January 18th

Today's Highlight in History:
On January 18th, 1912, English explorer Robert F. Scott and his expedition reached the South Pole, only to discover that Roald Amundsen had beaten them to it. (Scott and his party perished during the return trip.)

On this date:
In 1788, the first English settlers arrived in Australia's Botany Bay to establish a penal colony.

In 1862, the tenth president of the United States, John Tyler, died in Richmond, Virginia, at age 71.

In 1919, the World War One Peace Congress opened in Versailles, France.

In 1936, author Rudyard Kipling died in Burwash, England.

In 1943, during World War Two, the Soviets announced they'd broken the long Nazi siege of Leningrad.