Welcome to Sunday, January 18, 2026! Today marks the 18th day of the year, with 347 days remaining.
Historical Events on this Day:
Back in 2019, Jason Van Dyke, the white Chicago police officer, received a nearly seven-year prison sentence for the fatal shooting of Black teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014.
In 1778, Captain James Cook reached the Hawaiian Islands, naming them the “Sandwich Islands.”
President Thomas Jefferson requested $2,500 from Congress in 1803 to fund exploration of Western lands, leading to the Lewis and Clark expedition that expanded America westward.
In 1911, pilot Eugene B. Ely made history by landing his aircraft on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania, becoming the first to land on a ship.
Willie O’Ree broke barriers in 1958 as the first Black player in the NHL with the Boston Bruins.
Legionnaires’ disease was identified by scientists in 1977.
Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry was arrested in 1990 for drug possession.
The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was celebrated nationwide for the first time in 1993.
Lisa Marie Presley filed for divorce from Michael Jackson in 1996.
In 2013, former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin faced charges of corruption following Hurricane Katrina.
A tragic gasoline tanker explosion in Nigeria in 2025 resulted in the loss of at least 70 lives.
Celebrity Birthdays:
- Kevin Costner (Actor-filmmaker) turns 71 today.
- Mark Rylance (Actor) celebrates his 66th birthday.
- Mark Messier (Hockey Hall of Famer) turns 65.
- Dave Bautista (Actor) is 57.
- Jesse L. Martin (Actor) also turns 57.
- Jonathan Davis (Rock singer from Korn) is 55.
- Julius Peppers (Football Hall of Famer) turns 46.
- Jason Segel (Actor) celebrates his 46th birthday.
- Carlacia Grant (Actor) is 35 today.
- Montana Tucker (Singer and activist) turns 33.
- Aitana Bonmati (Spanish soccer star) is 28.
- Karan Brar (Actor) celebrates his 27th birthday.
