March 18 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

March 18th is a special day in history, filled with many important events, births, and deaths. From ancient times to today, this date has seen kings crowned, new inventions, and big changes around the world. Let's explore some of the fascinating things that happened on this day!

2025 Calendar

March 18 in recent years

March 18 is the 77th day of the year (78th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 288 days remain until the end of the year.

Historical Events
Famous Births
- Born Before 1900
- Born After 1900
Notable Deaths
- Died Before 1900
- Died After 1900
Holidays and Celebrations
See also

Historical Events

Early History (Before 1600)

In AD 37, Caligula became the new Roman Emperor. He was also known as Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.
A big earthquake hit the Middle East in 1068, causing many deaths.
In 1229, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, declared himself King of Jerusalem during the Sixth Crusade.
The Mongols attacked Kraków, Poland, in 1241 during the First Mongol invasion of Poland. They won the Battle of Chmielnik and took over the city.
Jacques de Molay, the leader of the Knights Templar, died in 1314.
Albert II of Habsburg became the King of the Romans in 1438.
In 1571, Valletta was made the capital city of Malta.

Later History (1601–1900)

Susenyos was officially crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in 1608.
The Third Anglo-Powhatan War started in Virginia in 1644.
In 1673, English lord John Berkeley sold his part of New Jersey to the Quakers.
A fire at Fort George in New York in 1741 started the New York Conspiracy of 1741.
The British Parliament removed the Stamp Act in 1766, which was important for the American Revolution.
The first modern republic in Germany, the Republic of Mainz, was created in 1793.
Also in 1793, the Battle of Neerwinden took place during the French Revolution.
In 1834, six farm workers from England were sent to Australia for forming a trade union. They are known as the Tolpuddle Martyrs.
The first grand opera by an American composer, Leonora by Fry, was performed in Philadelphia in 1848.
Also in 1848, a rebellion in Milan called the Five Days of Milan drove Austrian soldiers out of the city. This was part of the European Revolutions of 1848.
The Congress of the Confederate States met for the last time in 1865 during the American Civil War.
The Paris Commune was declared in 1871, and the French President ordered Paris to be evacuated.
In 1874, the Hawaiian Kingdom signed a special trade agreement with the United States.
Phoebe, a moon of Saturn, was the first moon to be found using photographs in 1899.

Modern History (1901–Present)

The Kumasi Mutiny of 1901 began in 1901.
In 1902, Macario Sakay issued an important order for his Tagalog Republic.
King George I of Greece was assassinated in Thessaloniki in 1913.
During World War I in 1915, three battleships were sunk during a failed naval attack in the Battle of Gallipoli.
The second Peace of Riga was signed in 1921 between Poland and the Soviet Union.
Also in 1921, the Kronstadt rebellion was stopped by the Red Army.
The Mongolian Revolution of 1921 saw the Mongolian People's Army defeat Chinese forces in 1921. This battle is seen as the start of their People's Army.
In 1922, Mohandas Gandhi was sentenced to six years in prison for civil disobedience in India. He served two years.
The Tri-State Tornado hit the Midwestern United States in 1925, causing many deaths.
The New London School explosion in Texas in 1937 killed many people, mostly children.
In 1937, Spanish Republican forces defeated the Italians at the Battle of Guadalajara during the Spanish Civil War.
Mexico created Pemex in 1938 by taking over all foreign-owned oil companies.
In 1940, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini met and agreed to form an alliance during World War II.
The War Relocation Authority was set up in the United States in 1942 to move Japanese Americans.
Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupted in 1944, killing people and forcing many to leave their homes.
In 1945, American forces landed in Tigbauan, leading to the Liberation of Panay, Romblon and Guimaras.
Soviet advisors left Yugoslavia in 1948, showing the start of the Tito–Stalin split.
An earthquake hit western Turkey in 1953, killing many people.
The Hawaii Admission Act was signed into law in 1959.
The Évian Accords ended the Algerian War of Independence in 1962.
In 1965, Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first person to walk in space.
The supertanker Torrey Canyon ran aground off the Cornish coast in 1967.
The U.S. Congress removed the need for a gold reserve to back US currency in 1968.
The United States began secretly bombing parts of Cambodia in 1969.
Lon Nol took over from Prince Norodom Sihanouk in Cambodia in 1970.
A landslide in Peru in 1971 crashed into Yanawayin Lake, killing many people.
In 1990, people in East Germany voted in their first democratic elections.
Also in 1990, 12 paintings were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, in the largest art theft in US history.
Bosnia's Bosniaks and Croats signed the Washington Agreement in 1994, ending a war between them.
A nightclub fire in Quezon City, Philippines in 1996 killed many people.
In 2014, the parliaments of Russia and Crimea signed an agreement for Crimea to join Russia.

