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Historical Events

18 Dec 1118
Alfonso van Aragon occupies Saragossa on Almoraviden
18 Dec 1385
Peace of Tournai (Dutch - Doornik) signed between the Burgundian Duke Philip II and the rebellious city of Ghent
18 Dec 1603
First fleet of the Dutch East India Company under Admiral Steven van der Haghen departs for the East-Indies
18 Dec 1621
English parliament accept unanimously Protestation
18 Dec 1719
Thomas Fleet publishes Mother Gooses Melodies For Children
18 Dec 1773
A skirmish at Grass Cove in Queen Charlotte Sound results in the deaths of two Mori and nine members of Cooks expedition New Zealand
18 Dec 1774
Empress Maria Theresa expels Jews from Prague Bohemia and Moravia
18 Dec 1777
1st national Thanksgiving Day commemorating Burgoynes surrender
18 Dec 1946
TVs 1st network dramatic serial Faraway Hill ends 2 month run in US
18 Dec 1947
Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Optissima Pax
18 Dec 1948
WDSU TV channel 6 in New Orleans LA (NBC) begins broadcasting
18 Dec 1783
British King George III dismisses Duke of Portlands government
18 Dec 1793
Surrender of the frigate La Lutine by French royalists to Lord Hood renamed HMS Lutine she later becomes a famous treasure wreck
18 Dec 1796
1st US newspaper to appear on Sunday (Baltimore Monitor)
18 Dec 1839
1st celestial photograph (of Moon) made in US by John Draper in New York City
18 Dec 1849
William Bond obtains 1st photograph of Moon through a telescope
18 Dec 1858
Passy at Paris 1st Samedi soir id villa of lovers Rossini
18 Dec 1860
South Carolina declared an independent commonwealth
18 Dec 1862
Battle at Lexington Tennessee (Forrests Second Raid)
18 Dec 1867
Around 49 victims of Angola Horror train wreck burn to death in Angola New York
18 Dec 1869
Canadas Hamilton Foot Ball Club plays its 1st game
18 Dec 1878
French SS Byzantin sinks after collision in Dardanelles 210 killed
18 Dec 1878
John Kehoe the last of the Molly Maguires is executed in Pennsylvania
18 Dec 1888
Richard Wetherill and his brother in-law discover the ancient Anasazi ruins of Mesa Verde Colorado
18 Dec 1890
Lugards expedition to Meng and Kampala Uganda
18 Dec 1894
Cricket day 4 1st test Australia v England England following on 4-268 7 in front
18 Dec 1899
Field Marshal Lord Roberts appointed British supreme commander in South Africa
18 Dec 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.
18 Dec 1905
H V Hordern takes 8-81 in 2nd innings of F-C debut (NSW v Qld)
18 Dec 1912
Piltdown Man later discovered to be a hoax is supposedly found in the Piltdown Gravel Pit by Charles Dawson.
18 Dec 1913
The Indian Inquiry Commission also known as the Solomon Commission commences its sittings in Pretoria
18 Dec 1917
The 18th Amendment authorizing prohibition of alcohol is approved by the US congress and sent to the states for ratification
18 Dec 1920
1st US postage stamps printed without the words United States or US
18 Dec 1923
International zone of Tangier set up in Morocco
18 Dec 1932
1st NFL playoff game Chicago Bears beat Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 indoors at Chicago Stadium due to blizzard
18 Dec 1935
Edward Benes becomes president of Czechoslovakia
18 Dec 1935
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is founded in Ceylon
18 Dec 1936
Queensland cricket all out for 49 v Vic Fleetwood-Smith 7-17
18 Dec 1936
Su-Lin 1st giant panda to come to US from China arrives in San Francisco
18 Dec 1944
US Destroyers Hull Spence & Monaghan sink in typhoon (Philippines)
18 Dec 1944
Nazi occupiers of Amsterdam destroy electricity plants
18 Dec 1949
Philadelphia Eagles beat LA Rams 14-0 in NFL championship game
18 Dec 1952
Ellis W Ryan resigns as Cleveland Indians president
18 Dec 1953
KATV TV channel 7 in Little Rock AR (ABC) begins broadcasting
18 Dec 1953
KMID TV channel 2 in Midland & Odessa TX (ABC) begins broadcasting
18 Dec 1956
Phil Rizzuto signs as NY Yankee radio-TV announcer
18 Dec 1956
Ballon dOr Blackpool & England winger Stanley Matthews wins inaugural award for best football player in Europe beats Real Madrid pair Alfredo Di Stfano & Raymond Kopa
18 Dec 1957
Worlds 1st full scale nuclear power plant begins to generate electricity at the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania
18 Dec 1958
1st test project of Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equip
18 Dec 1958
Project SCORE worlds first communications satellite launched from Cape Canaveral
