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March 18: Today in History – Historical Events
Early Centuries – March 18 Historic Events – Before the 1700s
1. 18th March 1190: In Bury St. Edmonds in England today crusaders killed 57 Jews.
2. 18th March 1229: Fredrik II, the German Emperor today crowned himself as king.
3. 18th March 1532: Payments by English churches to Romeweres were banned today by the English Parliament.
18th Century – What Happened on March 18 – The 1700s
4. 18th March 1766: Britain repealed the Stamp Act of 1765 today.
19th Century – March 18 This Day That Year – The 1800s
5. 18th March 1850: The American Express was today formed in Buffalo by Henry Wills and William Fargo.
6. 18th March 1852: Henry Wills and William Fargo founded the Wells Fargo & Company in San Francisco. It was started as an equivalent of the American Express in the West. Wells Fargo & Company evolved into the Wells Fargo Bank, which is now one of the largest financial institutions in the US.
7. 18th March 1864: The Dale Dyke over the river Humber crumbled. About 240 people drowned.
8. 18th March 1874: Hawaii today signed a treaty giving exclusive trading rights with the island to the United States.
9. 18th March 1890: The first United States Naval militia was organized today in Massachusetts.
10. 18th March 1899: Pickering on this day discovered Phoebe, a moon of Saturn.
20th Century – Important Events On This Day March 18th – The 1900s
11. 18th March 1909: In what is believed to be the first broadcast by a “ham” operator, Einar Dessau of Denmark used a shortwave transmitter to converse with a government radio post situated about 6 miles away.
12. 18th March 1911: The Roosevelt Dam in Phoenix Arizona, the largest dam in the US date was on this day opened by President Theodor Roosevelt.
13. 18th March 1913: Greek king George I was assassinated. Constantine I was to succeed.
14. 18th March 1916: In the Verdun assault at Lake Naroch in the eastern front the Russians lost 100,000 men and the Germans lost 20,000.
15. 18th March 1917: Three US ships, the City of Memphis, Vigilante, and Illinois were sunk by the Germans without any warning.
16. 18th March 1921: One thousand people were killed when the streamer “Hong Koh” ran aground off Swatow China.
17. 18th March 1922: In India M.K. Gandhi was sentenced to six years imprisonment for civil disobedience. He was however released after serving two years in jail.
18. 18th March 1925: The great tornado struck the three states of Illinois, India, and Missouri. 695 people were killed 13,000 people were injured and property worth $ 17 million was damaged in the tornado.
19. 18th March 1931: The first electric razor was marked today by Schick Inc.
20. 18th March 1937: The gas explosion in a school in New London Texas killed about 300 people, most of whom were children.
21. 18th March 1938: In Mexico President Lazaro Cardenas today nationalized the country’s petroleum reserves and took control of foreign-owned oil facilities.
22. 18th March 1939: 150 years after the birth of the federal government Georgia today finally ratified the Bill of Rights. The only other states that were holding out, Massachusetts and Connecticut followed suit.
23. 18th March 1939: Duty on imports from Germany to the US was today raised by 25%.
24. 18th March 1940: The Italian dictator Benito Mussolini agreed to join Germany’s war against Britain and France in a meeting held with Adolf Hitler at the Brenner’s Pass across the Alps.
25. 18th March 1942: In the US the third military draft began owing to World War II.
26. 18th March 1943: The US ship James Oglethorpe and Terkolei of Netherlands were torpedoed and sunk.
27. 18th March 1943: The offensive in the Caucasus was today called off by the Reich.
28. 18th March 1944: The Red Army today evacuated Belgorod.
29. 18th March 1944: In the Balkans, the Russians reached the Rumanian border today.
30. 18th March 1944: Hungary was today occupied Nazi Germans.
31. 18th March 1945: Suicide bombs were introduced.
32. 18th March 1945: 1250 US bombers attacked Berlin today.
33. 18th March 1945: Targets on Kyushu were today attacked by US Task Force 58.
34. 18th March 1948: The Treaty of Brussels was today signed by France, Great Britain and Benelux.
35. 18th March 1948: Experimental TV broadcasting was today begun by Phillips.
36. 18th March 1950: Nationalists today landed in mainland China and captured communist-held Sungmen.
37. 18th March 1952: There was a communist offensive on this day in Korea.
38. 18th March 1952: The first ever plastic lens for patients undergoing cataract surgery was introduced today.
