August 18

Updated on Oct 22, 2023

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Western zodiac Leo
Holidays & Observances Armed Forces Day (Macedonia) Events August 2016 lunar eclipse, Miss World 2012 Famous birthdays G‑Dragon, Patrick Swayze, Miesha Tate, Masahiro Nakai, Robert Redford

August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 135 days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday (58 in 400 years each) than on Sunday or Monday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Wednesday or Friday (56).

Birthday august 18th horoscope personality zodiac sign leo astrology

Events

684 – Battle of Marj Rahit: Umayyad partisans defeat the supporters of Ibn al-Zubayr and cement Umayyad control of Syria.

1304 – The Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle is fought to a draw between the French army and the Flemish militias.

1487 – The Siege of Málaga ends with the taking of the city by Castilian and Aragonese forces.

1572 – Marriage in Paris, France, of the Huguenot King Henry III of Navarre to Margaret of Valois, in a supposed attempt to reconcile Protestants and Catholics.

1587 – Virginia Dare, granddaughter of Governor John White of the Colony of Roanoke, becomes the first English child born in the Americas.

1590 – John White, the governor of the Roanoke Colony, returns from a supply trip to England and finds his settlement deserted.

1612 – The trial of the Pendle witches, one of England's most famous witch trials, begins at Lancaster Assizes.

1634 – Urbain Grandier, accused and convicted of sorcery, is burned alive in Loudun, France.

1783 – A huge fireball meteor is seen across Great Britain as it passes over the east coast.

1838 – The Wilkes Expedition, which would explore the Puget Sound and Antarctica, weighs anchor at Hampton Roads.

1848 – Camila O'Gorman and Ladislao Gutierrez are executed on the orders of Argentine dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas.

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.

1868 – French astronomer Pierre Janssen discovers helium.

1870 – Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Gravelotte is fought.

1891 – Major hurricane strikes Martinique, leaving 700 dead.

1903 – German engineer Karl Jatho allegedly flies his self-made, motored gliding airplane four months before the first flight of the Wright brothers.

1917 – A Great Fire in Thessaloniki, Greece destroys 32% of the city leaving 70,000 individuals homeless.

1920 – The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage.

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.

1940 – World War II: The Hardest Day air battle, part of the Battle of Britain. At that point, the largest aerial engagement in history with heavy losses sustained on both sides.

1945 – Sukarno takes office as the first president of Indonesia, following the country's declaration of independence the previous day.

1950 – Julien Lahaut, the chairman of the Communist Party of Belgium is assassinated by far-right elements.

1958 – Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita is published in the United States.

1958 – Brojen Das from Bangladesh swims across the English Channel in a competition, as the first Bengali and the first Asian to do so. He came first among 39 competitors.

1963 – Civil Rights Movement: James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

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.

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.

1971 – Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam.

1976 – In the Korean Demilitarized Zone at Panmunjom, the Axe murder incident results in the death of two US soldiers.

1977 – Steve Biko is arrested at a police roadblock under the 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.

1983 – Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 22 people and causing over US$1 billion in damage (1983 dollars).

1989 – Leading presidential hopeful Luis Carlos Galán is assassinated near Bogotá in Colombia.

2005 – A massive power blackout hits the Indonesian island of Java, affecting almost 100 million people, one of the largest and most widespread power outages in history.

2008 – President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf resigns under threat of impeachment.

2008 – War of Afghanistan: Uzbin Valley ambush occurs.

