May 18
is the 138th day of the year in the
Gregorian Calendar (139th in
leap years). There are 227 days remaining.
*
1152 -
Henry II marries
Eleanor of Aquitaine.
*
1268 - The
Principality of Antioch, a
crusader state, falls to the
Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the
Battle of Antioch;
Baibars' destruction of the city of
Antioch was so great as to permanently negate the city's importance.
*
1498 -
Vasco da Gama reaches the port of
Calicut, India*
1593 -
Playwright Thomas Kyd's accusations of
heresy lead to an arrest warrant for
Christopher Marlowe.
*
1631 - In
Dorchester, Massachusetts,
John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first
Governor of Massachusetts.
*
1652 -
Rhode Island passes the first law in
North America making
slavery illegal.
*
1765 - Fire destroys a large part of
Montreal,
Quebec.
*
1783 - First
United Empire Loyalists reach
Parrtown,
Saint John,
New Brunswick,
Canada after leaving the
United States.
*
1803 -
Napoleonic Wars: The
United Kingdom revokes the
Treaty of Amiens and declares war on
France.
*
1804 -
Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed
Emperor of
France by the
French Senate.
*
1811 -
Las Piedras Battle first great military triumph of the liberating revolution of the
Río de la Plata in
Uruguay leaded by
Jose Artigas.
*
1848 - Opening of the first
German National Assembly (
Nationalversammlung) in
Frankfurt,
Germany.
*
1863 -
American Civil War: The
Siege of Vicksburg begins, ending on
July 4.
*
1869 - Surrender and dissolution of the
Ezo Republic to
Japan.
*
1876 -
Wyatt Earp starts work in
Dodge City,
Kansas under
Marshal Larry Deger.
*
1896 - The
United States Supreme Court rules in
Plessy v. Ferguson that
separate but equal is constitutional.
*
1897 -
Dracula, a novel by
Irish author
Bram Stoker is published.
*
1900 - The
United Kingdom proclaims a
protectorate over
Tonga.
*
1910 - The
Earth passes through the tail of
Comet Halley.
*
1917 -
World War I: The
Selective Service Act passes the
U.S. Congress giving the
President the power of
conscription.
*
1926 -
Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears while visiting a
Venice, California, beach.
*
1927 - The
Bath School Disaster: Forty-five people are killed by bombs planted by a disgruntled school-board member in
Michigan.
*
1933 -
New Deal:
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs an act creating the
Tennessee Valley Authority.
*
1944 -
World War II:
Battle of Monte Cassino -
Germans evacuate
Monte Cassino and
Allied forces take the stronghold after a struggle that claimed 20,000 lives.
*1944 - Deportation of
Crimean Tatars by the
Soviet Union government.
*
1944 -
World War II:
SS troops burn down six villages in the
Brkini hills in south western
Slovenia.
*
1948 - The First
Legislative Yuan of the
Republic of China officially convenes in
Nanking.
*
1953 -
Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to break the
sound barrier (she flew in a
F-86 Sabrejet at an average speed of 652.337 miles per hour (1049.835 km/h) at
Rogers Dry Lake,
California).
*
1958 - An
F-104 Starfighter sets a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph (2,259.82 km/h).
*
1959 - Launching of the
National Liberation Committee of Côte d'Ivoire in
Conakry,
Guinea.
*
1969 -
Apollo program:
Apollo 10 launches.
*
1974 -
Nuclear test: Under project
Smiling Buddha,
India successfully detonates its first
nuclear weapon becoming the sixth nation to do so.
*1974 - Completion of the
Warsaw radio mast, the tallest construction ever built at the time. It later collapses on
August 8,
1991.
*
1980 -
1980 Mount St. Helens eruption:
Mount St. Helens erupts in
Washington, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.
*1980 -
Gwangju Massacre:
Students in
Gwangju,
South Korea begin demonstrations, calling for democratic reforms.
*1980 -
Peru:
Terrorist group
Shining Path attacked a voting poll in the town of
Chuschi,
Ayacucho starting their activities.
*
1983 - In
Ireland, scene of remarkable
pirate radio broadcasting during the decade, the Government launched a crackdown, with the leading
Dublin pirate
Radio Nova being put off the air.
*
1990 - In
France, a modified
TGV train achieves a new
rail world speed record -
515.3km/h - superseding the previous record of 406.9km/h set by the
German InterCityExperimental train
*
1991 -
Helen Sharman from
Sheffield becomes the first
Briton to orbit in
Space*
1991 - 18th May, Chinese Natural Disaster, Flood killing 210,232,227.
*
1992 - The
Archivist of the United States issues a proclamation to officially announce that the
27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has been ratified, despite more than 200 years for completion of the ratification process by the
state legislatures.
*
1995 -
Alain Juppé becomes
Prime Minister of
France.
*
1998 -
United States v. Microsoft: The
United States Department of Justice and 20
U.S. states file an
antitrust case against
Microsoft.
*
2004 -
Randy Johnson throws the 17th
perfect game in
Major League Baseball history and became the oldest pitcher to throw a perfect game.
