May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). There are 227 days remaining.
Cliff Arnall, lecturer in the Department of Lifelong Learning at Cardiff University, Wales, announced in 2005 that May 18 was the best date in the year on which to make a resolution. He calculated this using a formula which took into account the factors of motivation, opportunity, proximity to a Bank Holiday, increasing hours of daylight, reflection time and success.
Events
- 1152 - Henry II marries Eleanor of Aquitaine
- 1268 - The Principality of Antioch, a crusader state, falls to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the Battle of Antioch; Baibars' destruction of the city of Antioch was so great as to permanently negate the city's importance.
- 1593 - Playwright Thomas Kyd's accusations of heresy lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe.
- 1631 - In Dorchester, Massachusetts, John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts.
- 1652 - Rhode Island passes the first law in North America making slavery illegal.
- 1765 - Fire destroys a large part of Montreal, Quebec.
- 1783 - First United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada after leaving the United States.
- 1803 - Napoleonic Wars: The United Kingdom revokes the Treaty of Amiens and declares war on France.
- 1804 - Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of France by the French Senate.
- 1848 - Opening of the first German National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) in Frankfurt, Germany.
- 1863 - American Civil War: The Siege of Vicksburg begins, ending on July 4).
- 1869 - Surrender and dissolution of the Ezo Republic to Japan.
- 1876 - Wyatt Earp starts work in Dodge City, Kansas under Marshall Larry Deger.
- 1896 - The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate but equal is constitutional.
- 1900 - The United Kingdom proclaims a protectorate over Tonga.
- 1910 - The Earth passes through the tail of Comet Halley.
- 1917 - World War I: The Selective Service Act passes the U.S. Congress giving the President the power of conscription.
- 1926 - Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears while visiting a Venice, California, beach.
- 1927 - The Bath School Disaster: Forty-five people are killed by bombs planted by a disgruntled school-board member in Michigan.
- 1933 - New Deal: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs an act creating the Tennessee Valley Authority.
- 1944 - World War II: Battle of Monte Cassino - Germans evacuate Monte Cassino and Allied forces take the stronghold after a struggle that claimed 20,000 lives.
- 1944 - Deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union government.
- 1948 - The First Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China officially convenes in Nanking.
- 1953 - Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier (she flew in a F-86 Sabrejet at an average speed of 652.337 miles per hour (1049.835 km/h) at Rogers Dry Lake, California).
- 1958 - An F-104 Starfighter sets a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph (2,259.82 km/h).
- 1959 - Launching of the National Liberation Committee of Côte d'Ivoire in Conakry, Guinea.
- 1969 - Apollo program: Apollo 10 launches.
- 1974 - Nuclear test: Under project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon becoming the sixth nation to do so.
- Completion of the Warsaw radio mast, the tallest construction ever built at the time. It later collapses on August 8, 1991.
- 1980 - 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption: Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.
- Gwangju Massacre: Students in Gwangju, South Korea begin demonstrations, calling for democratic reforms.
- Peru: Terrorist group Shining Path attacked a voting poll in the town of Chuschi, Ayacucho starting their activities.
- 1992 - The Archivist of the United States issues a proclamation to officially announce that the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has been ratified, despite more than 200 years for completion of the ratification process by the state legislatures.
- 1995 - Alain Juppé becomes Prime Minister of France.
- 1998 - United States v. Microsoft: The United States Department of Justice and 20 U.S. states file an antitrust case against Microsoft.
- 2004 - Randy Johnson pitches a perfect game for the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. the Atlanta Braves.
