

American Actor

Age

45 years old

Born IN

California, USA

1955

Kevin Costner

American Actor

Age

70 years old

Born IN

California, USA

Birthday & Zodiac

Those of you who were born on January 18th share the Capricorn zodiac sign.

Capricorn is represented by the sea goat and is the tenth sign in the zodiac. Anyone who was born between December 22 and January 19 falls into this astrological sign.

If your birthday is in January, your birthstone is the Garnet. The garnet is commonly a red gem that provides the wearer with love, friendships, loyalty, and luck.

Carnations, the designated primary birth flower of January, embodies the resilience and warmth of individuals born during this month. The secondary birth flower is snowdrops, which bring a sense of hope and renewal.

People born on this day were likely conceived on or around April 27 in the previous year.

A baby that is conceived on January 18th, 2025, will likely be born around October 11th, 2025.

Famous Deaths

Unfortunately, January 18th has also been a day where we've had to say some goodbyes over the years…

1790 — 1862

John Tyler

American President John Tyler was born on March 29, 1790. He died on this day in 1862, at age 71 in Virginia, USA.

Special Holidays

If you've got a few minutes spare today, why not celebrate these special holidays.

United States

National Winnie the Pooh Day

What better day to celebrate Winnie the Pooh Day than on the author's birthday? And what better way could there be to celebrate this lovely day than by eating some honey and flicking through your favorite Winnie the Pooh books!

United States

National Thesaurus Day

For most words in English, there’s at least one more word you could use in its place. National Thesaurus Day is a special day to learn new ways of saying things, so why not grab your dusty old thesaurus and try writing a creative short story or poem?

Fact Of The Day

Days Until

Your countdown to 2025's upcoming special days!

  • Groundhog Day

    15 days

  • Valentine's Day

    27 days

  • Women's Day

    49 days

  • St Patrick's Day

    58 days

  • Halloween

    286 days

  • Christmas Day

    341 days

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About The Author

Luke Ward
Owner

Luke Ward is the owner of FactstoryHub. He has over 14 years of experience in researching, informative writing, fact-checking, SEO & web design. In his spare time, he loves to explore the world, drink coffee & attend trivia nights.

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