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On This Day in History — April 18
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Highlights of April 18
- 2023 — Fox News agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems a $787 million settlement over defamation claims related to the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Read more
- 2019 — The United States Department of Justice released a redacted version of the Mueller report about the investigation of Russian influence on the U.S. presidential election to Congress and the public. Read more
- 2007 — A ladle spilled 30 tonnes (33 tons) of molten steel in a factory in Liaoning, China, killing 32 workers. Read more
- 1996 — Operation Grapes of Wrath: Israeli forces shelled Qana, Lebanon, killing at least 100 civilians and injuring more than 110 others at a United Nations compound. Read more
- 1980 — Robert Mugabe became the first prime minister of Zimbabwe, beginning a 37-year period in power. Read more
- 1958 — Controversial American poet Ezra Pound (pictured) was released from St. Elizabeths Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Washington, D.C., in which he had been incarcerated for twelve years. Read more
- 1949 — The Republic of Ireland Act 1948 came into force, describing Ireland as a republic and ending its membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. Read more
- 1946 — The final session of the League of Nations concluded in Geneva, with delegates agreeing to transfer much of its assets to the United Nations. Read more
- 1938 — Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster of DC Comics, made his debut in Action Comics #1, the first true superhero comic book. Read more
- 1915 — World War I: Hit by ground fire, French aviation pioneer Roland Garros (pictured) landed his aircraft behind enemy lines and was taken prisoner by German forces. Read more
- 1881 — The painted ceilings of the Natural History Museum, London, were unveiled when the building opened its doors to the public. Read more
- 1864 — American Civil War: African-American Union soldiers were massacred and mutilated during and after the Battle of Poison Spring. Read more
- 1775 — American Revolutionary War: Colonists Paul Revere and William Dawes, later joined by Samuel Prescott, began a midnight ride to warn residents of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, about the impending arrival of British troops. Read more
- 1689 — Glorious Revolution: Provincial militia and citizens in Boston revolted, arresting officials of the Dominion of New England. Read more
Events
- 2026 — Seven people are killed and fourteen others are injured in a mass shooting in Kyiv, Ukraine Read more
- 2019 — A redacted version of the Mueller report is released to the United States Congress and the public. Read more
- 2018 — King Mswati III of Swaziland announces that his country's name will change to Eswatini. Read more
- 2018 — Anti-government protests start in Nicaragua. Read more
- 1996 — The Israeli military commits the Qana massacre in a deliberate shelling of a United Nations compound near the village of Qana in southern Lebanon, killing 106 Lebanese civilians who were taking shelter there and wounding over 100 more. Read more
- 1988 — The United States launches Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian naval forces in the largest naval battle since World War II. Read more
- 1988 — In Israel John Demjanjuk is sentenced to death for war crimes committed in World War II, although the verdict is later overturned. Read more
- 1980 — The Republic of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) comes into being, with Canaan Banana as the country's first President. The Zimbabwean dollar replaces the Rhodesian dollar as the official currency. Read more
- 1980 — The town of Elmore City, Oklahoma holds its first dance in the town's history. Read more
- 1978 — The Ba Chúc massacre begins, which precipitates the Cambodian–Vietnamese War the same year. Read more
- 1972 — East African Airways Flight 720 crashes during a rejected takeoff from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, killing 43. Read more
- 1955 — Twenty-nine nations meet at Bandung, Indonesia, for the first Asian-African Conference. Read more
- 1954 — Gamal Abdel Nasser seizes power in Egypt. Read more
- 1949 — The Republic of Ireland Act comes into force, declaring Éire to be a republic and severing Ireland's "association" with the Commonwealth of Nations. Read more
- 1947 — The Operation Big Bang, the largest non-nuclear man-made explosion to that time, destroys bunkers and military installations on the North Sea island of Heligoland, Germany. Read more
- 1946 — The International Court of Justice holds its inaugural meeting in The Hague, Netherlands. Read more
- 1946 — Jackie Robinson makes his regular season debut for the Montreal Royals of the International League, to make them the first integrated modern professional baseball team. Read more
- 1945 — World War II: Over 1,000 bombers attack the small island of Heligoland, Germany. Read more
- 1945 — Italian resistance movement: In Turin, despite the harsh repressive measures adopted by Nazi-fascists, a great pre-insurrectional strike begins. Read more
- 1943 — World War II: Operation Vengeance, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is killed when his aircraft is shot down by U.S. fighters over Bougainville Island. Read more
