December 18th in History

“Illustration of Piltdown Man (Eoanthropus).” Collection of Wellcome Library, London (CC BY 4.0)

Today in History

  • The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving (1777)
  • Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker premiers (1892)
  • The first official land speed record is set: 39.245 mph! (1898)
  • The discovery of the Piltdown Man is announced (1912)
  • World War I: The Battle of Verdun ends (1916)
  • The first communications satellite is launched (1958)

Birthdays

 

  • Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (1863)
  • Saki (H. H. Munro), author (1870)
  • Иосиф Сталин / იოსებ სტალინი (Iosef Vissarionovich Stalin), Soviet leader (1878)
  • Paul Klee, painter (1879)
  • Ty Cobb, baseball player and manager (1886)
  • Robert Moses, urban planner (1888)
  • Edwin H. Armstrong, inventor of FM radio (1890)
  • Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., commander of the Tuskegee Airmen and first African-American four-star general (1912)
  • Alfred Bester, science fiction writer (1913)
  • Willy Brandt, chancellor of Germany (1913)
  • Betty Grable, actress and pin-up (1916)
  • Ossie Davis, actor and activist (1917)
  • Ramsey Clark, US attorney-general (1927)
  • Michael Moorcock, science fiction writer (1939)
  • Keith Richards, singer-songwriter and guitarist (1943)
  • Steve Biko, anti-apartheid activist (1946)
  • Steven Spielberg, director and producer (1946)
  • Leonard Maltin, film critic (1960)
  • Ray Liotta, actor (1954)
  • Brad Pitt, actor (1963)
  • Stone Cold Steve Austin, wrestler (1964)
  • DMX (Earl Simmons), rapper (1970)
  • Katie Holmes, actress (1978)
  • Christina Aguilera, singer-songwriter (1980)

Deaths

  • Antonio Stradivari, musical instrument maker (1737)
  • Louis Gottschalk, composer (1869)
  • Bobby Jones, golfer (1971)
  • Алексей Косыгин (Alexei Kosygin), Soviet leader (1980)
  • Mark Goodson, game show producer (1992)
  • Sam Wanamaker, actor (1993)
  • Chris Farley, comedian (1997)
  • Kirsty MacColl, singer-songwriter (2000)
  • Joseph Barbera, animator (2006)
  • Majel Barrett, Star Trek actress (2008)
  • Deep Throat (Mark Felt), Watergate figure and deputy director, FBI (2008)
  • Václav Havel, poet and politician (2011)

Holidays and Celebrations

 

  • Arabic Language Day (United Nations)
  • Eponalia (Roman Empire)
  • International Migrants Day (worldwide)
  • National Day (Qatar)
  • Republic Day (Niger)
Informal and made-up holidays include Bake Cookies Day, National Roast Suckling Pig Day, and National Wear a Plunger on Your Head Day.
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December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years). There are 13 days remaining until the end of the year.