18th
December, on this day
1118 Alfonso
van Aragón occupies Saragossa on Almoraviden and expels
Moors
1352 Etienne
Aubert elected as Pope Innocentius VI
1406 Anton van Bourgondies becomes duke
of Brabant
1559 Queen
Elizabeth I of England sends aid to the Scottish Lords to drive
the French from Scotland
1621 English parliament accept unanimously, the
Protestation
1719 Thomas Fleet publishes "Mother
Goose's Melodies For Children"
1774 Jews expelled from Prague, Bohemia and Moravia by Empress Maria
Theresa
1777 1st national Thanksgiving
Day, commemorating Burgoyne's surrender
1783 English king George
III fires government of Portland
1787 New Jersey becomes 3rd state to ratify constitution
1792 In England, radical political writer Thomas
Paine is tried for treason, in his absence, for publishing 'The
Rights of Man' in which he supports the French Revolution and
calls for the abolition of the British Monarchy
1796 1st US newspaper to appear on Sunday (Baltimore Monitor)
1799 George Washington's body interred at Mount
Vernon
1813 British take Fort
Niagara in the War of 1812
1832 Charles Darwin visits Vuurland
1839 1st celestial photograph (the moon) made in US, John Draper,
New York NY
1849 William
Bond obtains 1st photograph of Moon through a telescope
1859 South Carolina declared an "independent commonwealth"
1862 Battle at Lexington TN (Forrest's Second Raid)
1865 Slavery is officially abolished in the United States of America
with the ratification of the 13th
Amendment to the Constitution
1878 French SS Byzantin sinks after collision in Dardanellen, 210
killed
1890 In Africa, British soldier and colonist Frederick
Lugard occupies Uganda on behalf of the British East African company
1892 Anton
Bruckner's 8th Symphony, premieres
1892 Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet "Nutcracker
Suite" premieres
1898 Automobile speed record set-63 kph (39 mph)
1899 Fieldmarshal Lord
Roberts appointed British supreme commander in South Africa
1912 Piltdown
Man discovered in Sussex. Its claimed to be the fossilised skull
and remains of the earliest known European. But in 1953 it is proved
to be a hoax - the skull was that of an orang-u-tan
1915 President Wilson, widowed the year before, marries Edith
Bolling Galt
1917 Soviet regiment (Stalin/Lenin) declares Finland Independent
1920 1st US postage stamps printed without the words United States
or US
1923 International zone of
Tangier set up in Morocco
1927 In China, Chiang
Kai-Shek overthrows the Hankow Government
1935 Edward
Benes becomes President of Czechoslovakia
1936 Su-Lin,
1st giant panda to come to US from China, arrives in San Francisco
1939 Finnish army recaptures Agläjärvi
1939 The first Canadian troops arrive in Europe
1940 Hitler submits plans for Operation
Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union
1941 Japanse troops land on Hong
Kong Island
1944 Destroyers "Hull", "Spence" and "Monaghan"
sink in typhoon (Philippines)
1944 Nazi occupiers of Amsterdam destroy electricity plants
1944 Bastogne,
an important crossroads, is surrounded.
1945 Uruguay joins the United Nations
1946 Labour MPs in Britain triumphantly sing "The
Red Flag" as the House of Commons votes to nationalise the
railways, road haulage and the ports
1946 TV's 1st network dramatic serial "Faraway
Hill" ends 2 month run
1948 Indonesia begins its 2nd political election
1952 In Britain, the first showing of the children's television programme
'The
Flower Pot Men'
1956 Japan admitted to the United Nations
1956 Israeli flag hoisted on Mount Sinai
1957 Shippingport
Atomic Power Station, 1st nuke plant to generate electricity
1958 1st test project of Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment
1958 Niger
gains autonomy within French Community
1960 General Meeting of United Nations condemns apartheid
1961 For 2nd consecutive year, AP names Wilma
Rudolph female athlete of year
1961 Britain's EMI Records originally rejects the Beatles
1962 Dmitri Shostakovich's 13th Symphony, premieres in Moscow
1962 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya, USSR
1964 "The
Pink Panther" cartoon series premieres