Births

1305 – Ashikaga Takauji, Japanese Shogun (d. 1358)

1450 – Marko Marulić, Croatian poet and author (d. 1524)

1458 – Lorenzo Pucci, Catholic cardinal (d. 1531)

1542 – Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland (d. 1601)

1579 – Countess Charlotte Flandrina of Nassau (d. 1640)

1596 – Jean Bolland, Flemish priest and hagiographer (d. 1665)

1605 – Henry Hammond, English churchman and theologian (d. 1660)

1657 – Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena, Italian architect and painter (d. 1743)

1685 – Brook Taylor, English mathematician and theorist (d. 1731)

1692 – Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon (d. 1740)

1700 – Baji Rao I, Indian emperor (d. 1740)

1720 – Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, English politician (d. 1760)

1750 – Antonio Salieri, Italian composer and conductor (d. 1825)

1754 – François, marquis de Chasseloup-Laubat, French general and engineer (d. 1833)

1774 – Meriwether Lewis, American soldier, explorer, and politician, co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (d. 1809)

1792 – John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1878)

1803 – Nathan Clifford, American lawyer, jurist, and politician, 19th United States Attorney General (d. 1881)

1819 – Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1876)

1822 – Isaac P. Rodman, American general and politician (d. 1862)

1830 – Franz Joseph I of Austria (d. 1916)

1831 – Ernest Noel, Scottish businessman and politician (d. 1931)

1834 – Marshall Field, American businessman, founded Marshall Field's (d. 1906)

1841 – William Halford, English-American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1919)

1855 – Alfred Wallis, English painter and illustrator (d. 1942)

1857 – Libert H. Boeynaems, Belgian-American bishop and missionary (d. 1926)

1869 – Carl Rungius, German-American painter and educator (d. 1959)

1870 – Lavr Kornilov, Russian general and explorer (d. 1918)

1879 – Alexander Rodzyanko, Russian general (d. 1970)

1883 – Sidney Hatch, American runner and soldier (d. 1966)

1885 – Nettie Palmer, Australian poet and critic (d. 1964)

1887 – John Anthony Sydney Ritson, English rugby player, mines inspector, engineer and professor of mining (d. 1957)

1890 – Walther Funk, German economist and politician, Reich Minister of Economics (d. 1960)

1893 – Burleigh Grimes, American baseball player and manager (d. 1985)

1893 – Ernest MacMillan, Canadian conductor and composer (d. 1973)

1896 – Jack Pickford, Canadian-American actor and director (d. 1933)

1898 – Clemente Biondetti, Italian race car driver (d. 1955)

1902 – Adamson-Eric, Estonian painter (d. 1968)

1902 – Margaret Murie, American environmentalist and author (d. 2003)

1903 – Lucienne Boyer, French singer (d. 1983)

1904 – Max Factor, Jr., American businessman (d. 1996)

1906 – Marcel Carné, French director and screenwriter (d. 1996)

1908 – Edgar Faure, French historian and politician, 139th Prime Minister of France (d. 1988)

1908 – Olav H. Hauge, Norwegian poet and gardener (d. 1994)

1908 – Bill Merritt, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster (d. 1977)

1909 – Gérard Filion, Canadian businessman and journalist (d. 2005)

1910 – Herman Berlinski, Polish-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2001)

1910 – Robert Winters, Canadian colonel, engineer, and politician, 26th Canadian Minister of Public Works (d. 1969)

1911 – Amelia Boynton Robinson, American activist (d. 2015)

1911 – Klara Dan von Neumann, Hungarian computer scientist and programmer (d. 1963)

1912 – Otto Ernst Remer, German general (d. 1997)

1913 – Romain Maes, Belgian cyclist (d. 1983)

1914 – Lucy Ozarin, United States Navy lieutenant commander and psychiatrist

1915 – Max Lanier, American baseball player and manager (d. 2007)

1916 – Neagu Djuvara, Romanian historian, journalist, and diplomat

1916 – Moura Lympany, English pianist (d. 2005)

1917 – Caspar Weinberger, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 15th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 2006)

1918 – Cisco Houston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1961)

1919 – Wally Hickel, American businessman and politician, 2nd Governor of Alaska (d. 2010)

1920 – Godfrey Evans, English cricketer (d. 1999)

1920 – Bob Kennedy, American baseball player and manager (d. 2005)

1920 – Shelley Winters, American actress (d. 2006)

