ThisDayThatYear.com - Events from History on December 18

Events from History on December 18

1118 : Alfonso van Aragón occupies Saragossa on Almoraviden
1352 : Etienne Aubert elected as Pope Innocentius VI
1406 : Anton van Bourgondiës becomes duke of Brabant
1603 : Admiral Steven van der Haghens fleet departs to East-Indies
1621 : English parliament accept unanimously, Protestation
1719 : Thomas Fleet publishes "Mother Goose's Melodies For Children"
1774 : Empress Maria Theresa expels Jews from Prague, Bohemia & Moravia
1777 : 1st national Thanksgiving Day, commemorating Burgoyne's surrender
1783 : English king George III fires govt of Portland
1787 : New Jersey becomes 3rd state to ratify constitution
1796 : 1st US newspaper to appear on Sunday (Baltimore Monitor)
1799 : George Washington's body interred at Mount Vernon
1813 : British take Ft Niagara in War of 1812
1832 : Charles Darwins visits Vurland
1839 : 1st celestial photograph (of Moon) made in US, John Draper, NYC
1849 : William Bond obtains 1st photograph of Moon through a telescope
1858 : Passy, at Paris: 1st "Samedi soir" i/d villa of lovers Rossini
1859 : South Carolina declared an "independent commonwealth"
1862 : Battle at Lexington, Tennessee (Forrest's Second Raid)
1865 : 13th Amendment ratified, slavery abolished
1865 : 1st US cattle importation law passed
1869 : Canada's Hamilton Foot Ball Club plays its 1st game
1878 : French SS Byzantin sinks after collision in Dardanellen, 210 killed
1890 : Lugards expedition to Mengo/Kampala, Uganda
1892 : "Nutcracker Suite," Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet, premieres
1892 : Anton Bruckner's 8th Symphony, premieres
1898 : Automobile speed record set-63 kph (39 mph)
1899 : Fieldmarshal Lord Roberts appointed Brit supreme commander in S Africa
1905 : H V Hordern takes 8-81 in 2nd innings of F-C debut (NSW v Qld)
1915 : Pres Wilson, widowed the year before, marries Edith Bolling Galt
1917 : Soviet regiment (Stalin/Lenin) declares Finland Independent
1920 : 1st US postage stamps printed without the words United States or US
1923 : International zone of Tangier set up in Morocco
1930 : Bradman scores 258 NSW v South Aust, 289 mins, 37 fours
1935 : Edward Benes becomes president of Czechoslovakia
1936 : 1st giant panda imported into US
1936 : Su-Lin, 1st giant panda to come to US from China, arrives in SF
1939 : Finnish army recaptures Agläjärvi
1941 : German submarine U-434 sinks
1941 : Japanse troops land on Hong Kong
1944 : Destroyers "Hull," "Spence" & "Monaghan" sink in typhoon (Philippines)
1944 : Nazi occupiers of Amsterdam destroy electricity plants
1945 : Uruguay joins UN
1946 : TV's 1st network dramatic serial "Faraway Hill" ends 2 month run
1947 : Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Optissima Pax
1948 : Indonesia begins it's 2nd political election
1948 : WDSU TV channel 6 in New Orleans, LA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1952 : Ellis W Ryan resigns as Cleve Indians president
1953 : KATV TV channel 7 in Little Rock, AR (ABC) begins broadcasting
1953 : KMID TV channel 2 in Midland & Odessa, TX (ABC) begins broadcasting
1956 : "To Tell the Truth" debuts on CBS-TV
1956 : Israeli flag hoisted on Mount Sinai
1956 : Japan admitted to UN
1956 : Phil Rizzuto signs as NY Yankee radio-TV announcer
1957 : Shippingport Atomic Power Stn, 1st nuke plant to generate electricity
1958 : 1st test project of Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equip
1958 : 1st voice from space: recorded Christmas message by Eisenhower
1958 : Niger gains autonomy within French Community (National Day)
1959 : Sammy Baugh named 1st coach of NY Titans (AFL)
1960 : General Meeting of UN condemns apartheid
1961 : Britain's EMI Records originally rejects the Beatles
1961 : For 2nd cons year, AP names Wilma Rudolph female athlete of year
1961 : India annexes Portuguese colonies of Goa, Damao & Diu
1961 : KAIL TV channel 53 in Fresno, CA (IND) begins broadcasting
1962 : Dmitri Shostakovitch' 13th Symphony, premieres in Moscow
