So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

January 18th


- Christian Feast Day
- Confession of Peter (Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran churches)
- Feast of the Cross (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Royal Thai Armed Forces Day (Thailand)
- The first day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Christianity)

January 18th


- 2007 - The strongest storm in the United Kingdom in 17 years kills 14 people, Germany sees the worst storm since with 13 deaths. Hurricane Kyrill, causes at least 44 deaths across 20 countries in Western Europe.
- 2005 - The Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial jet, is unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse, France
- 2003 - A bushfire kills 4 people and destroys more than 500 homes in Canberra, Australia.
- 2002 - Sierra Leone Civil War is finally declared over.
- 2000 - The Tagish Lake meteorite impacts the Earth.
- 1998 - Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky affair on his website The Drudge Report.
- 1997 - In north west Rwanda, Hutu militia members kill 3 Spanish aid workers, 3 soldiers and seriously wound one other.
- 1997 - Boerge Ousland of Norway becomes the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided.
- 1994 - The Cando event, a possible bolide impact in Cando, Spain. Witnesses claim to have seen a fireball in the sky lasting for almost one minute.
- 1993 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is officially observed for the first time in all 50 states.
- 1990 - Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry is arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting.
- 1983 - The International Olympic Committee restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals to his family.
- 1978 - The European Court of Human Rights finds the United Kingdom government guilty of mistreating prisoners in Northern Ireland, but not guilty of torture.
- 1977 - Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious Legionnaires' disease.
- 1977 - Australia's worst rail disaster occurs at Granville, Sydney killing 83.
- 1974 - A Disengagement of Forces agreement is signed between the Israeli and Egyptian governments, ending conflict on the Egyptian front of the Yom Kippur War.
- 1969 - United Airlines Flight 266 crashes into Santa Monica Bay killing all 32 passengers and six crew members.
- 1967 - Albert DeSalvo, the "Boston Strangler", is convicted of numerous crimes and is sentenced to life imprisonment.
- 1958 - Willie O'Ree, the first African Canadian National Hockey League player, makes his NHL debut.
- 1955 - Battle of Yijiangshan is fought.
- 1945 - Liberation of the Budapest ghetto by the Red Army.
- 1944 - Soviet forces liberate Leningrad, effectively ending a three year Nazi siege, known as the Siege of Leningrad.
- 1944 - The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City hosts a jazz concert for the first time. The performers are Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden.
- 1943 - Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: The first uprising of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.
- 1941 - World War II: British troops launch a general counter-offensive against Italian East Africa.
- 1919 - World War I: The Paris Peace Conference opens in Versailles, France.
- 1919 - Ignacy Jan Paderewski becomes Prime Minister of the newly independent Poland.
- 1919 - Bentley Motors Limited is founded.
- 1916 - A 611 gram chondrite type meteorite strikes a house near the village of Baxter in Stone County, Missouri.
- 1915 - Japan issues the "Twenty-One Demands" to the Republic of China in a bid to increase its power in East Asia.
- 1913 - A Greek flotilla defeats the Ottoman Navy in the Naval Battle of Lemnos during the First Balkan War, securing the islands of the Northern Aegean Sea for Greece.
- 1911 - Eugene B. Ely lands on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania stationed in San Francisco harbor, the first time an aircraft landed on a ship.
- 1903 - President Theodore Roosevelt sends a radio message to King Edward VII: the first transatlantic radio transmission originating in the United States.
- 1896 - The X-ray machine is exhibited for the first time.
- 1886 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England.
- 1884 - Dr. William Price attempts to cremate the body of his infant son, Jesus Christ Price, setting a legal precedent for cremation in the United Kingdom.
- 1871 - Wilhelm I of Germany is proclaimed the first German Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles ( France ) towards the end of the Franco-Prussian War. The empire is known as the Second Reich to Germans.
- 1866 - Wesley College, Melbourne is established.
