Did that happen?

What psychics foresaw for 2017:
— ‘Crash in euro, Denmark and Italy leaving the EU; North and South Korea becoming one country as Kim Jong-un is overthrown; a worldwide flu epidemic’
(Craig Hamilton-Parker, ‘psychic who predicted Brexit, Trump and Nice attack’, the Sun, 20 January 2017).
— ‘Moon will turn green; two volcanoes will erupt in Italy; leaning tower of Pisa collapsing; Cuba becomes 51st US state; pandas will start eating each other in China; cows will start to disappear in the Swiss Alps, leading to a chocolate shortage’ (Nikki, ‘psychic to the stars’. She did predict terror attacks in Manchester, New York and London, but also in Las Vegas, Paris, LA, Madrid, Istanbul, Riyadh, Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago, Rome, Luxembourg, Melbourne, Sydney and other cities).
 

Marking time

Some lesser-known anniversaries of 2018:
50th The first supersonic airliner took to the skies: the Russian Tu-144, which flew on 31 December 1968, two months before Concorde. However, a prototype crashed at the Paris airshow in 1973, and another in 1978, putting an end to the programme.
50th Half a century of the postcode.
100th The first female bookmaker, Helen Vernet, took to Ascot racecourse.
200th The Duchy of Nassau, a state in what is now western Germany, launched the first state health service.
200th Birthday of Karl Marx on 5 May.
300th The first machine-gun was patented in London by James Puckle. The Puckle Gun could fire nine rounds a minute.
400th Anniversary of the beginning of the Thirty Years’ War.
 

Grand openings

Some things which should open in 2018:
— Crossrail, or the Elizabeth Line as it is now called (in stages, May–December).
— Berlin Brandenburg airport (hopefully, having been originally due to open in 2012).
— Sphinx International Airport, Cairo.
— A new Primark in Staines.
— A new Premier Inn in Oban.
 

You can bet on it

Odds quoted on things to happen in 2018:
— UK general election 7-4 (Paddy Power)
— England to win World Cup 16-1 (William Hill)
— Donald Trump to be impeached evens (Paddy Power)
— Jeremy Corbyn to be replaced as Labour leader 4-1 (Paddy Power)
— Philip Hammond to launch nationwide stand-up tour 100-1 (Paddy Power).