Iceland
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).
What happened on August 18
38 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 684 to 2026.
Standout on August 18
2019
Iceland
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).
About August 18
August 18 is the 230th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 230 of 365 (231 in leap years)135 days left in the year (135 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Tuesday in 2026, Wednesday in 2027, Friday in 2028, Saturday in 2029, Sunday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 34 of 2026 · Q3
- Zodiac sign
- ♌ Leo (July 23 – August 22)
- Season
- Summer in the north · Winter in the south
- August birthstone
- Peridot / Spinel / Sardonyxstrength, good fortune and calm
- August birth flower
- Gladiolus / Poppystrength of character and remembrance
- Next occurrence
- In 295 days
- Roman numerals
- XVIII.VIIIday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 60thBattle of Long Tan1966
- 60thVietnam War1966
- 50thPanmunjom axe murder incident1976
- 50thSoviet Union1976
- 20thSummer McIntosh2006
- 10thErnst Nolte2016
August 18 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Ernst Nolte
- 25 years ago2001
- Nothing recorded
- 50 years ago1976
- Soviet Union · Panmunjom axe murder incident
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on August 18 — ages this year
- 2006Summer McIntoshturns 20
- 2004Kevin McGonigleturns 22
- 2002Bart Verbruggenturns 24
- 1999Cassius Stanleyturns 27
- 1998Brian To'oturns 28
- 1998Clairoturns 28
Historical events 38
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
2017 Turku attack
The Turku terror attack occurs in Finland when a knifeman kills two and injures eight.
Asylum seeker
Two people were fatally stabbed and eight others wounded by a rejected asylum seeker in an Islamist terrorist attack in Turku, Finland.
2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks
A terrorist attack on Israel's Highway 12 near the Egyptian border kills 16 and injures 40.
Uzbin Valley ambush
War of Afghanistan: The Uzbin Valley ambush occurs.
Pervez Musharraf
Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf resigned under pressure from a movement to impeach him.
2005 Java–Bali blackout
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.
Murders of Andrew Bagby and Zachary Turner
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.
American International Airways Flight 808
American International Airways Flight 808 crashes at Leeward Point Field at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, injuring the three crew members.
Luis Carlos Galán
Leading presidential hopeful Luis Carlos Galán is assassinated near Bogotá in Colombia.
Hurricane Alicia
Hurricane Alicia made landfall near Galveston, Texas, causing $3 billion in damage and 21 fatalities.
Steve Biko
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.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union's robotic probe Luna 24 successfully lands on the Moon.
Panmunjom axe murder incident
The Korean axe murder incident in Panmunjom results in the deaths of two US Army officers.
Aeroflot Flight A-13
Aeroflot Flight A-13 crashes after takeoff from Baku-Bina International Airport in Azerbaijan, killing 56 people and injuring eight.
Vietnam
Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam.
Battle of Long Tan
Vietnam War: The Battle of Long Tan ensues after a patrol from the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment clashes with a Viet Cong force in Phước Tuy Province.
Vietnam War
Vietnam War: Members of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment were surrounded by a much larger Viet Cong unit at the Battle of Long Tan (helicopter pictured), but held them off for several hours until reinforcements arrived.
Vietnam War
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.
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
East German Communist Party member Hildegard Trabant was killed while attempting to cross the Berlin Wall.
Civil rights movement
Civil rights movement: James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.
Brojen Das
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.
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita is published in the United States.
Fifth Test, 1948 Ashes series
Australia won the fifth Test of the 1948 Ashes series, becoming the first Test cricket team to go undefeated in England, earning them the nickname "The Invincibles".
World War II
World War II: Amid a Soviet invasion of Japanese-held Sakhalin, Japanese police massacred 18 Koreans in Kamishisuka.
World War II
Second World War: During the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe made an all-out effort to destroy RAF Fighter Command, with both sides combined losing more aircraft on this day than at any other point during the campaign.
Blackwater Fire of 1937
A lightning strike started the Blackwater Fire (pictured) in Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming, consuming 1,700 acres (7 km2) of old-growth forest and killing 15 firefighters.
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage in the country.
Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War: British motor torpedo boats raided the Bolshevik Baltic Fleet's home base of Kronstadt, sinking a depot ship and damaging a battleship.
1891 Martinique hurricane
A hurricane struck the Caribbean island of Martinique, killing about 700 people, injuring at least 1,000 others, and causing severe damage.
Asaph Hall
American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered Phobos, the larger of Mars's two moons, six days after discovering Deimos, the smaller one.
American Civil War
American Civil War: At the Battle of Globe Tavern, Union forces attempted to sever the Weldon Railroad during the siege of Petersburg.
Demerara rebellion of 1823
At least 9,000 enslaved people rebelled in the British colony in Demerara-Essequibo (in present-day Guyana), demanding emancipation.
Meteor procession
A meteor procession blazed across the night sky over Great Britain.
Pendle witches
The trials of the Pendle and Samlesbury witches (statue pictured), among the most famous of England's witch trials, began at the assizes in Lancaster.
John White (colonist and artist)
John White, governor of the Roanoke Colony, the first English settlement in North America (located in present-day North Carolina), returned after a three-year absence to find it deserted (depicted).
Reconquista
Reconquista: After a four-month siege, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain conquered the city of Málaga from the Emirate of Granada.
Second Fitna
Second Fitna: Umayyad partisans defeated the supporters of Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr near Damascus, cementing Umayyad control of Syria.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Ruth Johnson Colvin
Ruth Johnson Colvin, American author and educator, founded ProLiteracy Worldwide (born 1916)
Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan, Ghanaian diplomat and seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations (born 1938)
Roger Smalley
Roger Smalley, English-Australian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1943)
Gordon Faber
Gordon Faber, American soldier and politician, 39th Mayor of Hillsboro, Oregon (born 1930)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Alberto Hurtado
Christian feast day: Alberto Hurtado
Agapitus of Palestrina
Christian feast day: Agapitus of Palestrina
Daig
Christian feast day: Daig of Inniskeen
Saint Inan
Christian feast day: Evan (or Inan)
Helena, mother of Constantine I
Christian feast day: Helena of Constantinople (Roman Catholic Church)
August 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian feast day: August 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Florus and Laurus
Christian feast day: Florus and Laurus
Saint Fiacre
Christian feast day: Fiacre
Spread across the centuries
- 7th century1
- 15th century1
- 16th century1
- 17th century1
- 18th century1
- 19th century4
- 20th century38
- 21st century31
Earliest: Second Fitna (684). Most recent: Bill Rasmussen (2026).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about August 18
What day of the year is August 18?
August 18 is the 230th day of the year, with 135 days left after it.
What star sign is August 18?
August 18 falls under Leo (July 23 – August 22), a fire sign ruled by Sun. The birthstone for the month is Peridot or Spinel or Sardonyx.
How many things happened on August 18?
We record 86 entries for August 18: 38 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 684 to 2026.
Who was born on August 18?
Summer McIntosh (2006) is among the notable births on August 18. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the August 18 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like August 18
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.