On This Day in History — August 18

Highlights of August 18

• 2017 — Two people were fatally stabbed and eight others wounded by a rejected asylum seeker in an Islamist terrorist attack in Turku, Finland. Read more
• 2008 — Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf resigned under pressure from a movement to impeach him. Read more
• 1983 — Hurricane Alicia made landfall near Galveston, Texas, causing $3 billion in damage and 21 fatalities. Read more
• 1966 — Vietnam War: Members of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment were surrounded by a much larger Viet Cong unit at the Battle of Long Tan (helicopter pictured), but held them off for several hours until reinforcements arrived. Read more
• 1964 — East German Communist Party member Hildegard Trabant was killed while attempting to cross the Berlin Wall. Read more
• 1948 — Australia won the fifth Test of the 1948 Ashes series, becoming the first Test cricket team to go undefeated in England, earning them the nickname "The Invincibles". Read more
• 1945 — World War II: Amid a Soviet invasion of Japanese-held Sakhalin, Japanese police massacred 18 Koreans in Kamishisuka. Read more
• 1940 — Second World War: During the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe made an all-out effort to destroy RAF Fighter Command, with both sides combined losing more aircraft on this day than at any other point during the campaign. Read more
• 1937 — A lightning strike started the Blackwater Fire (pictured) in Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming, consuming 1,700 acres (7 km2) of old-growth forest and killing 15 firefighters. Read more
• 1920 — The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage in the country. Read more
• 1919 — Russian Civil War: British motor torpedo boats raided the Bolshevik Baltic Fleet's home base of Kronstadt, sinking a depot ship and damaging a battleship. Read more
• 1891 — A hurricane struck the Caribbean island of Martinique, killing about 700 people, injuring at least 1,000 others, and causing severe damage. Read more
• 1877 — American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered Phobos, the larger of Mars's two moons, six days after discovering Deimos, the smaller one. Read more
• 1864 — American Civil War: At the Battle of Globe Tavern, Union forces attempted to sever the Weldon Railroad during the siege of Petersburg. Read more
• 1823 — At least 9,000 enslaved people rebelled in the British colony in Demerara-Essequibo (in present-day Guyana), demanding emancipation. Read more
• 1783 — A meteor procession blazed across the night sky over Great Britain. Read more
• 1612 — The trials of the Pendle and Samlesbury witches (statue pictured), among the most famous of England's witch trials, began at the assizes in Lancaster. Read more
• 1590 — John White, governor of the Roanoke Colony, the first English settlement in North America (located in present-day North Carolina), returned after a three-year absence to find it deserted (depicted). Read more
• 1487 — Reconquista: After a four-month siege, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain conquered the city of Málaga from the Emirate of Granada. Read more
• 684 — Second Fitna: Umayyad partisans defeated the supporters of Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr near Damascus, cementing Umayyad control of Syria. Read more

