Historical Events on April 18
- 1689: In response to the unfavorable rule of the Governor of the Dominion of New England Sir Edmund Andros – citizens of Boston rebel during the 1689 Boston Revolt.
- 1738: In Madrid, the Royal Academy of History is founded.
- 1831: In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the University of Alabama is started.
- 1847: When American forces win the Battle of Cerro Gordo, they open the way for an invasion of Mexico itself.
- 1864: At the Battle of Dybbol, Denmark is defeated by Prussian-Austrian forces.
- 1897: Greece and the Ottoman Empire declare war on each other, thereby starting the Greco Turkish War.
- 1902: Guatemala is hit by an earthquake that ends up killing approximately two thousand residents.
- 1906: An earthquake, and a resulting fire, destroys a large portion of San Francisco in California.
- 1923: Yankee Stadium opens to the public on this day.
- 1942: The Japanese cities of Nagoya, Tokyo, Yokohama and Kobe are bombed during the Doolittle Raid of World War II.
- 1943: During Operation Vengeance of World War II, United States’ fighters shoot down the aircraft carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.
- 1945: The island of Heligoland, Germany is bombed by over a thousand bombers.
- 1949: Ireland exits the British Commonwealth and becomes the Republic of Ireland.
- 1983: Over 60 people are killed in Beirut when a suicide bomber destroys a U.S Embassy.
- 1988: In the largest American naval battle since WWII, the U.S launches Operation Praying Mantis against Iran’s naval forces.
Famous Birthdays on April 18
- American actor James Drury is born in 1934.
- American novelist Robert Bausch is born in 1945.
- American novelist Richard Bausch is born in 1945.
- English actress Hayley Mills is born in 1946.
- American actor James Wood is born in 1947.
- American actress Cindy Pickett is born in 1947.
- English actress and dancer, Hane Leeves is born in 1961.
- American ventriloquist Jeff Dunham is born in 1962.
- American actress and author, Maria Bello is born in 1967.
- American author Keith DeCandido is born in 1969.
- American screenwriter, director and actor, Eli Roth is born in 1972.
- American actress Melissa Joan Hart is born in 1976.
- American actor Ethan Cohn is born in 1979.