Ken P's Today in History
January 18

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
URL: http://kpolsson.com/today/
(this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing a single day's events)

What happened in history on this day: January 18?

Since 1995, I have been collecting information on a variety of topics, creating several timelines of history. Here you will find specific events from those databases for this day, on the topics of personal computers, video games, the Walt Disney Company, Chevrolet Corvettes, A&W Root Beer, Sweden, and Canadian coins.

On January 18 in ...

Personal computer history:

  • 1983 - The CP/M '83 Show is held in San Francisco, California.
  • 1983 - Radio Shack unveils the TRS-80 Model 12 at the CP/M '83 Show. It features a Zilog Z80A processor, 80 kB RAM, 82-key keyboard, 1.25 MB floppy drive, and software compatibility with the TRS-80 Model II. Price is US$3200.
  • 1983 - Franklin Computer shows an operating Franklin Ace 1200 Apple II compatible at the CP/M '83 Show. It features an 8-bit processor, 128 kB RAM, color display, upper/lower-case keyboard, 143 kB floppy drive, CP/M card, 80-column text card, for US$2200.
  • 1983 - To date, 750,000 Apple II computers have been sold.
  • 1989 - On the CBS television show Wiseguy, a Commodore Amiga A2000 is shown.
  • 1994 - The lawsuit between Stac Electronics and Microsoft begins court sessions.
  • 2000 - Intel announces the 600 MHz Mobile Pentium III processor, with SpeedStep technology. The processor can run at 500 MHz on battery power, consuming about half power of full-speed mode. Code-name during development was Geyserville.

Walt Disney Company history:

  • 1952 - Disney releases the Donald Duck film Donald Applecore to theaters. Chip 'n' Dale also appear.
  • 1956 - The ABC TV network airs the Disneyland TV show, featuring "A Tribute to Joel Chandler Harris". Included is the "Tar Baby" sequence from the film Song of the South.
  • 1958 - The Ken-L Land Pet Motel pet boarding facility (sponsored by Ken-L Ration) opens outside the Disneyland main gate.
  • 1963 - Buena Vista releases Disney's live-action feature film Son of Flubber to theaters. It is a sequel to the film The Absent Minded Professor. Walt Disney's infant grandson makes a brief appearance.
  • 1974 - Buena Vista generally releases the film Superdad to theaters in the US.
  • 1976 - The NBC TV network airs The Wonderful World of Disney show, featuring The Whiz Kid and the Carnival Caper, part two.
  • 1983 - The CBS TV network airs the Walt Disney show, entitled Ferdinand the Bull and Mickey.
  • 1987 - The Disney TV special Great Moments in Disney Animation airs.
  • 1990 - Disney releases the film Winnie the Pooh's ABC of Me for educational use.
  • 1991 - Disney releases the Walt Disney Pictures live-action feature film White Fang to theaters in the US.
  • 1996 - The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences votes to award John Lasseter a Special Achievement Award, for his direction of the film Toy Story.
  • 1998 - The ABC TV network airs The Wonderful World of Disney show, entitled Ruby Bridges.
  • 2000 - Touchstone Home Video releases the film The 13th Warrior on DVD.
  • 2002 - Disney releases the Walt Disney Pictures live-action feature film Snow Dogs to theaters in the US.

Chevrolet Corvette history:

  • 1953 - General Motors' president announces at the GM Motorama that Corvettes would be built by Chevrolet before the end of June. 200-300 plastic-bodied special models would be built as a test run. After that, the car would be put into full production if there is enough demand.

World War II history:

  • 1942 - (0200 hours) German submarine U-66 torpedoes and sinks Canadian passenger freighter Lady Hawkins 250 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, USA. Of 212 passengers and 109 crew, 71 survive five days in a life boat.
  • 1942 - ABDA headquarters moves from Batavia to Lembang on Java.
  • 1943 - Nazis begin removal of 8000 residents of the Warsaw ghetto, but armed resistance over four days kills 20 German soldiers and injures a few dozen.

Video game history:

  • 2005 - THQ releases The Punisher video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in the US.
  • 2011 - Sony CE releases the Little Big Planet 2 video game for the PlayStation 3 in the USA.
  • 2022 - Microsoft announces a deal to acquire Activision Blizzard for US$68.7 billion.

Swedish history:

  • 1773 - King Gustav III founds the Royal Swedish Ballet, and the Royal Theater in Stockholm.

Canadian coin history:

  • 1950 - The Federal Finance Minister announces a nationwide competition for the design of a 1951 5c piece commemorating the 200th anniversary of the isolation of nickel. The selected designer will win $1000, with honorable mention awards of $250 to four runners-up.
  • 1950 - The Ottawa Coin Club changes its name to the Canadian Numismatic Association.
  • 2006 - The Royal Canadian Mint releases the 2006 Lucky Loonie $1 coin to circulation via the Royal Bank of Canada. The aureate metal coin features a loon in flight, with the Canadian Olympic Committee symbol. Mintage is 10 million.