1921 – Lydia Litvyak, Russian lieutenant and pilot (d. 1943)

1921 – Zdzisław Żygulski, Polish historian and academic (d. 2015)

1922 – Alain Robbe-Grillet, French director, screenwriter, and novelist (d. 2008)

1925 – Brian Aldiss, English author and critic

1925 – Pierre Grondin, Canadian surgeon and academic (d. 2006)

1925 – Anis Mansour, Egyptian journalist and author (d. 2011)

1928 – Marge Schott, American businesswoman (d. 2004)

1929 – Hugues Aufray, French singer-songwriter

1930 – Liviu Librescu, Romanian-American engineer and academic (d. 2007)

1930 – Rafael Pineda Ponce, Honduran academic and politician (d. 2014)

1931 – Bramwell Tillsley, Canadian 14th General of The Salvation Army

1931 – Hans van Mierlo, Dutch journalist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2010)

1932 – Luc Montagnier, French virologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

1933 – Just Fontaine, Moroccan-French footballer and manager

1933 – Roman Polanski, French-Polish director, producer, screenwriter, and actor

1934 – Vincent Bugliosi, American lawyer and author (d. 2015)

1934 – Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and soldier (d. 1972)

1934 – Michael May, German-Swiss race car driver and engineer

1935 – Gail Fisher, American actress (d. 2000)

1935 – Hifikepunye Pohamba, Namibian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Namibia

1936 – Robert Redford, American actor, director, and producer

1937 – Sheila Cassidy, English physician and author

1939 – Robert Horton, English businessman (d. 2011)

1940 – Adam Makowicz, Polish-Canadian pianist and composer

1940 – Gil Whitney, American journalist (d. 1982)

1943 – Martin Mull, American actor and comedian

1943 – Gianni Rivera, Italian footballer and politician

1943 – Carl Wayne, English singer and actor (d. 2004)

1944 – Paula Danziger, American author (d. 2004)

1944 – Robert Hitchcock, Australian sculptor and illustrator

1945 – Värner Lootsmann, Estonian lawyer and politician

1945 – Lewis Burwell Puller, Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and author (d. 1994)

1948 – James Jones, English bishop

1948 – John Scarlett, English intelligence officer

1949 – Nigel Griggs, English bass player, songwriter, and producer

1950 – Dennis Elliott, English drummer and sculptor

1952 – Elayne Boosler, American actress, director, and screenwriter

1952 – Patrick Swayze, American actor and dancer (d. 2009)

1952 – Ricardo Villa, Argentinian footballer and coach

1953 – Louie Gohmert, American captain, lawyer, and politician

1954 – Umberto Guidoni, Italian astrophysicist, astronaut, and politician

1955 – Bruce Benedict, American baseball player and coach

1955 – Taher Elgamal, Egyptian-American cryptographer

1956 – John Debney, American composer and conductor

1956 – Sandeep Patil, Indian cricketer and coach

1956 – Jon Schwartz, American drummer and producer

1956 – Kelly Willard, American singer-songwriter

1956 – Rainer Woelki, German cardinal

1957 – Denis Leary, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter

1957 – Ron Strykert, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1958 – Didier Auriol, French race car driver

1958 – Madeleine Stowe, American actress

1959 – Tom Prichard, American wrestler and trainer

1960 – Mike LaValliere, American baseball player

1960 – Fat Lever, American basketball player and sportscaster

1961 – Huw Edwards, Welsh-English journalist and author

1961 – Timothy Geithner, American banker and politician, 75th United States Secretary of the Treasury

1961 – Bob Woodruff, American journalist and author

1962 – Felipe Calderón, Mexican lawyer and politician, 56th President of Mexico

1962 – Geoff Courtnall, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1964 – Mark Sargent, Australian rugby league player

