797
Politics
Becomes sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire
Irene became the first woman to rule the Byzantine Empire alone.
View detailsThis Day
18August
30 indexed achievements across recorded history.
1221
Science
First recorded designation as "Lady of Wales" (domina Walliae)
Joan was formally styled 'domina Walliae' (Lady of Wales) in an agreement with Llywelyn and their son Gruffudd — the earliest recorded use of this title for her.
View details1572
Politics
Wedding of Margaret of Valois and Henry of Navarre
Catherine's daughter Margaret married Henry of Navarre, intended to reconcile French sects.
View details1587
Exploration
Birth as first English child born in the New World
Virginia Dare was born as the first English child in the New World on Roanoke Island.
View details1747
Politics
Margaret marries Henry Fownes
Margaret's marriage to Henry Fownes on August 18, 1747, initiated significant restoration projects at Dunster Castle.
View details1765
Politics
Death of Francis I and beginning of co-regency with Joseph II
Began co-regency with Joseph II after Francis I's death on August 18, 1765.
View details1795
Science
Mass grant of 100,000 serfs in a single day
On 18 August 1795, Catherine grants approximately 100,000 serfs to favored nobles in a single day, illustrating the scale of serfdom under her reign.
View details1795
Politics
Mass grant of 100,000 serfs in a single day
On 18 August 1795, Catherine grants 100,000 serfs in one day to favored nobles, illustrating the vast scale of her patronage system.
View details1823
Medicine
Birth of Phoebe Yates Levy (Pember) in Charleston, South Carolina
Born August 18, 1823, in Charleston, South Carolina, into the prominent Jewish Levy family, later becoming a pioneering Civil War hospital matron and memoirist.
View details1882
Law
Royal Assent to the Married Women's Property Act 1882
The Married Women's Property Act received Royal Assent, granting married women independent legal ownership of property, a cause Butler long championed.
View details1885
Science
Birth of Janet Gertrude "Nettie" Higgins
Nettie Palmer (née Higgins) was born on 18 August 1885 in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.
View details1900
Politics
Birth of Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
Born in Allahabad, India, into the prominent Nehru family, sister of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister.
View details1901
Science
Onset of fatal yellow fever illness
On August 18, 1901, Clara Maass developed severe yellow fever after repeated experimental mosquito inoculations in Havana, Cuba.
View details1902
Activism
Birth of Margaret Murie
Margaret Murie was born on this day in Seattle, Washington.
View details1905
Arts
Birth of Margaret Gorman
Margaret Gorman was born in Washington, D.C., later becoming the first Miss America.
View details1920
Activism
Among the first women to register to vote in Boston after suffrage
On August 18, 1920, Mahony registered to vote in Boston after suffrage was achieved.
View details1920
Politics
Tennessee Becomes the 36th State to Ratify the Nineteenth Amendment
Tennessee's ratification provided the decisive 36th state needed, securing the constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote nationwide.
View details1920
Law
36th-state ratification (Tennessee) secures adoption threshold
Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment, securing national women’s suffrage in principle.
View details1920
Law
Over 26 million U.S. women become newly eligible voters
With Tennessee’s ratification, over twenty-six million American women became eligible to vote.
View details1921
Aviation
Birth of Lydia Litvyak in Moscow
Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak was born in Moscow, Russian SFSR, on August 18, 1921.
View details1925
Sports
First attempt to swim the English Channel
On August 18, 1925, Ederle made her first attempt to swim the English Channel, which she did not complete.
View details1934
Literature
Death of Delilah L. Beasley
Delilah L. Beasley, pioneering journalist and historian, died on August 18, 1934, in Oakland, California.
View details1937
Exploration
Commemorative half-dollar issued for 350th anniversary
A commemorative half-dollar was issued on the 350th anniversary of Virginia Dare's birth in 1937.
View details1937
Exploration
350th-anniversary commemorative stamp issued
The U.S. issued a stamp marking the 350th anniversary of Virginia Dare's birth in 1937.
View details1976
Science
U.S. commemorative postage stamp unveiled — first nurse honored on a U.S. stamp
A 13-cent U.S. postage stamp honoring Clara Maass was unveiled August 18, 1976, in Belleville, NJ; she was the first nurse so honored.
View details1976
Science
Unveiling of U.S. 13-cent Clara Maass commemorative stamp
On August 18, 1976, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a 13-cent Clara Maass stamp, making her the first nurse depicted on a U.S. postage stamp.
View details1980
Medicine
Death of Elizabeth Stern in Los Angeles, California
Elizabeth Stern died of cancer on August 18, 1980, in Los Angeles, California, ending a career that transformed cervical cancer research.
View details2012
Science
Wins first individual Olympic gold medal in the 200m at London 2012
Felix won her first individual Olympic gold medal in the women's 200m at the London 2012 Olympics on August 8, 2012.
View details2014
Science
Invited Lecture at the International Congress of Mathematicians 2014
Jill Pipher delivered an invited lecture at ICM 2014 in Seoul, South Korea, in the Harmonic Analysis section.
View details2021
Exploration
434th birthday celebration at Roanoke Island Festival Park
Roanoke Island Festival Park celebrated Virginia Dare's 434th birthday in 2021.
View details