Home › Almanac › On This Day

On This Day in History — May 18

‹ May 17 The Almanac May 19 ›

Jump to a date

Highlights of May 18

2018 — Cubana de Aviación Flight 0972 crashed near Santiago de las Vegas shortly after takeoff from José Martí International Airport, killing 112 of the 113 people on board. Read more
2013 — Mark Carson, an openly gay man, was murdered in a hate crime incident in New York City, prompting a 1,500-person march against anti-LGBTQ violence. Read more
2009 — The Sri Lanka Army killed Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader and founder of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, to bring an end to the 26-year Sri Lankan civil war. Read more
2006 — The Parliament of Nepal unanimously voted to strip King Gyanendra of many of his powers. Read more
2005 — The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion publicly debuted at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Read more
1996 — Ireland won the Eurovision song contest for the seventh time, the highest number of wins for any country before Sweden tied it in 2023. Read more
1980 — Mount St. Helens explosively erupted (pictured), killing approximately 57 people in southern Washington state, reducing hundreds of square miles to wasteland, and causing more than US$1 billion in damage. Read more
1974 — India conducted its first nuclear test explosion at Pokhran, the first confirmed nuclear test by a nation outside the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Read more
1965 — Eli Cohen, a spy who is credited with gathering significant intelligence used by Israel during the Six-Day War, was publicly hanged in Syria. Read more
1955 — Operation Passage to Freedom, the evacuation of 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from communist North Vietnam to South Vietnam following the end of the First Indochina War, ended. Read more
1952 — First Indochina War: Viet Minh forces overran a French and Laotian garrison at Muong Khoua, leaving only four survivors. Read more
1944 — The Soviet Union forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of Crimean Tatars to the Uzbek SSR and elsewhere in the country. Read more
1936 — In a crime that captivated Japan, Sada Abe strangled her lover, cut off his genitals, and carried them around with her for several days until her arrest. Read more
1933 — U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an act establishing the Tennessee Valley Authority to stimulate the economic development of the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly impacted by the Great Depression. Read more
1927 — Disgruntled school board treasurer Andrew Kehoe set off explosives with timers and a rifle, causing the Bath School disaster in the Bath Consolidated School in Michigan, killing 44 people in the deadliest mass murder in a school in United States history. Read more
1926 — Pentecostal evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson (pictured) was reportedly kidnapped near Venice Beach in Los Angeles before reappearing five weeks later in Mexico. Read more
1896 — Ruling in the landmark decision Plessy v. Ferguson, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the legality of racial segregation in public transportation under the "separate but equal" doctrine. Read more
1863 — American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant led his Army of the Tennessee across the Big Black River in preparation for the Siege of Vicksburg. Read more
1695 — An earthquake measuring .mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}Ms 7.8 struck Shanxi Province in northern China, resulting in at least 52,600 deaths. Read more
1388 — At the Battle of Buir Lake, a Ming Chinese army led by general Lan Yu defeated the forces of Tögüs Temür, the Mongol khan of Northern Yuan. Read more
1302 — Armed insurrectionists massacred the occupying French garrison in Bruges, Flanders, killing approximately 2,000 people. Read more