Events

• 2019 — One hundred activists, officials, and other concerned citizens in Iceland hold a funeral for Okjökull glacier, which has completely melted after having once covered six square miles (15.5 km2). Read more
• 2017 — The Turku terror attack occurs in Finland when a knifeman kills two and injures eight. Read more
• 2011 — A terrorist attack on Israel's Highway 12 near the Egyptian border kills 16 and injures 40. Read more
• 2008 — The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, resigns under threat of impeachment. Read more
• 2008 — War of Afghanistan: The Uzbin Valley ambush occurs. Read more
• 2005 — A massive power blackout hits the Indonesian island of Java; affecting almost 100 million people, it is one of the largest and most widespread power outages in history. Read more
• 2003 — One-year-old Zachary Turner is murdered in Newfoundland by his mother, who was awarded custody despite facing trial for the murder of Zachary's father. The case was documented in the film Dear Zachary and led to reform of Canada's bail laws. Read more
• 1993 — American International Airways Flight 808 crashes at Leeward Point Field at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, injuring the three crew members. Read more
• 1989 — Leading presidential hopeful Luis Carlos Galán is assassinated near Bogotá in Colombia. Read more
• 1983 — Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 21 people and causing over US$1 billion in damage (1983 dollars). Read more
• 1977 — Steve Biko is arrested at a police roadblock under Terrorism Act No. 83 of 1967 in King William's Town, South Africa. He later dies from injuries sustained during this arrest, bringing attention to South Africa's apartheid policies. Read more
• 1976 — The Korean axe murder incident in Panmunjom results in the deaths of two US Army officers. Read more
• 1976 — The Soviet Union's robotic probe Luna 24 successfully lands on the Moon. Read more
• 1973 — Aeroflot Flight A-13 crashes after takeoff from Baku-Bina International Airport in Azerbaijan, killing 56 people and injuring eight. Read more
• 1971 — Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam. Read more
• 1966 — Vietnam War: The Battle of Long Tan ensues after a patrol from the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment clashes with a Viet Cong force in Phước Tuy Province. Read more
• 1965 — Vietnam War: Operation Starlite begins: United States Marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in the first major American ground battle of the war. Read more
• 1963 — Civil rights movement: James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi. Read more
• 1958 — Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita is published in the United States. Read more
• 1958 — Brojen Das from Bangladesh swims across the English Channel in a competition as the first Bengali and the first Asian to do so, placing first among the 39 competitors. Read more
• 1950 — Julien Lahaut, the chairman of the Communist Party of Belgium, is assassinated. The Party newspaper blames royalists and Rexists. Read more
• 1949 — Kemi strike: Two protesters die in the scuffle between the police and the strikers' protest procession in Kemi, Finland. Read more
• 1945 — Sukarno takes office as the first president of Indonesia, following the country's declaration of independence the previous day. Read more
• 1945 — Soviet-Japanese War: Battle of Shumshu: Soviet forces land at Takeda Beach on Shumshu Island and launch the Battle of Shumshu; the Soviet Union's Invasion of the Kuril Islands commences. Read more
• 1940 — World War II: The Hardest Day air battle, part of the Battle of Britain, takes place. At that point, it is the largest aerial engagement in history with heavy losses sustained on both sides. Read more
• 1938 — The Thousand Islands Bridge, connecting New York, United States, with Ontario, Canada, over the Saint Lawrence River, is dedicated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Read more
• 1937 — A lightning strike starts the Blackwater Fire of 1937 in Shoshone National Forest, killing 15 firefighters within three days and prompting the United States Forest Service to develop their smokejumper program. Read more
• 1933 — The Volksempfänger is first presented to the German public at a radio exhibition; the presiding Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, delivers an accompanying speech heralding the radio as the 'eighth great power'. Read more
• 1923 — The first British Track and Field championships for women are held in London, Great Britain. Read more
• 1920 — The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage. Read more
• 1917 — A Great Fire in Thessaloniki, Greece, destroys 32% of the city leaving 70,000 individuals homeless. Read more
• 1903 — German engineer Karl Jatho allegedly flies his self-made, motored gliding airplane four months before the first flight of the Wright brothers. Read more
• 1891 — A major hurricane strikes Martinique, leaving 700 dead. Read more
• 1877 — American astronomer Asaph Hall discovers Phobos, one of Mars's moons. Read more
• 1870 — Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Gravelotte is fought. Read more
• 1868 — French astronomer Pierre Janssen discovers helium. Read more
• 1864 — American Civil War: Battle of Globe Tavern: Union forces try to cut a vital Confederate supply-line into Petersburg, Virginia, by attacking the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. Read more
• 1838 — The Wilkes Expedition, which would explore the Puget Sound and Antarctica, weighs anchor at Hampton Roads. Read more
• 1826 — Major Gordon Laing becomes the first European to enter Timbuktu. Read more
• 1809 — The Senate of Finland is established in the Grand Duchy of Finland after the official adoption of the Statute of the Government Council by Tsar Alexander I of Russia. Read more
• 1783 — A huge fireball meteor is seen across Great Britain as it passes over the east coast. Read more
• 1759 — Beginning of the battle of Lagos, in which a British fleet defeats a French fleet trying to slip through Gibraltar. Read more
• 1721 — The city of Shamakhi in Safavid Shirvan is sacked. Read more
• 1634 — Father Urbain Grandier, accused and convicted of sorcery, is burned alive in Loudun, France. Read more
• 1612 — The trials of the Pendle witches and Samlesbury witches, one of England's most famous witch trials, begin at the Lancaster Assizes. Read more
• 1590 — John White, the governor of the Roanoke Colony, returns from a supply trip to England and finds his settlement deserted. Read more
• 1572 — The Huguenot King Henry III of Navarre marries the Catholic Margaret of Valois, ostensibly to reconcile the feuding Protestants and Catholics of France. Read more
• 1492 — The first grammar of the Spanish language (Gramática de la lengua castellana) is presented to Queen Isabella I. Read more
• 1487 — The Siege of Málaga ends with the taking of the city by Castilian and Aragonese forces. Read more
• 1304 — The Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle is fought to a draw between the French army and the Flemish militias. Read more
• 1136 — Following the surrender of Baghdad, Seljuk Sultan Mas'ud replaces Abbasid caliph Al-Rashid Billah with his uncle Al-Muqtafi. Read more
• 707 — Princess Abe accedes to the imperial Japanese throne as Empress Genmei. Read more
• 684 — Battle of Marj Rahit: Umayyad partisans defeat the supporters of Ibn al-Zubayr and cement Umayyad control of Syria. Read more