*
2006 - The post
Loktantra Andolan government passes a landmark bill curtailing the power of the monarchy and making Nepal a secular country.
*
1048 -
Omar Khayyám, Persian poet (d.
1131)
*
1186 -
Konstantin of Rostov, Prince of Novgorod (d.
1218)
*
1474 -
Isabella d'Este, Marquise of Mantua (d.
1539)
*
1610 -
Stefano della Bella, Italian printmaker (d.
1664)
*
1616 -
Johann Jakob Froberger, German composer (d.
1667)
*
1662 (
O.S.) -
George Smalridge, English bishop of Bristol (d.
1719)
*
1692 (
O.S.) -
Joseph Butler, English bishop and philosopher (d.
1752)
*
1711 -
Ruđer Josip Bošković, Serbian atomic theorist (d.
1787)
*
1778 -
Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry*
1785 -
John Wilson, Scottish writer (d.
1854)
*
1797 -
Frederick Augustus II of Saxony (d.
1854)
*
1850 -
Oliver Heaviside, English physicist (d.
1925)
*
1868 -
Nikolai Aleksandrovich Romanov , Nicholas II, Last Emperor of Russia. (d.
1918)
*
1872 - Lord
Bertrand Russell, English mathematician and philosopher, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Literature (d.
1970)
*
1876 -
Hermann Müller,
Chancellor of Germany (d.
1931)
*
1882 -
Babe Adams, Baseball player (d.
1968)
*
1883 -
Eurico Gaspar Dutra,
President of Brazil (d.
1974)
* 1883 -
Walter Gropius, German architect (d.
1969)
*
1889 -
Thomas Midgley, American chemist and inventor (d.
1944)
*
1891 -
Rudolf Carnap, German philosopher (d.
1970)
*
1892 -
Ezio Pinza, Italian-born bass (d.
1957)
*
1897 -
Frank Capra, American producer, director, and writer (d.
1991)
*
1901 -
Vincent du Vigneaud, American chemist,
Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1978)
*
1902 -
Meredith Willson, American composer (d.
1984)
*
1905 -
Hedley Verity, English cricketer (d.
1943)
*
1911 -
Big Joe Turner, American blues singer (d.
1985)
*
1912 -
Perry Como, American singer (d.
2001)
* 1912 -
Richard Brooks, American film director, writer and producer (d.
1992)
* 1912 -
Walter Sisulu, South African anti-apartheid activist (d.
2003)
*
1913 -
Charles Trenet, French singer and songwriter (d.
2001)
*
1914 -
Pierre Balmain, French fashion designer (d.
1982)
*
1918 -
George Welch, American pilot and war hero (d.
1954)
*
1919 - Dame
Margot Fonteyn, English ballet dancer (d.
1991)
*
1920 -
Pope John Paul II (d.
2005)
* 1920 -
Lucia Mannucci, Italian singer (
Quartetto Cetra)
*
1922 -
Kai Winding, Danish-born musician (d.
1983)
*
1923 -
Hugh Shearer,
Prime Minister of Jamaica (d.
2004)
* 1923 -
Jean-Louis Roux, French Canadian actor and artistic director
*
1924 -
Priscilla Pointer, American actress
*
1926 -
Dirch Passer, Danish actor (d.
1980)
*
1928 -
Pernell Roberts, American actor
*
1929 -
Jack Sanford, baseball player
*
1931 -
Don Martin, American cartoonist (d.
2000)
* 1931 -
Robert Morse, American actor
*
1934 -
Dwayne Hickman, American actor and television executive
*
1937 -
Brooks Robinson, baseball player
*
1937 -
Jacques Santer, Luxembourg statesman
*
1939 -
Giovanni Falcone, Italian magistrate (d.
1992)
*
1942 -
Albert Hammond, British musician and composer
*1942 -
Nobby Stiles, English footballer
*
1943 -
James Reiher, American professional wrestler
*
1946 -
Reggie Jackson, baseball player
* 1946 -
Andreas Katsulas, American actor (d.
2006)
*
1947 -
John Bruton, ninth
Taoiseach of the
Republic of Ireland*
1949 -
Rick Wakeman, English composer and musician (
Yes)
* 1949 -
Bill Wallace, Canadian musician (
The Guess Who)
*
1950 -
Thomas Gottschalk, German television show host
* 1950 -
Rodney Milburn, American athlete (d.
1997)
* 1950 -
Mark Mothersbaugh, American composer, musician, and singer (
Devo)
*
1952 -
George Strait, American musician
*
1952 -
Diane Duane, American writer
*
1955 -
Chow Yun-Fat, Hong Kong actor
*
1957 -
Michael Cretu, German musician (
Enigma)
*
1959 -
Jay Wells, Canadian ice hockey player
*
1960 -
Jari Kurri, Finnish hockey player
* 1960 -
Yannick Noah, French tennis player
*
1962 -
Nanne Grönvall, Swedish singer
*
1962 -
Sandra Cretu, German singer
*
1965 -
Christopher Hall, American musician (
Stabbing Westward)
*
1966 -
Michael Tait, American member of
Christian rock group
dc Talk and founder of
Christian rock group
Tait.
