On This Day in History — October 18

Highlights of October 18

• 2019 — Protests in Santiago that started 11 days prior escalated into open battle against the Chilean national police, forcing President Sebastián Piñera to declare a state of emergency. Read more
• 1993 — Nihilism, the first professional runway show from the British designer Alexander McQueen, was staged in London. Read more
• 1968 — At the Summer Olympics in Mexico City, American athlete Bob Beamon (pictured) achieved a distance of 8.90 m (29.2 ft) in the long jump event, setting a world record that stood for 23 years. Read more
• 1967 — The Soviet space probe Venera 4 became the first spacecraft to perform direct in situ analysis of the environment of another planet (Venus). Read more
• 1963 — The first cat in space, later known as Félicette, launched aboard a French Véronique rocket. Read more
• 1943 — Pere Areny, convicted of the murder of his brother, became the last person to be executed by Andorra. Read more
• 1906 — The Robert Burns Memorial Statue, the first public statue erected in New Brunswick, was dedicated in Fredericton. Read more
• 1887 — Johannes Brahms (pictured) conducted the premiere of his Double Concerto, composed for violinist Joseph Joachim and cellist Robert Hausmann. Read more
• 1873 — Renton defeated Kilmarnock 2–0 in the opening match of the inaugural Scottish Cup. Read more
• 1775 — American Revolutionary War: In an act of retaliation against ports that supported Patriot activities in the early stages of the war, the Royal Navy destroyed what is now Portland, Maine. Read more
• 1748 — The War of the Austrian Succession ended with the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. Read more
• 1587 — Filipino sailors disembarked from the Manila galleon Nuestra Señora de Buena Esperanza in what is now Morro Bay, California, the first documented instance of Asians in the Americas. Read more
• 1565 — The first recorded naval battle between Europeans and the Japanese occurred when a flotilla of samurai attacked two Portuguese trade vessels at the Battle of Fukuda Bay in Nagasaki. Read more
• 1356 — The most significant earthquake to have occurred in Central Europe in recorded history destroyed Basel, Switzerland. Read more
• 1081 — Byzantine–Norman wars: Robert Guiscard led an invasion of the Byzantine Empire, capturing Dyrrhachium in present-day Albania. Read more
• 320 — Pappus of Alexandria, one of the last great Greek mathematicians of antiquity, observed an eclipse that allowed historians to calculate the approximate dates of his life. Read more