18 Dec 1958
Niger gains autonomy within French Community (National Day)
18 Dec 1961
Britains EMI Records originally rejects the Beatles
18 Dec 1961
For 2nd consecutive year AP names Wilma Rudolph female athlete of year
18 Dec 1961
India annexes Portuguese colonies of Goa Damao & Diu
18 Dec 1961
KAIL TV channel 53 in Fresno CA (IND) begins broadcasting
18 Dec 1962
WAIQ TV channel 26 in Montgomery AL (PBS) begins broadcasting
18 Dec 1962
Ballon dOr Dukler Prague midfielder Josef Masopust wins award for best European football player beats Benfica striker Eusbio and FC Kln defender Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
18 Dec 1964
I Had a BaIl opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 199 performances
18 Dec 1964
The Pink Panther cartoon series premieres (Pink Phink)
18 Dec 1964
During funeral service held for soul singer Sam Cooke fans cause damage to funeral home
18 Dec 1965
La Grusse Valise closes at 54th St Theater NYC after 7 performances
18 Dec 1966
Saturns moon Epimetheus is discovered by Richard L. Walker.
18 Dec 1969
Coco opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 333 performances
18 Dec 1969
House of Lords votes to abolish the death penalty in England Wales and Scotland (Northern Ireland 25 July 1973)
18 Dec 1969
On Her Majestys Secret Service 6th James Bond Film starring George Lazenby and Diana Rigg premieres in London
18 Dec 1970
Me Nobody Knows opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 587 performances
18 Dec 1971
1st Candlelight Processional at the EPCOT Center Disney World
18 Dec 1971
CBS radio cancels Saturday morning band concerts
18 Dec 1971
People United To Save Humanity (PUSH) formed by Jesse Jackson in Chicago
18 Dec 1971
US dollar devalued 7.9% in Holland (13245)
18 Dec 1971
Three members of the Irish Republican Army die when the bomb they were transporting explodes prematurely in King Street Magherafelt County Derry.
18 Dec 1972
US launches Operation Linebacker II its heaviest bombing of North Vietnam as negotiations to end the Vietnam War collapse
18 Dec 1973
Yanks sign Dick Williams as manager overturned later by AL Pres
18 Dec 1974
San Francisco Visitors Center at City Hall opens
18 Dec 1976
Soviet dissident Viktor Bukovskiexchanged for Chile CP-leader Corvalan
18 Dec 1977
Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey 42 Nate Thumond
18 Dec 1977
Dutch Antilles premier Boy Rozendal points independence off
18 Dec 1979
Stanley Barrett 1st to exceed land sonic speed (739.666 MPH)
18 Dec 1980
Bruce Sprinsteens concert at Madison Square Garden
18 Dec 1980
Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts minister Van Agts abortion laws
18 Dec 1980
IRAs Sean McKenna becomes critically ill ends hunger strike
18 Dec 1982
Flight readiness firing of Challengers main engines 20 seconds
18 Dec 1983
NBA San Diego Clippers ends 29 game road losing streak
18 Dec 1984
73rd Davis Cup Sweden beats USA in Gothenburg (4-1)
18 Dec 1985
Jerrys Girls opens at St James Theater NYC for 139 performances
18 Dec 1985
UN Security Council unanimously condemns acts of hostage-taking
18 Dec 1987
Ivan F Boesky sentenced to 3 years for insider trading
18 Dec 1988
Seattle Seahawks win their 1st ever division title with 9-7 record
18 Dec 1988
Cricket Womens World Cup Australia defeats England by 8 wickets
18 Dec 1989
I Love Lucy Christmas episode shown for 1st time in over 30 years
18 Dec 1989
Athol Fugards My Children My Africa premieres in NYC
18 Dec 1990
NL announces Buffalo Denver Miami Orlando Tampa-St Petersburg & Washington D.C. as 6 finalist for 1993 expansion (Miami & Denver win)
18 Dec 1990
Bush reiterates his no concessions stance against Iraq
18 Dec 1991
DeForest Kelly (Dr McCoy on Star Trek) gets a star in Hollywood
18 Dec 1992
FCC vote 4-1 to allow Infinity to purchase Cook Inlet stations
18 Dec 1994
Comedy Tonight opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 8 performances
18 Dec 1994
Whats Wrong With this Pic closes at Circle in Sq NYC after 12 performances
18 Dec 1994
Norman Couples & Azinger wins LPGA Wendys 3-Tour Golf Challenge
18 Dec 1994
Socialist Party (ex-communist) wins Bulgaria parliamentary election
18 Dec 1996
Start of 1st Test Cricket match between Zimbabwe & England
18 Dec 1996
US TV industry execs agree to adopt a ratings system
18 Dec 1996
The Oakland California school board passes a resolution officially declaring Ebonics a language or dialect.
