Notable Historical Events on December 18th
December 18th Historical Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
218 |
Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Roman Republic. |
BC AD | |
1118 |
Alfonso van Aragon occupies Saragossa on Almoraviden |
1271 |
Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan Dynasty of China. |
1352 |
Etienne Aubert elected as Pope Innocentius VI |
1385 |
Peace of Tournai (Dutch - Doornik) signed between the Burgundian Duke Philip II and the rebellious city of Ghent |
1406 |
Anton of Burgundy becomes Duke of Brabant |
1603 |
First fleet of the Dutch East India Compnay under Admiral Steven van der Haghen departs for the East-Indies |
1621 |
English parliament accept unanimously, Protestation |
1642 |
Abel Tasman's expedition sails around Farewell Spit and into Golden Bay, first sighting local Māori |
1719 |
Thomas Fleet publishes "Mother Goose's Melodies For Children" |
1773 |
A skirmish at Grass Cove in Queen Charlotte Sound results in the deaths of two Māori and nine members of Cook's expedition, New Zealand |
1774 |
Empress Maria Theresa expels Jews from Prague, Bohemia & Moravia |
1777 |
1st national Thanksgiving Day, commemorating Burgoyne's surrender |
1783 |
British King George III dissmisses government of Portland |
1787 |
New Jersey becomes 3rd state to ratify constitution |
1793 |
Surrender of the frigate La Lutine by French royalists to Lord Hood; renamed HMS Lutine, she later becomes a famous treasure wreck. |
1796 |
1st US newspaper to appear on Sunday (Baltimore Monitor) |
1799 |
George Washington's body interred at Mount Vernon |
1813 |
British take Fort Niagara in War of 1812 |
1832 |
Charles Darwins visits Vurland |
1839 |
1st celestial photograph (of Moon) made in US, John Draper, NYC |
1849 |
William Bond obtains 1st photograph of Moon through a telescope |
1858 |
Passy, at Paris: 1st "Samedi soir" i/d villa of lovers Rossini |
1859 |
South Carolina declared an "independent commonwealth" |
1862 |
Battle at Lexington, Tennessee (Forrest's Second Raid) |
1865 |
1st US cattle importation law passed |
1867 |
Around 49 victims of "Angola Horror" train wreck burn to death (Angola NY) |
1869 |
Canada's Hamilton Foot Ball Club plays its 1st game |
1878 |
French SS Byzantin sinks after collision in Dardanellen, 210 killed |
1878 |
John Kehoe, the last of the Molly Maguires is executed in Pennsylvania. |
1888 |
Richard Wetherill and his brother in-law discover the ancient Indian ruins of Mesa Verde. |
1890 |
Lugards expedition to Mengo/Kampala, Uganda |
1892 |
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet "Nutcracker Suite" premieres |
1892 |
Anton Bruckner's 8th Symphony premieres |
1894 |
Cricket day 4 1T Aus v Eng England following on 4-268, 7 in front |
1898 |
Automobile speed record set-63 kph (39 mph) |
1899 |
Field Marshal Lord Roberts appointed British supreme commander in South Africa |
1900 |
The Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook Narrow-gauge (2 ft 6 in or 762 mm) Railway (now the Puffing Billy Railway) in Victoria, Australia is opened for traffic. |
1902 |
British parliament passes the Education Act, which will come to be regarded as the most important legislation of Balfour's government |
1905 |
H V Hordern takes 8-81 in 2nd innings of F-C debut (NSW v Qld) |
1912 |
Piltdown Man, later discovered to be a hoax, is supposedly found in the Piltdown Gravel Pit, by Charles Dawson. |
1913 |
The Indian Inquiry Commission, also known as the Solomon Commission, commences its sittings in Pretoria |
1917 |
Soviet regiment (Stalin/Lenin) declares Finland Independent |
1920 |
1st US postage stamps printed without the words United States or US |
1923 |
International zone of Tangier set up in Morocco |
1930 |
Bradman scores 258 NSW v South Aust, 289 mins, 37 fours |
1932 |
Chicago Bears beat Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 in 1st NFL playoff game |
1935 |
Bradman scores 117 in his 1st Shield cricket match for South Australia |
1935 |
Edward Benes becomes president of Czechoslovakia |
1935 |
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is founded in Ceylon. |
1936 |
Queensland cricket all out for 49 v Vic, Fleetwood-Smith 7-17 |
1936 |
