What happened on April 18? There are more than 260 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

Interesting Facts & Myths About April 18

April 18 In HistoryApril 18 is the 109th day of the year 2024. There are 257 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday. This day falls under the 16th week of the year 2024.

On this day in Albuquerque, New Mexico 87113 sunrise will occur at 06:27 AM and sunset will occur at 07:43 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Aries. The modern birthstone for this month is Diamond while the mystical birthstone is Opal.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 286 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

Birthday curiousity Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the March 30 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)

Historical Events For April 18

  • 1025
    Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland.
  • 1506
    The cornerstone of the current St. Peter’s Basilica is laid.
  • 1518
    Bona Sforza is crowned as queen consort of Poland.
  • 1689
    Bostonians rise up in rebellion against Sir Edmund Andros.
  • 1738
    Real Academia de la Historia (“Royal Academy of History”) is founded in Madrid.
  • 1775
    American Revolution: The British advancement by sea begins; Paul Revere and other riders warn the countryside of the troop movements.
  • 1797
    The Battle of Neuwied – French victory against the Austrians.
  • 1831
    The University of Alabama is founded.
  • 1848
    American victory at the battle of Cerro Gordo opens the way for invasion of Mexico.
  • 1857
    “The Spirits Book” by Allan Kardec is published, marking the birth of Spiritualism in France.
  • 1864
    Battle of Dybbøl: A Prussian-Austrian army defeats Denmark and gains control of Schleswig. Denmark surrenders the province in the following peace settlement.
  • 1880
    An F4 tornado strikes Marshfield, Missouri, killing 99 people and injuring 100.
  • 1881
    Billy the Kid escapes from the Lincoln County jail in Mesilla, New Mexico.
  • 1897
    The Greco-Turkish War is declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire.
  • 1899
    The St. Andrew’s Ambulance Association is granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria.
  • 1902
    Quetzaltenango, the second largest city of Guatemala, is destroyed by an earthquake.
  • 1906
    An earthquake and fire destroy much of San Francisco, California.
  • 1909
    Joan of Arc is beatified in Rome.
  • 1912
    The Cunard liner RMS Carpathia brings 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic to New York City.
  • 1915
    French pilot Roland Garros is shot down and glides to a landing on the German side of the lines during World War I.
  • 1923
    Yankee Stadium, “The House that Ruth Built”, opens.
  • 1924
    Simon & Schuster publishes the first crossword puzzle book.
  • 1930
    BBC Radio announces that there is no news on that day.
  • 1936
    The first Champions Day is celebrated in Detroit, Michigan.
  • 1942
    Pierre Laval becomes Prime Minister of Vichy France.
  • 1942
    World War II: The Doolittle Raid on Japan. Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Nagoya are bombed.
  • 1943
    World War II: Operation Vengeance, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is killed when his aircraft is shot down by U.S. fighters over Bougainville Island.
  • 1945
    Over 1,000 bombers attack the small island of Heligoland, Germany.
  • 1946
    The International Court of Justice holds its inaugural meeting in The Hague, Netherlands.
  • 1949
    The aircraft carrier USS United States is laid down at Newport News Drydock and Shipbuilding. However, construction is canceled five days later, resulting in the Revolt of the Admirals.
  • 1954
    Gamal Abdal Nasser seizes power in Egypt.
  • 1955
    29 nations meet at Bandung, Indonesia, for the first Asian-African Conference.
  • 1958
    A United States federal court rules that poet Ezra Pound be released from an insane asylum.
  • 1961
    CONCP is founded in Casablanca as a united front of African movements opposing Portuguese colonial rule.
  • 1961
    The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a cornerstone of modern international relations, is adopted.
  • 1974
    The Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto inaugurates Lahore dry port.
  • 1980
    The Republic of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) comes into being, with Canaan Banana as the country’s first President. The Zimbabwe Dollar replaces the Rhodesian Dollar as the official currency.
  • 1981
    The longest professional baseball game is begun in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The game is suspended at 4:00 the next morning and finally completed on June 23.
  • 1983
    A suicide bomber destroys the United States embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 63 people.
  • 1988
    The United States launches Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian naval forces in the largest naval battle since World War II.
  • 1992
    General Abdul Rashid Dostum revolts against President Mohammad Najibullah of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and allies with Ahmed Shah Massoud to capture Kabul.
  • 1996
    In Lebanon, at least 106 civilians are killed when the Israel Defense Forces shell the UN compound at Quana where more than 800 civilians had taken refuge.
  • 2007
    A series of bombings, two of them being suicides, occur in Baghdad, killing 198 and injuring 251.
  • 2007
    The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in a 5-4 decision.

Who Were Born On April 18?