- 1942 — World War II: The Doolittle Raid on Japan: Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Nagoya are bombed. Read more
- 1942 — Pierre Laval becomes Prime Minister of Vichy France. Read more
- 1939 — Robert Menzies, who became Australia's longest-serving prime minister, is elected as leader of the United Australia Party after the death of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons. Read more
- 1938 — Superman debuts in Action Comics #1 (cover dated June 1938). Read more
- 1930 — A fire kills 118 people at a wooden church in the small Romanian town of Costești, most of them schoolchildren, after starting during Good Friday services. Read more
- 1916 — World War I: During a mine warfare in high altitude on the Dolomites, the Italian troops conquer the Col di Lana held by the Austrian army. Read more
- 1915 — World War I: French pilot Roland Garros is shot down and glides to a landing on the German side of the lines. Read more
- 1912 — The Cunard liner RMS Carpathia brings 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic to New York City. Read more
- 1909 — Joan of Arc is beatified in Rome. Read more
- 1906 — The 7.9 Mwearthquake and fire destroy much of San Francisco, California, killing more than 3,000 people, making one of the worst natural disasters in American history. Read more
- 1902 — The 7.5 Mw Guatemala earthquake shakes Guatemala with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), killing between 800 and 2,000. Read more
- 1899 — The St. Andrew's Ambulance Association is granted a royal charter by Queen Victoria. Read more
- 1897 — The Greco-Turkish War is declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire. Read more
- 1864 — Battle of Dybbøl: A Prussian-Austrian army defeats Denmark and gains control of Schleswig. Denmark surrenders the province in the following peace settlement. Read more
- 1857 — The Spirits Book by Allan Kardec is published, marking the birth of Spiritualism in France. Read more
- 1847 — American victory at the battle of Cerro Gordo opens the way for invasion of Mexico. Read more
- 1831 — The University of Alabama is founded in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Read more
- 1797 — War of the First Coalition: The Peace of Leoben is signed by Napoleon Bonaparte and Maximilian, Count of Merveldt, creating an armistice between France and Austria, setting the stage for the Treaty of Campo Formio and ending the War of the First Coalition.[citation needed] Read more
- 1783 — Three-Fifths Compromise: The first instance of black slaves in the United States of America being counted as three-fifths of persons (for the purpose of taxation), in a resolution of the Congress of the Confederation. This was later adopted in the 1787 Constitution. Read more
- 1775 — American Revolution: The British Army advances up the Charles River in Massachusetts to destroy supplies of American militias, while Paul Revere and other riders rapidly warn the countryside. Read more
- 1738 — Real Academia de la Historia ("Royal Academy of History") is founded in Madrid. Read more
- 1689 — Bostonians rise up in rebellion against Sir Edmund Andros. Read more
- 1521 — Trial of Martin Luther begins its second day during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. He refuses to recant his teachings despite the risk of excommunication. Read more
- 1518 — Bona Sforza is crowned as queen consort of Poland. Read more
- 1506 — The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica is laid. Read more
- 1428 — Peace of Ferrara between Republic of Venice, Duchy of Milan, Republic of Florence and House of Gonzaga: ending of the second campaign of the Wars in Lombardy fought until the Treaty of Lodi in 1454, which will then guarantee the conditions for the development of the Italian Renaissance. Read more
- 796 — King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The patrician Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days. Read more
Born on April 18
- 1996 — Ski Mask the Slump God, American rapper Read more
- 1995 — Divock Origi, Belgian footballer Read more
- 1994 — Aminé, American singer-songwriter Read more
- 1993 — Mika Zibanejad, Swedish ice hockey player Read more
- 1992 — Chloe Bennet, American actress Read more
- 1990 — Wojciech Szczęsny, Polish footballer Read more
- 1989 — Alia Shawkat, American actress Read more
- 1988 — Vanessa Kirby, English actress Read more
- 1986 — Tina Bru, Norwegian politician Read more
- 1985 — Łukasz Fabiański, Polish footballer Read more
- 1984 — America Ferrera, American actress Read more
- 1983 — Miguel Cabrera, Venezuelan baseball player Read more
- 1981 — Audrey Tang, Taiwanese Minister of Digital Affairs and programmer Read more
- 1979 — Matt Cooper, Australian rugby league player Read more
- 1979 — Kourtney Kardashian, American television personality Read more
- 1976 — Melissa Joan Hart, American actress Read more
- 1976 — Andrew Ng, British-born American artificial intelligence researcher Read more
- 1974 — Edgar Wright, English filmmaker Read more
- 1973 — Derrick Brooks, American football player Read more
- 1973 — Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopian runner Read more
- 1972 — Rosa Clemente, American journalist and activist Read more
- 1972 — Eli Roth, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter Read more
- 1971 — David Tennant, Scottish actor Read more
- 1970 — Saad Hariri, Saudi Arabian-Lebanese businessman and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Lebanon Read more
