August 18

Scott Winters August 18, 2025 1 Comment

A quick look at Today in History, check out some Celebrity Birthdays, and find out what Days of the Year to celebrate.

TODAY IN HISTORY:

1587 – Virginia Dare became the first child to be born on American soil to English parents.

1868 – French astronomer Pierre Janssen discovered helium.

1894 – Congress established the Bureau of Immigration.

1916 – Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace, Hodgenville, KY, was made into a national shrine.

1920 – Tennessee ratified the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote.

1933 – Baby Face Nelson robbed his first bank — in Grand Haven, MI.

1937 – The first FM radio construction permit was issued in Boston, MA. The station went on the air two years later.

1966 – The first pictures of earth taken from moon orbit were sent back to the U.S.

1969 – Jimi Hendrix performed his rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” and brought Woodstock to a close.

1977 – Funeral services for Elvis Presley were held at Graceland in Memphis, TN. There were 150 mourners inside and 75,000 outside. Eighteen white limousines and a white hearse traveled to the mausoleum where he was laid to rest. His body has since been moved back to Graceland next to his mother’s grave.

1982 – The volume on the New York Stock Exchange topped the 100-million level for the first time (132.69 million shares traded).

1982 – The longest baseball game played at Wrigley Field, in Chicago, IL. The game went 21 innings before the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cubs 2-1.

1992 – Larry Bird, after 13 years with the Boston Celtics, announced his retirement.

1997 – Beth Ann Hogan became the first coed in the Virginia Military Institute’s 158-year history.

1997 – Patrick Swayze received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2004 – Donald Trump unveiled his board game (TRUMP the Game) where players bid on real estate, buy big ticket items and make billion-dollar business deals.

2020 – The new Microsoft Flight Simulator was launched

BIRTHDAYS:

Roman Polanski – 92 a old (1933) – Director, screenwriter, actor, producer (“The Pianist”, “Rosemary’s Baby”, “Chinatown”, “Tess”)

Robert Redford – 89 a old (1936) – Actor, director, producer, Sundance Film Festival founder (“Ordinary People”, “The Sting”, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, “A River Runs Through It”, “The Company You Keep”, “The Horse Whisperer”, “Quiz Show”)

Dennis Elliot – 75 a old (1950) – Drummer (Foreigner)

Denis Leary – 68 a old (1957) – Actor, comedian (“A Bug’s Life”, “Ice Age”, “The Thomas Crown Affair”, “Wag the Dog”, TV’s “Rescue Me”)

Ron Strykert – 68 a old (1957) – Guitarist, vocalist (Men at Work)

Madeleine Stowe – 67 a old (1958) – Actress (“Bad Girls”, “The General’s Daughter”, “We Were Soldiers”)

Edward Norton – 56 a old (1969) – Actor (“American History X”, “Primal Fear”, “Birdman”, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, “Fight Club”, “The People Versus Larry Flint”)

Christian Slater – 56 a old (1969) – Actor (“Pump Up the Volume”, “True Romance”, TV’s “The Forgotten”, “My Own Worst Enemy”)

Malcolm-Jamal Warner – 55 a old (1970) – Actor, director (TV’s “The Cosby Show”, “Malcolm and Eddie”)

Andy Samberg – 47 a old (1978) – Actor (“I Love You, Man”, “Hot Rod”, TV’s “Saturday Night Live”, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”)

Mika Boorem – 38 a old (1987) – Actress (“Smile”, “Sleepover”, “Blue Crush”, TV’s “Dawson’s Creek”)

Frances Bean Cobain – 33 a old (1992) – Model, daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love

Maia Mitchell – 32 a old (1993) – Actress (Played Brittany Flune in TV’s “Mortified”, “Trapped” “The Fosters”, movies “Teen Beach Movie”, “Teen Beach 2”)