Su-Lin, 1st giant panda to come to US from China, arrives in SF |
1939 |
Finnish army recaptures Agläjärvi |
1941 |
German submarine U-434 sinks |
1941 |
Japanse troops land on Hong Kong |
1944 |
US Destroyers Hull, Spence & Monaghan sink in typhoon (Philippines) |
1944 |
Nazi occupiers of Amsterdam destroy electricity plants |
1945 |
Uruguay joins UN |
1946 |
TV's 1st network dramatic serial "Faraway Hill" ends 2 month run in US |
1947 |
Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Optissima Pax |
1948 |
Indonesia begins its 2nd political election |
1948 |
WDSU TV channel 6 in New Orleans, LA (NBC) begins broadcasting |
1949 |
Philadelphia Eagles beat LA Rams 14-0 in NFL championship game |
1952 |
Ellis W Ryan resigns as Cleve Indians president |
1953 |
KATV TV channel 7 in Little Rock, AR (ABC) begins broadcasting |
1953 |
KMID TV channel 2 in Midland & Odessa, TX (ABC) begins broadcasting |
1956 |
"To Tell the Truth" debuts on CBS-TV |
1956 |
Israeli flag hoisted on Mount Sinai |
1956 |
Japan admitted to UN |
1956 |
Phil Rizzuto signs as NY Yankee radio-TV announcer |
1957 |
Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania USA, the world's 1st nuclear power plant begins to generate electricity |
1958 |
1st test project of Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equip |
1958 |
1st voice from space: recorded Christmas message by Eisenhower |
1958 |
Niger gains autonomy within French Community (National Day) |
1959 |
Sammy Baugh named 1st coach of NY Titans (AFL) |
1960 |
General Meeting of UN condemns apartheid |
1961 |
Britain's EMI Records originally rejects the Beatles |
1961 |
For 2nd consecutive year, AP names Wilma Rudolph female athlete of year |
1961 |
India annexes Portuguese colonies of Goa, Damao & Diu |
1961 |
KAIL TV channel 53 in Fresno, CA (IND) begins broadcasting |
1961 |
Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Phila Warriors scores 78 points vs LA |
1962 |
Dmitri Shostakovitch's 13th Symphony premieres in Moscow |
1962 |
USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR |
1962 |
WAIQ TV channel 26 in Montgomery, AL (PBS) begins broadcasting |
1963 |
Clarke runs world record 10k (28:15.6) |
1963 |
Muskegon, Michigan gets 3' of snow |
1964 |
"I Had a BaIl" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 199 performances |
1964 |
"The Pink Panther" cartoon series premieres (Pink Phink) |
1964 |
During services held for Sam Cooke fans caused damage to funeral home |
1964 |
US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site |
1965 |
"La Grusse Valise" closes at 54th St Theater NYC after 7 performances |
1965 |
Borman & Lovell Splash down in Atlantic after 2 week Gemini VII mission |
1965 |
Kenneth LeBel jumps 17 barrels on ice skates |
1966 |
Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" airs for 1st time on CBS |
1966 |
USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR |
1966 |
Saturn's moon Epimetheus is discovered by Richard L. Walker. |
1968 |
USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR |
1969 |
"Coco" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 333 performances |
1969 |
House of Lords votes to abolish the death penalty in England, Wales and Scotland (Northern Ireland 25 July 1973) |
1969 |
US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site |
1970 |
"Me Nobody Knows" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 587 perfs |
1970 |
Polish uprising fails |
1970 |
US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site |
1971 |
1st Candlelight Processional at the EPCOT Center, Disney World |
1971 |
CBS radio cancels Saturday morning band concerts |
1971 |
People United To Save Humanity (PUSH) forms by Jesse Jackson in Chic |
1971 |
US dollar devalued 7.9% in Holland ($1=Ÿ3,245) |
1971 |
Three members of the Irish Republican Army die when the bomb they were transporting explodes prematurely in King Street, Magherafelt, County Derry. |
1972 |
US begins its heaviest bombing of North Vietnam |
1973 |
Soyuz 13 launched into Earth orbit for 8 days |
1973 |
Yanks sign Dick Williams as manager, overturned later by AL Pres |
1974 |
SF Visitors Center at City Hall opens |
1976 |
"A Star is Born", with Barbra Striesand, premieres |
1976 |
"Wonder Woman" debuts on ABC |