18 Dec 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
18 Dec 1997
HTML 4.0 is published by the World Wide Web Consortium
18 Dec 1999
NASA launches into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth Observation instruments including ASTER CERES MISR MODIS and MOPITT.
18 Dec 2001
Ballon dOr Liverpool forward Michael Owen is named best football player in Europe ahead of Real Madrid striker Ral and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn
18 Dec 2002
Governor of California Gray Davis announces the state faces a record budget deficit of 35 billion roughly double the figure reported during his reelection campaign one month earlier
18 Dec 2011
The last US troops withdraw from Iraq formally ending the Iraq War
18 Dec 2012
4 people are killed and 11 are injured after an apartment block collapses in Palermo Italy
18 Dec 2012
6 health workers dispensing polio vaccinations are gunned down in Pakistan
18 Dec 2012
The Seleka rebel coalition kills 15 people during its capture of Bria the Central African Republic
18 Dec 2017
South Africas ANC selects Cyril Ramaphosa as leader to succeed President Jacob Zuma
18 Dec 2017
Australia regains crickets Ashes against England winning by an innings to take 3 game lead at the Wacca in Perth
18 Dec 2017
Austria swears in new coalition government with Sebastian Kurz aged 31 of the Peoples Party made Chancellor
18 Dec 1916
Battle of Verdun longest of World War I officially ends in German defeat after nine months of fighting and almost 1 million total casualties
18 Dec 1932
National Football League Championship Playoff Chicago Stadium Chicago Bears beat Portsmouth Spartans 9-0
18 Dec 1949
National Football League Championship Philadelphia Eagles beat Los Angeles Rams 14-0 played in driving rain that caused field to become a mud pit
18 Dec 1957
Worlds 1st full scale nuclear power plant for only peacetime use begins to generate electricity at the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania
18 Dec 1958
Project SCORE worlds 1st communications satellite launched from Cape Canaveral
18 Dec 2018
Manchester United sacks high profile Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho United in 6th place in EPL 19 points behind league leaders Liverpool Ole Gunnar Solskjaer new caretaker manager
18 Dec 2018
Nevada becomes the first US state with a female-majority legislature with new appointments taking it to 51%
18 Dec 2018
Fire destroys 600 stilt homes in Manaus northwestern Brazil
18 Dec 2018
Meteor explodes in huge fireball over the Bering Sea with 10 times the energy of Hiroshima atomic bomb 2nd largest in last 30 yrs
18 Dec 1869
Canadas Hamilton Football Club plays its 1st game
18 Dec 2017
Australia regains crickets Ashes against England winning by an innings to take 3 game lead at the WACA in Perth
18 Dec 2018
Meteor explodes in huge fireball over the Bering Sea with 10 times the energy of Hiroshima atomic bomb 2nd largest in last 30 yrs
18 Dec 1719
Thomas Fleet publishes Mother Gooses Melodies For Children in Boston Massachusetts
18 Dec 1777
1st US national Thanksgiving Day commemorating British General Burgoynes surrender
18 Dec 1862
Battle at Lexington Tennessee (part of Forrests Second Raid)
18 Dec 1890
Frederick Lugards British expedition to Meng and Kampala Uganda
18 Dec 1894
Day 4 of the 1st cricket test Australia v England England following on 4-268 7 in front
18 Dec 1898
First automobile speed record set of 63 kph (39 mph) by French Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat of Paris
18 Dec 1905
H V Hordern takes 8-81 in 2nd innings of First Class debut (NSW v Qld)
18 Dec 1939
Finnish army recaptures Agljrvi (Karelia)
18 Dec 1941
44 surviving crewmen of German U-434 surrender to the HMS Blankney after scuttling their wounded submarine. Two are lost.