- 1970 — Willie Roaf, American football player Read more
- 1969 — Keith DeCandido, American author Read more
- 1964 — Niall Ferguson, Scottish historian and academic Read more
- 1963 — Conan O'Brien, American television host, comedian, and writer Read more
- 1962 — Jeff Dunham, American ventriloquist and comedian Read more
- 1961 — Jane Leeves, English actress and dancer Read more
- 1961 — John Podhoretz, American journalist and author Read more
- 1960 — Yelena Zhupiyeva-Vyazova, Ukrainian runner Read more
- 1959 — Susan Faludi, American journalist, author and feminist Read more
- 1958 — Gabi Delgado-López, Spanish-German singer, co-founder of D.A.F. (died 2020) Read more
- 1958 — Malcolm Marshall, Barbadian cricketer and coach (died 1999) Read more
- 1954 — Michael Salvatori, American composer Read more
- 1954 — Robert Greenberg, American pianist and composer Read more
- 1953 — Rick Moranis, Canadian-American actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter Read more
- 1953 — Sk. Mujibur Rahman, Bengali politician Read more
- 1950 — Grigory Sokolov, Russian pianist and composer Read more
Died on April 18
- 2024 — Dickey Betts, American guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer (born 1943) Read more
- 2024 — Mandisa, American gospel singer (born 1976) Read more
- 2022 — Harrison Birtwistle, British composer (born 1934) Read more
- 2019 — Lyra McKee, Irish journalist (born 1990) Read more
- 2014 — Guru Dhanapal, Indian director and producer (born 1959) Read more
- 2014 — Sanford Jay Frank, American screenwriter and producer (born 1954) Read more
- 2014 — Brian Priestman, English conductor and academic (born 1927) Read more
- 2013 — Goran Švob, Croatian philosopher and author (born 1947) Read more
- 2013 — Anne Williams, English activist (born 1951) Read more
- 2012 — Dick Clark, American television host and producer, founded Dick Clark Productions (born 1929) Read more
- 2012 — René Lépine, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (born 1929) Read more
- 2012 — Robert O. Ragland, American musician (born 1931) Read more
- 2012 — K. D. Wentworth, American author (born 1951) Read more
- 2008 — Germaine Tillion, French ethnologist and anthropologist (born 1907) Read more
- 2004 — Kamisese Mara, Fijian politician, 2nd President of Fiji (born 1920) Read more
- 2002 — Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian ethnographer and explorer (born 1914) Read more
- 1995 — Arturo Frondizi, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Argentina (born 1908) Read more
- 1988 — Oktay Rıfat Horozcu, Turkish poet and playwright (born 1914) Read more
- 1974 — Marcel Pagnol, French author, playwright, and director (born 1895) Read more
- 1965 — Guillermo González Camarena, Mexican engineer (born 1917) Read more
- 1964 — Ben Hecht, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1894) Read more
- 1963 — Meyer Jacobstein, American academic and politician (born 1880) Read more
- 1958 — Maurice Gamelin, Belgian-French general (born 1872) Read more
- 1955 — Albert Einstein, German-American physicist, engineer, and academic (born 1879) Read more
- 1951 — Óscar Carmona, Portuguese field marshal and politician, 11th President of Portugal (born 1869) Read more
- 1947 — Jozef Tiso, Slovak priest and politician, President of Slovakia (born 1887) Read more
- 1945 — John Ambrose Fleming, English physicist and engineer, invented the vacuum tube (born 1849) Read more
- 1945 — Ernie Pyle, American journalist and soldier (born 1900) Read more
- 1943 — Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese admiral (born 1884) Read more
- 1942 — Aleksander Mitt, Estonian speed skater (born 1903) Read more
- 1942 — Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American heiress, sculptor and art collector, founded the Whitney Museum of American Art (born 1875) Read more
- 1938 — George Bryant, American archer (born 1878) Read more
- 1936 — Milton Brown, American singer and bandleader (born 1903) Read more
- 1936 — Ottorino Respighi, Italian composer and conductor (born 1879) Read more
- 1923 — Savina Petrilli, Italian religious leader (born 1851) Read more
- 1917 — Vladimir Serbsky, Russian psychiatrist and academic (born 1858) Read more
- 1912 — Martha Ripley, American physician (born 1843) Read more
- 1906 — Luis Martín, Spanish religious leader, 24th Superior-General of the Society of Jesus (born 1846) Read more
- 1898 — Gustave Moreau, French painter and academic (born 1826) Read more
- 1890 — Paweł Bryliński, Polish sculptor (born 1814) Read more
Holidays & observances
Christian feast day:
Anthusa of Constantinople; Christian feast day:
Cyril VI of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church); Christian feast day:
Eleutherius and Antia; Christian feast day:
Galdino della Sala; Christian feast day:
Blessed Marie of the Incarnation; Christian feast day:
Molaise of Leighlin; Christian feast day:
Perfectus; Christian feast day:
Blessed Savina Petrilli; Christian feast day:
April 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Army Day (Iran); Coma Patients' Day (Poland); Friend's Day (Brazil); Independence Day (Zimbabwe); International Day For Monuments and Sites; Invention Day (Japan); Victory over the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of the Ice (Russia; Julian Calendar); World Amateur Radio Day
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “April 18”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.