Date·Lore

On This Day · The 138th day of the year

May 18

May 18 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1302 and 2018. Bruges Matins, the nocturnal massacre of the French garrison in Bruges by members of the local Flemish militia.

♉ZodiacTaurus ◈BirthstoneEmerald ❀Birth flowerLily of the Valley

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on May 18?

May 18 is the 138th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1302 and 2018. Famous people born on May 18 include Pope John Paul II, Tina Fey and Rod Milburn.

The shape of the day

May 18's record stretches 716 years, from 1302 to 2018. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

Taurus is the sign for May 18 — read more on the Taurus page, or see May's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on May 18

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • Game It Reaches
  • TV The Map of Truth

2024

  • Game Indigo Park

2023

  • TV XO, Kitty
  • TV Inspector Avinash

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1302

    Matins of Bruges

    Bruges Matins, the nocturnal massacre of the French garrison in Bruges by members of the local Flemish militia.

  2. 1388

    Battle of Buir Lake

    During the Battle of Buyur Lake, General Lan Yu leads a Ming army forward to crush the Mongol hordes of Tögüs Temür, the Khan of Northern Yuan.

  3. 1695

    1695 Linfen earthquake

    The 1695 Linfen earthquake in Shannxi, Qing dynasty causes extreme damage and kills at least 52,000 people.

  4. 1863

    American Civil War

    American Civil War: Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant begin the Siege of Vicksburg during the Vicksburg campaign in order to take full control of the Mississippi River.

  5. 1917

    World War I

    World War I: The Selective Service Act of 1917 is passed, giving the President of the United States the power of conscription.

  6. 1944

    Deportation of the Crimean Tatars

    Deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union.

  7. 1955

    Operation Passage to Freedom

    Operation Passage to Freedom, the evacuation of 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from communist North Vietnam to South Vietnam following the end of the First Indochina War, ends.

  8. 1965

    Eli Cohen

    Israeli spy Eli Cohen is hanged in Damascus, Syria.

  9. 1980

    Mount St. Helens

    Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, United States, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.

  10. 2018

    Cubana de Aviación Flight 0972

    Cubana de Aviación Flight 972 crashes in Santiago de las Vegas after takeoff from José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba, killing 112 of the 113 people on board.

Famous birthday twins

Born on May 18

Pope John Paul II

b. 1920

Head of the Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005

Tina Fey

b. 1970

American actress, producer, and screenwriter

Rod Milburn

b. 1950

American hurdler and coach

Vincent du Vigneaud

b. 1901

American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Bertrand Russell

b. 1872

British mathematician, historian, and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate

Omar Khayyam

b. 1048

Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet

Jacques Santer

b. 1937

Luxembourger jurist and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Luxembourg

Nicholas II

b. 1868

of Russia

Deaths

  • 2013Lothar Schmid
  • 1941Werner Sombart
  • 1911Gustav Mahler
  • 1733Georg Böhm
  • 1410Rupert, King of the Romans
  • 947Emperor Taizong of Liao

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Blandine Merten
  • —Christian feast day: Eric IX of Sweden
  • —Christian feast day: Felix of Cantalice
  • —Christian feast day: Pope John I
  • —Christian feast day: Venantius of Camerino
  • —Christian feast day: May 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • —Baltic Fleet Day (Russia)

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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