June 18th in History

Michael Dobson | June 18

“The meeting of Wellington and Blucher, at La Belle Alliance, during the Battle of Waterloo, 1815.” From The Wars of Wellington, a narrative poem. Originally published/produced in London, 1819. Held and digitised by the British Library.

Today in History

  • Five Canterbury monks see a collision that is possibly the formation of the Giordano Bruno crater on the Moon (1178)
  • Forces led by Joan of Arc defeat the English at the Battle of Patay, turning the tide in the Hundred Years’ War (1429)
  • The first European sights Tahiti (1767)
  • Napoleon is defeated at Waterloo (1815)
  • Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for trying to vote in the 1872 Presidential election (1873)
  • Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the Atlantic (as a passenger; she will later cross as a pilot) (1928)
  • Winston Churchill makes his “Finest Hour” speech (1940)
  • Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space (1983)
  • The Unabomber (Ted Kaczynski) is indicted (1996)

Birthdays

  • E. W. Scripps, publisher (1854)
  • James Montgomery Flagg, painter and illustrator (1977)
  • Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (1901) [O.S. June 5]
  • Jeanette MacDonald, actress and singer (1903)
  • Keye Luke, actor (1904)
  • Bud Collyer, game show host (1908)
  • Sammy Cahn, songwriter (1913)
  • Robert Mondavi, winemaker (1913)
  • E. G. Marshall, actor (1914)
  • Red Adair, firefighter (1915)
  • Richard Boone (1917)
  • Barack Obama, Sr., Kenyan economist, father of the US President (1936)
  • Jay Rockfeller (1937)
  • Roger Ebert, film critic (1942)
  • Paul McCartney, Beatle (1942)
  • Carol Kane, actress (1952)
  • Isabella Rossellini, actress (1952)

Deaths

  • Samuel Butler, author (1902)
  • Max Immelmann, pilot (1916)
  • Roald Amundsen, explorer (1928)
  • Maxim Gorky, author (1936)
  • Ethel Barrymore, actress (1959)
  • Georgy Zhukov, marshal and defense minister (1974)
  • Djuna Barnes, author (1982)
  • John Cheever, author (1982)
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald, author (1986)
  • I. F. Stone, journalist (1989)
  • Nancy Marchand, actress (2000)
  • Yelena Bonner, activist (2011)
  • Clarence Clemons, saxophonist (2011)
  • Johnny Mann, singer-songwriter (2014)

Holidays and Celebrations

  • Autistic Pride Day (international)
  • Evacuation Day (Egypt)
  • Foundation Day (Benguet)
  • Human Rights Day (Azerbaijan)
  • International Sushi Day (worldwide)
  • National Day (Seychelles)
  • Queen Mother’s Birthday (Cambodia)
  • Waterloo Day (UK)
* Because Russia did not convert from the “old style” Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar until 1918, well after the rest of Europe, some historical figures have their dates of birth and death listed using both calendar systems.
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June 18 is the 169th day of the year (170th in leap years). There are 196 days remaining until the end of the year.