Famous Births

Born Before 1900

1495 – Mary Tudor, Queen of France.
1555 – Francis, Duke of Anjou.
1578 – Adam Elsheimer, a German painter.
1609 – Frederick III of Denmark.
1634 – Madame de La Fayette, a French author.
1690 – Christian Goldbach, a Prussian-German mathematician.
1782 – John C. Calhoun, an American lawyer and the 7th Vice President of the United States.
1837 – Grover Cleveland, an American lawyer and the 22nd and 24th President of the United States.
1844 – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, a Russian composer.
1858 – Rudolf Diesel, a German engineer who invented the Diesel engine.
1869 – Neville Chamberlain, an English politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
1877 – Edgar Cayce, an American mystic.
1893 – Wilfred Owen, an English soldier and poet.

Born After 1900

1905 – Robert Donat, an English actor.
1909 – Ernest Gallo, an American businessman who co-founded E & J Gallo Winery.
1926 – Peter Graves, an American actor.
1927 – John Kander, an American composer.
1928 – Fidel V. Ramos, a Filipino general and the 12th President of the Philippines.
1932 – John Updike, an American novelist and writer.
1934 – Charley Pride, an American country music singer.
1936 – F. W. de Klerk, a South African politician and former State President of South Africa, who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
1938 – Shashi Kapoor, an Indian actor.
1941 – Wilson Pickett, an American singer.
1945 – Michael Reagan, an American journalist.
1950 – Brad Dourif, an American actor.
1951 – Ben Cohen, an American businessman who co-founded Ben and Jerry's ice cream.
1957 – Christer Fuglesang, a Swedish physicist and astronaut.
1959 – Luc Besson, a French director and producer.
1959 – Irene Cara, an American singer and actress.
1960 – Queen Latifah, an American rapper, producer, and actress.
1962 – Mike Rowe, an American television personality.
1963 – Vanessa L. Williams, an American model, actress, and singer.
1964 – Bonnie Blair, an American speed skater.
1966 – Jerry Cantrell, an American singer and guitarist.
1970 – Katy Gallagher, an Australian politician.
1972 – Dane Cook, an American comedian and actor.
1975 – Sutton Foster, an American actress and singer.
1977 – Zdeno Chára, a Slovak ice hockey player.
1979 – Adam Levine, an American singer and guitarist.
1980 – Sophia Myles, an English actress.
1980 – Alexei Yagudin, a Russian figure skater.
1981 – Fabian Cancellara, a Swiss cyclist.
1989 – Lily Collins, an English-American actress.
1997 – Ciara Bravo, an American actress.

Notable Deaths

Died Before 1900

978 – Edward the Martyr, an English king.
1227 – Pope Honorius III.
1314 – Jacques de Molay, a Frankish knight.
1745 – Robert Walpole, an English politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
1768 – Laurence Sterne, an Irish novelist.
1845 – Johnny Appleseed, an American gardener and missionary.
1871 – Augustus De Morgan, an Indian-English mathematician.

Died After 1900

1913 – George I of Greece.
1936 – Eleftherios Venizelos, a Greek politician and Prime Minister of Greece.
1947 – William C. Durant, an American businessman who co-founded General Motors and Chevrolet.
1965 – Farouk of Egypt.
1977 – Marien Ngouabi, the President of the Republic of the Congo.
1980 – Erich Fromm, a German psychologist.
1983 – Umberto II of Italy.
1986 – Bernard Malamud, an American novelist.
1996 – Odysseas Elytis, a Greek poet who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
2001 – John Phillips, an American singer and guitarist.
2007 – Bob Woolmer, an English cricketer and coach.
2008 – Anthony Minghella, an English director and screenwriter.
2009 – Natasha Richardson, an English-American actress.
2010 – Fess Parker, an American actor.
2011 – Warren Christopher, an American lawyer and the 63rd United States Secretary of State.
2012 – George Tupou V of Tonga.
2017 – Chuck Berry, an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.
2020 – Alfred Worden, an American astronaut.
2024 – Thomas P. Stafford, an American Air Force officer and astronaut.

Holidays and Celebrations

Anniversary of the Oil Expropriation in Mexico.
Christian feast days for saints like Edward the Martyr and Cyril of Jerusalem.
Flag Day in Aruba.
Gallipoli Memorial Day in Turkey.
Men's and Soldiers' Day in Mongolia.
Ordnance Factories' Day in India.
Sheelah's Day in Ireland, Canada, and Australia.
Teacher's Day in Syria.