August 18 facts for kids

August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 135 days remain until the end of the year. August 18th is a day filled with interesting events throughout history, from ancient battles to important discoveries and changes in the world. Many famous people were born on this day, and we also remember those who passed away. Let's explore some of the exciting things that happened on August 18th!

Events

Important Moments in History

• 684 – The Battle of Marj Rahit took place. In this battle, the Umayyad group won, helping them keep control of Syria.
• 707 – Princess Abe became the Empress of Japan, known as Empress Genmei.
• 1304 – The Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle was fought between the French army and Flemish fighters. It ended in a draw, meaning neither side truly won.
• 1487 – The Siege of Málaga ended with Spanish forces taking control of the city.
• 1492 – The very first grammar book for the Spanish language was presented to Queen Isabella I. This book helped set the rules for how Spanish is written and spoken.
• 1572 – King Henry III of Navarre, who was a Protestant, married Margaret of Valois, a Catholic. This marriage was hoped to bring peace between Protestants and Catholics in France.
• 1590 – John White, the governor of the Roanoke Colony, returned from England to find his settlement completely empty. The mystery of what happened to the Roanoke colonists remains unsolved.

Discoveries and Changes (1601–1900)

• 1612 – One of England's most famous witch trials, the trial of the Pendle witches, began in Lancaster.
• 1634 – Urbain Grandier, a French priest accused of sorcery, was executed in Loudun, France.
• 1783 – A huge, bright meteor, like a giant fireball, was seen flying across Great Britain.
• 1826 – Major Gordon Laing became the first European explorer to reach the famous city of Timbuktu in Africa.
• 1868 – French astronomer Pierre Janssen discovered helium, a new element, by looking at the sun's light during an eclipse.
• 1877 – American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered Phobos, one of the two moons orbiting the planet Mars.

Modern History (1901–Present)

• 1917 – A huge fire in Thessaloniki, Greece, destroyed a large part of the city and left many people without homes.
• 1920 – The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was officially approved. This important amendment gave women the right to vote across the United States.
• 1938 – The Thousand Islands Bridge, which connects New York, USA, with Ontario, Canada, over the Saint Lawrence River, was opened.
• 1940 – World War II: The "Hardest Day" air battle took place as part of the Battle of Britain. This was a massive air fight with many planes lost on both sides.
• 1945 – Sukarno became the first president of Indonesia after the country declared its independence.
• 1958 – Brojen Das from Bangladesh became the first person from Asia to swim across the English Channel in a competition. He finished first among 39 swimmers!
• 1963 – Civil rights movement: James Meredith made history by becoming the first African American student to graduate from the University of Mississippi.
• 1965 – Vietnam War: Operation Starlite began. In this first major ground battle for American forces in the war, U.S. Marines attacked a Viet Cong base.
• 1976 – The Soviet Union’s robotic spacecraft Luna 24 successfully landed on the Moon.
• 1983 – Hurricane Alicia hit the coast of Texas, causing a lot of damage and sadly, 21 deaths.
• 2005 – A huge power outage affected almost 100 million people on the Indonesian island of Java. It was one of the biggest blackouts ever.
• 2008 – The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, stepped down from his position.
• 2019 – In Iceland, people held a special ceremony for the Okjökull glacier, which had completely melted away. This was a sad reminder of climate change.

Famous Birthdays

People Born Long Ago

• 1305 – Ashikaga Takauji, a powerful Japanese Shōgun.
• 1450 – Marko Marulić, a famous Croatian poet and writer.
• 1587 – Virginia Dare, the first child born to English parents in the Americas, in the Roanoke Colony.
• 1750 – Antonio Salieri, an Italian composer and conductor.
• 1774 – Meriwether Lewis, an American soldier and explorer, famous for the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
• 1792 – John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, an English politician who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• 1830 – Franz Joseph I of Austria, who was the Emperor of Austria.
• 1834 – Marshall Field, an American businessman who founded the famous department store Marshall Field's.
• 1868 – Carl Rungius, a German-American painter known for his wildlife art.
• 1893 – Ernest MacMillan, a Canadian conductor and composer.
• 1896 – Jack Pickford, a Canadian-American actor and director from early Hollywood.

