Births on January 18

Peter Moon, Australian comedian and actor

Peter Moon (born 18 January 1953) is an Australian comedian, best known for writing and performing in the sketch comedy Fast Forward.

28 Feb

Francis Crick
James Watson and Francis Crick announce to friends that they have determined the chemical structure of DNA; the formal announcement takes place on April 25 following publication in April's Nature (pub. April 2).
6 Mar

Joseph Stalin
Georgy Malenkov succeeds Joseph Stalin as Premier of the Soviet Union and First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
8 Apr

Jomo Kenyatta
Mau Mau leader Jomo Kenyatta is convicted by British Kenya's rulers.
19 Aug

1953 Iranian coup d'état
Cold War: The CIA and MI6 help to overthrow the government of Mohammad Mosaddegh in Iran and reinstate the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
30 Oct

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Cold War: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally approves the top secret document National Security Council Paper No. 162/2, which states that the United States' arsenal of nuclear weapons must be maintained and expanded to counter the communist threat.