✦ DateLore

On This Day · The 138th day of the year

May 18

A look at May 18 through the almanac — historic events, famous birthdays including Pope John Paul II and Tina Fey, and the day's notable deaths and observances.

♉ZodiacTaurus ◈BirthstoneEmerald ❀Birth flowerLily of the Valley
Advertisement 728 × 90 leaderboard

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 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.

    2018 aviation accident in
  2. 1980

    Mount St. Helens

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

    Volcano in Washington, U.S.
  3. 1965

    Eli Cohen

    Israeli spy Eli Cohen is hanged in Damascus, Syria.

    Israeli spy (1924–1965)
  4. 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.

    Relocation of people from
  5. 1944

    Deportation of the Crimean Tatars

    Deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union.

    1944 Soviet ethnic cleansing
  6. 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.

    1914–1918 global conflict
  7. 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.

    1861–1865 conflict in the
  8. 1695

    1695 Linfen earthquake

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

    Earthquake in China
  9. 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.

    1388 battle between Ming
  10. 1302

    Matins of Bruges

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

    1302 massacre in Bruges
Advertisement Responsive in-content unit

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, German chess player
  • 1941Werner Sombart, German economist and sociologist
  • 1911Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer and conductor
  • 1733Georg Böhm, German organist and composer
  • 1410Rupert, King of the Romans, Count Palatine of the Rhine
  • 947Emperor Taizong of Liao, Liao dynasty emperor of China from 927 to 947

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)

Born on this day?

Make your birthday card.

Drop in your birth year and we'll work out your exact age, the day of the week you were born, your Chinese zodiac, your generation, and the countdown to your next candle.