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. [edit] Events - 293 BC – The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded, starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica.
- 1201 – The city of Riga is founded.
- 1541 – A Portuguese ship drifts ashore in the ancient Japanese province of Higo (modern day Kumamoto Prefecture). (Traditional Japanese date: July 27, 1541)
- 1572 – Marriage in Paris of the future Huguenot King Henry IV of Navarre to Marguerite de 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 Colony of Roanoke, returns from a supply trip to England and finds his settlement deserted.
- 1634 – Urbain Grandier, accused and convicted of sorcery, is burned alive in Loudun, France.
- 1636 – The Covenant of the Town of Dedham, Massachusetts is first signed.
- 1838 – The Wilkes Expedition, which would explore the Puget Sound and Antarctica, weighs anchor at Hampton Roads in 1838
- 1848 – Camila O'Gorman and Ladislao Gutierrez are executed on the orders of Argentine dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas.
- 1862 – Minnesota trader Andrew Myrick is killed and has his mouth stuffed with grass.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Globe Tavern – Union forces try to cut a vital Confederate supply-line into Petersburg, Virginia, by attacking the Weldon Railroad.
- 1868 – French astronomer Pierre Jules César Janssen discovers helium.
- 1870 – Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Gravelotte is fought.
- 1877 – Asaph Hall discovers Martian moon Phobos.
- 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.
- 1909 – Mayor of Tokyo Yukio Ozaki presents Washington, D.C. with 2,000 cherry trees, which President Taft decides to plant near the Potomac River.
- 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 State, United States with Ontario, Canada over the St. Lawrence River, is dedicated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- 1941 – Adolf Hitler orders a temporary halt to Nazi Germany's systematic euthanasia of the mentally ill and the handicapped due to protests.
- 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.
- 1963 – American civil rights movement: James Meredith becomes the first black person 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 occurs, when a patrol of 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment encounter the Viet Cong.
- 1969 – Jimi Hendrix plays the unofficial last day of the Woodstock festival.
- 1971 – Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam.
- 1976 – In the Korean Demilitarized Zone at Panmunjeom, 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 would later die of the injuries sustained during this arrest bringing attention to South Africa's apartheid policies.
- 1982 – Japanese election law is amended to allow for proportional representation.
- 1983 – Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 22 people and causing over USD $1 billion in damage (1983 dollars).
- 1989 – Leading presidential hopeful Luis Carlos Galán is assassinated near Bogotá in Colombia.
- 1992 – Wang Laboratories files for bankruptcy.
- 2000 – A Federal jury finds the US EPA guilty of discrimination against Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, later inspiring passage of the No FEAR Act.
- 2005 – Dennis Rader is sentenced to 175 years in prison for the BTK serial killings.
- 2005 – Massive power blackout hits the Indonesian island of Java, affecting almost 100 million people.
- 2008 – President Of Pakistan Pervez Musharaf resigned due to pressure from opposition.