USA coin history:

  • 1796 - Philadelphia Mint begins production of dimes for circulation.
  • 1837 - US President Andrew Jackson signs coinage bill amending the Mint Act. Some changes:
    • the Mint is placed within the responsibility of the Treasury;
    • sets dollar price of gold at $20.67 per ounce, silver price at $1.2929 per ounce, silver/gold ratio changed to 15.998-to-1;
    • uniform fineness of 0.900 for gold and silver coins;
    • changes weight of half disme from 1.35 to 1.34 grams, and alloy from 89.25 to 90 percent silver, and from 10.75 to 10 percent copper;
    • establishes a $1 million bullion fund to purchase and coin gold and silver bullion in advance of deposits;
    • authorizes Seated Liberty dollar coin of 412.5 grains fine silver.

  • 1873 - Carson City Mint produces first copies of 1873-dated silver dollars, half dollars, and quarter dollars (4000).
  • 1973 - Senator Mark Hatfield introduces a bill calling for Bicentennial gold coin.
  • 1982 - The San Francisco Assay Office begins striking bronze-plated zinc cents for circulation.
  • 2000 - The US Mint begins shipping Sacagawea dollars to Federal Reserve Banks.

Sports history:

  • 1938 - Donald Bradman scores 104* for South Australia versus New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
  • 1938 - Pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander is elected to the Hall of Fame.
  • 1939 - South African wicketkeeper Donald Bradman gets his 6th straight ton, 135* versus New South Wales.
  • 1947 - Detroit Tigers sell Hank Greenberg to Pittsburgh Pirates (for US$25-35,000).
  • 1950 - Cleveland Indians' pitcher Bob Feller, after 15-14 season, takes US$20,000 salary cut to US$45,000, pay cut is Feller's own suggestion.
  • 1951 - NFL rules tackles, guards and centers ineligible for forward pass.
  • 1951 - NFL takes control of the failing Baltimore Colts.
  • 1953 - Louise Suggs wins LPGA Tampa Golf Open.
  • 1959 - Ruth Jessen wins LPGA Tampa Golf Open.
  • 1963 - Reinier Paping wins Dutch 11-Cities Skating Race (10:59).
  • 1967 - 20th NHL All-Star Game: Montréal beats All-Stars 3-0 at Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
  • 1970 - Hasse Börjes skates world record 500m in 38.9 seconds.
  • 1970 - NFL Pro Bowl: West beats East 16-13.
  • 1973 - Boston Red Sox sign Orlando Cepeda as first player signed as a designated hitter.
  • 1973 - New York Islanders break 12-game losing streak, 20-game road winless streak.
  • 1976 - Super Bowl X: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Dallas Cowboys, 21-17 in Miami, Florida; Most Valuable Player: Lynn Swann, Wide Receiver.
  • 1977 - Imran Khan takes 12 wickets in match for Pakistan win at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
  • 1978 - Geoff Boycott captains England for the first time, versus Pakistan Karachi.
  • 1983 - International Olympic Committee restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals 70 years after they were taken from him for being paid $25 in semipro baseball.
  • 1984 - 80th New York Islanders' and third dual hat trick (Carroll and Bossy) 9-1 win.
  • 1989 - West Indies beat Australia 2-1 to win the World Series Cup.
  • 1991 - Longest tennis match at the Australian Open, Boris Becker beats Italy's Omar Camporese in 5 hours and 11 minutes.
  • 1991 - WLAF's New York Knights become New York-New Jersey Knights.
  • 1992 - 43rd NHL All Star Game - Campbell-10, Wales-6 (Brett Hull, Most Valuable Player) at Philadelphia.
  • 1993 - West Indies win the World Series Cup, beating Australia 2-0.
  • 1995 - Kumble takes 16-99 in match for Karnataka versus Kerala.
  • 1996 - Baseball owners unanimously approve interleague play in 1997.
  • 1997 - 47th NHL All-Star Game: East beat West 11-7 at San Jose Arena.
  • 1998 - 48th NHL All-Star Game: North America beats World 8-7 at Vancouver, BC, Canada.
  • 1998 - ABL All-Star Game at Walt Disney World complex in Orlando, Florida (West beats East 102-73).
  • 1998 - Boston Celtics retire Robert Parrish's number 00.
  • 1998 - Kelly Robbins wins Healthsouth Golf Inaugural.
  • 2002 - Scott Rolen signs the largest contract in team history, a $8.6 million, one-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.
  • 2009 - The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-14 in the AFC Championship game. The Arizona Cardinals defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 32-25 to claim the NFC crown.
  • 2022 - At crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, USA, NHL regular season game: Tampa Bay Lightning beats Los Angeles Kings by score 6-4.
  • 2022 - At Scotiabank Saddledrome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, NHL regular season game: Calgary Flames beats Florida Panthers by score 5-1.
  • 2022 - At American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, USA, NHL regular season game: Montreal Canadiens beats Dallas Stars by score 5-3.
  • 2022 - At Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, NHL regular season game: Vancouver Canucks beats Nashville Predators by score 3-1.
  • 2022 - At Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, NHL regular season game: New York Islanders beats Philadelphia Flyers by score 4-3.
  • 2022 - At Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., USA, NHL regular season game: Washington Capitals beats Winnipeg Jets by score 4-3.
  • 2022 - At Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, NHL regular season game: Buffalo Sabres beats Ottawa Senators by score 3-1.
  • 2022 - At TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, NHL regular season game: Carolina Hurricanes beats Boston Bruins by score 7-1.

