December 18Birthdays & History

On this day: December 18 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 1118The city of Zaragoza is conquered by king Alfonso I of Aragon from the Almoravid.Europe
2. 1271Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China.Asia
3. 1499A rebellion breaks out in Alpujarras in response to the forced conversions of Muslims in Spain.Europe
4. 1622Portuguese forces score a military victory over the Kingdom of Kongo at the Battle of Mbumbi in present-day Angola.EuropeAfrica
5. 1655The Whitehall Conference ends with the determination that there was no law preventing Jews from re-entering England after the Edict of Expulsion of 1290.Europe
6. 1777The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking the recent victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga in October.North AmericaEurope
7. 1787New Jersey becomes the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.North America
8. 1833The national anthem of the Russian Empire, "God Save the Tsar!", is first performed.Europe
9. 1854The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada abolishes the seigneurial system.North America
10. 1865US Secretary of State William Seward proclaims the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting slavery throughout the United States.North America
11. 1867A magnitude 7.0 earthquakes strikes off the coast of Taiwan, triggering a tsunami and killing at least 580 people.Asia
12. 1878The Al-Thani family become the rulers of the state of Qatar.Middle East
13. 1892The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky premiers in Saint Petersburg, Russia.Europe
14. 1898Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat sets the first officially recognized land speed record of 63.159 km/h (39.245 mph) in a Jeantaud electric car.Europe
15. 1916World War I: The Battle of Verdun ends when the second French offensive pushes the Germans back two or three kilometres, causing them to cease their attacks.Europe
16. 1917The resolution containing the language of the Eighteenth Amendment to enact Prohibition is passed by the United States Congress.North America
17. 1932The Chicago Bears defeat the Portsmouth Spartans in the first NFL playoff game to win the NFL Championship.North America
18. 1935The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is founded in Ceylon.Asia
19. 1939World War II: The Battle of the Heligoland Bight, the first major air battle of the war, takes place.Europe
20. 1944The Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in Korematsu v. United States supporting Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 which cleared the way for the incarceration of nearly all 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, born and raised in the United States.North AmericaAsia
21. 1944World War II: XX Bomber Command responds to the Japanese Operation Ichi-Go offensive by dropping five hundred tons of incendiary bombs on a supply base in Hankow, China.AsiaAsia
22. 1957A violent F5 tornado wipes out the entire community of Sunfield, Illinois.North America
23. 1958Project SCORE, the world's first communications satellite, is launched.World
24. 1966Saturn's moon Epimetheus is discovered by astronomer Richard Walker.World
25. 1972Vietnam War: President Richard Nixon announces that the United States will engage North Vietnam in Operation Linebacker II, a series of Christmas bombings, after peace talks collapsed with North Vietnam on the 13th.AsiaNorth America
26. 1973Soviet Soyuz Programme: Soyuz 13, crewed by cosmonauts Valentin Lebedev and Pyotr Klimuk, is launched from Baikonur in the Soviet Union.Europe
27. 1977SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730 crashes near Madeira Airport in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, killing 36.Europe
28. 1977United Airlines Flight 2860 crashes near Kaysville, Utah, killing all three crew members on board.North America
29. 1981First flight of the Russian heavy strategic bomber Tu-160, the world's largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft and largest variable-sweep wing aircraft built.Europe
30. 1995A Lockheed L-188 Electra crashes in Jamba, Cuando, Angola, killing 141 people.Africa
31. 1999NASA launches into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth Observation instruments, including ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT.North America
32. 2002California gubernatorial 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.North America
33. 2005The Chadian Civil War begins when rebel groups, allegedly backed by neighbouring Sudan, launch an attack in Adré.Africa
34. 2006The first of a series of floods strikes Malaysia. The death toll of all flooding is at least 118, with over 400,000 people displaced.Asia
35. 2006United Arab Emirates holds its first-ever elections.Middle East
36. 2015Kellingley Colliery, the last deep coal mine in Great Britain, closes.Europe
37. 2017Amtrak Cascades passenger train 501, derailed near DuPont, Washington, a city in United States near Olympia, Washington killing six people, and injuring 70 others.North America
38. 2019The United States House of Representatives impeaches Donald Trump for the first time.North America
39. 2022Argentina win the FIFA World Cup final, defeating title holders France 4–2 on penalties following a 3–3 draw after extra time.Latin AmericaEurope

Source: Wikipedia "December 18" / CC BY-SA 4.0