December 18
December 18 is the 353rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 13 days remain until the year's end. It falls in autumn (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Sagittarius.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On December 18 the Sun's declination is approximately -23.4°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter 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 December 18.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Christian feast day: Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Christian feast day: Flannán
- Christian feast day: Gatianus of Tours
- Christian feast day: O Adonai
- Christian feast day: Sebastian (Eastern Orthodox Church)
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2022 — Argentina win the FIFA World Cup final, defeating title holders France 4–2 on penalties following a 3–3 draw after extra time. ↗(4 years ago)more
The Argentina national football team, nicknamed la Albiceleste, represents Argentina in men's international football and is administered by the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino, the governing body of football in Argentina. It has been a member of FIFA since 1912 and a founding member of CONMEBOL since 1916.
2019 — The United States House of Representatives impeaches Donald Trump for the first time. ↗(7 years ago)more
Donald Trump, serving as the 45th president of the United States, was impeached for the first time on December 18, 2019; however, he was not removed from office. On that date, the House of Representatives adopted two articles of impeachment against Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
2017 — Amtrak Cascades passenger train 501, derailed near DuPont, Washington, a city in United States near Olympia, Washington killing six people, and injuring 70 others. ↗(9 years ago)more
The Amtrak Cascades is a passenger train route in the Pacific Northwest, operated by Amtrak in partnership with the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. It is named after the Cascade mountain range that the route parallels.
2015 — Kellingley Colliery, the last deep coal mine in Great Britain, closes. ↗(11 years ago)more
Kellingley Colliery, known affectionately as the 'Big K', was a deep coal mine in North Yorkshire, England, 3.6 miles (5.8 km) east of Ferrybridge power station. It was owned and operated by UK Coal.
2006 — The first of a series of floods strikes Malaysia. The death toll of all flooding is at least 118, with over 400,000 people displaced. ↗(20 years ago)more
The 2006–2007 Southeast Asian floods were a series of floods that mostly affected Malaysia from 18 December 2006 to 13 January 2007. The floods were caused by above average rainfall, which was attributed to Typhoon Utor (2006) which had hit the Philippines and Vietnam a few days earlier.
2006 — United Arab Emirates holds its first-ever elections. ↗(20 years ago)more
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), also known simply as the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, situated at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal semi-constitutional monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as its national capital. The UAE borders Oman to the east and northeast, and Saudi Arabia to the southwest.
2005 — The Chadian Civil War begins when rebel groups, allegedly backed by neighbouring Sudan, launch an attack in Adré. ↗(21 years ago)more
The Chadian Civil War of 2005–2010 began on 18 December 2005. Since its independence from France in 1960, Chad has been swamped by civil wars between the Arab-Muslims of the north and the Sub-Saharan-Christians of the south. As a result, leadership and presidency in Chad drifted back and forth between the Christian southerners and Muslim northerners.
2002 — California gubernatorial recall: Then Governor of California Gray Davis announces that the state would face a record budget deficit of $35 billion, roughly double the figure reported during his reelection campaign one month earlier. ↗(24 years ago)more
The 2003 California gubernatorial recall election was a special election permitted under California state law. It resulted in voters replacing incumbent Democratic Governor Gray Davis with Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican. The recall effort spanned the latter half of 2003.
1999 — NASA launches into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth Observation instruments, including ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT. ↗(27 years ago)more
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the United States' civil space program and for research in aeronautics and space. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NASA operates ten field centers across the U.S.
1995 — A Lockheed L-188 Electra crashes in Jamba, Cuando, Angola, killing 141 people. ↗(31 years ago)more
The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. First flown in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner built in the United States. With its fairly high power-to-weight ratio, huge propellers and very short wings resulting in the majority of the wingspan being enveloped in propwash, large Fowler flaps which significa...