18 Dec 1952
Ellis W. Ryan resigns as Cleveland Indians president
18 Dec 1957
Worlds 1st full scale nuclear power plant for peacetime use only begins to generate electricity at the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania
18 Dec 1977
NBA Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey 42 Nate Thumond
18 Dec 1993
The MGM Grand Las Vegas hotel and casino first opens as the largest hotel complex in the world (since surpassed)
18 Dec 2020
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine granted emergency authorization by US Food and Drug Administration
18 Dec 2020
International body Covax established to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to low and middle income countries announces deals with vaccine manufacturers and method for countries to share excess vaccines
18 Dec 2020
South Africa announces detection of new variant of COVID-19 called 501.V2 which is driving a second wave of infections
18 Dec 1985
Jerry Hermans musical revue Jerrys Girls opens at St James Theater NYC runs for 139 performances
18 Dec 1994
Donald Margulies comic play Whats Wrong With This Picture closes at Circle in Square NYC after 12 performances
18 Dec 1994
Stand-up comedy revue Comedy Tonight opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC runs for 9 performances
18 Dec 2012
Canadian police begin arresting 17 people for the Great Maple Syrup Heist for stealing 3000 tonnes from a storage facility in Quebec
18 Dec 1839
John William Draper takes 1st portrait photograph of a female face made in US
18 Dec 1957
Worlds first full scale nuclear power plant for peacetime use only begins to generate electricity at the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania
18 Dec 1979
Stuntman Stanley Barrett unofficially breaks the land speed record and the sound barrier in his three-wheeled vehicle the Budweiser Rocket (739.666 mph or Mach 1.01). The speed was never officially recorded and the attempt remains controversial.
18 Dec 1994
Revival of Donald Margulies stage dramedy Whats Wrong With This Picture closes at Brooks Atkinson Theater NYC after 12 performances
18 Dec 1118
Alfonso I of Aragon occupies Zaragoza defeating taking Moorish Taifa Zaragoza from the Moors
18 Dec 1987
American stockbroker Ivan Boesky sentenced to 3 years in prison for insider trading
18 Dec 2023
6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Jishishan county in Gansu Province killing at least 127 people - Chinas worst earthquake in 13 years [1]
18 Dec 2023
BP joins other companies in pausing transit of ships through the Red Sea amid attacks by Yemens Houthi rebels on commercial vessels with serious implications for global shipping [1]
18 Dec 2023
Extreme rainfall and flooding after Cyclone Jasper breaks 100-year old weather records around Cairns and Daintree in northern Queensland Australia [1]
18 Dec 2023
Icelandic volcano erupts on Reykjanes peninsula 40km from countrys capital Reykjavik [1]
18 Dec 2023
Utah YouTube vlogger Ruby Franke pleads guilty to child abuse charges including convincing her children they are evil and possessed [1]
18 Dec 1911
First exhibition of the German expressionist artist group Der Blaue Reiter at Heinrich Thannhausers Moderne Galerie in Munich paintings by 14 artists were shown including Henri Rousseau Albert Bloch Wassily Kandinsky Franz Marc Gabriele Mnter and Arnold Schoenberg
18 Dec 1956
Phil Rizzuto signs as NY Yankees radio-TV announcer
18 Dec 1958
Project SCORE the worlds first communications satellite is launched from Cape Canaveral
18 Dec 1959
Sammy Baugh is named the first coach of the NY Titans (AFL)
18 Dec 1962
Dmitri Shostakovichs Symphony No. 13 premieres at the Large Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in Moscow
18 Dec 1989
Athol Fugards play My Children My Africa premieres in NYC
18 Dec 1994
Darryl Strawberry pleads not guilty on tax evasion charges
18 Dec 1999
Environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill ends her protest after 738 days of living in a redwood tree in Humboldt County
18 Dec 1999
NASA launches the Terra platform into orbit carrying five Earth observation instruments including ASTER CERES MISR MODIS and MOPITT
18 Dec 2012
Six health workers dispensing polio vaccinations are gunned down in Pakistan
18 Dec 2018
Meteor explodes in a huge fireball over the Bering Sea with 10 times the energy of the Hiroshima atomic bomb the second largest such event in the last 30 years