[edit] Births - 1414 – Jami, Persian poet (d. 1492)
- 1450 – Marko Marulić, Croatian poet (d. 1524)
- 1579 – Charlotte Flandrina of Nassau, Roman Catholic nun (d. 1640)
- 1587 – Virginia Dare, first English child born in North America
- 1596 – Jean Bolland, Flemish Jesuit writer (d. 1665)
- 1605 – Henry Hammond, English churchman (d. 1660)
- 1606 – Maria Anna of Spain, Holy Roman Empire Empress and Queen of Hungary (d. 1646)
- 1611 – Ludwika Maria Gonzaga, queen of Poland (d. 1650)
- 1657 – Ferdinando Galli Bibiena, Italian architect/designer (d. 1743)
- 1685 – Brook Taylor, English mathematician (d. 1731)
- 1692 – Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon, Prime Minister of France (d. 1740)
- 1720 – Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, English murderer (d. 1760)
- 1750 – Antonio Salieri, Italian composer (d. 1825)
- 1754 – François, marquis de Chasseloup-Laubat, French general (d. 1833)
- 1774 – Meriwether Lewis, American explorer (d. 1809)
- 1792 – John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1878)
- 1803 – Nathan Clifford, American statesman, diplomat, and Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1881)
- 1819 – Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaievna, Duchess of Leuchtenberg (d. 1876)
- 1822 – Isaac P. Rodman, American Union general (d. 1862)
- 1830 – Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria (d. 1916)
- 1841 – William Halford, American naval officer (d. 1919)
- 1855 – Alfred Wallis, English artist and mariner (d. 1942)
- 1857 – Libert H. Boeynaems, Belgian Catholic prelate (d. 1926)
- 1870 – Hugh Bromley-Davenport, England cricketer (d. 1954)
- 1870 – Lavr Georgevich Kornilov, Russian general (d. 1918)
- 1879 – Aleksandr Rodzyanko, Russian general (d. 1970)
- 1885 – Nettie Palmer, Australian poet and essayist (d. 1964)
- 1890 – Walther Funk, German Nazi politician (d. 1960)
- 1893 – Ernest MacMillan, Canadian musician (d. 1973)
- 1893 – Burleigh Grimes, American baseball player (d. 1985)
- 1896 – Jack Pickford, Canadian-born actor (d. 1933)
- 1900 – Glenn Albert Black, American archaeologist (d. 1964)
- 1902 – Adamson-Eric, Estonian painter (d. 1968)
- 1902 – Margaret Murie, American conservationist, naturalist, and author (d. 2003)
- 1903 – Lucienne Boyer, French singer (d. 1983)
- 1904 – Max Factor, Polish-born cosmetics entrepreneur (d. 1996)
- 1906 – Marcel Carné, French film director (d. 1996)
- 1908 – Edgar Faure, French politician and historian (d. 1988)
- 1908 – Bill Merritt, New Zealand cricketer (d. 1977)
- 1909 – Gérard Filion, French Canadian businessman and journalist (d. 2005)
- 1911 – Amelia Boynton Robinson, American leader in the Schiller Institute
- 1913 – Romain Maes, Belgian cyclist (d. 1983)
- 1915 – Max Lanier, baseball player (d. 2007)
- 1916 – Neagu Djuvara, Romanian diplomat
- 1916 – Don Keefer, American actor
- 1916 – Dame Moura Lympany, British pianist (d. 2005)
- 1917 – Caspar Weinberger, American politician (d. 2006)
- 1918 – Cisco Houston, American folk singer (d. 1961)
- 1919 – Walter Joseph Hickel, 2nd and 8th Governor of Alaska
- 1920 – Godfrey Evans, England cricketer (d. 1999)
- 1920 – Bob Kennedy, baseball player (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Shelley Winters, American actress (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Lydia Litvyak, Soviet pilot, one of only two female flying aces (d. 1943)
- 1921 – Zdzisław Żygulski, Jr., Polish art historian
- 1922 – Alain Robbe-Grillet, French writer (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Jenni Irani, Indian cricketer (d. 1982)
- 1923 – Sadashiv Shinde, Indian cricketer (d. 1955)
- 1925 – Brian Aldiss, English writer
- 1925 – Pierre Grondin, French Canadian cardiac surgeon (d. 2006)
- 1927 – Rosalynn Carter, First Lady of the United States
- 1928 – Marge Schott, baseball team owner (d. 2004)