1964 – Kenny Walker, American basketball player and sportscaster

1965 – Ikue Ōtani, Japanese voice actress

1966 – Gustavo Charif, Argentinian director and producer

1967 – Brian Michael Bendis, American author and illustrator

1969 – Mark Kuhlmann, German rugby player and coach

1969 – Edward Norton, American actor

1969 – Christian Slater, American actor and producer

1970 – Jason Furman, American economist and politician

1970 – Malcolm-Jamal Warner, American actor and producer

1971 – Tom Middleton, English DJ and producer

1972 – Victoria Coren Mitchell, English journalist and poker player

1974 – Nicole Krauss, American novelist and critic

1977 – Paraskevas Antzas, Greek footballer

1977 – Even Kruse Skatrud, Norwegian trombonist, composer, and educator

1978 – Andy Samberg, American actor and comedian

1979 – Stuart Dew, Australian footballer

1980 – Esteban Cambiasso, Argentinian footballer

1980 – Rob Nguyen, Australian race car driver

1980 – Ryan O'Hara, Australian rugby league player

1980 – Bart Scott, American football player

1980 – Jeremy Shockey, American football player

1981 – César Delgado, Argentinian footballer

1981 – Dimitris Salpingidis, Greek footballer

1983 – Cameron White, Australian cricketer

1984 – Sigourney Bandjar, Dutch footballer

1984 – Robert Huth, German footballer

1985 – Inge Dekker, Dutch swimmer

1985 – Bryan Ruiz, Costa Rican footballer

1986 – Evan Gattis, American baseball player

1986 – Ross McCormack, Scottish footballer

1986 – Andreas Weise, Swedish singer-songwriter

1987 – Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Polish mixed martial artist

1988 – Jack Hobbs, English footballer

1988 – Luke Jackson, English author

1988 – Eggert Jónsson, Icelandic footballer

1990 – Elliot Justham, English footballer

1992 – Elizabeth Beisel, American swimmer

1993 – Jung Eun-ji, South Korean singer-songwriter

1995 – Alīna Fjodorova, Latvian figure skater

1997 – Renato Sanches, Portuguese footballer

Deaths

353 – Decentius, Roman usurper

440 – Pope Sixtus III

472 – Ricimer, Roman general and politician (b. 405)

670 – Fiacre, Irish hermit

673 – Kim Yu-shin, general of Silla (b. 595)

849 – Walafrid Strabo, German monk and theologian (b. 808)

1095 – King Olaf I of Denmark

1227 – Genghis Khan, Mongolian emperor (b. 1162)

1258 – Theodore II Laskaris, emperor of Nicea (Byzantine emperor in exile)

1276 – Pope Adrian V (b. 1220)

1318 – Clare of Montefalco, Italian nun and saint (b. 1268)

1430 – Thomas de Ros, 8th Baron de Ros, English soldier and politician (b. 1406)

1503 – Pope Alexander VI (b. 1431)

1550 – Antonio Ferramolino, Italian architect and military engineer

1559 – Pope Paul IV (b. 1476)

1563 – Étienne de La Boétie, French judge and philosopher (b. 1530)

1613 – Giovanni Artusi, Italian composer and theorist (b. 1540)

1620 – Wanli Emperor of China (b. 1563)

1634 – Urbain Grandier, French priest (b. 1590)

1642 – Guido Reni, Italian painter and educator (b. 1575)

1648 – Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1615)

1683 – Charles Hart, English actor (b. 1625)

1707 – William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire (b. 1640)

1712 – Richard Savage, 4th Earl Rivers, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Essex (b. 1660)

1765 – Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1708)

1809 – Matthew Boulton, English businessman and engineer, co-founded Boulton and Watt (b. 1728)

1815 – Chauncey Goodrich, American lawyer and politician, 8th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut (b. 1759)

1842 – Louis de Freycinet, French explorer and navigator (b. 1779)

1850 – Honoré de Balzac, French novelist and playwright (b. 1799)

1886 – Eli Whitney Blake, American inventor, invented the Mortise lock (b. 1795)

