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This day in history

This day in history: 18 December

Events, births and deaths on this date, ordered by how many people look them up.

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Born on this day · Died on this day224 · 109

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Key facts

372 historical events, births and deaths are listed for 18 December.
Entries come from Wikipedia’s day pages and are ordered by page views.
2022: Argentina win the FIFA World Cup final, defeating title holders France 4–2 on penalties following a 3–3 draw after extra time.

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day: December 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Christian feast day: Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Christian feast day: Flannán

Christian feast day: Gatianus of Tours

Christian feast day: O Adonai

Christian feast day: Sebastian (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Christian feast day: Winibald

International Migrants Day

National Day (Qatar)

Republic Day (Niger)

UN Arabic Language Day (United Nations)

Events

2022Argentina win the FIFA World Cup final, defeating title holders France 4–2 on penalties following a 3–3 draw after extra time.

2019The United States House of Representatives impeaches Donald Trump for the first time.

2017Amtrak Cascades passenger train 501, derailed near DuPont, Washington, a city in United States near Olympia, Washington killing six people, and injuring 70 others.

2015Kellingley Colliery, the last deep coal mine in Great Britain, closes.

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.

2006United Arab Emirates holds its first-ever elections.

2005The Chadian Civil War begins when rebel groups, allegedly backed by neighbouring Sudan, launch an attack in Adré.

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.

1999NASA launches into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth Observation instruments, including ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT.

1995A Lockheed L-188 Electra crashes in Jamba, Cuando, Angola, killing 141 people.

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.

1977SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730 crashes near Madeira Airport in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, killing 36.

1977United Airlines Flight 2860 crashes near Kaysville, Utah, killing all three crew members on board.

1973Soviet Soyuz Programme: Soyuz 13, crewed by cosmonauts Valentin Lebedev and Pyotr Klimuk, is launched from Baikonur in the Soviet Union.

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.

1966Saturn's moon Epimetheus is discovered by astronomer Richard Walker.

1958Project SCORE, the world's first communications satellite, is launched.

1957A violent F5 tornado wipes out the entire community of Sunfield, Illinois.

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-third

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.

1939World War II: The Battle of the Heligoland Bight, the first major air battle of the war, takes place.

1935The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is founded in Ceylon.

1932The Chicago Bears defeat the Portsmouth Spartans in the first NFL playoff game to win the NFL Championship.

1917The resolution containing the language of the Eighteenth Amendment to enact Prohibition is passed by the United States Congress.

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.

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.

1892The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky premiers in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

1878The Al-Thani family become the rulers of the state of Qatar.

1867A magnitude 7.0 earthquakes strikes off the coast of Taiwan, triggering a tsunami and killing at least 580 people.

1865US Secretary of State William Seward proclaims the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting slavery throughout the United States.

1854The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada abolishes the seigneurial system.

1833The national anthem of the Russian Empire, "God Save the Tsar!", is first performed.

1787New Jersey becomes the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

1777The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking the recent victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga in October.

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.

1622Portuguese forces score a military victory over the Kingdom of Kongo at the Battle of Mbumbi in present-day Angola.

1499A rebellion breaks out in Alpujarras in response to the forced conversions of Muslims in Spain.

1271Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China.

1118The city of Zaragoza is conquered by king Alfonso I of Aragon from the Almoravid.

Born on this day

2002Giuliano Simeone, Argentine footballer

2002Syd Hartha, Filipino singer-songwriter

2001Billie Eilish, American singer

2001Jalen Johnson, American basketball player

2000Jayden Daniels, American football player

2000Korapat Kirdpan, Thai actor and singer

2000Travon Walker, American football player

1999Dorka Juhász, Hungarian basketball player

1998Klaudia Zwolińska, Polish slalom canoeist

1998Paola Egonu, Italian volleyball player

1998Simona Quadarella, Italian swimmer

1997Alex DeBrincat, American ice hockey player

1997Ronald Acuña Jr., Venezuelan baseball player

1996Caileigh Filmer, Canadian rower

1995Barbora Krejčíková, Czech tennis player

1995Lim Na-young, South Korean singer and actress

1995Mads Pedersen, Danish road cyclist

1994Gerard Gumbau, Spanish footballer

1994Natália Kelly, American-Austrian singer

1993Byron Buxton, American baseball player

1993Thomas Lam, Finnish footballer

1992Bridgit Mendler, American singer-songwriter and actress

1992Kristen Faulkner, American road cyclist

1992Ryan Crouser, American shot putter

1991Marcus Butler, English model and YouTuber

1990Sierra Kay, American singer-songwriter

1990Victor Hedman, Swedish ice hockey player

1989Ashley Benson, American actress and singer

1988Brianne Theisen-Eaton, Canadian heptathlete

1988Imad Wasim, Pakistani cricketer

1988Lizzie Deignan, English cyclist

1988Seth Doege, American football player

1987Miki Ando, Japanese figure skater

1986Chris Carter, American baseball player

1986François Hamelin, Canadian speed skater

1986Usman Khawaja, Pakistani-Australian cricketer

1984Brian Boyle, American ice hockey player

1984Derrick Tribbett, American bass player and singer

1984Giuliano Razzoli, Italian skier

1984Paul Harrison, English footballer

Died on this day

2025Jim Hunt, American politician, 69th and 71st Governor of North Carolina (born 1937)

2025Osman Hadi, Bangladeshi politician and activist (born 1993)

2024John Marsden, Australian writer (born 1950)

2024Slim Dunlap, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1951)

2021Sayaka Kanda, Japanese actress and singer (born 1986)

2020Jerry Relph, American politician and member of the Minnesota Senate (born 1944)

2017Kim Jong-hyun, South Korean singer (born 1990)

2016Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hungarian-American actress and socialite (born 1917)

2015Helge Solum Larsen, Norwegian businessman and politician (born 1969)

2015Luc Brewaeys, Belgian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1959)

2014Donald J. Albosta, American soldier and politician (born 1925)

2014Gideon Ben-Yisrael, Israeli soldier and politician (born 1923)

2014Larry Henley, American singer-songwriter (born 1937)

2014Mandy Rice-Davies, English model and actress, central figure in the Profumo affair (born 1944)

2014Robert Simpson, American meteorologist and author (born 1912)

2014Virna Lisi, Italian actress (born 1936)

2013Graham Mackay, South African-English businessman (born 1949)

2013Ken Hutcherson, American football player (born 1952)

2012Anatoliy Zayaev, Ukrainian footballer, coach, and manager (born 1931)

2012Frank Macchiarola, American lawyer and academic (born 1941)

2012Jim Whalen, American football player (born 1943)

2012Mustafa Ould Salek, Mauritanian colonel and politician, President of Mauritania (born 1936)

2011Václav Havel, Czech poet, playwright, and politician, 1st President of the Czech Republic (born 1936)

2010Jacqueline de Romilly, French philologist, author, and scholar (born 1913)

2010James Pickles, English judge and journalist (born 1925)

2010Phil Cavarretta, American baseball player and manager (born 1916)

2010Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, Italian economist and politician, Italian Minister of Economy and Finances (born 1940)

2008Majel Barrett, American actress and producer (born 1932)

2008Mark Felt, American FBI agent, "Deep Throat" informant in the Watergate scandal (born 1913)

2007Alan Wagner, American businessman and critic (born 1931)

Quote of the day

“You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.”

Marcus Aurelius

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Where do the entries come from?

From Wikipedia’s on-this-day pages for this language, updated once a day and ordered by how often each article is read.

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