- 1929 – Hugues Aufray, French singer
- 1930 – Liviu Librescu, Israeli professor, killed in the Virginia Tech massacre (d. 2007)
- 1931 – Bramwell Tillsley, Canadian Salvation Army general
- 1931 – Dick White, English footballer
- 1932 – William R. Bennett, Premier of British Columbia
- 1933 – Just Fontaine, French footballer
- 1933 – Roman Polanski, French-born director and actor
- 1934 – Vincent Bugliosi, American attorney
- 1934 – Ronnie Carroll, British singer
- 1934 – Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican baseball player and humanitarian (d. 1972)
- 1935 – Rafer Johnson, American athlete
- 1935 – Howard Morrison, New Zealand entertainer
- 1936 – Robert Redford, American actor
- 1938 – Joe Frank, American radio personality
- 1939 – Harald Heide-Steen Jr., Norwegian actor and comedian (d. 2008)
- 1939 – Robert Horton, British businessman
- 1939 – Johnny Preston, American singer
- 1943 – Martin Mull, American comedian
- 1943 – Gianni Rivera, Italian footballer and politician
- 1943 – Carl Wayne, English singer (d. 2004)
- 1945 – Barbara Harris, American singer (Toys)
- 1948 – Joseph Marcell, British actor
- 1949 – Rudy Hartono, Indonesian badminton player
- 1952 – Elayne Boosler, American comedian
- 1952 – Patrick Swayze, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1952 – Ricky Villa, Argentine former footballer
- 1953 – Louie Gohmert, American politician
- 1954 – Angela Dimitriou, Greek singer
- 1955 – Taher ElGamal, Egyptian scientist
- 1956 – John Debney, American composer
- 1956 – Sandeep Patil, Indian cricketer
- 1956 – Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, American musician
- 1957 – Carole Bouquet, French actress
- 1957 – Denis Leary, American comedian and actor
- 1958 – Madeleine Stowe, American actress
- 1959 – Tom Prichard, American wrestler
- 1960 – Fat Lever, American basketball player
- 1960 – Mike LaValliere, baseball player
- 1961 – Bob Woodruff, American journalist, anchor
- 1962 – Felipe Calderón, President of Mexico
- 1962 – Geoff Courtnall, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1964 – Craig Bierko, American actor
- 1964 – Edith Frost, American singer/songwriter
- 1964 – Kenny Walker, American basketball player
- 1965 – Jim Florentine, American comedian
- 1965 – Koji Kikkawa, Japanese singer
- 1966 – Gustavo Charif, Argentine artist
- 1966 – Kang Soo-yeon, South Korean actress
- 1967 – Brian Michael Bendis, American comic-book writer
- 1967 – Daler Mehndi, Indian bhangra/pop singer
- 1967 – Dan Peters, American musician
- 1968 – Lee Seung-yeon, South Korean actress
- 1969 – Isaac Austin, American basketball player
- 1969 – Everlast, American musician
- 1969 – Masta Killa, American rapper
- 1969 – Edward Norton, American actor
- 1969 – Christian Slater, American actor
- 1970 – Jessica Hsuan, Hong Kong actress
- 1970 – Greg Dean Schmitz, American film journalist
- 1970 – Malcolm-Jamal Warner, American actor
- 1971 – Richard D James, Irish musician (Aphex Twin)
- 1971 – Jacob Vargas, American actor
- 1972 – Leo Ku, Hong Kong singer
- 1972 – Masahiro Nakai, Japanese singer
- 1972 – Shaun Wilson, Australian artist
- 1972 – Keiko Yamada, Japanese singer
- 1975 – Kaitlin Olson, American actress
- 1976 – Paraskevas Antzas, Greek footballer
- 1976 – Daphnee Duplaix Samuel, American actress and glamor model
- 1976 – Bryan Volpenhein, American rower
- 1977 – Régine Chassagne, Canadian musician Arcade Fire
- 1978 – James Corden, British actor
- 1978 – Andy Samberg, American comedian
- 1978 – Luke Williams, Welsh musician (Quinoline Yellow)
- 1979 – Stuart Dew, Australian rules footballer
- 1980 – Esteban Cambiasso, Argentine footballer
- 1980 – Preeti Jhangiani, Indian actress
- 1980 – Rob Nguyen, Australian racing driver
- 1980 – Athina Papayianni, Greek race walker
- 1980 – Bart Scott, American football player
- 1980 – Jeremy Shockey, American football player
