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On This Day

August 18

YEAR 2008

The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, resigns under threat of impeachment.

The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, resigns under threat of impeachment.

YEAR 1989

Leading presidential hopeful Luis Carlos Galán is assassinated near Bogotá in Colombia.

Leading presidential hopeful Luis Carlos Galán is assassinated near Bogotá in Colombia.

YEAR 1976

The Soviet Union's robotic probe Luna 24 successfully lands on the Moon.

The Soviet Union's robotic probe Luna 24 successfully lands on the Moon.

YEAR 1965

Vietnam War: Operation Starlite begins: United States Marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in the first major American gr...

Vietnam War: Operation Starlite begins: United States Marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in the first major American ground battle of the war.

YEAR 1963

Civil rights movement: James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

Civil rights movement: James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

YEAR 1958

Brojen Das from Bangladesh swims across the English Channel in a competition as the first Bengali and the first Asian to do so, placing first among th...

Brojen Das from Bangladesh swims across the English Channel in a competition as the first Bengali and the first Asian to do so, placing first among the 39 competitors.

YEAR 1945

Sukarno takes office as the first president of Indonesia, following the country's declaration of independence the previous day.

Sukarno takes office as the first president of Indonesia, following the country's declaration of independence the previous day.

YEAR 1940

World War II: The Hardest Day air battle, part of the Battle of Britain, takes place. At that point, it is the largest aerial engagement in history wi...

World War II: The Hardest Day air battle, part of the Battle of Britain, takes place. At that point, it is the largest aerial engagement in history with heavy losses sustained on both sides.

YEAR 1938

The Thousand Islands Bridge, connecting New York, United States, with Ontario, Canada, over the Saint Lawrence River, is dedicated by U.S. President F...

The Thousand Islands Bridge, connecting New York, United States, with Ontario, Canada, over the Saint Lawrence River, is dedicated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

YEAR 1933

The Volksempfänger is first presented to the German public at a radio exhibition; the presiding Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, delivers...

The Volksempfänger is first presented to the German public at a radio exhibition; the presiding Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, delivers an accompanying speech heralding the radio as the 'eighth great power'.

YEAR 1923

The first British Track and Field championships for women are held in London, Great Britain.

The first British Track and Field championships for women are held in London, Great Britain.

YEAR 1903

German engineer Karl Jatho allegedly flies his self-made, motored gliding airplane four months before the first flight of the Wright brothers.

German engineer Karl Jatho allegedly flies his self-made, motored gliding airplane four months before the first flight of the Wright brothers.

YEAR 1877

American astronomer Asaph Hall discovers Phobos, one of Mars's moons.

American astronomer Asaph Hall discovers Phobos, one of Mars's moons.

YEAR 1826

Major Gordon Laing becomes the first European to enter Timbuktu.

Major Gordon Laing becomes the first European to enter Timbuktu.

YEAR 1492

The first grammar of the Spanish language (Gramática de la lengua castellana) is presented to Queen Isabella I.

The first grammar of the Spanish language (Gramática de la lengua castellana) is presented to Queen Isabella I.