Vintage News · Odd history for December 18

What Happened On December 18

Q: What happened on December 18?

1898: Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat sets the first officially recognized land speed record of 63.159 km/h (39.245 mph) in a Jeantaud electric car. 1867: In Angola, New York, the last coach of a Lake Shore Railway train derailed, plunged 40 feet (12 m) down a gully, and caught fire, resulting in approximately 49 deaths. 1499: Muslims in Granada began a rebellion against their Castilian rulers in response to forced conversions to Catholicism. 1833: The national anthem of the Russian Empire, "God Save the Tsar!", is first performed. 1777: The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking the recent victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga in October. 1958: The United States launched SCORE (rocket pictured), the world's first communications satellite. 1932: Playing indoors at Chicago Stadium on a modified American football field, the Chicago Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans in the first playoff game of the National Football League. 1913: The Jew's Christmas, the first American film to include a rabbi as a character, was released. 2019: The United States House of Representatives impeaches Donald Trump for the first time. 2015: Kellingley Colliery, the last deep coal mine in Great Britain, closes.

39 events and 224 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 18 December →

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10 odd things that happened on December 18

1898 First ever
Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat sets the first officially recognized land speed record of 63.159 km/h (39.245 mph) in a Jeantaud electric car.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1867 Oddly true
In Angola, New York, the last coach of a Lake Shore Railway train derailed, plunged 40 feet (12 m) down a gully, and caught fire, resulting in approximately 49 deaths.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1499 Oddly true
Muslims in Granada began a rebellion against their Castilian rulers in response to forced conversions to Catholicism.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1833 First ever
The national anthem of the Russian Empire, "God Save the Tsar!", is first performed.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1777 First ever
The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking the recent victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga in October.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1958 First ever
The United States launched SCORE (rocket pictured), the world's first communications satellite.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1932 First ever
Playing indoors at Chicago Stadium on a modified American football field, the Chicago Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans in the first playoff game of the National Football League.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1913 First ever
The Jew's Christmas, the first American film to include a rabbi as a character, was released.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2019 First ever
The United States House of Representatives impeaches Donald Trump for the first time.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2015 Oddly true
Kellingley Colliery, the last deep coal mine in Great Britain, closes.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2022Argentina win the FIFA World Cup final, defeating title holders France 4–2 on penalties following a 3–3 draw after extra time. Wikipedia →
2019The United States House of Representatives impeaches Donald Trump for the first time. Wikipedia →
2017Amtrak Cascades passenger train 501, derailed near DuPont, Washington, a city in United States near Olympia, Washington killing six people, and injuring 70 others. Wikipedia →
2015Kellingley Colliery, the last deep coal mine in Great Britain, closes. Wikipedia →
2006The first of a series of floods strikes Malaysia. The death toll of all flooding is at least 118, with over 400,000 people displaced. Wikipedia →
2006United Arab Emirates holds its first-ever elections. Wikipedia →
2005The Chadian Civil War begins when rebel groups, allegedly backed by neighbouring Sudan, launch an attack in Adré. Wikipedia →
2002California gubernatorial recall: Then Governor of California Gray Davis announces that the state would face a record budget deficit of $35 billion, roughly double the figure reported during his reelection campaign one month earlier. Wikipedia →
1999NASA launches into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth Observation instruments, including ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT. Wikipedia →
1995A Lockheed L-188 Electra crashes in Jamba, Cuando, Angola, killing 141 people. Wikipedia →
1981First flight of the Russian heavy strategic bomber Tu-160, the world's largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft and largest variable-sweep wing aircraft built. Wikipedia →
1977United Airlines Flight 2860 crashes near Kaysville, Utah, killing all three crew members on board. Wikipedia →
1977SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730 crashes near Madeira Airport in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, killing 36. Wikipedia →
1973Soviet Soyuz Programme: Soyuz 13, crewed by cosmonauts Valentin Lebedev and Pyotr Klimuk, is launched from Baikonur in the Soviet Union. Wikipedia →
1972Vietnam War: President Richard Nixon announces that the United States will engage North Vietnam in Operation Linebacker II, a series of Christmas bombings, after peace talks collapsed with North Vietnam on the 13th. Wikipedia →
1966Saturn's moon Epimetheus is discovered by astronomer Richard Walker. Wikipedia →
1958Project SCORE, the world's first communications satellite, is launched. Wikipedia →
1957A violent F5 tornado wipes out the entire community of Sunfield, Illinois. Wikipedia →
1944World War II: XX Bomber Command responds to the Japanese Operation Ichi-Go offensive by dropping five hundred tons of incendiary bombs on a supply base in Hankow, China. Wikipedia →
1944The Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in Korematsu v. United States supporting Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 which cleared the way for the incarceration of nearly all 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, born and raised in the United States. Wikipedia →
1939World War II: The Battle of the Heligoland Bight, the first major air battle of the war, takes place. Wikipedia →
1935The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is founded in Ceylon. Wikipedia →
1932The Chicago Bears defeat the Portsmouth Spartans in the first NFL playoff game to win the NFL Championship. Wikipedia →
1917The resolution containing the language of the Eighteenth Amendment to enact Prohibition is passed by the United States Congress. Wikipedia →
1916World War I: The Battle of Verdun ends when the second French offensive pushes the Germans back two or three kilometres, causing them to cease their attacks. Wikipedia →
1898Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat sets the first officially recognized land speed record of 63.159 km/h (39.245 mph) in a Jeantaud electric car. Wikipedia →
1892The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky premiers in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Wikipedia →
1878The Al-Thani family become the rulers of the state of Qatar. Wikipedia →
1867A magnitude 7.0 earthquakes strikes off the coast of Taiwan, triggering a tsunami and killing at least 580 people. Wikipedia →
1865US Secretary of State William Seward proclaims the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting slavery throughout the United States. Wikipedia →
1854The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada abolishes the seigneurial system. Wikipedia →
1833The national anthem of the Russian Empire, "God Save the Tsar!", is first performed. Wikipedia →
1787New Jersey becomes the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Wikipedia →
1777The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking the recent victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga in October. Wikipedia →
1655The Whitehall Conference ends with the determination that there was no law preventing Jews from re-entering England after the Edict of Expulsion of 1290. Wikipedia →
1622Portuguese forces score a military victory over the Kingdom of Kongo at the Battle of Mbumbi in present-day Angola. Wikipedia →
1499A rebellion breaks out in Alpujarras in response to the forced conversions of Muslims in Spain. Wikipedia →
1271Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China. Wikipedia →
1118The city of Zaragoza is conquered by king Alfonso I of Aragon from the Almoravid. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2024The Guardian
Fiji defence minister welcomes US security deal and criticises China missile test
Pio Tikoduadua tells the Guardian the Pacific is ‘not a space for missile testing’ after China’s launch earlier this…
Read on The Guardian →
2017The Guardian
Eaten Fish, Manus Island's refugee cartoonist, given sanctuary in northern Europe
Ali Dorani thanks supporters after being granted artist’s residency through International Cities of Refuge Network
Read on The Guardian →
2002The New York Times
Black Bears Enjoy Running With the Elite
Maine Coach TIM WHITEHEAD says two thoughts recur every day. One is the memory of his predecessor, Shawn Walsh, who d…
Read on NYTimes.com →

Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.