1964 During services held for Sam
Cooke, fans caused damage to Funeral Home
1964 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1965 Borman and Lovell Splash down in Atlantic ends 2 week Gemini
VII mission
1966 Dr Seuss' "How
the Grinch Stole Christmas" airs for 1st time on CBS
1966 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk
USSR
1968 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk
USSR
1969 Britain abolishes death penalty
1969 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1970 Polish uprising fails
1970 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1971 People
United To Save Humanity (PUSH) forms by Jesse
Jackson in Chicago
1971 CBS radio cancels Saturday morning band concerts
1972 US begins its heaviest bombing of North Vietnam
1973 Soyuz 13 launched into Earth orbit for 8 days
1976 "A
Star is Born", with Barbra Streisand, premieres
1976 "Wonder
Woman" debuts on ABC
1976 Soviet dissident Viktor Bukovski exchanged for Chile CP-leader
Corvalan
1978 France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1978 USSR performs underground nuclear test
1979 Stanley Barrett 1st to exceed land sonic speed (739.666 MPH)
1980 IRA's Sean McKenna becomes critically ill, ends hunger strike
1980 Vietnam adopts constitution
1985 UN Security Council unanimously condemns "acts of hostage-taking"
1987 Benazir
Bhutto, Pakistan's future president, marries Asif
Ali Zardari
1987 Ivan
F Boesky sentenced to 3 years for insider trading
1989 "I
Love Lucy" Christmas episode, shown for 1st time in over
30 years
1990 In India, the Taj Mahal reopens to the public after being closed
to tourists due to secretarian fighting in the nearby city of Agra
1991 In South Africa, Inkatha leader Mangosuthu
Buthelezi announces his withdrawal from negotiations on ending
apartheid
1991 DeForest
Kelly (Dr McCoy on Star Trek) gets a star in Hollywood
1991 General Motors announces the closing of 21 plants
1995 A Trans Service Airlift Lockheed
L-188 Electra crashes after taking off from Jamba, Angola, due
to overloading. Of the 144 people on board, 141 are killed.
1997 HTML
4.0 is published by the World Wide Web Consortium.
1999 NASA launches into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth
Observation instruments, including ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT
2003 FedEx Corporation
(FedEx) flight
647 between Metropolitan Oakland International Airport and Memphis
International Airport crashed during landing : no fatalities
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Birthdates
which occurred on 18th December :
1562 Philipp Dulichius
composer
1569 Jakob Hassler composer
1610 Charles Du Fresne Du Cange French scholar/philologist
1633 Adriaen Melar Flemish engraver, baptised
1633 Willem van de Velde the Young Dutch seascape painter, baptised
1635 Antonius Matthaeus Dutch lawyer/historian
1667 Wenzel Ludwig von Radolt composer
1707 Charles Wesley co-founder (Methodist movement)
1709 Elizabeth empress of Russia (to Peter the Great & Catherine
I)
1734 Jean-Baptiste Rey composer
1760 Knud L Rahbek Danish literary (Om sku skuespillerkunsten)
1779 Joseph Grimaldi England, pantomimist ("greatest clown in
history")
1788 Camille Pleyel Austria, piano builder/composer
1803 William Allen (Representative/Governor-OH)
1811 Alexander Sandor Asboth Brevet Major General (Union volunteers),
died in 1868
1812 Wiktor Kazynski composer
1816 Alfred Elzey Jones Major General (Confederate Army), died in
1871
1819 Jakov P Polonski Russian poet (Stichotvorenija)
1825 Charles Griffin Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1867
1826 Charles-A Chatrian [Erckmann-C] French writer (L'ami Fritz)
1826 Mercer Brooke John (Confederate Navy), died in 1906
1835 George Dashiell Bayard Brigadier-General (Union volunteers),
died in 1862
1837 A Adolf Daens Belgian priest/Dutch party founder (CVP)
1844 Lujo [Ludwig J von] Brentano German economist
1848 Karl Schroder composer
1852 Gaetano Coronaro composer
1856 Joseph John Thomson England, physicist discovered electron (Nobel
1906)
1861 Edward Alexander MacDowell New York NY, composer (Indian Suite,
Cairo)