*
1967 -
Heinz-Harald Frentzen, F1 driver
*
1969 -
Martika, Cuban-American singer
*
1970 -
Tina Fey, American writer, comedian, and actress (
Saturday Night Live)
*
1970 -
Daniel Sonenberg, American composer and performer
*
1971 -
Brad Friedel, American football (soccer) player
*
1973 -
Brian Heffron, wrestler better known as the "Blue Meanie"
*
1975 -
John Higgins, Scottish snooker player
* 1975 -
Jack Johnson, American musician
* 1975 -
Peter Iwers, Swedish bass player (
In Flames)
*
1976 -
Oleg Tverdovsky, Ukrainian ice hockey player
*
1977 -
Lee Hendrie, English footballer (
Aston Villa F.C.)
* 1977 -
Danny Mills, English footballer
*
1978 -
Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer
* 1978 -
Ciarán Toland, Northern Irish activist
*
1979 -
Mariusz Lewandowski, Polish footballer
*
1982 -
Eric West, American singer and actor
*
1983 -
Vince Young, American football player (
Tennessee Titans)
* 1983 -
Gary O'Neil, English footballer (
Portsmouth FC)
*
1988 -
Ryan Cooley, Canadian television actor
*
1450 -
Sejong the Great of Joseon, ruler of Korea (b.
1397)
*
1550 -
John, Cardinal of Lorraine, French churchman (b.
1498)
*
1584 -
Ikeda Motosuke, Japanese samurai commander (b.
1559)
*
1675 -
Stanisław Lubieniecki, Polish astronomer (b.
1623)
* 1675 -
Jacques Marquette, French Jesuit missionary and explorer (b.
1637)
*
1692 -
Elias Ashmole, English antiquarian (b.
1617)
*
1733 -
Georg Böhm, German organist (b.
1761)
*
1780 -
Charles Hardy, British governor of Newfoundland
*
1781 -
Túpac Amaru II, Peruvian Indian revolutionary, a descendant of the last Inca ruler,
Túpac Amaru (b.
1742)
*
1799 -
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, French playwright (b.
1732)
*
1800 -
Alexander Suvorov, Russian general (b.
1729)
*
1807 -
John Douglas, Scottish Anglican bishop and man of letters (b.
1721)
*
1808 -
Elijah Craig, American minister and inventor (b.
1738?)
*
1900 -
Jean Gaspard Felix Ravaisson-Mollien, French philosopher (b.
1813)
*
1909 -
George Meredith, English novelist and poet (b.
1828)
* 1909 -
Isaac Albéniz, Spanish pianist and composer (b.
1860)
*
1910 -
Pauline Garcia-Viardot, French mezzo-soprano and composer (b.
1821)
*
1911 -
Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer (b.
1860)
*
1922 -
Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, French physician, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b.
1845)
*
1941 -
Werner Sombart, German economist and sociologist (b.
1863)
*
1955 -
Mary McLeod Bethune, American educator and activist (b.
1875)
*
1956 -
Maurice Tate, English cricketer (b.
1895)
*
1973 -
Jeannette Rankin, first U.S. Congresswoman (b.
1880)
*
1975 -
Leroy Anderson, American composer (b.
1908)
*
1980 -
Ian Curtis, British musician, singer and lyricist (
Joy Division) (b.
1956)
*
1981 -
William Saroyan, American author (b.
1908)
*
1988 -
Daws Butler, American voice actor (b.
1916)
*
1990 -
Jill Ireland, British actress (b.
1936)
*
1992 -
Marshall Thompson, American actor (b.
1925)
*
1995 -
Elisha Cook Jr., American actor (b.
1903)
* 1995 -
Alexander Godunov, Russian ballet dancer and actor (b.
1949)
* 1995 -
Elizabeth Montgomery, American actress (b.
1933)
*
1999 -
Augustus Pablo, Jamaican singer (b.
1954)
* 1999 -
Betty Robinson, American runner (b.
1911)
*
2000 -
Stephen M. Wolownik, Russian musician and arranger (b.
1946)
*
2002 -
Davey Boy Smith, Wrestler
*
2003 -
Anna Santisteban, Puerto Rican beauty contest organizer (b.
1914)
* 2003 -
Barb Tarbox, Canadian anti-smoking crusader (b.
1961)
*
2004 -
Elvin Jones, American jazz drummer (b.
1927)
*
2006 -
Andrew Martinez,
U.C. Berkeley's "Naked Guy". (b.
1973?)
*Festival of the god
Pan in
Ancient Greece*Festival of
Faunus in
Ancient Rome*liturgical
Feast day of the following
saints in the
Roman Catholic Church:
**
Saint Eric of Sweden**
Saint Dioscorus**
St. Felix of Cantalice**
Pope John I**
Saint Alexandra*
BBC: On This Day*
The New York Times: On This Day*
On This Day in CanadaMay 17 -
May 19 -
April 18 -
June 18 --
listing of all days