  • 1480
    Lucrezia Borgia, Florentine ruler and daughter of Pope Alexander VI (d. 1519)
  • 1580
    Thomas Middleton, English dramatist (d. 1627)
  • 1590
    Ahmed I, Ottoman Emperor (d. 1617)
  • 1605
    Giacomo Carissimi, Italian composer (d. 1674)
  • 1740
    Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, English merchant banker (d. 1810)
  • 1771
    Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg, Austrian field marshal (d. 1820)
  • 1797
    Adolphe Thiers, French statesman (d. 1877)
  • 1813
    James McCune Smith, African-American doctor and abolitionist (d. 1865)
  • 1819
    Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Cuban Revolutionary (d. 1874)
  • 1819
    Franz von Suppé, Austrian composer (d. 1895)
  • 1838
    Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, French scientist (d. 1912)
  • 1857
    Alexander Shirvanzade, Armenian playwright and novelist (d. 1935)
  • 1857
    Clarence Darrow, American attorney (d. 1938)
  • 1863
    Leopold Graf Berchtold, Austro-Hungarian foreign minister (d. 1942)
  • 1864
    Richard Harding Davis, American author (d. 1916)
  • 1874
    Ivana Brlic-Mazuranic, Croatian writer (d. 1938)
  • 1874
    Oskar Ernst Bernhardt, German author (d. 1941)
  • 1877
    Vicente Sotto, Filipino patriot, author (d. 1950)
  • 1879
    Korneli Kekelidze, Georgian philologist (d. 1962)
  • 1880
    Sam Crawford, baseball player (d. 1968)
  • 1882
    Leopold Stokowski, Polish conductor (d. 1977)
  • 1888
    Duffy Lewis, American baseball player (d. 1979)
  • 1889
    Jessie Street, Australian suffragette, feminist, and human rights activist (d. 1970)
  • 1893
    Violette Morris, French athlete (d. 1944)
  • 1897
    Ardito Desio, Italian topographer (d. 2001)
  • 1901
    Al Lewis, American lyricist (d. 1967)
  • 1901
    Elene Akhvlediani, Georgian artist (d. 1975)
  • 1901
    László Németh, Hungarian writer (d. 1975)
  • 1902
    Giuseppe Pella, Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1981)
  • 1902
    Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Hasidic Judaism leader (d. 1994)
  • 1904
    Pigmeat Markham, American comedian (d. 1981)
  • 1905
    George H. Hitchings, American scientist, Nobel laureate (d. 1998)
  • 1907
    Miklós Rózsa, Hungarian-born composer (d. 1995)
  • 1911
    Maurice Goldhaber, Austrian-born American physicist
  • 1915
    Joy Gresham Lewis, American writer, wife of C. S. Lewis (d. 1960)
  • 1917
    Frederika of Hanover, Queen Consort of Greece (d. 1981)
  • 1917
    Ty LaForest, Canadian baseball player (d. 1947)
  • 1918
    Clifton Hillegass, American publisher (d. 2001)
  • 1918
    Gabriel Axel, Danish film director
  • 1918
    Shinobu Hashimoto, Japanese screenwriter
  • 1918
    Tony Mottola, American guitarist (d. 2004)
  • 1919
    Virginia O'Brien, American singer and actress (d. 2001)
  • 1921
    Jean Richard, French actor (d. 2001)
  • 1922
    Barbara Hale, American actress
  • 1924
    Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, American musician (d. 2005)
  • 1924
    Henry Hyde, American politician (d. 2007)
  • 1925
    Bob Hastings, American actor
  • 1925
    Marcus Schmuck, Austrian mountaineer (d. 2005)
  • 1927
    Samuel P. Huntington, American political scientist (d. 2008)
  • 1930
    Clive Revill, New Zealand born actor
  • 1934
    George Shirley, American tenor
  • 1934
    James Drury, American actor
  • 1935
    Costas Ferris, Greek director
  • 1936
    Tommy Ivo, American race car driver
  • 1937
    Jan Kaplický, British architect of Czech origin
  • 1939
    Thomas J. Moyer, American judge
  • 1940
    Joseph L. Goldstein, American scientist, Nobel laureate
  • 1940
    Mike Vickers, British guitarist and saxophonist (Manfred Mann)
  • 1942
    Jochen Rindt, German-Austrian racer and F1 (posthumous) world champion (d. 1970)
  • 1942
    Robert Christgau, American music critic
  • 1942
    Steve Blass, American professional baseball player
  • 1944
    Robert Hanssen, American spy
  • 1945
    Margaret Hassan, Irish-born aid worker (d. 2004)
  • 1946
    Hayley Mills, English actress
  • 1946
    Skip Spence, Canadian-born guitarist, singer and songwriter (Jefferson Airplane) (d. 1999)
  • 1947
    Cindy Pickett, American actress
  • 1947
    Dorothy Lyman, American actress
  • 1947
    Herbert Mullin, American serial killer
  • 1947
    James Woods, American actor
  • 1947
    Jerzy Stuhr, Polish film director and actor
  • 1947
    Kathy Acker, American author (d. 1997)
  • 1949
    Geoff Bodine, American race car driver
  • 1950
    Kenny Ortega, American film and TV producer and choreographer
