History of 18 August
1914 – The “Proclamation of Neutrality” was issued by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. It was aimed at keeping the U.S. out of World War I.
1916 – Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace was made into a national shrine.
1919 – The “Anti-Cigarette League of America” was formed in Chicago IL.
1920 – Tennessee ratified the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Amendment guaranteed the right of all American women to vote.
1937 – The first FM radio construction permit was issued in Boston, MA. The station went on the air two years later.
1938 – The Thousand Islands Bridge was dedicated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The bridge connects the U.S. and Canada.
1940 – Canada and the U.S. established a joint defense plan against the possible enemy attacks during World War II.
1958 – Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Lolita” was published.
1963 – James Meredith graduated from the University of Mississippi. He was the first black man to accomplish this feat.
1966 – The first pictures of earth taken from moon orbit were sent back to the U.S.
1980 – George Brett (Kansas City Royal) had his batting average reach the .400 mark.
1981 – Herschel Walker of the University of Georgia took out an insurance policy with Lloyd’s of London. The all-American was insured for one million dollars.
1982 – The volume on the New York Stock Exchange topped the 100-million level for the first time at 132.69 million shares traded.
1982 – The longest baseball game played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL, went 21 innings before the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cubs 2-1.
1987 – Earl Campbell announced his retirement from the National Football League (NFL).
1990 – The first shots were fired by the U.S. in the Persian Gulf Crisis when a U.S. frigate fired rounds across the bow of an Iraqi oil tanker.
1991 – An unsuccessful coup was attempted in against President Mikhail S. Gorbachev. The Soviet hard-liners were responsible. Gorbechev and his family were effectively imprisoned for three days while vacationing in Crimea.
1992 – Larry Bird, after 13 years with the Boston Celtics, announced his retirement.
1997 – Beth Ann Hogan became the first coed in the Virginia Military Institute’s 158-year history.
1997 – Patrick Swayze received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1998 – Mrs. Field’s Original Cookies announced that they would acquire the Great American Cookie Co.
2004 – Donald Trump unveiled his board game (TRUMP the Game) where players bid on real estate, buy big-ticket items and make billion-dollar business deals.
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.
2017 – The first terrorist attack ever sentenced as a crime in Finland kills two and injures eight.
2019 – 100 activists, officials, and other concerned citizens in Iceland hold a funeral for Okjökull glacier, which has completely melted after once covering six square miles (15.5 km2).
Celebrating Birthday Today
- 1981 – César Delgado, the Argentinian footballer
- 1981 – Dimitris Salpingidis, Greek footballer
- 1983 – Mika, Lebanese-born English recording artist, and singer-songwriter
- 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
- 1987 – Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Polish mixed martial artist
- 1988 – Jack Hobbs, English footballer
- 1988 – Eggert Jónsson, Icelandic footballer
- 1988 – G-Dragon, South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer
- 1992 – Elizabeth Beisel, American swimmer
- 1992 – Bogdan Bogdanović, Serbian basketball player
- 1993 – Jung Eun-Ji, South Korean singer-songwriter
- 1993 – Maia Mitchell, Australian actress, and singer
- 1994 – Morgan Sanson, French footballer
- 1995 – Alīna Fjodorova, Latvian figure skater
- 1997 – Renato Sanches, Portuguese footballer