39. 18th March 1959: President Eisenhower today signed the Hawaii statehood bill today.
40. 18th March 1961: Pillsbury dough boy the “Poppin’ Fresh” was introduced today.
41. 18th March 1962: France and Algerian rebels agreed to a truce today. It took effect the next day.
42. 18th March 1963: The US Supreme Court today ruled which said poor defendants have a constitutional right to an attorney. They gave this ruling in the Gideon Vs Wainwright case where Gideon had been forced to defend himself in Florida.
43. 18th March 1965: The Soviet cosmonaut Alexi Leonov today left his Voskhod 2 space capsule and remained in space for 20 minutes secured by a tether. This was the first-ever spacewalk in history.
44. 18th March 1968: Gold backing for paper money in the US was removed today when President Lyndon Jonson signed public law 90-269.
45. 18th March 1969: President Nixon today authorized the secret bombing of Cambodia “Operation Menu”.
46. 18th March 1970: There was a postal strike in America. 210,000 of the 750,000 postal employees struck work. President Nixon declared a state of National emergency and assigned military personnel to man New York City post offices.
47. 18th March 1970: General Lon Nol overthrew Price Sihanouk of Cambodia.
48. 18th March 1971: The US helicopters today airlifted 1000 Vietnamese soldiers out of Lagos.
49. 18th March 1975: South Vietnam today abandoned most of the central highlands of Vietnam to Hanoi.
50. 18th March 1975: Mulla Mustafa ordered the Kurdish army to abandon the struggle. He obtained refuge in the United States.
51. 18th March 1977: This day marks the assassination of the military President of the Republic of Congo, “Marien Ngoubai”.
52. 18th March 1978: The Punjab High Court in Pakistan today condemned former President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to death on charges of political murder.
53. 18th March 1981: The US today disclosed that biological weapons were tested in Texas.
54. 18th March 1986: The engagement of Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson was announced today by the Buckingham Palace.
55. 18th March 1988: In Panama a “state of urgency” was declared by General Manuel Antonio Norgieatoo to force the re-opening of banks and other businesses that had closed during the economic and political crisis earlier.
56. 18th March 1989: Space shuttle Discovery landed today at the Edwards Air Force Base in California.
57. 18th March 1990: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was today burgled by thieves dressed as policemen. The thieves made away with masterworks of Rembrandt, Vermeer, Manet, and Edgar Degas in addition to an ancient Chinese bronze beaker valued at $ 300 million.
58. 18th March 1990: In the first free elections in East Germany an alliance of conservative parties won over the communist party.
59. 18th March 1992: A day after the whites-only referendum on whether to end apartheid, South African President F. W. de Klerk claimed victory for his reforms.
60. 18th March 1993: On Capitol Hill, President Bill Clinton’s blueprint for deficit reduction was approved by the house virtually on party lines 243-183 votes.
61. 18th March 1994: The Space Shuttle Cambodia, returned today after a two-week mission in space.
62. 18th March 1994: Muslim and Croat leaders today signed agreements to create the Bosnian federation.
63. 18th March 1994: The Hebron mosque massacre was today unanimously condemned by the UN Security Council.
64. 18th March 1995: In the first royal wedding in Spain in the last 89 years Princess Elena married a banker, in Seville.
65. 18th March 1996: A large quantity (2000) of Chinese-made assault guns were today shipped illegally from the port of Oakland in the United States.
66. 18th March 1997: Work on a Jewish housing project in disputed east Jerusalem triggered protests from Palestinians.
67. 18th March 1998: The New York City Board of Education today voted for school children to wear uniforms. The dress code however came into effect in 1999.
68. 18th March 1998: In India, the Bharatiya Janata Party outlined its agenda today. It included protecting the domestic industry from foreign competition and the development of nuclear weapons for protection against China and Pakistan.
69. 18th March 1999: In Afghanistan, the fighting continued for the second day today. In the Parwan province, 12 people are reported killed by Taliban bombing.
70. 18th March 1999: In Bihar state in India, members of the Maoists Communist Center today killed 35 people belonging to the upper cast in Senari village.
71. 18th March 1999: There was an outbreak of encephalitis in Malaysia. It was ordered to exterminate 64,000 pigs and evacuate 11,000 people.
21st Century – March 18 This Day In History – The 2000s
72. 18th March 2000: In Taiwan, 51 years of Nationalist party rule came to an end today as Chen Shui-bian was elected president with 39% votes. Chen Shui-bian’s party favored the independence of Taiwan from China.