People Born More Recently

• 1906 – Marcel Carné, a French director and screenwriter.
• 1911 – Amelia Boynton Robinson, an American activist who fought for civil rights.
• 1917 – Caspar Weinberger, an American politician who served as the United States Secretary of Defense.
• 1920 – Shelley Winters, a well-known American actress.
• 1927 – Rosalynn Carter, the 41st First Lady of the United States.
• 1932 – Luc Montagnier, a French virologist who won the Nobel Prize for his work on viruses.
• 1933 – Roman Polanski, a famous French-Polish director and screenwriter.
• 1934 – Roberto Clemente, a legendary Puerto Rican-American baseball player.
• 1934 – Rafer Johnson, an American decathlete and actor who won Olympic gold.
• 1936 – Robert Redford, a very famous American actor, director, and producer.
• 1952 – Patrick Swayze, a beloved American actor and dancer.
• 1957 – Denis Leary, an American comedian and actor.
• 1958 – Madeleine Stowe, an American actress.
• 1961 – Timothy Geithner, an American banker and politician who was the United States Secretary of the Treasury.
• 1962 – Felipe Calderón, a Mexican lawyer and politician who became the President of Mexico.
• 1969 – Edward Norton, a well-known American actor.
• 1969 – Christian Slater, an American actor.
• 1978 – Andy Samberg, an American actor and comedian, known for his roles in TV shows and movies.
• 1983 – Mika, a popular Lebanese-born English singer-songwriter.
• 1988 – G-Dragon, a famous South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter.
• 1992 – Frances Bean Cobain, an American visual artist and model.
• 1993 – Maia Mitchell, an Australian actress and singer.
• 1994 – Madelaine Petsch, an American actress and YouTuber.

People We Remember

Historical Figures Who Passed Away

• 440 – Pope Sixtus III, an early leader of the Catholic Church.
• 472 – Ricimer, a powerful Roman general.
• 670 – Fiacre, an Irish hermit and saint.
• 1095 – King Olaf I of Denmark.
• 1276 – Pope Adrian V, another leader of the Catholic Church.
• 1503 – Pope Alexander VI, a well-known Pope.
• 1559 – Pope Paul IV.
• 1620 – The Wanli Emperor of China.
• 1642 – Guido Reni, a famous Italian painter.
• 1850 – Honoré de Balzac, a very important French novelist and playwright.

Notable People Who Passed Away More Recently

• 1940 – Walter Chrysler, the American businessman who founded the Chrysler car company.
• 1945 – Subhas Chandra Bose, an important Indian activist and politician who fought for India's independence.
• 1961 – Learned Hand, a highly respected American judge.
• 1990 – B. F. Skinner, a famous American psychologist and philosopher.
• 2004 – Elmer Bernstein, an American composer known for his movie scores.
• 2009 – Kim Dae-jung, the 15th President of South Korea and a Nobel Prize winner.
• 2017 – Bruce Forsyth, a very popular English television presenter and entertainer.
• 2018 – Kofi Annan, a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 2023 – Lolita, a well-known orca who lived in captivity for many years.

Special Days and Holidays

• Christian feast day:

* Agapitus of Palestrina * Alberto Hurtado * Daig of Inniskeen * Evan (or Inan) * Fiacre * Florus and Laurus * Helena of Constantinople (Roman Catholic Church) * William Porcher DuBose (Episcopal Church) * August 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Arbor Day (Pakistan)
• Armed Forces Day (North Macedonia)
• Birthday of Virginia Dare (Roanoke Island)
• Constitution Day (Indonesia)
• Long Tan Day, also called Vietnam Veterans' Day (Australia)
• National Science Day (Thailand)

See also

In Spanish: 18 de agosto para niños