- 1861 - American Civil War: Georgia joins South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in seceding from the United States.
- 1788 - The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from England to Australia arrives at Botany Bay.
- 1778 - James Cook is the first known European to discover the Hawaiian Islands, which he names the "Sandwich Islands".
- 1777 - Representatives of the New Hampshire Grants declare the independence of the Vermont Republic from Britain.
- 1701 - Frederick I becomes King of Prussia.
- 1670 - Henry Morgan captures Panama.
- 1591 - King Naresuan of Siam kills Crown Prince Minchit Sra of Burma in single combat, for which this date is now observed marked as Royal Thai Armed Forces day.
- 1562 - Pope Pius IV reopens the Council of Trent for its third and final session.
- 1535 - Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro founded Lima, the capital of Peru.
- 1520 - King Christian II of Denmark and Norway defeats the Swedes at Lake Åsunden.
- 1486 - King Henry VII of England marries Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV.
- 1126 - Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chinese throne in favour of his son Emperor Qinzong.
- 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople fail.
- 474 - Leo II briefly becomes Byzantine emperor.
- 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor.

January 18th


- 1993 - Morgan York, American actress
- 1991 - Diego Simões, Brazilian footballer
- 1988 - Ronnie Day, American singer-songwriter
- 1988 - Anastasios Kissas, Greek footballer
- 1987 - Johan Djourou, Swiss footballer
- 1987 - Christopher Liebig, German rugby player
- 1986 - Grigoris Makos, Greek footballer
- 1986 - Marya Roxx, Estonian singer
- 1985 - Riccardo Montolivo, Italian footballer
- 1985 - Dale Begg-Smith, Australian freestyle skier
- 1985 - Minissha Lamba, Indian actress and model
- 1984 - Kristy Lee Cook, American singer
- 1984 - Ioannis Drymonakos, Greek swimmer
- 1984 - Makoto Hasebe, Japanese footballer
- 1984 - Michael Kearney, American child prodigy
- 1984 - Benji Schwimmer, American dancer
- 1983 - Samantha Mumba, Irish singer and actress
- 1982 - Quinn Allman, American Guitarist, The Used
- 1982 - Joanna Newsom, American harpist
- 1981 - Kang Dong-won, South Korean model and actor
- 1981 - Olivier Rochus, Belgian tennis player
- 1981 - Khari Stephenson, Jamaican footballer
- 1980 - Robert Green, English footballer
- 1980 - Julius Peppers, American football player
- 1980 - Jason Segel, American actor
- 1980 - Estelle Swaray, English singer
- 1979 - Jay Chou, Taiwanese singer, producer, actor and director
- 1979 - Ruslan Fedotenko, Ukrainian ice hockey player
- 1979 - Paulo Ferreira, Portuguese footballer
- 1979 - Brian Gionta, American ice hockey player
- 1979 - Kenyatta Jones, American football player
- 1978 - Brian Falkenborg, American baseball player
- 1978 - Thor Hushovd, Norwegian cyclist
- 1978 - Bogdan Lobont, Romanian football player
- 1977 - Richard Archer, British singer (lead singer of Hard-Fi)
- 1977 - Curtis Cregan, American actor
- 1977 - Alina Jidkova, Russian tennis player
- 1977 - Richard Wall, Irish actor
- 1976 - Laurence Courtois, Belgian tennis player
- 1976 - Damien Leith, Irish-born Australian singer, winner of Australian Idol 2006
- 1976 - Subhrajit Mitra, Film Maker, India
- 1974 - Christian Burns, English musician (BBMak)
- 1974 - Princess Claire of Belgium
- 1974 - Devon Odessa, American actress