1861 Lionel Monckton composer
1863 Franz Ferdinand archduke of Austria (Sarajevo/WWI)
1867 Antoon van Welie Dutch painter
1870 Saki (Hector Hugo Munro) Burma, author (Reginald, When William
Came)
1870 Andres Randolf Denmark, actor (The Kiss)
1870 D T Suzuki Kanazawa Japan, Zen Buddhist scholar
1873 Adolf Vogl composer
1877 Max Pallenberg Austria, actor (Brave Suender)/husb of Fritzi
Massary
1879 Paul Klee Switzerland, abstract painter (Twittering Machine)
1884 Philippe van Isacker Belgian minister
1886 Ty Cobb Colorado, batted .367, stole 892 bases (Detroit Tigers)
1888 Gladys Cooper Lewisham England, actress (My Fair Lady)
1888 Robert Moses power broker (built Long Island & NYC parks
& roads)
1890 Edwin Howard Armstrong New York NY, radio pioneer inventor (FM)
1897 Fernand J Collin Belgian economist/banker
1898 Jacob Kruijt Dutch sociologist
19-- Gillian Spencer actress (All My Children)
1904 George Stevens US director (Alice Adams, Penny Serenade)
1904 Wilf Carter country singer
1905 Richard Sturzenegger composer
1906 Edwin H "Buddy" Morris music publisher
1906 Kam Tong actor (Across the Pacific, Flower Drum Song)
1907 Christopher Fry Bristol England, playwright (Ring Around the
Moon)
1908 Celia Johnson England, actress (Happy Breed, Brief encounter)
1909 Mona Barrie [Smith] London England, actress (Dawn on the Great
Divide)
1910 Abe Burrows Brooklyn NY, Broadway composer (Guys & Dolls
1951 TONY)
1910 Eric Tindall cricketer (All Black Representative who kept wicket
in 5 Tests)
1911 Helen Vlachos journalist
1911 Jules Dassin Middletown CT, director (Circle of Two, Never on
Sunday)
1913 Alfred Bester US, science fiction author (Deceivers, Starlight)
1913 Lynn Bari Roanoke VA, actress (Connie-Detective Wife, Earthbound)
1913 Donald Phillips pianist/composer
1913 Saburo Takata composer
1913 Willy Brandt [Herbert Frahm] German chancellor (1969-74, Nobel
1971)
1914 Jerry Zipkin socialite
1915 Dario Mangiarotti Italy, fencing, gold, 2 silver (Olympics-1948,
52)
1916 Betty Grable St Louis MO, great legs/actress (Gay Divorcee)
1917 Ossie Davis Cogdell GA, actor/playwright (Hot Stuff, Man Called
Adam)
1919 Anita O'Day Chicago IL, big band jazz singer (Gene Krupa, Stan
Kanton)
1920 Rita Streich German singer
1920 Willis Conover broadcaster
1922 Larry D Mann Toronto Ontario, actor (Marty-Accidental Family)
1923 Lotti [Charlotte] van der Gaag Dutch sculptor/painter
1926 Peggy Cummins North Wales, actress (Curse of the Demon)
1927 Ramsey Clark US Attorney General (1967-69)
1927 Sterling Lanier US, writer (Hiero's Journey)
1930 Theodore C Freeman Pennsylvania, astronaut
1931 Gunnel Lindblom Goeteborg Sweden, actor (Hunger, Virgin Spring)
1931 Noel McGregor cricketer (batted in 25 Tests for New Zealand 1955-65)
1932 Roger Smith South Gate CA, actor (77 Sunset Strip)
1934 Boris Valentinovich Volynov USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz 5, 21)
1938 [Bryan] Chas Chandler rocker (The Animals-House of the Rising
Sun)
1939 Sandro Lopopolia Italy, lightweight boxer (Olympics-silver-1960)
1939 Christoffel "Stoffel" van de Merwe South Africa minister
of Education
1939 Henrica M L "Wiesje" Backer Dutch dancer/actress/playwright
1939 Michael J Moorcock England, sci-fi author (Alien Heat, Bull &
Spear)
1940 Arnold Long cricketer (prolific wicketkeeper for Surrey &
Sussex)
1941 Sam Andrew rocker (Big Brother & the Holding Company-Cheap
Thrills)
1942 William HAF English prince/grandson of George V
1943 Alan Rudolph actor (Endangers Species, Love at Large, Made in
Heaven)
1943 Bobby Keyes rocker
1943 Keith Richards England, rock guitarist (Rolling Stones-Brown
Sugar)
1945 Carolyn Wood US, 4 X 100 meter freestyle swimmer (Olympics-gold-1960)
1945 Birenda Bir Bikram King of Nepal (1972- )
1946 Hubie Green Birmingham AL, PGA golfer (US Open 1977)
1946 Stephen (Steve) Biko South African anti-apartheid activist
1947 Steven Spielberg Cincinnati OH, director (ET, Close Encounters,
Jaws)
1947 Eddie Antar founder/CEO (Crazy Eddie Electronics Store)
1948 Bryan "Chas" Changler Newcastle, rock bassist (Animals)
1949 Joni Flynn Assam India, actress (Octopussy)