1976 |
Soviet dissident Viktor Bukovskiexchanged for Chile CP-leader Corvalan |
1977 |
Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey # 42, Nate Thumond |
1977 |
Dutch Antilles: premier Boy Rozendal points independence off |
1978 |
France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island |
1978 |
USSR performs underground nuclear test |
1979 |
Stanley Barrett 1st to exceed land sonic speed (739.666 MPH) |
1980 |
Bruce Sprinsteen's concert at Madison Sq Garden |
1980 |
Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts minister Van Agts abortion laws |
1980 |
IRA's Sean McKenna becomes critically ill, ends hunger strike |
1980 |
Vietnam adopts constitution |
1982 |
Flight readiness firing of Challenger's main engines; 20 seconds |
1983 |
NBA San Diego Clippers ends 29 game road losing streak |
1984 |
73rd Davis Cup: Sweden beats USA in Gothenburg (4-1) |
1985 |
"Jerry's Girls" opens at St James Theater NYC for 139 performances |
1985 |
UN Security Council unanimously condemns "acts of hostage-taking" |
1987 |
Ivan F Boesky sentenced to 3 years for insider trading |
1988 |
5th meeting of Giants-Jets, Jets win & eliminate Giants from playoffs |
1988 |
Seattle Seahawks win their 1st ever division title with 9-7 record |
1989 |
"I Love Lucy" Christmas episode, shown for 1st time in over 30 years |
1989 |
Athol Fugard's "My Children, My Africa" premieres in NYC |
1990 |
Bush reiterates his "no concessions" stance against Iraq |
1990 |
NL releases short list of teams for 1993 NL expansion |
1990 |
NL announces Buffalo, Denver, Miami, Orlando, Tampa-St Petersburg, & Wash DC as 6 finalist for 1993 expansion (Miami & Denver win) |
1991 |
DeForest Kelly (Dr McCoy on Star Trek) gets a star in Hollywood |
1991 |
General Motors announces closing of 21 plants |
1992 |
FCC vote 4-1 to allow Infinity to purchase Cook Inlet stations |
1993 |
Kevin Scott skates world record 1K (1:12.54) |
1994 |
"Comedy Tonight" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 8 performances |
1994 |
"What's Wrong With this Pic?" closes at Circle in Sq NYC after 12 perf |
1994 |
Darryl Strawberry pleads not guilty on tax evasion charges |
1994 |
General Hospital stars Kristina Malandro & Jack Wagner wed |
1994 |
Norman, Couples & Azinger wins LPGA Wendy's 3-Tour Golf Challenge |
1994 |
Socialist Party (ex-communist) wins Bulgaria parliamentary election |
1996 |
Start of 1st Test Cricket match between Zimbabwe & England |
1996 |
US TV industry execs agree to adopt a ratings system |
1996 |
The Oakland, California school board passes a resolution officially declaring "Ebonics" a language or dialect. |
1996 |
During a press conference, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Maleki states that Iran supports the free flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, but reserves the option of closing off the shipping route if it is threatened |
1997 |
HTML 4.0 is published by the World Wide Web Consortium. |
1999 |
NASA launches into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth Observation instruments, including ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT. |
2002 |
2003 California recall: Then Governor of California Gray Davis announces that the state would face a record budget deficit of $35 billion, roughly double the figure reported during his reelection campaign one month earlier. |
2009 |
James Cameron's "Avatar", starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, is released |
2012 |
4 people are killed and 11 are injured after an apartment block collapses in Palermo, Italy |
2012 |
6 health workers dispensing polio vaccinations are gunned down in Pakistan |
2012 |
The Seleka rebel coalition kills 15 people during its capture of Bria, the Central African Republic |
2015 |
Mother Teresa to become a saint; Pope Francis recognizes second miracle |
2015 |
All schools shut down in a Virginia county over Islam homework assignment |
2015 |
UN to officially recognize Yom Kippur in 2016 |
2016 |
China to return seized US underwater drone, Pentagon says |
2016 |
Minnesota football team ends boycott over sexual assault case |
2016 |
Indonesian C-130 Military Plane Crashes in Papua, Killing 13 |
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