1889 – Jacques Damala, Greek-French actor (b. 1855)

1919 – Joseph E. Seagram, Canadian businessman and politician, founded the Seagram Company (b. 1841)

1940 – Walter Chrysler, American businessman, founded Chrysler (b. 1875)

1943 – Ali-Agha Shikhlinski, Azerbaijani general (b. 1865)

1944 – Ernst Thälmann, German soldier and politician (b. 1886)

1945 – Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian activist and politician (b. 1897)

1949 – Paul Mares, American trumpet player and bandleader (New Orleans Rhythm Kings) (b. 1900)

1950 – Julien Lahaut, Belgian soldier and politician (b. 1884)

1952 – Alberto Hurtado, Chilean priest, lawyer, and saint (b. 1901)

1968 – Arthur Marshall, American pianist and composer (b. 1881)

1979 – Vasantrao Naik, Indian politician (b. 1913)

1981 – Anita Loos, American author and screenwriter (b. 1889)

1983 – Nikolaus Pevsner, German-English historian and scholar (b. 1902)

1990 – B. F. Skinner, American psychologist and philosopher, invented the Skinner box (b. 1904)

1994 – Francis Raymond Shea, American bishop (b. 1913)

2001 – David Peakall, English chemist and toxicologist (b. 1931)

2002 – Dean Riesner, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1918)

2003 – Tony Jackson, English singer and bass player (b. 1938)

2004 – Elmer Bernstein, American composer and conductor (b. 1922)

2004 – Hiram Fong, American soldier and politician (b. 1906)

2005 – Chri$ Ca$h, American wrestler (b. 1982)

2006 – Ken Kearney, Australian rugby player (b. 1924)

2007 – Michael Deaver, American soldier and politician, White House Deputy Chief of Staff (b. 1938)

2007 – Magdalen Nabb, English author (b. 1947)

2009 – Kim Dae-jung, South Korean lieutenant and politician, 15th President of South Korea, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1925)

2009 – Rose Friedman, Ukrainian-American economist and author (b. 1910)

2009 – Robert Novak, American journalist and author (b. 1931)

2010 – Hal Connolly, American hammer thrower and coach (b. 1931)

2010 – Benjamin Kaplan, American scholar and jurist (b. 1911)

2012 – Harrison Begay, American painter (b. 1917)

2012 – John Kovatch, American football player (b. 1920)

2012 – Scott McKenzie, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1939)

2012 – Ra. Ki. Rangarajan, Indian journalist and author (b. 1927)

2012 – Jesse Robredo, Filipino public servant and politician, 23rd Filipino Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (b. 1958)

2013 – Josephine D'Angelo, American baseball player (b. 1924)

2013 – Dezső Gyarmati, Hungarian water polo player and coach (b. 1927)

2013 – Jean Kahn, French lawyer and activist (b. 1929)

2013 – Albert Murray, American author and critic (b. 1916)

2014 – Gordon Faber, American soldier and politician, 39th Mayor of Hillsboro, Oregon (b. 1930)

2014 – Jim Jeffords, American captain, lawyer, and politician (b. 1934)

2014 – Levente Lengyel, Hungarian chess player (b. 1933)

2014 – Don Pardo, American radio and television announcer (b. 1918)

2015 – Khaled al-Asaad, Syrian archaeologist and author (b. 1932)

2015 – Roger Smalley, English-Australian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1943)

2015 – Louis Stokes, American lawyer and politician (b. 1925)

2015 – Bud Yorkin, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Agapitus of Palestrina

Alberto Hurtado

Fiacre

Helena of Constantinople (Roman Catholic Church)

William Porcher DuBose (Episcopal Church)

August 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Arbor Day (Pakistan)

Armed Forces Day (Macedonia)

Birthday of Virginia Dare (Roanoke Island)

Constitution Day (Indonesia)

Long Tan Day, also called Vietnam Veterans' Day (Australia)

National Science Day (Thailand)

References

August 18 Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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