1981 — First flight of the Russian heavy strategic bomber Tu-160, the world's largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft and largest variable-sweep wing aircraft built. ↗(45 years ago)more
Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry and longest range of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the largest and most powerful military aircraft at any point in time.
1977 — United Airlines Flight 2860 crashes near Kaysville, Utah, killing all three crew members on board. ↗(49 years ago)more
United Airlines Flight 2860 was a scheduled domestic cargo flight in the United States from San Francisco, California, to Chicago, Illinois, with an intermediate stop added at Salt Lake City, Utah. On December 18, 1977, operated by one of the airline's Douglas DC-8 Jet Traders, registration N8047U, the flight was in a holding pattern in Utah and crashed i...
Notable births
2002 — Syd Hartha, Filipino singer-songwriter ↗(24 years ago)more
Sonia del Rosario, known professionally as Syd Hartha, is a Filipino singer-songwriter. She released her debut extended play (EP) Gabay, released on March 22, 2023, which features the tracks "Kung Nag-aatubili" and "3:15". She is currently signed under Sony Music Philippines.
2002 — Giuliano Simeone, Argentine footballer ↗(24 years ago)more
Giuliano Simeone Baldini is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a right midfielder for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Argentina national team.
2001 — Billie Eilish, American singer ↗(25 years ago)more
Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell is an American singer-songwriter. Eilish first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single "Ocean Eyes" which was released on SoundCloud and written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell.
2001 — Jalen Johnson, American basketball player ↗(25 years ago)more
Jalen Tyrese Johnson is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. Johnson was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the best forwards in the 2020 class.
2000 — Jayden Daniels, American football player ↗(26 years ago)more
Jayden Daniels is an American professional football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Daniels played three seasons of college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils and two with the LSU Tigers.
2000 — Korapat Kirdpan, Thai actor and singer ↗(26 years ago)more
Korapat Kirdpan, nicknamed Nanon, is a Thai actor, singer and model. He began his career as a child actor and has appeared in numerous television dramas and series. Korapat is known for his roles in productions such as Senior Secret Love (2016), My Dear Loser (2017), The Gifted (2018), Blacklist (2019), The Gifted: Graduation (2020), Bad Buddy Series (202...
Notable deaths
2025 — Jim Hunt, American politician, 69th and 71st Governor of North Carolina (born 1937) ↗(1 years ago)more
James Baxter Hunt Jr. was an American politician and attorney who was the 69th and 71st governor of North Carolina. He was the longest-serving governor in the state's history.
- 2025 — Osman Hadi, Bangladeshi politician and activist (born 1993) ↗(1 years ago)
more
Sharif Osman Bin Hadi was a Bangladeshi political and cultural activist, writer and a teacher. He was the co-founder and spokesperson of Inqilab Moncho. After the July Uprising, he became a prominent figure in youth-led movements, noted for his opposition to what he termed "Indian hegemony in Bangladesh", his advocacy regarding the July martyrs, and his p...
2024 — Slim Dunlap, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1951) ↗(2 years ago)more
Robert Bruce "Slim" Dunlap was an American rock musician. He was a Minnesota-based guitarist and singer-songwriter who was best known as a member of the Replacements from 1987 to 1991, replacing original lead guitarist Bob Stinson. Dunlap also recorded two solo albums in the mid-1990s.
2024 — John Marsden, Australian writer (born 1950) ↗(2 years ago)more
John Marsden was an Australian writer and teacher. He wrote more than 40 books in his career, including his young adult novel Tomorrow, When the War Began, which began a series of seven books.
2021 — Sayaka Kanda, Japanese actress and singer (born 1986) ↗(5 years ago)more
Sayaka Kanda , also known professionally as Sayaka, Lily, and Jun Uehara , was a Japanese actress, singer, and model. She was the only child of actor Masaki Kanda and pop singer Seiko Matsuda.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (353) | 353 · prime |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (13) | 13 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 18122026 · next palindrome year: 2181 |
| Sun declination | -23.43° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 2 days |