Events

• 2019 — NASA Astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch take part in the first all-female spacewalk when they venture out of the International Space Station to replace a power controller. Read more
• 2019 — Riots in Chile's capital Santiago escalate into open battles, with attacks reported at nearly all of the city's 164 Metro stations. President Sebastián Piñera later announces a 15-day state of emergency in the capital. Read more
• 2007 — Karachi bombing: A suicide attack on a motorcade carrying former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto kills 139 and wounds 450 more. Bhutto herself is uninjured. Read more
• 2003 — Bolivian gas conflict: Bolivian President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada is forced to resign and leave Bolivia. Read more
• 1993 — Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on STS-58 to perform life sciences research. Read more
• 1992 — Merpati Nustantara Airlines Flight 5601 crashes into Mount Papandayan near the town of Garut in West Java, Indonesia, killing 31. Read more
• 1991 — The Supreme Council of Azerbaijan adopts a declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. Read more
• 1989 — The Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-34 to deploy the Jupiter-bound Galileo space probe. Read more
• 1989 — A Ilyushin Il-76 of the Soviet Air Forces crashes into the Caspian Sea near Sumgait, killing 57. Read more
• 1979 — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) begins allowing people to have home satellite earth stations without a federal government license. Read more
• 1978 — Based on the world's first children's art museum, the Henrik Igityan National Centre for Aesthetics opens in Yerevan. Read more
• 1977 — German Autumn: A set of events revolving around the kidnapping of Hanns Martin Schleyer and the hijacking of a Lufthansa flight by the Red Army Faction (RAF) comes to an end when Schleyer is murdered and various RAF members allegedly commit suicide. Read more
• 1967 — The Soviet probe Venera 4 reaches Venus and becomes the first spacecraft to measure the atmosphere of another planet. Read more
• 1963 — Félicette, a black and white female Parisian stray cat, becomes the first cat launched into space. Read more
• 1954 — Texas Instruments announces the Regency TR-1, the first mass-produced transistor radio. Read more
• 1945 — The USSR's nuclear program receives plans for the United States plutonium bomb from Klaus Fuchs at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Read more
• 1945 — A group of the Venezuelan Armed Forces, led by Mario Vargas, Marcos Pérez Jiménez and Carlos Delgado Chalbaud, stages a coup d'état against president Isaías Medina Angarita, who is overthrown by the end of the day. Read more
• 1945 — Argentine military officer and politician Juan Perón marries actress Eva Duarte. Read more
• 1944 — World War II: Soviet Union begins the liberation of Czechoslovakia from Nazi Germany. Read more
• 1944 — World War II: The state funeral of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel takes place in Ulm, Germany. Read more
• 1929 — The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council overrules the Supreme Court of Canada in Edwards v. Canada when it declares that women are considered "Persons" under Canadian law. Read more
• 1922 — The British Broadcasting Company (later Corporation) is founded by a consortium, to establish a nationwide network of radio transmitters to provide a national broadcasting service. Read more
• 1921 — The Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic is formed as part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Read more
• 1914 — The Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement is founded in Germany. Read more
• 1912 — First Balkan War: King Peter I of Serbia issues a declaration "To the Serbian People", as his country joins the war. Read more
• 1912 — The Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire sign the treaty of Ouchy, by which the Italo-Turkish War is ended and the Ottomans loose Libya to Italy. Read more
• 1900 — Count Bernhard von Bülow becomes chancellor of Germany. Read more
• 1898 — The United States takes possession of Puerto Rico from Spain. Read more
• 1887 — Johannes Brahms conducts the premiere of his Double Concerto, composed for violinist Joseph Joachim and cellist Robert Hausmann. Read more
• 1867 — United States takes possession of Alaska after purchasing it from Russia for $7.2 million. Celebrated annually in the state as Alaska Day. Read more
• 1860 — The Second Opium War finally ends at the Convention of Peking with the ratification of the Treaty of Tientsin, an unequal treaty. Read more
• 1851 — Herman Melville's Moby-Dick is first published as The Whale by Richard Bentley of London. Read more
• 1779 — American Revolutionary War: The Franco-American Siege of Savannah is lifted. Read more
• 1775 — African-American poet Phillis Wheatley is freed from slavery. Read more
• 1775 — American Revolutionary War: The Burning of Falmouth (now Portland, Maine). Read more
• 1748 — Signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ends the War of the Austrian Succession. Read more
• 1648 — Boston shoemakers form the first American labor organization. Read more
• 1630 — Frendraught Castle in Scotland, the home of James Crichton of Frendraught, burns down. Read more
• 1599 — Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia, defeats the Army of Andrew Báthory in the Battle of Șelimbăr, leading to the first recorded unification of the Romanian people. Read more
• 1597 — King Philip II of Spain sends his third and final armada against England, but it ends in failure due to storms. The remaining ships are captured or sunk by the English. Read more
• 1565 — Ships belonging to the Matsura clan of Japan fail to capture the Portuguese trading carrack in the Battle of Fukuda Bay, the first recorded naval battle between Japan and the West. Read more
• 1561 — In Japan the fourth Battle of Kawanakajima is fought between the forces of Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen, resulting in a draw. Read more
• 1540 — Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto's forces destroy the fortified town of Mabila in present-day Alabama, killing Tuskaloosa. Read more
• 1377 — Andronikos IV Palaiologos and his young son John are crowned by patriarch Macarius of Constantinople. Read more
• 1356 — Basel earthquake, the most significant historic seismological event north of the Alps, destroys the town of Basel, Switzerland. Read more
• 1281 — Pope Martin IV excommunicates King Peter III of Aragon for usurping the crown of Sicily (a sentence renewed on 7 May and 18 November 1282). Read more
• 1166 — Michael the Syrian, one of the most important Syriac historians, is consecrated as Syriac Orthodox Patriarch at the Mor Bar Sauma Monastery. Read more
• 1081 — The Normans defeat the Byzantine Empire in the Battle of Dyrrhachium. Read more
• 1016 — The Danes defeat the English in the Battle of Assandun. Read more
• 1009 — The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who hacks the Church's foundations down to bedrock. Read more
• 629 — Dagobert I is crowned King of the Franks. Read more
• 614 — King Chlothar II promulgates the Edict of Paris (Edictum Chlotacharii), a sort of Frankish Magna Carta that defends the rights of the Frankish nobles while it excludes Jews from all civil employment in the Frankish Kingdom. Read more
• 320 — Pappus of Alexandria, Greek philosopher, observes an eclipse of the Sun and writes a commentary on The Great Astronomer (Almagest). Read more
• 33 — Heartbroken by the deaths of her sons Nero and Drusus, and banished to the island of Pandateria by Tiberius, Agrippina the Elder dies of self-inflicted starvation. Read more

