January 18:
A.D. 1778: Captain James Cook discovers the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii).
A.D. 1788: The penal colony at Botany Bay, Australia, is begun.
A.D. 1861: The American Civil War begins.
January 19:
A.D. 379: Theodosius becomes the co-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire.
A.D. 1785: The first manned hot air balloon flight takes place in Ireland.
A.D. 1840: Discovery of Antarctica.