Discover what happened on July 18 in history as remarkable achievements, historic milestones, technological advances, and unforgettable moments helped shape the world we know today.
What Happened on July 18 in History?
Important events on this day include the founding of Intel, Nadia Comaneci earning the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics history, Detroit filing for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, the debut of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, and the premiere of The Dark Knight.
JULY 18 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1743 – “The New York Weekly Journal” published the first half-page newspaper ad.
1927 – Ty Cobb set a major league baseball record by getting his 4,000th career hit. He hit 4,191 before he retired in 1928.
1932 – The U.S. and Canada signed a treaty to develop the St. Lawrence Seaway.
1936 – The first Oscar Meyer Wienermobile rolled out of General Body Company’s factory in Chicago, IL.
1947 – President Harry Truman signed the Presidential Succession Act. The Act placed the Speaker of the House and the Senate President Pro Tempore next in the line of succession after the vice president.
1964 – Pete Rose, of the Cincinnati Reds, hit the only grand slam home run of his career.
1966 – Gemini 10 was launched from Cape Kennedy on a 70-hour mission that included docking with an orbiting Agena target vehicle.
1968 – Intel was founded in Mountain View, CA.
1969 – Ted Kennedy drove off a Chappaquiddick Island bridge, killing his passenger Mary Jo Kopechne
1976 – Nadia Comaneci became the first person in Olympic Games history to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics. She would end up getting six more perfect scores, three gold medals, a silver, and a bronze.
1984 – Beverly Lynn Burns became the first female Boeing 747 airline captain in the world.
1985 – At the age of 23, Jack Nicklaus II made his playing debut on the pro golf tour at the Quad Cities Open in Coal Valley, IL.
1986 – The movie “Aliens”, starring Sigourney Weaver, was released in theaters.
1990 – The movie “Arachnophobia” opened in theaters.
1994 – Crayola introduced 16 Magic Scent crayons. They smells included tulips, dirt, coconuts, and shampoo.
2001 – A train derailed, involving 60 cars, in a Baltimore train tunnel. The fire that resulted lasted for six days and closed down downtown Baltimore for several days.
2005 – The iTunes Music Store reached 500 million songs sold.
2008 – The movie “Mamma Mia!” premiered in theaters.
2008 – The movie “The Dark Knight”, starring Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger as the Joker, premiered in theaters.
2013 – The Government of Detroit, MI, with up to $20 billion in debt, filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. History.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON JULY 18:
Baddiewinkle – 98 years old (1928) – Internet personality
Tenley Albright – 91 years old (1935) – Former figure skater and physician
Dion DiMucci – 87 years old (1939) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Jerry Moore – 87 years old (1939) – Football player and coach
James Brolin – 86 years old (1940) – Actor
Joe Torre – 86 years old (1940) – Baseball player, manager, and executive
Martha Reeves – 85 years old (1941) – Singer and politician
Joseph J. Ellis – 83 years old (1943) – Historian and author
Steve Forbes – 79 years old (1947) – Publisher and politician
Carlos Colón Sr. – 78 years old (1948) – Puerto Rican-American wrestler and promoter
Jack Dongarra – 76 years old (1950) – Computer scientist and academic
Shahid Khan – 76 years old (1950) – Pakistani-American businessman and sports executive
Mark Udall – 76 years old (1950) – Educator and politician
Margo Martindale – 75 years old (1951) – Actress
Ricky Skaggs – 72 years old (1954) – Singer-songwriter, mandolin player, and producer
Elizabeth McGovern – 65 years old (1961) – Actress
Wendy Williams – 62 years old (1964) – Talk show host
Dan O'Brien – 60 years old (1966) – Decathlete and coach
Vin Diesel – 59 years old (1967) – Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Elizabeth Gilbert – 57 years old (1969) – Author
Penny Hardaway – 55 years old (1971) – Basketball player and coach
Joe Russo – 55 years old (1971) – Director, producer and screenwriter
Torii Hunter – 51 years old (1975) – Baseball player
Daron Malakian – 51 years old (1975) – Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
Crystal Mangum – 48 years old (1978) – Murderer responsible for making false rape allegations in the Duke lacrosse case
Ben Sheets – 48 years old (1978) – Baseball player and coach
Deion Branch – 47 years old (1979) – Football player
Joey Mercury – 47 years old (1979) – Wrestler and producer
Kristen Bell – 46 years old (1980) – Actress
David Blu – 46 years old (1980) – American–Israeli basketball player
Ryan Cabrera – 44 years old (1982) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Aaron Gillespie – 43 years old (1983) – Singer-songwriter and drummer
Ben Askren – 42 years old (1984) – Mixed martial artist and boxer
Chace Crawford – 41 years old (1985) – Actor
Mandy Rose – 35 years old (1991) – Wrestler and television personality
Bam Adebayo – 29 years old (1997) – Basketball player
Noah Lyles – 29 years old (1997) – Sprinter
Sarah Kinsley – 26 years old (2000) – Singer-songwriter
Caleb Wilson – 20 years old (2006) – Basketball player
Cameron Boozer – 19 years old (2007) – Basketball player
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR JULY 18:
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
