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June 18 has witnessed some of the most pivotal moments in world history, from the fall of an emperor to a giant leap for women in space.
On This Date
In 1812, President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain, launching the War of 1812, which arose largely from American grievances over British maritime practices during the Napoleonic Wars.
In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte suffered defeat at the Battle of Waterloo at the hands of the Duke of Wellington, bringing an end to the Napoleonic era of European history.
In 1873, suffragette Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election. Standing before the judge, she declared she would “never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty” — and she never did, turning the moment into a victory for the women’s suffrage movement.
In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Indian Reorganization Act, reversing decades of federal policy toward Native Americans and granting them a new degree of autonomy.
In 1940, Gen. Charles de Gaulle broadcast his historic “Appeal of June 18” from London, urging French soldiers and citizens to resist German occupation and declaring that while the battle for France was lost, the war was not over. It became the founding text of the French Resistance.
In 1948, Columbia Records introduced the 33⅓ rpm long-playing record album, allowing more than 20 minutes of music per side and forever changing how artists recorded and released music.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the SALT II arms limitation agreement in Vienna. The treaty, one of the most controversial U.S.-Soviet agreements of the Cold War, never formally went into effect after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan prompted Carter to withdraw.
In 1983, the space shuttle Challenger launched on its second mission carrying Dr. Sally Ride, who became the first American woman — and the youngest American — to travel into space.
In 2023, the experimental submersible Titan, operated by OceanGate, imploded during a deep-sea dive to view the wreck of the Titanic, killing all five people on board.
Notable Birthdays
Paul McCartney, the Beatles bassist and songwriter widely considered one of the most influential musicians in history, was born June 18, 1942, in Liverpool, England. He turns 84 today.
Blake Shelton, country music star and television personality, was born June 18, 1976.
Maria Sharapova, five-time Grand Slam tennis champion, was born June 18, 1987.
Igor Stravinsky, the Russian-born composer behind “The Rite of Spring” and “The Firebird,” was born June 18, 1882.
Notable Deaths
XXXTentacion, American rapper, died June 18, 2018, at age 20.
Big Van Vader, American professional wrestler known simply as Vader, died June 18, 2018, at age 63.
William Cobbett, the influential English journalist and political reformer who spent decades advocating for the rights of farm laborers and the poor, died June 18, 1835.
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