1962 : USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1962 : WAIQ TV channel 26 in Montgomery, AL (PBS) begins broadcasting
1963 : Clarke runs world record 10k (28:15.6)
1963 : Muskegon, Michigan gets 3' of snow
1964 : "I Had a BaIl" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 199 performances
1964 : "The Pink Panther" cartoon series premieres (Pink Phink)
1964 : During services held for Sam Cooke fans caused damage to Funeral Home
1964 : US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1965 : "La Grusse Valise" closes at 54th St Theater NYC after 7 performances
1965 : Borman & Lovell Splash down in Atlantic ends 2 week Gemini VII mission
1965 : Kenneth LeBel jumps 17 barrels on ice skates
1966 : Dr Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" airs for 1st time on CBS
1966 : USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1968 : USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1969 : "Coco" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 333 performances
1969 : Britain abolishes death penalty
1969 : US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1970 : "Me Nobody Knows" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 587 perfs
1970 : Polish uprising fails
1970 : US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1971 : 1st Candlelight Processional
1971 : CBS radio cancels Saturday morning band concerts
1971 : People United To Save Humanity (PUSH) forms by Jesse Jackson in Chic
1971 : US dollar devalued 7.9% in Holland ($1=ƒ3,245)
1972 : US begins its heaviest bombing of North Vietnam
1973 : Soyuz 13 launched into Earth orbit for 8 days
1973 : Yanks sign Dick Williams as manager, overturned later by AL Pres
1974 : SF Visitors Center at City Hall opens
1976 : "A Star is Born," with Barbra Striesand, premieres
1976 : "Wonder Woman" debuts on ABC
1976 : Soviet dissident Viktor Bukovskiexchanged for Chile CP-leader Corvalan
1977 : Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey # 42, Nate Thumond
1977 : Dutch Antilles: premier Boy Rozendal points independence off
1978 : France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1978 : USSR performs underground nuclear test
1979 : Stanley Barrett 1st to exceed land sonic speed (739.666 MPH)
1980 : Bruce Sprinsteen's concert at Madison Sq Garden
1980 : Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts minister Van Agts abortion laws
1980 : IRA's Sean McKenna becomes critically ill, ends hunger strike
1980 : Vietnam adopts constitution
1982 : Flight readiness firing of Challenger's main engines; 20 seconds
1985 : "Jerry's Girls" opens at St James Theater NYC for 139 performances
1985 : UN Security Council unanimously condemns "acts of hostage-taking"
1986 : Mr Gates, serves as acting director of CIA
1987 : Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's future pres, marries Asif Ali Zardari
1987 : Ivan F Boesky sentenced to 3 years for insider trading
1988 : 5th meeting of Giants-Jets, Jets win & eliminate Giants from playoffs
1988 : Seattle Seahawks win their 1st ever division title with 9-7 record
1989 : "I Love Lucy" Christmas episode, shown for 1st time in over 30 years
1989 : Athol Fugard's "My Children, My Africa," premieres in NYC
1990 : NL announces Buffalo, Denver, Miami, Orlando, Tampa-St Petersburg, &
1990 : NL releases short list of teams for 1993 NL expansion
1990 : Wash DC as 6 finalist for 1993 expansion (Miami & Denver win)
1991 : DeForest Kelly (Dr McCoy on Star Trek) gets a star in Hollywood
1991 : General Motors announces closing of 21 plants
1992 : FCC vote 4-1 to allow Infinity to purchase Cook Inlet stations
1993 : Kevin Scott skates world record 1K (1:12.54)
1994 : "Comedy Tonight" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 8 performances
1994 : "What's Wrong With this Pic?" closes at Circle in Sq NYC after 12 perf
1994 : Darryl Strawberry pleads not guilty on tax evasion charges
1994 : General Hospital stars Kristina Malandro & Jack Wagner wed
1994 : Socialist Party (ex-communist) wins Bulgaria parliamentary election
1996 : TV industry execs agree to adopt a ratings system

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