Born on August 18

• 2006 — Summer McIntosh, Canadian swimmer Read more
• 2004 — Kevin McGonigle, American baseball player Read more
• 2002 — Bart Verbruggen, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1999 — Cassius Stanley, American basketball player Read more
• 1998 — Brian To'o, Australian-Samoan rugby league player Read more
• 1998 — Clairo, American singer-songwriter Read more
• 1998 — Nick Fuentes, American far-right political commentator Read more
• 1997 — Josephine Langford, Australian actress Read more
• 1997 — Renato Sanches, Portuguese footballer Read more
• 1995 — Alīna Fjodorova, Latvian figure skater Read more
• 1995 — Parker McKenna Posey, American actress Read more
• 1994 — Madelaine Petsch, American actress and YouTuber Read more
• 1994 — Morgan Sanson, French footballer Read more
• 1994 — Seiya Suzuki, Japanese baseball player Read more
• 1993 — Jung Eun-ji, South Korean singer-songwriter Read more
• 1993 — Maia Mitchell, Australian actress and singer Read more
• 1992 — Elizabeth Beisel, American swimmer Read more
• 1992 — Bogdan Bogdanović, Serbian basketball player Read more
• 1992 — Frances Bean Cobain, American visual artist and model Read more
• 1991 — Liz Cambage, Australian basketball player Read more
• 1991 — Richard Harmon, Canadian actor Read more
• 1989 — Anna Akana, American actress, comedian, musician, and YouTuber Read more
• 1989 — Yu Mengyu, Singaporean table tennis player Read more
• 1988 — Jack Hobbs, English footballer Read more
• 1988 — Eggert Jónsson, Icelandic footballer Read more
• 1988 — G-Dragon, South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer Read more
• 1987 — Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Polish mixed martial artist Read more
• 1987 — Justin Wilson, American baseball player Read more
• 1986 — Evan Gattis, American baseball player Read more
• 1986 — Ross McCormack, Scottish footballer Read more
• 1985 — Inge Dekker, Dutch swimmer Read more
• 1985 — Bryan Ruiz, Costa Rican footballer Read more
• 1984 — Sigourney Bandjar, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1984 — Robert Huth, German footballer Read more
• 1983 — Mika, Lebanese-born English recording artist and singer-songwriter Read more
• 1983 — Cameron White, Australian cricketer Read more
• 1981 — César Delgado, Argentinian footballer Read more
• 1981 — Dimitris Salpingidis, Greek footballer Read more
• 1980 — Esteban Cambiasso, Argentinian footballer Read more
• 1980 — Rob Nguyen, Australian race car driver Read more