  • 1950
    Paul Callery, football player
  • 1951
    Pierre Pettigrew, Canadian politician
  • 1951
    Ricardo Fortaleza, Australian-Filipino boxer
  • 1953
    Rick Moranis, Canadian comedian
  • 1956
    Anna Kathryn Holbrook, American actress
  • 1956
    Eric Roberts, American actor
  • 1956
    Melody Thomas Scott, American actress
  • 1956
    Poonam Dhillon, Indian actress
  • 1958
    Malcolm Marshall, Barbadian West Indies cricketer (d. 1999)
  • 1961
    Jane Leeves, British actress
  • 1961
    John Podhoretz, American columnist and political pundit
  • 1961
    Steve Lombardi, American wrestler
  • 1962
    Jeff Dunham, American comedian
  • 1963
    Conan O'Brien, American comedian
  • 1963
    Eric McCormack, Canadian actor
  • 1964
    Jim Ellison, musician (d. 1996)
  • 1964
    Mark Berry, aka Bez, dancer in Happy Mondays
  • 1964
    Niall Ferguson, British historian
  • 1964
    Rithy Panh, Cambodian film director
  • 1965
    Rob Stenders, Dutch radio discjockey
  • 1966
    Trine Hattestad, Norwegian athlete
  • 1966
    Valeri Kamensky, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1967
    Maria Bello, American actress
  • 1968
    David Hewlett, English born Canadian actor
  • 1968
    Mary Birdsong, American actress
  • 1969
    Keith R.A. DeCandido, American author
  • 1969
    Princess Sayako of Japan
  • 1969
    Stefan Schwarz, Swedish footballer
  • 1970
    Esther Schweins, German actress and comedienne
  • 1970
    Greg Eklund, American musician
  • 1970
    Rico Brogna, American baseball player
  • 1970
    Saad Hariri, Prime Minister of Lebanon
  • 1970
    Tatiana Stefanidou, Greek television host
  • 1971
    David Tennant, Scottish actor
  • 1971
    Oleg Petrov, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1971
    Russell Payne, English writer
  • 1971
    Samantha Cameron, business executive; wife of UK Prime Minister David Cameron
  • 1971
    Tamara Braun, American actress
  • 1972
    Eli Roth, American film director
  • 1972
    Rosa Clemente, American activist and hip-hop artist
  • 1973
    Brady Clark, American baseball player
  • 1973
    Derrick Brooks, American football player
  • 1973
    Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopian athlete
  • 1973
    Jad Abumrad, American radio host and producer
  • 1974
    Edgar Wright, British director
  • 1974
    Mark Tremonti, American musician
  • 1974
    Millie Corretjer, Puerto Rican singer
  • 1976
    Fayray, Japanese singer
  • 1976
    Jo Gibb, Scottish Actress
  • 1976
    Justin Ross, American politician
  • 1976
    Melissa Joan Hart, American actress
  • 1976
    Sean Maguire, British actor
  • 1977
    Cindy Taylor, Paraguayan supermodel and actress
  • 1977
    Dan Lacouture, NHL hockey player
  • 1979
    Anthony Davidson, British Formula One driver
  • 1979
    Kourtney Kardashian, American reality television star
  • 1979
    Matthew Upson, English footballer
  • 1979
    Michael Bradley, American basketball player
  • 1979
    Nuria Fergó, Spanish singer
  • 1980
    Priit Võigemast, Estonian actor
  • 1980
    Robyn Regehr, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981
    Brian Buscher, American baseball player
  • 1981
    Milan Jovanović, Serbian footballer
  • 1982
    Darren Sutherland, Irish boxer (d. 2009)
  • 1982
    Marie-Élaine Thibert, Canadian singer
  • 1982
    Scott Hartnell, NHL hockey player
  • 1982
    Simone Farina, Italian footballer
  • 1983
    Fodil Hadjadj, Algerian footballer
  • 1983
    Miguel Cabrera, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1984
    America Ferrera, American actress
  • 1985
    Łukasz Fabiański, Polish footballer
  • 1985
    Elena Temnikova, Russian singer (Serebro)
  • 1985
    Karl Reindler, Australian racing driver
  • 1986
    Billy Butler, American baseball player
  • 1986
    Conrad Logan, Irish footballer
  • 1986
    Maurice Edu, American soccer player
  • 1987
    Brett Deledio, Australian Rules football player
  • 1987
    Danny Guthrie, English footballer
  • 1987
    Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, British model
  • 1987
    Sandra Lyng Haugen, Norwegian singer
  • 1988
    Alexander Hauck, South African-born German rugby player
  • 1989
    Alia Shawkat, American actress
  • 1989
    Jessica (Jessica Jung), American-born South Korean singer (Girls’ Generation)
  • 1989
    Simas Buterlevičius, Lithuanian basketball player
  • 1990
    Wojciech Szczęsny, Polish footballer
  • 1994
    Moises Arias, American actor
  • 2007
    Hayah bint Hamzah, Princess of Jordan

