2018 Facts for Kids

Millennium:	3rd millennium
Centuries:	20th century – 21st century – 22nd century
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s – 2010s – 2020s 2030s 2040s
Years:	2015 2016 2017 – 2018 – 2019 2020 2021

2018 was a year that started on a Monday. It was a time filled with many important events around the world, from politics and sports to science and entertainment.

Major Events of 2018
- Things Expected in 2018
2018 in Movies and Books
- Movies
- Books
- TV Shows
Science and Technology in 2018
Images for kids
See also

Major Events of 2018

January 1 – Estonia took over the role of leading the Council of the European Union from the United Kingdom. This means Estonia helped guide the work of the EU for six months.
July 1 – People in Mexico voted in their presidential elections.
July 1 – Bulgaria took over the leadership of the Council of the European Union from Estonia.
July 27 – The planet Mars came very close to Earth, closer than it had been since 2003. It was a great time to see Mars in the night sky!
August 11 – The last Drum Corps International World Championship was held at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. This stadium had hosted the event for 11 years. Drum Corps International is a competition for marching bands and musical ensembles.
September 16 – Sweden held its general election to choose members for its parliament, called the Riksdag.
November 6 – The United States held its mid-term elections. These elections happen in the middle of a president's four-year term and are for members of Congress and other local officials.

Things Expected in 2018

Some things were expected to happen or be completed in 2018, or plans related to them were made around this time:

China's One-child policy, which limited families to having only one child, was expected to officially end.
The 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2018 Commonwealth Games were held in 2018. The cities that would host these big sports events were chosen back in 2011.
The London Convention, an agreement that helps stop pollution by preventing waste from being dumped in the sea, was set to expire.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup, a huge international soccer tournament, was held in 2018. The host country was chosen in 2011.
Researchers working on space elevator technology hoped to start getting money to build the first one by 2031. A space elevator is a proposed way to travel into space without rockets.
NASA had plans for its Vision for Space Exploration program to reach the Moon by 2018.
The USAF planned for its 2018 Bomber project to start service around this year. These new planes would replace older ones like the B-52 and B-1.
The Aurora Programme aimed to test new technology for landing on Mars.
The ITER project, a large international effort to create nuclear fusion energy, was expected to be completed.
The Helium Centennial Time Columns Monument was set to be opened 50 years after a time capsule was sealed inside it in 1968.
A famous futurist named Ray Kurzweil predicted that by 2018, there would be a special medicine that would let people eat whatever they wanted without gaining weight.
The Fehmarn Belt bridge, a major bridge connecting Denmark and Germany, was expected to be finished.
The Giant Magellan Telescope, a very powerful telescope, was planned to be completed.

2018 in Movies and Books

Sometimes, movies and books are set in the future. Here are some that imagined the year 2018:

Movies

Rollerball (from 1975)
Terminator Salvation (from 2009)
I Spit on Your Rave (from 2010)
Iron Sky (from 2011)

Books

Halting State (written in 2007) by Charles Stross.

TV Shows

The science fiction TV show seaQuest DSV had its story begin in 2018.
The second season of the anime series Code Geass also took place in 2018.

Science and Technology in 2018

There was talk about creating a 1,000 petaflops 100 million core computer, which would be incredibly powerful.
Driverless Cars were becoming more common and were being tested.
The Exomars launch was a mission to send a spacecraft to Mars.