NASA Astronaut Corps
NASA Astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch take part in the first all-female spacewalk when they venture out of the International Space Station to replace a power controller.
What happened on October 18
35 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 320 to 2025.
Standout on October 18
2019
NASA Astronaut Corps
NASA Astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch take part in the first all-female spacewalk when they venture out of the International Space Station to replace a power controller.
About October 18
October 18 is the 291st day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 291 of 365 (292 in leap years)74 days left in the year (74 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Sunday in 2026, Monday in 2027, Wednesday in 2028, Thursday in 2029, Friday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 42 of 2026 · Q4
- Zodiac sign
- ♎ Libra (September 23 – October 22)
- Season
- Autumn in the north · Spring in the south
- October birthstone
- Opal / Tourmalinehope, creativity and confidence
- October birth flower
- Marigold / Cosmoswarmth, creativity and harmony
- Next occurrence
- In 356 days
- Roman numerals
- XVIII.Xday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 30thTerance Mann1996
- 5thColin Powell2021
- 1stSam Rivers (bassist)2025
- 1stSuicide of Lia Smith2025
- 1stYang Chen-Ning2025
Born on October 18 — ages this year
- 2000Sophie Thatcherturns 26
- 1998Janalynn Castelinoturns 28
- 1996Terance Mannturns 30
- 1994Pascal Wehrleinturns 32
- 1994Enhō Yūyaturns 32
- 1993Ivan Cavaleiroturns 33
Historical events 35
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Social Outburst (Chile)
Riots in Chile's capital Santiago escalate into open battles, with attacks reported at nearly all of the city's 164 Metro stations. President Sebastián Piñera later announces a 15-day state of emergency in the capital.
Santiago
Protests in Santiago that started 11 days prior escalated into open battle against the Chilean national police, forcing President Sebastián Piñera to declare a state of emergency.
2007 Karsaz bombing
Karachi bombing: A suicide attack on a motorcade carrying former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto kills 139 and wounds 450 more. Bhutto herself is uninjured.
Bolivian gas war
Bolivian gas conflict: Bolivian President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada is forced to resign and leave Bolivia.
Nihilism (collection)
Nihilism, the first professional runway show from the British designer Alexander McQueen, was staged in London.
Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 5601
Merpati Nustantara Airlines Flight 5601 crashes into Mount Papandayan near the town of Garut in West Java, Indonesia, killing 31.
Azerbaijan
The Supreme Council of Azerbaijan adopts a declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
Space Shuttle Atlantis
The Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-34 to deploy the Jupiter-bound Galileo space probe.
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) begins allowing people to have home satellite earth stations without a federal government license.
Henrik Igityan National Centre for Aesthetics
Based on the world's first children's art museum, the Henrik Igityan National Centre for Aesthetics opened in Yerevan.
German Autumn
German Autumn: A set of events revolving around the kidnapping of Hanns Martin Schleyer and the hijacking of a Lufthansa flight by the Red Army Faction (RAF) comes to an end when Schleyer is murdered and various RAF members allegedly commit suicide.
1968 Summer Olympics
At the Summer Olympics in Mexico City, American athlete Bob Beamon (pictured) achieved a distance of 8.90 m (29.2 ft) in the long jump event, setting a world record that stood for 23 years.
Soviet Union
The Soviet probe Venera 4 reaches Venus and becomes the first spacecraft to measure the atmosphere of another planet.
Venera 4
The Soviet space probe Venera 4 became the first spacecraft to perform direct in situ analysis of the environment of another planet (Venus).
Félicette
The first cat in space, later known as Félicette, launched aboard a French Véronique rocket.
Regency TR-1
Texas Instruments announces the Regency TR-1, the first mass-produced transistor radio.
Venezuela
A group of the Venezuelan Armed Forces, led by Mario Vargas, Marcos Pérez Jiménez and Carlos Delgado Chalbaud, stages a coup d'état against president Isaías Medina Angarita, who is overthrown by the end of the day.
Argentina
Argentine military officer and politician Juan Perón marries actress Eva Duarte.