- 1974 - Maulik Pancholy, American actor
- 1974 - Michael Tunn, Australian television presenter and radio announcer
- 1973 - Ben Jealous, African-American leader, president of the NAACP
- 1973 - Anthony Koutoufides, Australian rules footballer and Gladiator
- 1973 - Crispian Mills, British musician (The Jeevas and Kula Shaker)
- 1972 - Vinod Kambli, Indian cricket player
- 1972 - Mike Lieberthal, American baseball player
- 1971 - Jonathan Davis, American singer (Ko?n)
- 1971 - Christian Fittipaldi, Brazilian race car driver
- 1971 - Josep Guardiola, Spanish footballer
- 1971 - Fabian Ribauw, Nauruan politician
- 1971 - Seamus O'Regan, Canadian broadcast journalist
- 1970 - DJ Quik, American rapper
- 1970 - Peter van Petegem, Belgian cyclist
- 1969 - Dave Bautista, American professional wrestler
- 1969 - John Eder, American politician
- 1969 - Jesse L. Martin, American actor and singer
- 1969 - Jim O'Rourke, American musician and producer (Loose Fur and Wilco)
- 1968 - Frank Quitely, Scottish comic book artist
- 1967 - Kim Perrot, American basketball player (d. 1999)
- 1967 - Iván Zamorano, Chilean footballer
- 1966 - Alexander Khalifman, Russian chess player
- 1966 - André Ribeiro, Brazilian racing driver
- 1965 - Dave Attell, American writer and comedian
- 1964 - Brady Anderson, American baseball player
- 1964 - Jane Horrocks, British actress
- 1964 - Andrea Leand, American tennis player
- 1964 - Enrico Lo Verso, Italian actor
- 1963 - Yury Zakharevich, Soviet weightlifter
- 1963 - Maxime Bernier, French Canadian politician
- 1963 - Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland
- 1962 - Alison Arngrim, American actress
- 1962 - David O'Connor, American equestrian rider
- 1961 - Peter Beardsley, English footballer
- 1961 - Bobby Hansen, American basketball player
- 1961 - Mark Messier, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1961 - Jeff Yagher, American actor
- 1956 - Sharon Mitchell, American porn actress
- 1955 - Kevin Costner, American actor
- 1955 - Fergus Martin, Irish artist
- 1954 - Ted DiBiase, Retired Professional Wrestler
- 1953 - Brett Hudson, American musician
- 1952 - Michael Angelis, British actor
- 1952 - Michael Behe, American advocate of Intelligent Design
- 1952 - R. Stevie Moore, American singer, songwriter, and home recording pioneer
- 1951 - Bram Behr, Surinamese journalist (d. 1982)
- 1951 - Bob Latchford, English footballer
- 1950 - Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (d. 1982)
- 1949 - Bill Keller, American newspaper editor
- 1949 - Philippe Starck, French designer
- 1947 - Sachio Kinugasa, Japanese baseball player
- 1947 - Takeshi Kitano, Japanese actor and director
- 1946 - Joseph Deiss, Swiss Federal Councilor
- 1945 - José Luis Perales, Spanish singer
- 1944 - Paul Keating, twenty-fourth Prime Minister of Australia
- 1944 - Carl Morton, American baseball player (d. 1983)
- 1943 - Paul Freeman, British actor
- 1943 - Kay Granger, American politician
- 1941 - Denise Bombardier, Quebec journalist, television host and novelist
- 1941 - Bobby Goldsboro, American country/pop singer
- 1941 - David Ruffin, American singer (The Temptations) (d. 1991)
- 1940 - Pedro Rodriguez, Mexican racing driver (d. 1971)
- 1938 - Curt Flood, American baseball player (d. 1997)
- 1938 - Anthony Giddens, British sociologist
- 1937 - John Hume, Northern Irish politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in
- 1935 - Albert Millaire, Quebec actor and theatre director
