August 18
August 18 is the 231st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 135 days remain until the year's end. It falls in summer (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Leo.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On August 18 the Sun's declination is approximately +12.4°. At this latitude the Sun is north of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere longer days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a August 18.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Christian feast day: Agapitus of Palestrina
- Christian feast day: Alberto Hurtado
- Christian feast day: Daig of Inniskeen
- Christian feast day: Evan (or Inan)
- Christian feast day: Fiacre
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2019 — One hundred activists, officials, and other concerned citizens in Iceland hold a funeral for Okjökull glacier, which has completely melted after having once covered six square miles (15.5 km2). ↗(7 years ago)more
Iceland is a Nordic island country between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Europe and North America. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the region's westernmost and most sparsely populated country.
2017 — The Turku terror attack occurs in Finland when a knifeman kills two and injures eight. ↗(9 years ago)more
The 2017 Turku attack occurred on 18 August 2017 at around 16:02–16:05 (UTC+3) when 10 people were stabbed in central Turku, Southwest Finland. Two women were killed in the attack and eight people sustained injuries.
2011 — A terrorist attack on Israel's Highway 12 near the Egyptian border kills 16 and injures 40. ↗(15 years ago)more
On August 18, 2011, a series of cross-border attacks with parallel attacks and mutual cover was carried out in southern Israel on Highway 12 near the Egyptian border by a squad of presumably twelve militants in four groups.
2008 — The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, resigns under threat of impeachment. ↗(18 years ago)more
Pervez Musharraf was a Pakistani politician and a military officer who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. He overthrew Nawaz Sharif's government in the 1999 coup d'état and proclaimed himself the chief executive of Pakistan, under martial law.
2008 — War of Afghanistan: The Uzbin Valley ambush occurs. ↗(18 years ago)more
French International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops were ambushed by Afghan Taliban insurgents, with heavy casualties, in the Uzbin Valley outside the village of Spēṟ Kunday in the Surobi District of Kabul province in eastern Afghanistan on 18 August 2008.
2005 — A massive power blackout hits the Indonesian island of Java; affecting almost 100 million people, it is one of the largest and most widespread power outages in history. ↗(21 years ago)more
The 2005 Java–Bali Blackout was a power outage across Java and Bali on 18 August 2005, affecting some 100 million people.
2003 — One-year-old Zachary Turner is murdered in Newfoundland by his mother, who was awarded custody despite facing trial for the murder of Zachary's father. The case was documented in the film Dear Zachary and led to reform of Canada's bail laws. ↗(23 years ago)more
Zachary Andrew Turner was a Canadian child from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, who was killed by his mother, Shirley Jane Turner, in a murder–suicide. At the time, Shirley had been released on bail and awarded custody of the infant, even though she was in the process of being extradited to the United States to stand trial for the murder of Zachary...
1993 — American International Airways Flight 808 crashes at Leeward Point Field at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, injuring the three crew members. ↗(33 years ago)more
American International Airways Flight 808 was a cargo flight operated by American International Airways that crashed on 18 August 1993, while attempting to land at Leeward Point Field at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. All three crew members on board survived with serious injuries.
1989 — Leading presidential hopeful Luis Carlos Galán is assassinated near Bogotá in Colombia. ↗(37 years ago)more
Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento was a Colombian liberal politician and journalist who ran for the Presidency of Colombia on two occasions, the first time for the political movement New Liberalism that he founded in 1979.
1983 — Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 21 people and causing over US$1 billion in damage (1983 dollars). ↗(43 years ago)more
Hurricane Alicia was a small but powerful tropical cyclone that caused significant destruction in the Greater Houston area of Southeast Texas in August 1983. Although Alicia was a relatively small hurricane, its track over the rapidly growing metropolitan area contributed to its $3 billion damage toll, making it the costliest Atlantic hurricane at the time.