Births
1048 to 1899
- 1048 - Omar Khayyám, Persian poet (d. 1123)
- 1186 - Konstantin of Rostov, Prince of Novgorod (d. 1218)
- 1474 - Isabella d'Este, Marquise of Mantua (d. 1539)
- 1610 - Stefano della Bella, Italian printmaker (d. 1664)
- 1616 - Johann Jakob Froberger, German composer (d. 1667)
- 1662 O.S. - George Smalridge, English Bishop of Bristol (d. 1719)
- 1692 O.S. - Joseph Butler, English bishop and philosopher (d. 1752)
- 1711 - Ruđer Josip Bošković, Croatian atomic theorist (d. 1787)
- 1778 - Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry
- 1785 - John Wilson, Scottish writer (d. 1854)
- 1797 - Frederick Augustus II of Saxony (d. 1854)
- 1850 - Oliver Heaviside, English physicist (d. 1925)
- 1872 - Lord Bertrand Russell, English mathematician and philosopher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (d. 1970)
- 1883 - Walter Gropius, German architect (d. 1969)
- 1889 - Thomas Midgley, American chemist and inventor (d. 1944)
- 1891 - Rudolf Carnap, German philosopher (d. 1970)
- 1892 - Ezio Pinza, Italian-born bass (d. 1957)
- 1897 - Frank Capra, American producer, director, and writer (d. 1991)
1900 to 1999
- 1901 - Vincent du Vigneaud, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1978)
- 1902 - Meredith Willson, American composer (d. 1984)
- 1905 - Hedley Verity, English cricketer (d. 1943)
- 1911 - Big Joe Turner, American blues singer (d. 1985)
- 1912 - Perry Como, American singer (d. 2001)
- 1912 - Walter Sisulu, South African anti-apartheid activist (d. 2003)
- 1918 - George Welch, American pilot and war hero (d. 1954)
- 1919 - Dame Margot Fonteyn, English ballet dancer (d. 1991)
- 1920 - Pope John Paul II (d. 2005)
- 1920 - Lucia Mannucci, Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra)
- 1922 - Kai Winding, Danish-born musician (d. 1983)
- 1923 - Hugh Shearer, Prime Minister of Jamaica (d. 2004)
- 1926 - Dirch Passer, Danish actor (d. 1980)
- 1928 - Pernell Roberts, American actor
- 1929 - Jack Sanford, baseball player
- 1931 - Don Martin, American cartoonist (d. 2000)
- 1931 - Robert Morse, American actor
- 1937 - Brooks Robinson, baseball player
- 1937 - Jacques Santer, Luxembourg statesman
- 1942 - Albert Hammond, British musician and compose
- 1943 - James Reiher, American professionsal wrestler
- 1946 - Reggie Jackson, baseball player
- 1947 - John Bruton, Premier of Ireland
- 1949 - Rick Wakeman, English composer and musician (Yes)
- 1949 - Bill Wallace, Canadian musician (The Guess Who)
- 1950 - Thomas Gottschalk, German television show host
- 1950 - Rodney Milburn, American athlete (d. 1997)
- 1950 - Mark Mothersbaugh, American composer, musician, and singer (Devo)
- 1952 - George Strait, American musician
- 1955 - Chow Yun-Fat, Hong Kong actor
- 1960 - Jari Kurri, Finnish hockey player
- 1960 - Yannick Noah, French tennis player
- 1969 - Martika, Cuban-American singer
- 1970 - Tina Fey, American writer, comedienne, and actress
- 1971 - Brad Friedel, American soccer player
- 1975 - John Higgins, Scottish snooker player
- 1975 - Jack Johnson, American musician
- 1978 - Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer
- 1982 - Eric West, American singer and actor
Deaths
1450 to 1899
- 1450 - Sejong the Great of Joseon, ruler of Korea (b. 1397)
- 1550 - John, Cardinal of Lorraine, French churchman (b. 1498)
- 1584 - Ikeda Motosuke, Japanese samurai commander (b. 1559)
- 1675 - Stanisław Lubieniecki, Polish astronomer (b. 1623)
- Jacques Marquette, French Jesuit missionary and explorer (b. 1637)
- 1692 - Elias Ashmole, English antiquarian (b. 1617)
- 1799 - Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, French playwright (b. 1732)
- 1800 - Alexander Suvorov, Russian general (b. 1729)
- 1807 - John Douglas, Anglican bishop (b. 1721)
- 1808 - Elijah Craig, American minister and inventor (b. 1738?)
1900 to 1999
- 1900 - Jean Gaspard Felix Ravaisson-Mollien, French philosopher (b. 1813)
- 1909 - George Meredith, English novelist and poet (b. 1828)
- 1910 - Pauline Garcia-Viardot, French mezzo-soprano and composer (b. 1821)
- 1911 - Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer (b. 1860)
- 1922 - Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, French physician (b. 1845)
- 1941 - Werner Sombart, German economist and sociologist (b. 1863)
- 1956 - Maurice Tate, English cricketer (b. 1895)
- 1973 - Jeannette Rankin, first U.S. Congresswoman (b. 1880)
- 1975 - Leroy Anderson, American composer (b. 1908)
- 1980 - Ian Curtis, British musician, singer and lyricist (Joy Division) (b. 1956)
- 1981 - William Saroyan, American author (b. 1908)
- 1988 - Daws Butler, American voice actor (b. 1916)
- 1995 - Elizabeth Montgomery, American actress (b. 1933)
- Alexander Godunov, Russian ballet dancer and actor (b. 1949)
- Elisha Cook Jr., American actor (b. 1903)
- 1999 - Augustus Pablo, Jamaican singer (b. 1954)
- Betty Robinson, American runner (b. 1911)
2000 onwards
- 2000 - Stephen M. Wolownik, Russian musician and arranger (b. 1946)
- 2003 - Anna Santisteban, Puerto Rican beauty contest organizer (b. 1914)
- Barb Tarbox, Canadian anti-smoking crusader (b. 1961)
- 2004 - Elvin Jones, American jazz drummer (b. 1927)
Holidays and Observances
- International day of museums
- International day of the Internet
- Feast day of the following saints in the Roman Catholic Church:
External links
May 17 - May 19 - April 18 - June 18 -- listing of all days