1950 Leonard Maltin New York NY, movie critic (Entertainment Tonight)
1950 Gillian Armstrong Melbourne Australia, director (High Tide, Mrs
Soffel)
1950 Martha Johnson Toronto Ontario, rocker (M+M)
1951 Andrew S W Thomas Adelaide Australia, PhD/astronaut (STS 77,
STS 89/91)
1951 Candice Rialson Santa Monica CA, actress (Chatterbox)
1953 Elliot Easton [Elliot Shapiro] Brooklyn NY, rock guitarist (Cars)
1955 Ray Liotta Newark NJ, actor (Henry Hill-Goodfellas, Sacha-Casablanca)
1956 Reinhold Ewald Germany, cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-25)
1957 John Webster rocker (Red Ryder-Light in the Tunnel)
1959 Barrie Chase actress (Mardi Gras, Cape Fear)
1961 Ken Foreman rocker (Thrashing Doves-Reprobate's Hymn)
1961 Brian Orser Canada, figure skater (Olympics-silver-88)
1961 Lalchand Rajput cricketer (Indian Test opening batsman 1985-86)
1961 Thomas Strittmatter writer
1963 Brad Pitt Shawnee OK, actor (Fight Club, Meet Joe Black, Legends
of the Fall)
1963 Charles Oakley NBA forward (New York Knicks)
1963 Lori McNeil San Diego CA, tennis star (1995 Oakland doubles)
1964 Don Beebe NFL wide receiver (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1965 Fawna Maclaren Santa Monica CA, playmate (January 1989)
1965 Angeliki Kaneltopoutous Greece, tennis star
1965 Brian Walton Ottawa Ontario, points race cyclist (Olympics-silver-96)
1965 Willie Blair Paintsville KY, pitcher (San Diego Padres)
1966 Kiefer Sutherland actor (Young Guns, Stand by Me, Lost Boys)
1966 Steve Dullaghan rocker (Primitives-Lovely, Lump of Coal)
1966 Aaron Jones NFL defensive end (New England Patriots)
1966 Gianluca Pagliuca Italian actress (Ugly Dirty & Bad)
1966 Patricia Neder Wauykesha WI, team handball right wing (Olympics-92,
96)
1966 Terry Phelps Larchmont NY, tennis star
1966 Tracy Byrd country singer (Keeper of the Stars)
1967 Bob Corkum Salisbury, NHL center (Philadelphia Flyers)
1967 Charles Christopher Rymer Cleveland TN, PGA golfer (1995 Shell-3rd)
1967 Dan McGwire NFL quarterback (Miami Dolphins)
1967 Tracy Hayworth NFL linebacker (Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons)
1968 Aaron Craver NFL running back (Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers)
1968 Casper Van Dien actor (Starship Troopers)
1969 Andrew Murphy Australian long jumper/triple jumper (Olympics-96)
1969 Chris Dausin WLAF corner/guard (Scottish Claymores)
1969 Joanne Mills Sydney Australia, golfer (T25 Holden 1994 Women's
Australian Open)
1969 Joe Randa Milwaukee WI, infielder (Kansas City Royals)
1969 Keith Piper cricketer (Warwickshire & England A wicketkeeper)
1969 Marco Coleman NFL defensive end (Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers)
1969 T C Wright WLAF running back (Amsterdam Admirals)
1970 Lucious Harris NBA guard (New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks)
1971 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario Barcelona, tennis star (Olympics-silver/bronze-92)
1971 Frank Pimiskern CFL safety (British Columbia Lions)
1971 Joe Dziedzic Minneapolis MN, NHL left wing (Pittsburgh Penguins)
1971 Markus Finke WLAF running back (Rhein Fire)
1971 Neil Little Medicine Hat, NHL goalie (Philadelphia Flyers)
1972 Eric Unverzagt NFL/WLAF linebacker (Sea Seahawks, Scotland Claymores)
1972 Jeff Nelson Prince Albert, NHL center (Washington Capitals)
1972 Marcos Ondruska South Africa, tennis star
1973 Jason Williams Gonzales LA, baseball infielder (Olympics-bronze-96)
1973 Keith Washington NFL defensive end (Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore
Ravens)
1974 Peter Boulware linebacker (Baltimore Ravens)
1975 Michael Barry Toronto Ontario, cyclist (Olympics-96)
1978 Naomi Lang Arcata CA, dance skater (& Peter Tchernyshev)
1980 Christina Aguilera Staten Island, NY, singer (Genie in a Bottle,
What A Girl Wants)
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Deaths which occurred on 18th December:
0468 Huna Mari bar Mar Zutra rabbi, executed in Pumpedita
1290 Magnus I Ladulås [Barn Bolt] king of Sweden (1277-90),
dies
1505 John IX van Horne prince-bishop of Lieges, executed
1565 Benedetto Varchi Italian humanist/historian (L'Ercolano), dies