- 1981 – César Delgado, Argentine footballer
- 1981 – Dimitris Salpigidis, Greek footballer
- 1981 – Jon Schneck, American musician (Relient K, Audio Adrenaline)
- 1983 – Kris Boyd, Scottish footballer
- 1983 – Danny!, American record producer/hip-hop artist
- 1983 – Mika, Lebanese/British musician
- 1983 – Michael Montgomery, American football player
- 1983 – Cameron White, Australian cricketer
- 1984 – Robert Huth, German footballer
- 1985 – Julen Goikoetxea, Spanish Basque cyclist (d. 2006)
- 1986 – Ross McCormack, Scottish footballer
- 1987 – Mika Boorem, American actress
- 1988 – G-Dragon, South Korean musician (Big Bang)
- 1992 – Riko Narumi, Japanese actress
[edit] Deaths - 353 – Decentius, Roman usurper
- 472 – Ricimer, Roman general
- 849 – Walafrid Strabo, German monk and theologian
- 1227 – Genghis Khan, Khagan of Mongol Empire
- 1258 – Theodore II Lascaris, Emperor of the Empire of Nicaea
- 1276 – Pope Adrian V
- 1318 – Clare of Montefalco, Italian Abbess and religious leader (b. c. 1268)
- 1430 – Thomas de Ros, 9th Baron de Ros, English soldier and politician (drowned) (b. 1406)
- 1503 – Pope Alexander VI (b. 1431)
- 1559 – Pope Paul IV (b. 1476)
- 1563 – Étienne de La Boétie, French judge and writer (b. 1530)
- 1613 – Giovanni Artusi, Italian composer
- 1620 – Wanli, Emperor of China (b. 1563)
- 1634 – Urbain Grandier, French priest (b. 1590)
- 1642 – Guido Reni, Italian painter (b. 1575)
- 1645 – Eudoxia Streshneva, Tsarina of Mikhail I of Russia (b. 1608)
- 1683 – Charles Hart, English actor (b. 1625)
- 1707 – William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, English soldier and statesman (b. 1640)
- 1712 – Richard Savage, 4th Earl Rivers, English soldier
- 1765 – Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1708)
- 1809 – Matthew Boulton, English manufacturer and engineer (b. 1728)
- 1815 – Chauncey Goodrich, American politician (b. 1759)
- 1842 – Louis de Freycinet, French explorer (b. 1779)
- 1850 – Honoré de Balzac, French writer (b. 1799)
- 1919 – Joseph E. Seagram, Canadian distillery founder (b. 1841)
- 1940 – Walter P. Chrysler, American automobile executive (b. 1875)
- 1942 – Rafaela Ottiano, Italian-born American actress (b. 1888)
- 1943 – Ali-Agha Shikhlinski, Russian-Azerbaijani general (b. 1865)
- 1949 – Paul Mares, American musician (b. 1900)
- 1952 – Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, Chilean Jesuit saint (b. 1901)
- 1963 – Clifford Odets, American playwright (b. 1906)
- 1981 – Anita Loos, American screenwriter (b. 1889)
- 1983 – Nikolaus Pevsner, German-born art historian (b. 1902)
- 1990 – Grethe Ingmann, Danish singer (b. 1938)
- 1990 – B.F. Skinner, American psychological theorist (b. 1904)
- 1992 – Christopher McCandless, subject of the book Into the Wild (b. 1968)
- 1992 – John Sturges, American film director (b. 1911)
- 1994 – Martin Cahill, The General, infamous Dublin criminal (b. 1949)
- 1998 – Persis Khambatta, Indian actress (b. 1950)
- 1998 – Nelly's, Greek photographer (b. 1899)
- 2001 – David Peakall, British scientist (b. 1931)
- 2002 – Dean Riesner, American film and television writer (b. 1918)
- 2003 – Tony Jackson, English musician (The Searchers) (b. 1938)
- 2004 – Elmer Bernstein, American composer (b. 1922)
- 2004 – Hiram Fong, former U.S. Senator from Hawaii (b. 1906)
- 2005 – Christopher Bauman, American wrestler (b. 1982)
- 2005 – Gao Xiumin, Chinese comedy actress (b. 1959)
- 2006 – Fernand Gignac, Canadian singer and actor (b. 1934)
- 2006 – Jamie Astaphan, Caribbean-born physician (b. 1946)
- 2007 – Michael Deaver, Reagan Administration Deputy White House Chief of Staff (b. 1938)
- 2009 – Kim Dae-jung,15th President of South Korea (b. 1925)
- 2009 – Robert Novak, American journalist and commentator (b. 1931)
[edit] Holidays and observances [edit] External links
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