Events

2026 — A shooting carried out by two gunmen at the Islamic Center of San Diego results in the deaths of five people, including the perpetrators. Read more
2019 — United States presidential election: Joe Biden launches his presidential campaign. Read more
2018 — A school shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas kills ten people. Read more
2018 — Cubana de Aviación Flight 972 crashes in Santiago de las Vegas after takeoff from José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba, killing 112 of the 113 people on board. Read more
2015 — At least 78 people die in a landslide caused by heavy rains in the Colombian town of Salgar. Read more
2009 — The LTTE are defeated by the Sri Lankan government, ending almost 26 years of fighting between the two sides. Read more
2006 — The post Loktantra Andolan government passes a landmark bill curtailing the power of the monarchy and making Nepal a secular country. Read more
2005 — A second photo from the Hubble Space Telescope confirms that Pluto has two additional moons, Nix and Hydra. Read more
1994 — Israeli troops finish withdrawing from the Gaza Strip, ceding the area to the Palestinian National Authority to govern. Read more
1993 — Riots in Nørrebro, Copenhagen, caused by the approval of the four Danish exceptions in the Maastricht Treaty referendum. Police open fire against civilians for the first time since World War II and injure 11 demonstrators. Read more
1991 — Northern Somalia declares independence from the rest of Somalia as the Republic of Somaliland. Read more
1990 — In France, a modified TGV train achieves a new rail world speed record of 515.3 km/h (320.2 mph). Read more
1980 — Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, United States, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage. Read more
1980 — Students in Gwangju, South Korea begin demonstrations calling for democratic reforms. Read more
1980 — Rioting spreads to Miami's mostly African-American neighborhoods of Overtown and Liberty City following the previous day's courthouse protests. Read more
1977 — Likud party wins the 1977 Israeli legislative election, with Menachem Begin, its founder, as the sixth Prime Minister of Israel. Read more
1974 — Nuclear weapons testing: Under project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon becoming the sixth nation to do so. Read more
1973 — Aeroflot Flight 109 is hijacked mid-flight and the aircraft is subsequently destroyed when the hijacker's bomb explodes, killing all 82 people on board. Read more
1972 — During approach to Kharkiv International Airport, Aeroflot Flight 1491 crashes near Ruska Lozova, killing all 112 aboard. Read more
1969 — Apollo program: Apollo 10 is launched. Read more
1965 — Israeli spy Eli Cohen is hanged in Damascus, Syria. Read more
1962 — The French government and representatives of the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic reach a settlement to end the Algerian war in the Évian Accords. Read more
1955 — Operation Passage to Freedom, the evacuation of 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from communist North Vietnam to South Vietnam following the end of the First Indochina War, ends. Read more
1953 — Jacqueline Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier. Read more
1948 — The First Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China officially convenes in Nanking. Read more
1944 — World War II: Battle of Monte Cassino: Conclusion after seven days of the fourth battle as German paratroopers evacuate Monte Cassino. Read more
1944 — Deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union. Read more
1933 — New Deal: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs an act creating the Tennessee Valley Authority. Read more
1927 — The Bath School disaster: Forty-five people, including many children, are killed by bombs planted by a disgruntled school-board member in Bath Township, Michigan. Read more
1927 — After being founded for 20 years, the Nationalist government approves Tongji University to be among its first national universities. Read more
1926 — Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears in Venice, California. Read more
1922 — Seamus Woods and Roger McCorley lead an Irish Republican Army attack on the headquarters of the Royal Irish Constabulary in Belfast. Read more
1917 — World War I: The Selective Service Act of 1917 is passed, giving the President of the United States the power of conscription. Read more
1912 — The first Indian film, Shree Pundalik by Dadasaheb Torne, is released in Mumbai. Read more
1900 — The United Kingdom proclaims a protectorate over Tonga. Read more
1896 — The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that the "separate but equal" doctrine is constitutional. Read more
1896 — Khodynka Tragedy: A mass panic on Khodynka Field in Moscow during the festivities of the coronation of Russian Tsar Nicholas II results in the deaths of 1,389 people. Read more
1863 — American Civil War: Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant begin the Siege of Vicksburg during the Vicksburg campaign in order to take full control of the Mississippi River. Read more
1860 — United States presidential election: Abraham Lincoln wins the Republican Party presidential nomination over William H. Seward, who later becomes the United States Secretary of State. Read more
1848 — Opening of the first German National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) in Frankfurt, Germany. Read more
1843 — The Disruption in Edinburgh of the Free Church of Scotland from the Church of Scotland. Read more
1812 — John Bellingham is found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging for the assassination of British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval. Read more
1811 — Battle of Las Piedras: The first great military triumph of the revolution of the Río de la Plata in Uruguay led by José Artigas. Read more
1804 — Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of the French by the French Senate. Read more
1803 — Napoleonic Wars: The United Kingdom revokes the Treaty of Amiens and declares war on France. Read more
1794 — Battle of Tourcoing during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition. Read more
1783 — First United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown (later called Saint John, New Brunswick), Canada, after leaving the United States. Read more
1756 — The Seven Years' War begins when Great Britain declares war on France. Read more
1695 — The 1695 Linfen earthquake in Shannxi, Qing dynasty causes extreme damage and kills at least 52,000 people. Read more
1652 — Slavery in Rhode Island is abolished, although the law is not rigorously enforced. Read more
1631 — In Dorchester, Massachusetts, John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts. Read more
1593 — Playwright Thomas Kyd's accusations of heresy lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe. Read more
1565 — The Great Siege of Malta begins, in which Ottoman forces attempt and fail to conquer Malta. Read more
1499 — Alonso de Ojeda sets sail from Cádiz on his voyage to what is now Venezuela. Read more
1388 — During the Battle of Buyur Lake, General Lan Yu leads a Ming army forward to crush the Mongol hordes of Tögüs Temür, the Khan of Northern Yuan. Read more
1302 — Bruges Matins, the nocturnal massacre of the French garrison in Bruges by members of the local Flemish militia. Read more
1291 — Fall of Acre, the end of Crusader presence in the Holy Land. Read more
1268 — The Principality of Antioch, a crusader state, falls to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the Siege of Antioch. Read more
1152 — The future Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. He would become king two years later, after the death of his cousin once removed King Stephen of England. Read more
1096 — First Crusade: Around 800 Jews are massacred in Worms, Germany. Read more

