Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/January 18

January 18: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (1st day)

• 1778 - Captain James Cook discovered the Sandwich Islands, now known as Hawaii.

• 1871 - King Wilhelm I of Prussia was proclaimed the first Kaiser of the German Empire (flag pictured), a newly unified nation state.

• 1958 - Willie O'Ree of the Boston Bruins played his first game in the National Hockey League, breaking the color barrier in professional ice hockey.

• 1977 - The mysterious Legionnaires' disease was found to be caused by a novel bacterium now known as Legionella.

• 2003 - The Canberra Firestorm: Bushfires burning out of control began blazing through residential areas of Canberra, Australia.

Recent days: January 17 – January 16 – January 15

More anniversaries:

• December 31
• January 1
• January 2