Soviet Union
The USSR's nuclear program receives plans for the United States plutonium bomb from Klaus Fuchs at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Erwin Rommel
World War II: The state funeral of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel takes place in Ulm, Germany.
World War II
World War II: Soviet Union begins the liberation of Czechoslovakia from Nazi Germany.
Pere Areny
Pere Areny, convicted of the murder of his brother, became the last person to be executed by Andorra.
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council overrules the Supreme Court of Canada in Edwards v. Canada when it declares that women are considered "Persons" under Canadian law.
British Broadcasting Company
The British Broadcasting Company (later Corporation) is founded by a consortium, to establish a nationwide network of radio transmitters to provide a national broadcasting service.
Robert Burns Memorial Statue (Fredericton)
The Robert Burns Memorial Statue, the first public statue erected in New Brunswick, was dedicated in Fredericton.
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (pictured) conducted the premiere of his Double Concerto, composed for violinist Joseph Joachim and cellist Robert Hausmann.
Renton F.C.
Renton defeated Kilmarnock 2–0 in the opening match of the inaugural Scottish Cup.
American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War: In an act of retaliation against ports that supported Patriot activities in the early stages of the war, the Royal Navy destroyed what is now Portland, Maine.
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession ended with the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.
Filipinos
Filipino sailors disembarked from the Manila galleon Nuestra Señora de Buena Esperanza in what is now Morro Bay, California, the first documented instance of Asians in the Americas.
Samurai
The first recorded naval battle between Europeans and the Japanese occurred when a flotilla of samurai attacked two Portuguese trade vessels at the Battle of Fukuda Bay in Nagasaki.
1356 Basel earthquake
The most significant earthquake to have occurred in Central Europe in recorded history destroyed Basel, Switzerland.
Byzantine–Norman wars
Byzantine–Norman wars: Robert Guiscard led an invasion of the Byzantine Empire, capturing Dyrrhachium in present-day Albania.
Pappus of Alexandria
Pappus of Alexandria, one of the last great Greek mathematicians of antiquity, observed an eclipse that allowed historians to calculate the approximate dates of his life.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Bristol Palin
Bristol Palin, American public speaker and reality television personality
Laci Green
Laci Green, American YouTube personality, video blogger, sex educator, and activist
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Ginés González García
Ginés González García, Argentine politician and physician (born 1945)
Harvey Wollman
Harvey Wollman, American politician, 26th Governor of South Dakota (born 1935)
Colin Powell
Colin Powell, American military leader and statesman, 65th Secretary of State (born 1937)
Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab
Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab, 5th President of the Sudan (born 1934)
Lisbeth Palme
Lisbeth Palme, Swedish child psychologist, former chairwoman of UNICEF (born 1931)
Paul West (writer, born 1930)
Paul West, English-American author, poet, and academic (born 1930)
Mariano Lebrón Saviñón
Mariano Lebrón Saviñón, Dominican author and academic (born 1922)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Alaska Day
Alaska Day (Alaska, United States)
Day of Restoration of Independence (Azerbaijan)
Day of Restoration of Independence (Azerbaijan), celebrates the independence of Azerbaijan from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Isaac Jogues
Christian feast day: Isaac Jogues
Luke the Evangelist
Christian feast day: Luke the Evangelist
Asclepiades of Antioch
Christian feast day: Asclepiades of Antioch
October 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian feast day: October 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Peter of Alcántara
Christian feast day: Peter of Alcantara, can also be celebrated on October 19.
Necktie
Necktie Day (Croatia)
Spread across the centuries
- 4th century1
- 11th century1
- 14th century1
- 16th century2
- 18th century2
- 19th century2
- 20th century41
- 21st century25
Earliest: Pappus of Alexandria (320). Most recent: Sam Rivers (bassist) (2025).
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 October 18
What day of the year is October 18?
October 18 is the 291st day of the year, with 74 days left after it.
What star sign is October 18?
October 18 falls under Libra (September 23 – October 22), a air sign ruled by Venus. The birthstone for the month is Opal or Tourmaline.
How many things happened on October 18?
We record 83 entries for October 18: 35 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 320 to 2025.
Who was born on October 18?
Sophie Thatcher (2000) is among the notable births on October 18. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the October 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 October 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.