1977 — Steve Biko is arrested at a police roadblock under Terrorism Act No. 83 of 1967 in King William's Town, South Africa. He later dies from injuries sustained during this arrest, bringing attention to South Africa's apartheid policies. ↗(49 years ago)more
Bantu Stephen Biko OMSG was a South African anti-apartheid activist. Ideologically an African nationalist and African socialist, he was at the forefront of a grassroots anti-apartheid campaign known as the Black Consciousness Movement during the late 1960s and 1970s. His ideas were articulated in a series of articles published under the pseudonym Frank Talk.
1976 — The Korean axe murder incident in Panmunjom results in the deaths of two US Army officers. ↗(50 years ago)more
The Panmunjom axe murder incident, also known as the Korean axe atrocity incident, was the killing of two United Nations Command officers, Captain Arthur Bonifas and First Lieutenant Mark Barrett, by North Korean soldiers on August 18, 1976, in the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
Notable births
- 2006 — Summer McIntosh, Canadian swimmer ↗(20 years ago)
more
Summer Ann McIntosh is a Canadian competitive swimmer. She is a three-time Olympic champion, eight-time World Aquatics champion, and two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist. Noted for her strength in medley, freestyle and butterfly events, she is the world record holder in the 200 and 400 meter individual medley and 400 meter freestyle, and also holds ...
1999 — Cassius Stanley, American basketball player ↗(27 years ago)more
Cassius Jerome Stanley is an American professional basketball player for Šiauliai of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils.
1998 — Brian To'o, Australian-Samoan rugby league player ↗(28 years ago)more
Brian To'o is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League, New South Wales in the State of Origin series. Known for his strength, he is regarded as one of the best wingers in the NRL
1998 — Clairo, American singer-songwriter ↗(28 years ago)more
Claire Elizabeth Cottrill, known professionally as Clairo, is an American singer-songwriter.
1998 — Nick Fuentes, American far-right political commentator ↗(28 years ago)more
Nicholas Joseph Fuentes is an American far-right political commentator, live streamer, and influencer. He hosts the livestreamed show America First, where he has advanced white nationalism and white supremacy, Christian nationalism, beliefs associated with the incel subculture, misogyny, anti-LGBTQ views, and antisemitism, including Holocaust denial.
1997 — Josephine Langford, Australian actress ↗(29 years ago)more
Josephine Eliza Langford is an Australian actress best known for her starring role as Tessa Young in the After film series. She also portrayed Emma Cunningham in the Netflix film Moxie. She also played Zoey Miller in the Amazon Prime Video romcom The Other Zoey and Katy Gibson in Gigi & Nate.
Notable deaths
2024 — Ruth Johnson Colvin, American author and educator, founded ProLiteracy Worldwide (born 1916) ↗(2 years ago)more
Ruth Johnson Colvin was an American philanthropist who was the founder of the non-profit organization Literacy Volunteers of America, now called ProLiteracy Worldwide in Syracuse, New York, in 1962. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in December 2006.
2024 — Alain Delon, French-Swiss actor (born 1935) ↗(2 years ago)more
Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon was a French actor, film producer, screenwriter, singer, and businessman. Acknowledged as a cultural and cinematic leading man of the 20th century, Delon emerged as one of the foremost European actors of the late 1950s to the late 1980s, and became an international sex symbol.
2024 — Phil Donahue, American talk show host and producer (born 1935) ↗(2 years ago)more
Phillip John Donahue was an American media personality, writer, film producer, and the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show. The television program, later known simply as Donahue, was the first popular talk show to feature a format that included audience participation.
2023 — Lolita, the second-oldest orca in captivity (born ca. 1966) ↗(3 years ago)more
Lolita, also called Tokitae or Toki for short,, was a captive female orca of the southern resident population captured from the wild in September 1970 and displayed at the Miami Seaquarium in Florida. She was retired from performing and taken off public display in 2022, and subsequently died in August 2023.
2023 — Al Quie, American politician, 35th Governor of Minnesota (born 1923) ↗(3 years ago)more
Albert Harold "Al" Quie was an American politician and farmer from Minnesota. Quie served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Minnesota's 1st congressional district from 1958 to 1979 and as the 35th governor of Minnesota from 1979 to 1983.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (231) | 3 × 7 × 11 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (135) | 3^3 × 5 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 18082026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +12.44° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 59 days |