History of 18 October
1929 – The Judicial Committee of England’s Privy Council ruled that women were to be considered as persons in Canada.
1943 – The first broadcast of “Perry Mason” was presented on CBS Radio. The show went to TV in 1957.
1944 – Czechoslovakia was invaded by the Soviets during World War II.
1944 – “Forever Amber”, written by Kathleen Windsor, was first published.
1950 – Connie Mack announced that he was going to retire after 50 seasons as the manager of the Philadelphia Athletics.
1956 – NFL commissioner Bert Bell disallowed the use of radio-equipped helmets by NFL quarterbacks.
1958 – The first computer-arranged marriage took place on Art Linkletter’s show.
1961 – Henri Matiss’ “Le Bateau” went on display at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. It was discovered 46 days later that the painting had been hanging upside down.
1967 – The American League granted permission for the A’s to move to Oakland. Also, new franchises were awarded to Kansas City and Seattle.
1968 – Two black athletes, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos were suspended by the U.S. Olympic Committee for giving a “black power” salute during a ceremony in Mexico City.
1969 – The U.S. government banned artificial sweeteners due to evidence that they caused cancer.
1970 – Quebec’s minister of labor was found strangled to death after eight days of being held captive by the Quebec Liberation Front (FLQ).
1971 – After 34 years, the final issue of “Look” magazine was published.
1977 – Reggie Jackson tied Babe Ruth’s record for hitting three home runs in a single World Series game. Jackson was only the second player to achieve this.
1983 – General Motors agreed to hire more women and minorities for five years as part of a settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
1985 – South African authorities hanged black activist Benjamin Molise. Molise had been convicted of murdering a police officer.
1989 – Egon Krenz became the leader of East Germany after Erich Honecker was ousted. Honeker had been in power for 18 years.
1989 – The space shuttle Atlantis was launched on a mission that included the deployment of the Galileo space probe.
1990 – Iraq made an offer to the world that it would sell oil for $21 a barrel. The price level was the same as it had been before the invasion of Kuwait.
1997 – A monument honoring U.S. servicewomen, past and present, was dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery.
2006 – Microsoft released Internet Explorer 7.0.
2013 – Saudi Arabia became the first nation to reject a seat on the United Nations Security Council. Jordan took the seat on December 6.
2019 – NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch conduct the first all-female spacewalk outside of the International Space Station.
Celebrating Birthday Today
- 1981 – Nathan Hauritz, Australian cricketer
- 1981 – Tina Her gold, a Slovenian tennis player
- 1981 – Greg Warren, American football player
- 1982 – Thierry Amiel, French singer-songwriter
- 1982 – Michael Dingsdag, Dutch footballer
- 1982 – Mark Sampson, Welsh footballer, and manager
- 1982 – Simon Gotch, American wrestler
- 1983 – Dante, Brazilian footballer
- 1984 – Robert Harting, German discus thrower
- 1984 – Freida Pinto, Indian actress, and model
- 1984 – Esperanza Spalding, American singer-songwriter and bassist
- 1984 – Lindsey Vonn, American skier
- 1984 – Milo Yiannopoulos, British journalist and public speaker
- 1985 – Yoenis Céspedes, Cuban baseball player
- 1985 – Andrew Garcia, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1986 – Wilma Elles, German actress, and fashion designer
- 1987 – Zac Efron, American actor, and singer
- 1987 – Freja Beha Erichsen, Danish model
- 1988 – Tessa Schram, Dutch director, and actress
- 1989 – Riisa Naka, Japanese model, and actress
- 1990 – Bristol Palin, American public speaker, and reality television personality
- 1990 – Brittney Griner, American professional basketball player
- 1990 – Drew Crawford, American basketball player
- 1991 – Tyler Posey, American actor, and musician
- 1993 – Ivan Cavaleiro, Portuguese professional footballer