Historical eventDecember 181957

Tornado outbreak sequence of December 18–20, 1957

A violent F5 tornado wipes out the entire community of Sunfield, Illinois.

Everything on December 18Original source

In context

When
Wednesday, December 18 195769 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1950s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1957.

What happened

A violent F5 tornado wipes out the entire community of Sunfield, Illinois.

December 18 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1957Tornado outbreak sequence of December 18–20, 1957
  2. 1999NASA
  3. 20022003 California gubernatorial recall election
  4. 2005Chadian Civil War (2005–2010)
  5. 20062006–2007 Southeast Asian floods
  6. 2006United Arab Emirates
  7. 2015Kellingley Colliery
  8. 2017Amtrak Cascades
  9. 2019First impeachment of Donald Trump
  10. 2022Argentina national football team
  11. 20232023 Serbian election protests

Also in 1957

  • September 9Dwight D. EisenhowerU.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first civil rights bill since Reconstruction.
  • October 14Turia (river)After three days of heavy rain, the Turia overflowed and flooded the city of Valencia, Spain, causing at least 81 deaths.
  • October 3Superior Courts of CaliforniaThe California State Superior Court rules that the book Howl and Other Poems is not obscene.
  • September 4Orval FaubusGovernor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to prevent nine African-American students from attending Little Rock Central H…
  • September 4Civil rights movementAmerican Civil Rights Movement: Little Rock Crisis: The governor of Arkansas calls out the National Guard to prevent African American stu…
  • May 1Vickers VC.1 VikingA Vickers VC.1 Viking crashes while attempting to return to Blackbushe Airport in Yateley, killing 34.
  • January 5United States CongressIn a speech given to the United States Congress, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces the establishment of what will la…
  • January 1Lèse-majesté in ThailandThe revised Thai criminal code came into force, strengthening the law on lèse-majesté in Thailand to include insult and treating it as a…

Everything we record for 1957 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Tornado outbreak sequence of December 18–20, 1957”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/tornado-outbreak-sequence-of-december-18-20-1957-1957-december-18, accessed October 27, 2026.

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Questions about this entry

When did Tornado outbreak sequence of December 18–20, 1957 happen?

December 18 1957 — 69 years ago, on a Wednesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

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Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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