73. 18th March 2001: It was reported that the Bush administration plans to sidestep the American Bar Association while screening federal judges. This indicated that the administration wants to pick judges who are hard right.
74. 18th March 2001: Chechen rebels today killed at least 21 Russian troops.
75. 18th March 2001: The Mayoral elections in France brought an end to about 100-year-old rule by the right, with the Socialists, Communists, and other left-wing parties winning the polls.
76. 18th March 2002: There were two days of heavy rains resulting in flooding of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia.
77. 18th March 2002: Britain today planned to send 1700 troops to Afghanistan. They will be joining the 6300-strong US forces stationed in Afghanistan.
78. 18th March 2002: Fox hunting along with hunting of stags and hares with packs of hounds was again voted to be banned by the House of Commons in Britain.
79. 18th March 2003: The Australian Prime Minister John Howard said today that he would 2000 military personnel to any US-led strike to disarm Iraq.
80. 18th March 2003: A major snowstorm hit Colorado and Wyoming with over 3-6 feet of snow. The Denver airport was closed. This was the worst storm in 90 years.
81. 18th March 2004: Jordan’s King Abdulla had a secret meeting with Israeli PM Areal Sharon to discuss Sharon’s plan to withdraw unilaterally from Palestinian areas.
82. 18th March 2005: The US State Department today said it had denied a diplomatic visa to the chief minister of Gujarat state, Narendra Modi, and revoked his business visa, terming him as a Hindu Nationalist leader and for his role in the religious riots in 2002.
83. 18th March 2005: King Abdulla II of Jordan proposed a new peace strategy by dropping its demand that Israel give up all land seized in the 1967 war and offered the Jewish state normalized relations with Arab countries.
84. 18th March 2005: In a civil immigration case arising out of Wal-Mart using illegal immigrants to clean floors in 21 countries, Wal-Mart agreed to pay $ 11 million in settlement of the case.
85. 18th March 2006: Upon the recommendation of the review committee consisting of US officers, and Iraqi officials from the Ministry of Human Rights, Justice and Interior the US military today released 350 detainees in Iraq.
86. 18th March 2006: To mark the third anniversary and in protest against the US-led invasion of Iraq protest marches were held in Australia, Asia, Turkey,y and Europe today.
87. 18th March 2006: Two US Navy warships exchanged fire with suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia. One suspected pirate was killed and five others were injured.
88. 18th March 2006: In Afghanistan in separate attacks which were blamed on the Taliban nine policemen, a former governor with four of his companions, and a security guard were killed.
89. 18th March 2007: A coal mine explosion in North China killed 19 with 2 miners still missing. They are also believed to have been killed.
90. 18th March 2007: In San Francisco,o over 3000 protesters marched to protest the 4th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq and demanded the end of the war there.
91. 18th March 2007: Agents of the US Drug Enforcement Agency working with Panamanian police seized a boat off the Pacific coast with 27.4 tons of cocaine. This was one of the biggest maritime cocaine busts on record.
92. 18th March 2008: German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressing the Israeli parliament today condemned the rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza.
93. 18th March 2013: The Supreme Court in India today extended its ban on the Italian ambassador leaving the country indefinitely, rejecting his explanation of his country’s refusal to return the Italian marines charged with killing Indian fishermen.
94. 18th March 2014: In Tuban in South Yemen a suicide car bombing at the military intelligence headquarters killed one and wounded a dozen.
95. 18th March 2014: Russian President Vladimir Putin today signed a treaty to annex Crimea. He termed it as a move to correct past injustice and said was a necessary response to Western encroachment upon Russia’s vital interests.
96. 18th March 2014: It was disclosed by United Nations human rights investigators that additions have been made to their list of war criminals from both sides of the Syrian civil war after a new round of atrocities in recent times.
97. 18th March 2014: There was a confrontation between pro-Russian militia and the Ukrainian soldiers in Crimea resulting in one casualty on either side.
98. 18th March 2014: The creation of the National Space Agency in Syria was proudly announced today by the Syrian Cabinet.
99. 18th March 2014: An explosion in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights wounded four Israeli soldiers near the Syrian frontier. Israel opened artillery fire in response to Syria’s attack.
100. 18th March 2014: In France, police arrested 57 Green Peas activists who rammed a truck to gain entry into a nuclear plant operated by EDF in eastern France.
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