Space exploration history:

  • 1969 - Soyuz 5 returns to Earth.
  • 1978 - Thiokol conducts second test firing of space shuttle's solid rocket boosters.
  • 1986 - 24th Space Shuttle (61-C) Mission - Columbia 7 - returns to Earth.
  • 1989 - Astronomers discover pulsar in remnants of Supernova 1987A (LMC).
  • 2007 - Comet McNaught, the brightest comet to appear in over 40 years, becomes visible over the Southern Hemisphere.

Extreme weather history:

  • 2007 - The strongest storm in the UK for 17 years kills 14 people, and Germany sees the worst storm since 1999 with 13 deaths. Hurricane Kyrill causes at least 44 deaths across 20 countries in Western Europe. Other losses include the Container Ship MSC Napoli destroyed by the storm off the coast of Devon, England.

USA history:

  • 1837 - The US Coinage Act sets official US value of gold at $20.67 per ounce.
  • 1862 - Confederate Territory of Arizona is formed.
  • 1865 - Battle of Fort Moultrie, South Carolina.
  • 1869 - Elegant California Theatre opens in San Francisco, California.
  • 1896 - First exhibition of an X-ray machine, in New York City, New York.
  • 1911 - First aircraft landing on deck of ship, a Curtiss aircraft on armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco Bay, California.
  • 1916 - In Baxter, Missouri, a falling meteorite strikes a building.
  • 1930 - -27 degrees F (-33 degrees C), Watts, Oklahoma (state record low).
  • 1933 - White Sands National Monument, New Mexico established.
  • 1943 - Presliced bread sale in US banned to reduce bakery demand for metal parts.
  • 1944 - First Chinese naturalized US citizen since repeal of exclusion acts.
  • 1962 - US begins spraying foliage in Vietnam to reveal Viet Cong guerrillas.
  • 1962 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
  • 1964 - Plans for the World Trade Center announced (New York City, New York, USA).
  • 1967 - Albert DeSalvo (Boston Strangler) sentenced to life in prison.
  • 1967 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
  • 1969 - Expanded four-party Vietnam peace talks begin in Paris, France.
  • 1978 - Roof of 3-year-old Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut collapses (no injuries).
  • 1980 - Price of an ounce of silver hits record high of $50.35 in Comex trading.
  • 1980 - Gold briefly reaches US$1,000 an ounce.
  • 1980 - Studio 54 (New York) owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for tax evasion and fined US$20,000.
  • 1981 - Iran accepts US offer of US$7.9 billion in frozen assets for the release of hostages.
  • 1985 - US renounces jurisdiction of World Court despite previous promise.
  • 1986 - 24th Space Shuttle (61-C) Mission - Columbia 7 - returns to Earth.
  • 1986 - New York Lotto pays US$30.5 million to one winner (numbers are 19-20-27-34-41-46).
  • 1989 - Otis Redding, Dion, Rolling Stones, Temptations, and Stevie Wonder inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
  • 1990 - Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry is arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting.
  • 1991 - Iraq fires eight SCUD missiles on Israel; first US pilot shot down (Jeffrey Zahn).
  • 1991 - Eastern Airlines goes out of business after 62 years due to financial problems.
  • 1991 - US acknowledges Central Intelligence Agency and US Army paid Manuel Noriega $320,000 over his career.
  • 1993 - For the first time in the USA, Martin Luther King Day is officially observed in all fifty states.
  • 2002 - A Canadian Pacific Railway train carrying anhydrous ammonia derails outside of Minot, North Dakota, killing one.
  • 2007 - US investment bank Merrill Lynch announces 2006 profit of US$10.4 billion, the most successful year in its history.

Other history:

  • 1871 - Second German Empire proclaimed by Kaiser Wilhelm I and Otto von Bismarck.
  • 1980 - Gold reaches $1,000 an ounce.

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Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson (email: ken@kpolsson.com).
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