Born on May 18

2009 — Hala Finley, American actress Read more
2003 — Travis Hunter, American football player Read more
2002 — Alina Zagitova, Russian figure skater Read more
2001 — Emma Navarro, American tennis player Read more
2001 — Grace Reiter, American actress, comedian, and content creator Read more
2000 — Ryan Sessegnon, English footballer Read more
2000 — Steven Sessegnon, English footballer Read more
1999 — Laura Omloop, Belgian singer-songwriter Read more
1998 — Polina Edmunds, American figure skater Read more
1993 — Stuart Percy, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
1993 — Jessica Watson, Australian sailor Read more
1992 — Adwoa Aboah, British fashion model Read more
1990 — Dimitri Daeseleire, Belgian footballer Read more
1990 — Yuya Osako, Japanese footballer Read more
1990 — Josh Starling, Australian rugby league player Read more
1988 — Taeyang, South Korean singer Read more
1986 — Kevin Anderson, South African tennis player Read more
1985 — Oliver Sin, Hungarian painter Read more
1985 — Henrique Sereno, Portuguese footballer Read more
1984 — Ivet Lalova, Bulgarian sprinter Read more
1984 — Simon Pagenaud, French race car driver Read more
1984 — Darius Šilinskis, Lithuanian basketball player Read more
1984 — Joakim Soria, Mexican baseball player Read more
1984 — Niki Terpstra, Dutch cyclist Read more
1983 — Gary O'Neil, English footballer Read more
1983 — Luis Terrero, Dominican baseball player Read more
1983 — Vince Young, American football player Read more
1982 — Jason Brown, English footballer Read more
1982 — Marie-Ève Pelletier, Canadian tennis player Read more
1981 — Mahamadou Diarra, Malian international footballer Read more
1981 — Ashley Harrison, Australian rugby league player Read more
1980 — Reggie Evans, American basketball player Read more
1980 — Michaël Llodra, French tennis player Read more
1980 — Diego Pérez, Uruguayan footballer Read more
1979 — Jens Bergensten, Swedish video game designer, co-designed Minecraft Read more
1979 — Mariusz Lewandowski, Polish footballer Read more
1979 — Michal Martikán, Slovak slalom canoeist Read more
1979 — Milivoje Novaković, Slovenian footballer Read more
1979 — Julián Speroni, Argentinian footballer Read more
1978 — Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer Read more