Born on October 18

• 2000 — Sophie Thatcher, American actress Read more
• 1998 — Janalynn Castelino, Italian-Indian singer-songwriter Read more
• 1996 — Terance Mann, American basketball player Read more
• 1994 — Enhō Akira, Japanese sumo wrestler Read more
• 1994 — Pascal Wehrlein, German-Mauritian race car driver Read more
• 1993 — Ivan Cavaleiro, Portuguese footballer Read more
• 1992 — John John Florence, American surfer Read more
• 1992 — Barry Keoghan, Irish actor Read more
• 1991 — Roly Bonevacia, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1991 — Tyler Posey, American actor and musician Read more
• 1991 — Toby Regbo, English actor Read more
• 1991 — Zohran Mamdani, American politician, mayor of New York City Read more
• 1990 — Drew Crawford, American basketball player Read more
• 1990 — Brittney Griner, American basketball player Read more
• 1990 — Bristol Palin, American public speaker and reality television personality Read more
• 1989 — Laci Green, American YouTube personality, video blogger, sex educator, and activist Read more
• 1989 — Joy Lauren, American actress, director, and producer Read more
• 1989 — Riisa Naka, Japanese model and actress Read more
• 1988 — Tessa Schram, Dutch director and actress Read more
• 1987 — Zac Efron, American actor and singer Read more
• 1987 — Freja Beha Erichsen, Danish model Read more
• 1986 — Wilma Elles, German actress and fashion designer Read more
• 1985 — Yoenis Céspedes, Cuban baseball player Read more
• 1985 — Andrew Garcia, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Read more
• 1984 — Robert Harting, German discus thrower Read more
• 1984 — Freida Pinto, Indian actress and model Read more
• 1984 — Esperanza Spalding, American singer-songwriter and bassist Read more
• 1984 — Lindsey Vonn, American skier Read more
• 1984 — Milo Yiannopoulos, British journalist and public speaker Read more
• 1983 — Dante, Brazilian footballer Read more
• 1982 — Thierry Amiel, French singer-songwriter Read more
• 1982 — Michael Dingsdag, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1982 — Simon Gotch, American wrestler Read more
• 1982 — Mark Sampson, Welsh footballer and manager Read more
• 1981 — Nathan Hauritz, Australian cricketer Read more
• 1981 — Tina Hergold, Slovenian tennis player Read more
• 1981 — Greg Warren, American football player Read more
• 1980 — Birsen Yavuz, Turkish sprinter and hurdler Read more
• 1979 — Jaroslav Drobný, Czech footballer Read more
• 1979 — Ne-Yo, American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor Read more