- 1935 - Jon Stallworthy, English poet
- 1935 - Gad Yaacobi, Israeli minister (d. 2007)
- 1934 - Raymond Briggs, English writer and illustrator
- 1933 - John Boorman, Irish film director
- 1933 - Ray Dolby, American inventor (Dolby noise reduction system)
- 1932 - Robert Anton Wilson, American author (d. 2007)
- 1931 - Chun Doo-hwan, President of South Korea
- 1927 - Sundaram Balachander, Indian veena player (d. 1990)
- 1925 - Gilles Deleuze, French philosopher (d. 1995)
- 1922 - Bob Bell, American clown (d. 1997)
- 1918 - Gustave Gingras, French Canadian physician (d. 1996)
- 1917 - Wang Yung-ching, Taiwanese businessman (d. 2008)
- 1915 - Vassilis Tsitsanis, Greek singer and songwriter (d. 1984)
- 1914 - Arno Schmidt, German author (d. 1979)
- 1914 - Vitomil Zupan, Slovenian writer (d. 1987)
- 1913 - Danny Kaye, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1913 - Giannis Papaioannou, Greek composer and musician (d. 1972)
- 1910 - Kenneth E. Boulding, English economist (d. 1993)
- 1908 - Jacob Bronowski, Polish-born mathematician, poet, and physicist (d. 1974)
- 1908 - Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (d. 1972)
- 1905 - Joseph Bonanno, Italian-born gangster (d. 2002)
- 1904 - Anthony Galla-Rini, American accordionist (d. 2006)
- 1904 - Cary Grant, English actor (d. 1986)
- 1901 - Ivan Petrovsky, Russian mathematician (d. 1973)
- 1896 - C. M. Eddy, Jr., American writer (d. 1967)
- 1892 - Oliver Hardy, American comedian and actor (d. 1957)
- 1892 - Paul Rostock, German surgeon (d. 1956)
- 1888 - Thomas Sopwith, British aviation pioneer (d. 1989)
- 1886 - Clara Nordström, German writer and translator (d. 1962)
- 1882 - A. A. Milne, English author (d. 1956)
- 1881 - Gaston Gallimard, French publisher (d. 1975)
- 1880 - Paul Ehrenfest, Austrian physicist (d. 1933)
- 1879 - Henri Giraud, French general (d. 1949)
- 1877 - Samuel Zemurray, U.S. businessman (d. 1961)
- 1867 - Rubén Darío, Nicaraguan Journalist, Diplomat, Poet (d. 1916)
- 1856 - Daniel Hale Williams, African-American surgeon (d. 1931)
- 1854 - Thomas Watson, American telephone pioneer (d. 1934)
- 1853 - Marthinus Nikolaas Ras, South African Gunmaker (d. 1900)
- 1850 - Seth Low, American politician (d. 1916)
- 1849 - Sir Edmund Barton, 1st Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1920)
- 1848 - Ioan Slavici, Transylvanian writer (d. 1925)
- 1842 - Albert Alonzo Ames, Mayor of Minneapolis (d. 1911)
- 1841 - Emmanuel Chabrier, French composer (d. 1894)
- 1840 - Henry Austin Dobson, English poet (d. 1921)
- 1815 - Constantin von Tischendorf, German biblical scholar (d. 1874)
- 1813 - Joseph Glidden, American farmer who patented barbed wire (d. 1906)
- 1795 - Anna Pavlovna of Russia, queen of The Netherlands (d. 1865)
- 1782 - Daniel Webster, American statesman (d. 1852)
- 1779 - Peter Mark Roget, British lexicographer (d. 1869)
- 1743 - Louis Claude de Saint-Martin French philosopher, known as le philosophe inconnu. (d. 1803)
- 1689 - Montesquieu, French writer (d. 1755)
- 1688 - Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1765)
- 1672 - Antoine Houdar de la Motte, French writer (d. 1731)
- 1659 - Damaris Cudworth Masham, English philosopher (d. 1708)
- 1641 - François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, French war minister (d. 1691)
- 1543 - (baptised) Alfonso Ferrabosco (I), Italian composer (d. 1588)
- 1519 - Isabella Jagie??o, queen of Hungary (d. 1559)
- 885 - Daigo, Emperor of Japan (d. 930)