What happened today in history
October
What happened on October 18
On October 18 history recorded 50 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 127 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 50events
- 160births
- 127deaths
- 10observances
Highlights
Highlights
320Pappus 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.
Pappus of Alexandria was a Greek mathematician of late antiquity known for his Synagoge (Συναγωγή) or Collection, and for Pappus's hexagon theorem in projective geometry. Almost nothing is known about his life except for what can be found in his own writings,
1081Byzantine–Norman wars: Robert Guiscard led an invasion of the Byzantine Empire, capturing Dyrrhachium in present-day Albania.
The Byzantine–Norman wars were a series of military conflicts between the Normans and the Byzantine Empire fought from c. 1040 to 1186 involving the Norman-led Kingdom of Sicily in the west, and the Principality of Antioch in the Levant. The last of the Norman
1356The most significant earthquake to have occurred in Central Europe in recorded history destroyed Basel, Switzerland.
The 1356 Basel earthquake is the most significant seismological event to have occurred in Central Europe in recorded history and had a moment magnitude in the range of 6.0–7.1. This earthquake, which occurred on 18 October 1356, is also known as the Sankt-Luka
October 18
On this day
I century
- 33
33Heartbroken 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.
IV century
VII century
XI century
- 1009
1009The 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. - 1016
1016The Danes defeat the English in the Battle of Assandun. - 1081
1081The Normans defeat the Byzantine Empire in the Battle of Dyrrhachium.
XII century
XIII century
XIV century
XVI century
- 1540
1540Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto's forces destroy the fortified town of Mabila in present-day Alabama, killing Tuskaloosa. - 1561
1561In Japan the fourth Battle of Kawanakajima is fought between the forces of Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen, resulting in a draw. - 1565
1565Ships 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. - 1597
1597King 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. - 1599
1599Michael 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.
XVII century
XVIII century
- 1748
1748Signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ends the War of the Austrian Succession. - 1775
1775African-American poet Phillis Wheatley is freed from slavery. - 1775
1775American Revolutionary War: The Burning of Falmouth (now Portland, Maine). - 1779
1779American Revolutionary War: The Franco-American Siege of Savannah is lifted.
XIX century
- 1851
1851Herman Melville's Moby-Dick is first published as The Whale by Richard Bentley of London. - 1860
1860The Second Opium War finally ends at the Convention of Peking with the ratification of the Treaty of Tientsin, an unequal treaty. - 1867
1867United States takes possession of Alaska after purchasing it from Russia for $7.2 million. Celebrated annually in the state as Alaska Day. - 1887
1887Johannes Brahms conducts the premiere of his Double Concerto, composed for violinist Joseph Joachim and cellist Robert Hausmann. - 1898
1898The United States takes possession of Puerto Rico from Spain. - 1900
1900Count Bernhard von Bülow becomes chancellor of Germany.
XX century
- 1912
1912First Balkan War: King Peter I of Serbia issues a declaration "To the Serbian People", as his country joins the war. - 1914
1914The Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement is founded in Germany. - 1921
1921The Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic is formed as part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. - 1922
1922The British Broadcasting Company (later Corporation) is founded by a consortium, to establish a nationwide network of radio transmitters to provide a national broadcasting service. - 1929
1929The 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. - 1944
1944World War II: Soviet Union begins the liberation of Czechoslovakia from Nazi Germany. - 1944
1944World War II: The state funeral of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel takes place in Ulm, Germany. - 1945
1945The USSR's nuclear program receives plans for the United States plutonium bomb from Klaus Fuchs at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. - 1945
1945A 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. - 1945
1945Argentine military officer and politician Juan Perón marries actress Eva Duarte. - 1954
1954Texas Instruments announces the Regency TR-1, the first mass-produced transistor radio. - 1963
1963Félicette, a black and white female Parisian stray cat, becomes the first cat launched into space. - 1967
1967The Soviet probe Venera 4 reaches Venus and becomes the first spacecraft to measure the atmosphere of another planet. - 1977
1977German 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. - 1978
1978Based on the world's first children's art museum, the Henrik Igityan National Centre for Aesthetics opened in Yerevan. - 1979
1979The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) begins allowing people to have home satellite earth stations without a federal government license. - 1989
1989The Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-34 to deploy the Jupiter-bound Galileo space probe. - 1991
1991The Supreme Council of Azerbaijan adopts a declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. - 1992
1992Merpati Nustantara Airlines Flight 5601 crashes into Mount Papandayan near the town of Garut in West Java, Indonesia, killing 31.
XXI century
- 2003
2003Bolivian gas conflict: Bolivian President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada is forced to resign and leave Bolivia. - 2007
2007Karachi bombing: A suicide attack on a motorcade carrying former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto kills 139 and wounds 450 more. Bhutto herself is uninjured. - 2019
2019NASA 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. - 2019
2019Riots 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.
Best known
Born on October 18
Best known
Died on October 18
325Emperor Ming of Jin
Emperor of the Jin dynasty from 323 to 325
707AD 707
Calendar year
1035Sancho III of Pamplona
King of Pamplona from 1004 to 1035
1101Hugh, Count of Vermandois
French noble
1141Leopold, Duke of Bavaria
12th-century Bavarian nobleman
1417Pope Gregory XII
Head of the Catholic Church from 1406 to 1415
Holidays and 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: 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
Frequently asked questions
What happened on October 18?
50 documented historical events happened on October 18, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: 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. On the same day, in another year: Byzantine–Norman wars: Robert Guiscard led an invasion of the Byzantine Empire, capturing Dyrrhachium in present-day Albania. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on October 18?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on October 18, including Ien Dales, Roger Climpson, Vytautas Landsbergis. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on October 18?
127 people with a Wikipedia article died on October 18, including Emperor Ming of Jin, AD 707, Sancho III of Pamplona. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on October 18?
10 observances are celebrated on October 18 around the world: 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: Peter of Alcantara, can also be celebrated on October 19., Christian feast day: October 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics). The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
Keep exploring
Free app
Every day’s history, in your pocket
Almanaccolo greets you each morning with the almanac of the day, sunrise and sunset times and your saved events.
- Today’s almanac, every morning
- Save the events that strike you
- Sunrise, sunset and weather for your city
- Free, no account required
Source: Wikipedia · Calendar