April 18

April 18 is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 257 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

Pre-1600

• 1025 – Bolesław I the Brave is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland.
• 1506 – The foundation stone of the new St. Peter's Basilica is laid in Rome by Pope Julius II.

1601–1900

• 1775 – American Revolutionary War: Paul Revere and William Dawes ride to warn the colonial militia of the advance of British troops, leading to the Battles of Lexington and Concord the following day.
• 1857 – The Spiritist Book, The Spirits' Book, is published in Paris by Allan Kardec, marking the foundation of Spiritism.

1901–present

• 1906 – The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fires kill an estimated 3,000 people and destroy over 80% of the city of San Francisco, California.
• 1942 – World War II: The Doolittle Raid is launched from the USS Hornet, marking the first American air raid to strike the Japanese archipelago.
• 1946 – The League of Nations is officially dissolved, transferring its assets and responsibilities to the newly formed United Nations.
• 1980 – Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) gains full independence from the United Kingdom, with Canaan Banana serving as the country's first President.
• 1996 – The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) establishes the International Day for Monuments and Sites, also known as World Heritage Day.

Births

Pre-1600

• 1480 – Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara and prominent figure of the Italian Renaissance (d. 1519).

1601–1900

• 1819 – Franz von Suppé, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1895).
• 1857 – Clarence Darrow, American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union (d. 1938).
• 1882 – Leopold Stokowski, English-American conductor (d. 1977).

1901–present

• 1928 – Howard S. Becker, American sociologist and author known for his work on labeling theory (d. 2023).
• 1947 – James Woods, American actor, voice actor, and producer.
• 1956 – Eric Roberts, American actor.
• 1970 – Saad Hariri, Lebanese-Saudi politician, former Prime Minister of Lebanon.
• 1971 – David Tennant, Scottish actor.

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 1161 – Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1090).

1601–1900

• 1853 – William R. King, 13th Vice President of the United States (b. 1786).
• 1873 – Justus von Liebig, German chemist and academic who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry (b. 1803).

1901–present

• 1955 – Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize laureate, and developer of the theory of relativity (b. 1879).
• 2012 – Dick Clark, American radio and television personality, best known for hosting American Bandstand (b. 1929).
• 2019 – Lyra McKee, Northern Irish journalist and author (b. 1990).

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day: Apollonius the Apologist.
• International Day for Monuments and Sites (World Heritage Day).
• Independence Day, celebrating the independence of Zimbabwe from the United Kingdom in 1980.
• Islamic Republic of Iran Army Day.
• Invention Day, celebrated in Japan to commemorate the patent system.