at 62
1577 Anna duchess of Saxon/wife of prince Willem of Orange, dies at
32
1597 Barbara Blomberg German mistress of emperor Karel, dies at 67
1633 Theodoor Galle Flemish engraver, buried at 62
1638 Le Père Joseph French mystic, dies
1651 Francisco the Melo Portuguese/Spanish earl of Assumar, dies at
54
1710 Peter Codde apostile vicar (1688-1704), dies at 62
1732 Johann Valentin Eckelt composer, dies at 59
1737 Antonio Stradivari renowned violin-maker, dies in Cremona Italy
at 93
1751 Kilian I von Dientzenhofer builder (Nepomukkerk, Prague), dies
at 62
1779 Jan Punt engraver/illustrator/actor (Gideonschool), dies at 68
1803 Johann G von Herder German philosopher/theologist/poet, dies
at 59
1829 Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck French nature investigator, dies at
about 85
1831 Willem Bilderdijk Dutch poet/literary (My Relief), dies at 75
1835 Johann Georg Anton Mederitsch-Gallus composer, dies at 82
1839 Charles-Henri Plantade composer, dies at 75
1841 Felice Blangini composer, dies at 60
1858 Joseph-Henri-Ignace Mees composer, dies at 81
1862 Johnson Kelly Duncan architect/Confederate Brigadier-General,
dies at 35
1865 Francisco Manuel da Silva composer, dies at 70
1869 Louis Moreau Gottschalk composer, dies at 40
1892 Richard Owen English zoologist (Dinosaurus), dies at 88
1897 Carlo A Alfieri Italian Member of parliament, dies at 70
1899 John William Glover composer, dies at 84
1911 Alberto Randegger composer, dies at 79
1915 Èdouard Vaillant French socialist politician/communard,
dies at 75
1918 Henryk Jarecki composer, dies at 72
1919 Horatio William Parker composer, dies at 56
1919 John Alcock pilot (1st non-stop over Atlantic), dies in crash
at 27
1928 Lucien Capet composer, dies at 55
1931 John T "Legs" Diamond US gangster, murdered at 35
1932 Eduard "Ede" Bernstein German marxist/revisionist,
dies at 82
1935 Juan V Gómez general/dictator of Venezuela (1908-35),
dies
1937 S S Schultz cricketer (one Test England vs Australia 1879), dies
1939 Matthew Brown Journalist, dies at 51
1942 Charlie Walker cricketer (Australian tourist to England 1930,
1938), dies
1948 Janet Fay hammered to death by the Honeymoon Killers
1963 Winifried P I Zillig German composer/conductor (Opfer), dies
at 58
1966 Gene Gauntier dies in Cuernavaca México
1971 Aleksandr T Tvardovski Russian editor in chief (Novyj Mir), dies
at 61
1971 Bobby Jones Jr PGA golfer (Grand Slam 1930), dies at 69
1971 Diana Lynn actress (Annapolis Story, Easy Come Easy Go), dies
at 45
1973 Giulio Cesare Brero composer, dies at 64
1976 George Emmett cricketer (England opener vs Australia Old Trafford
1948), dies
1977 Louis Untermeyer poet/critic/TV panelist (What's My Line), dies
at 92
1977 Cyril Ritchard actor (Peter Pan), dies at 80
1980 Alexei N Kosygin Soviet PM (1964-80), suffers a fatal heart attack
at 76
1981 Mehmet Shehu PM Albania (1954-81)/"US-Russian spy",
commits suicide
1982 Raymond Emery cricketer (2 Tests New Zealand vs West Indies 1952,
46 runs, 2 wickets), dies
1982 Tibor de Machula Hungary/Netherlands cellist, dies at 70
1986 Mamo Clark actor (1 Million BC, Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island),
dies
1990 Anne Revere actress (National Velvet), dies of pneumonia at 87
1990 Paul Tortelier composer, dies at 76
1991 June Storey actress (South of the Border), dies of cancer at
73
1992 Mark Goodson TV game show producer (Goodson-Toddman), dies at
77
1992 Mother Clare Hale cared for NYC AIDS babies (Hale House), dies
at 87
1992 Richard H Ichord US leader of House Un-American Activities Committee,
dies
1993 Sam Wanamaker actor (Private Benjamin), dies of prostate cancer
at 74
1994 Heinz Bernard Lowenstein actor/director, dies at 71
1994 Lilia Skala Austrian/US actress (Ship of Fools, Caprice), dies
at 98
1994 Peter Hebblethwaite English editor-in-chief (The Month), dies
at 64
1995 Chaim Pearl rabbi, dies at 76
1995 Georgio Fini restaurateur, dies at 70
1995 Ross Thomas author, dies at 69
1996 Arthur Jacobs musicologist, dies at 74
1997 Chris Farley comedian (Saturday Night Live, Tommy Boy), dies
at 33
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