What Happened on April 18
Important Events
- 1025 Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland
- 1506 The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica is laid in the Vatican by Pope Julius II
- 1775 Paul Revere and William Dawes ride from Charlestown to Lexington warning the "regulars are coming!"
- 1783 Fighting ceases in the American Revolution, eight years to the day when it began
- 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire kills nearly 4,000 while destroying 75% of the city
- 1954 Colonel Gamal Abdal Nasser seizes power & becomes Prime Minister of Egypt
Apr 18 in Film & TV
- 2018 “Black Panther” is the first film shown at a commercial cinema in 35 years in Saudi Arabia as cinemas are reopened
Apr 18 in Music
- 1985 Wham become the first western pop act to release an album in China
Apr 18 in Sport
- 1809 First run of 2,000 guineas horse race at Newmarket, England
Famous Birthdays
Robert Hanssen
76 Years Old- James Woods
73 Years Old - Rick Moranis
67 Years Old - Conan O'Brien
57 Years Old - David Tennant
49 Years Old - Melissa Joan Hart
44 Years Old
Robert Hanssen
James Woods
Rick Moranis
Conan O'Brien
David Tennant
Melissa Joan HartFamous Weddings
- 1599 Valencia arch duke Albrecht of Austrian marries Isabella of Spain
- 1951 Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (28) weds Joyce Halverson
- 1956 US film actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier III of Monaco in a civil ceremony in Monaco
Famous Divorces
- 1994 Roseanne Barr Arnold files for divorce from Tom Arnold
Isoroku Yamamoto
Albert Einstein
Thor Heyerdahl
Dick Clark
Lorraine WarrenArticles, Photos and Quiz
Wicked or Sinless? The Life of Lucrezia Borgia
Hardly a week went by when Lucrezia Borgia, born on this day, was not accused of some foul deed. But was she just a pawn in the hands of her evil family?
April 18, 1480San Francisco Earthquake of 1906
Arnold Genthe's famous photograph, looking toward the fire on Sacramento Street
April 18, 1906Weekly Quiz for April 13 - 19
Who was the first black actor or actress to win an Academy Award? Who shot US President Abraham Lincoln? Is there an effective vaccine for typhoid?
April in History
Madame Tussaud's Bloody Background
Madame Tussaud, famous for her waxworks, perfected her art in the grimmest of 'schools' – the French Revolution - where she made models of guillotined heads.
April 16, 1850Boxing Match That Went for 42 Rounds
The first "world championship" boxing match was a brutal affair, lasting nearly two and a half hours and stretching over 42 rounds.
April 17, 1860Millions Come Up to See Mae West
Mae West, jailed on this day for obscenity, became one of the most successful sex symbols. Fans could not resist the offer: ‘Come up and see me some time.’
April 19, 1927World's First Motor Race
It was hardly the stuff of today's adrenalin-pumping Formula 1 match ups, but on this day two men climbed aboard their machine for "the world’s first motor race”.
April 20, 1887