Died on August 18

• 2026 — Bill Rasmussen, American sports director, co-founded ESPN (born 1932) Read more
• 2024 — Ruth Johnson Colvin, American author and educator, founded ProLiteracy Worldwide (born 1916) Read more
• 2024 — Alain Delon, French-Swiss actor (born 1935) Read more
• 2024 — Phil Donahue, American talk show host and producer (born 1935) Read more
• 2023 — Lolita, the second-oldest orca in captivity (born ca. 1966) Read more
• 2023 — Al Quie, American politician, 35th Governor of Minnesota (born 1923) Read more
• 2020 — Ben Cross, English stage and film actor (born 1947) Read more
• 2018 — Denis Edozie, Nigerian Supreme Court judge (born 1935) Read more
• 2018 — Kofi Annan, Ghanaian diplomat and seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations (born 1938) Read more
• 2017 — Bruce Forsyth, English television presenter and entertainer (born 1928) Read more
• 2017 — Zoe Laskari, Greek actress and beauty pageant winner (born 1944) Read more
• 2016 — Ernst Nolte, German historian (born 1923) Read more
• 2015 — Khaled al-Asaad, Syrian archaeologist and author (born 1932) Read more
• 2015 — Roger Smalley, English-Australian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1943) Read more
• 2015 — Suvra Mukherjee, wife of Indian president Pranab Mukherjee (born 1940) Read more
• 2015 — Louis Stokes, American lawyer and politician (born 1925) Read more
• 2015 — Bud Yorkin, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1926) Read more
• 2014 — Gordon Faber, American soldier and politician, 39th Mayor of Hillsboro, Oregon (born 1930) Read more
• 2014 — Jim Jeffords, American captain, lawyer, and politician (born 1934) Read more
• 2014 — Levente Lengyel, Hungarian chess player (born 1933) Read more
• 2014 — Don Pardo, American radio and television announcer (born 1918) Read more
• 2013 — Josephine D'Angelo, American baseball player (born 1924) Read more
• 2013 — Jean Kahn, French lawyer and activist (born 1929) Read more
• 2013 — Albert Murray, American author and critic (born 1916) Read more
• 2012 — Harrison Begay, American painter (born 1917) Read more
• 2012 — John Kovatch, American football player (born 1920) Read more
• 2012 — Scott McKenzie, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1939) Read more
• 2012 — Ra. Ki. Rangarajan, Indian journalist and author (born 1927) Read more
• 2012 — Jesse Robredo, Filipino public servant and politician, 23rd Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (born 1958) Read more
• 2010 — Hal Connolly, American hammer thrower and coach (born 1931) Read more
• 2010 — Benjamin Kaplan, American scholar and jurist (born 1911) Read more
• 2009 — Kim Dae-jung, South Korean lieutenant and politician, 15th President of South Korea, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1925) Read more
• 2009 — Rose Friedman, Ukrainian-American economist and author (born 1910) Read more
• 2009 — Robert Novak, American journalist and author (born 1931) Read more
• 2007 — Michael Deaver, American soldier and politician, White House Deputy Chief of Staff (born 1938) Read more
• 2007 — Magdalen Nabb, English author (born 1947) Read more
• 2006 — Fernand Gignac, French Canadian singer and actor (born 1934). Read more
• 2006 — Ken Kearney, Australian rugby player (born 1924) Read more
• 2005 — Chri$ Ca$h, American wrestler (born 1982) Read more
• 2004 — Elmer Bernstein, American composer and conductor (born 1922) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Agapitus of Palestrina; Christian feast day: Alberto Hurtado; Christian feast day: Daig of Inniskeen; Christian feast day: Evan (or Inan); Christian feast day: Fiacre; Christian feast day: Florus and Laurus; Christian feast day: Helena of Constantinople (Roman Catholic Church); Christian feast day: August 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Arbor Day (Pakistan); Armed Forces Day (North Macedonia); Birthday of Virginia Dare (Roanoke Island); Constitution Day (Indonesia); Long Tan Day, also called Vietnam Veterans' Day (Australia); National Science Day (Thailand)

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