Died on May 18

2026 — Tom Kane, American voice actor (born 1962) Read more
2024 — Bruce Nordstrom, American businessman (born 1933) Read more
2024 — Tony O'Reilly, Irish rugby player and businessman (born 1936) Read more
2024 — Alice Stewart, American political commentator (born 1966) Read more
2023 — Jim Brown, American football player, civil rights activist, and actor (born 1936) Read more
2021 — Charles Grodin, American actor and talk show host (born 1935) Read more
2021 — Yolanda Tortolero, Venezuelan politician Read more
2020 — Ken Osmond, American actor and police officer (born 1943) Read more
2019 — Austin Eubanks, American addiction recovery advocate, survivor of the Columbine shooting (born 1981) Read more
2017 — Roger Ailes, American businessman (born 1940) Read more
2017 — Chris Cornell, American singer (born 1964) Read more
2017 — Jacque Fresco, American engineer and academic (born 1916) Read more
2015 — Halldór Ásgrímsson, Icelandic accountant and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Iceland (born 1947) Read more
2015 — Raymond Gosling, English physicist and academic (born 1926) Read more
2015 — Jean-François Théodore, French businessman (born 1946) Read more
2014 — Dobrica Ćosić, Serbian politician, 1st President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (born 1921) Read more
2014 — Hans-Peter Dürr, German physicist and academic (born 1929) Read more
2014 — Kaiketsu Masateru, Japanese sumo wrestler (born 1948) Read more
2014 — Chukwuedu Nwokolo, Nigerian physician and academic (born 1921) Read more
2014 — Wubbo Ockels, Dutch physicist and astronaut (born 1946) Read more
2013 — Aleksei Balabanov, Russian director and screenwriter (born 1959) Read more
2013 — Jo Benkow, Norwegian soldier and politician (born 1924) Read more
2013 — Steve Forrest, American actor (born 1925) Read more
2013 — David McMillan, American football player (born 1981) Read more
2013 — Lothar Schmid, German chess player (born 1928) Read more
2012 — Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German opera singer and conductor (born 1925) Read more
2012 — Peter Jones, English-Australian drummer and songwriter (born 1967) Read more
2012 — Alan Oakley, English bicycle designer, designed the Raleigh Chopper (born 1927) Read more
2009 — Dolla, American rapper (born 1987) Read more
2009 — Wayne Allwine, American voice actor, sound effects editor and Foley artist (born 1947) Read more
2009 — Velupillai Prabhakaran, Sri Lankan rebel leader, founded the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (born 1954) Read more
2008 — Joseph Pevney, American actor and director (born 1911) Read more
2008 — Roberto García-Calvo Montiel, Spanish judge (born 1942) Read more
2007 — Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1932) Read more
2006 — Jaan Eilart, Estonian geographer, ecologist, and historian (born 1933) Read more
2004 — Elvin Jones, American drummer and bandleader (born 1927) Read more
2002 — Davey Boy Smith, English professional wrestler (born 1962) Read more
2001 — Irene Hunt, American author and illustrator (born 1907) Read more
2000 — Stephen M. Wolownik, Russian-American composer and musicologist (born 1946) Read more
1999 — Augustus Pablo, Jamaican singer, keyboard player, and producer (born 1954) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury; Christian feast day: Blessed Blandine Merten; Christian feast day: Eric IX of Sweden; Christian feast day: Felix of Cantalice; Christian feast day: Pope John I; Christian feast day: Venantius of Camerino; Christian feast day: May 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Baltic Fleet Day (Russia); Day of Remembrance of Crimean Tatar genocide (Ukraine); Independence Day (Somaliland) (unrecognized); International Museum Day; National Speech Pathologist Day (United States); Revival, Unity, and Poetry of Magtymguly Day (Turkmenistan); Teacher's Day (Syria)

More from the Almanac

Sunrise & Sunset Star Transit Moon & Planting Calendars Ancient Measures

Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “May 18”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.