Who Died On April 18?

  • 1161
    Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury
  • 1552
    John Leland, English antiquarian (b. 1502)
  • 1556
    Luigi Alamanni, Italian poet (b. 1495)
  • 1558
    Roxelana, wife of Suleiman the Magnificent
  • 1567
    Wilhelm von Grumbach, German adventurer (b. 1503)
  • 1636
    Julius Caesar, English judge
  • 1650
    Simonds d'Ewes, English antiquarian (b. 1602)
  • 1674
    John Graunt, English statistician (b. 1620)
  • 1689
    George Jeffreys, British Chief Justice (b. 1648)
  • 1732
    Louis Feuillée, French explorer (b. 1660)
  • 1794
    Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1714)
  • 1796
    Johan Wilcke, Swedish physicist (b. 1732)
  • 1802
    Erasmus Darwin, English physician and botanist (b. 1731)
  • 1859
    Tantya Tope, Indian Revolutionary & General (b. 1814)
  • 1873
    Justus von Liebig, German chemist (b. 1803)
  • 1898
    Gustave Moreau, French painter (b. 1826)
  • 1906
    Luis Martín, Spanish Superior-General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1846)
  • 1917
    Vladimir Serbsky, Russian psychiatrist (b. 1858)
  • 1935
    Panait Istrati, Romanian writer (b. 1884)
  • 1936
    Ottorino Respighi, Italian composer (b. 1879)
  • 1942
    Aleksander Mitt, Estonian speed skater (b. 1903)
  • 1942
    Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American socialite (b. 1875)
  • 1943
    Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese admiral. (b. 1884)
  • 1945
    Ernie Pyle, American journalist (b. 1900)
  • 1945
    John Ambrose Fleming, English physicist and engineer (b. 1849)
  • 1945
    Prince William of Wied, sovereign Prince of Albania (b. 1876)
  • 1947
    Jozef Tiso, Slovakian leader (b. 1887), Nazi collaborator and puppet ruler
  • 1949
    Will Hay, English comedian and actor (b. 1888)
  • 1951
    António Óscar Carmona, 97th Prime Minister of Portugal and 11th President of Portugal (b. 1869)
  • 1955
    Albert Einstein, German physicist (b. 1879)
  • 1958
    Maurice Gamelin, French general (b. 1872)
  • 1963
    Meyer Jacobstein, American politician (b. 1880)
  • 1964
    Ben Hecht, American writer (b. 1894)
  • 1965
    Guillermo González Camarena, Mexican inventor (b. 1917)
  • 1967
    Karl Miller, German footballer (b. 1913)
  • 1974
    Marcel Pagnol, French novelist, playwright and filmmaker (b. 1895)
  • 1976
    Mahmoud Younis, Suez Canal nationalization engineer (b. 1911)
  • 1986
    Marcel Dassault, French aircraft industrialist (b.1892)
  • 1988
    Pierre Desproges, French humorist (b. 1939)
  • 1990
    Gory Guerrero, professional wrestler (b. 1921)
  • 1990
    Victoria O'Keefe, British actress (b. 1969)
  • 1992
    Frankie Howerd, English comedian and comic actor (b. 1917)
  • 1993
    Masahiko Kimura, Japanese judoka (b. 1917)
  • 1995
    Arturo Frondizi, President of Argentina (b. 1908)
  • 1995
    Roza Makagonova, Russian actress (b. 1927)
  • 1996
    Bernard Edwards, American record producer (b. 1952)
  • 1996
    Brook Berringer, American football player (b. 1973)
  • 1998
    Terry Sanford, American politician (b. 1917)
  • 2002
    Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian explorer (b. 1914)
  • 2002
    Wahoo McDaniel, American football player and professional wrestler (b. 1938)
  • 2003
    Edgar F. Codd, English computer scientist (b. 1923)
  • 2004
    Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, first Prime Minister of Fiji and President of Fiji (b. 1920)
  • 2005
    Sam Mills, American football player (b. 1959)
  • 2007
    Iccho Itoh, mayor of Nagasaki (b. 1945)
  • 2009
    Stephanie Parker, Welsh actress (b. 1987)
  • 2011
    Olubayo Adefemi, Nigerian footballer (b. 1985)

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