Died on October 18

• 2025 — Sam Rivers, American bassist (born 1977) Read more
• 2025 — Yang Chen-Ning, Chinese theoretical physicist (born 1922) Read more
• 2025 — Lia Smith, American diver and transgender rights advocate. Read more
• 2024 — Yehuda Bauer, Israeli historian of the Holocaust (born 1926) Read more
• 2024 — Ginés González García, Argentine politician and physician (born 1945) Read more
• 2022 — Harvey Wollman, American politician, 26th Governor of South Dakota (born 1935) Read more
• 2021 — Colin Powell, American military leader and statesman, 65th Secretary of State (born 1937) Read more
• 2020 — René Felber, 81st President of the Swiss Confederation (born 1933) Read more
• 2019 — Rui Jordão, Angolan-born Portuguese footballer (born 1952) Read more
• 2018 — Lisbeth Palme, Swedish child psychologist, former chairwoman of UNICEF (born 1931) Read more
• 2018 — Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab, 5th President of the Sudan (born 1934) Read more
• 2017 — Marino Perani, Italian football player and manager (born 1939) Read more
• 2015 — Robert Dickerson, Australian painter (born 1924) Read more
• 2015 — Gamal El-Ghitani, Egyptian journalist and author (born 1945) Read more
• 2015 — Robert W. Farquhar, American engineer (born 1932) Read more
• 2015 — Frank Watkins, American bass player (born 1968) Read more
• 2015 — Paul West, English-American author, poet, and academic (born 1930) Read more
• 2014 — Mariano Lebrón Saviñón, Dominican author and academic (born 1922) Read more
• 2014 — Edward Regan, American academic and politician (born 1930) Read more
• 2014 — Sidney Shapiro, American-Chinese author and translator (born 1915) Read more
• 2013 — Tom Foley, American lawyer and politician, 57th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (born 1929) Read more
• 2013 — Bum Phillips, American football player and coach (born 1923) Read more
• 2013 — Allan Stanley, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1926) Read more
• 2013 — Bill Young, American sergeant and politician (born 1930) Read more
• 2012 — Brain Damage, American wrestler (born 1977) Read more
• 2012 — Sylvia Kristel, Dutch model and actress (born 1952) Read more
• 2012 — Slater Martin, American basketball player and coach (born 1925) Read more
• 2012 — George Mattos, American pole vaulter (born 1929) Read more
• 2012 — Albert Lee Ueltschi, American pilot and businessman, founded FlightSafety International (born 1917) Read more
• 2012 — David S. Ware, American saxophonist and composer (born 1949) Read more
• 2010 — Marion Brown, American saxophonist and musicologist (born 1931) Read more
• 2010 — Billy Raimondi, American baseball player (born 1912) Read more
• 2009 — Adriaan Kortlandt, Dutch ethologist and biologist (born 1918) Read more
• 2009 — Nancy Spero, American painter and academic (born 1926) Read more
• 2008 — Dee Dee Warwick, American singer (born 1945) Read more
• 2007 — Alan Coren, English journalist and author (born 1938) Read more
• 2007 — William J. Crowe, American admiral and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (born 1925) Read more
• 2007 — Vincent DeDomenico, American businessman, founded the Napa Valley Wine Train (born 1915) Read more
• 2007 — Lucky Dube, South African singer-songwriter and keyboard player (born 1964) Read more
• 2006 — Mario Francesco Pompedda, Italian cardinal (born 1929) Read more

Holidays & observances

Alaska Day (Alaska, United States); Christian feast day: Asclepiades of Antioch; Christian feast day: Isaac Jogues; Christian feast day: Luke the Evangelist; Christian feast day: Monon; Christian feast day: Peter of Alcantara, can also be celebrated on October 19.; Christian feast day: October 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Day of Restoration of Independence (Azerbaijan), celebrates the independence of Azerbaijan from the Soviet Union in 1991.; Necktie Day (Croatia); Persons Day (Canada); World Menopause Day

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