# On this day: March 18

March 18 is the 77th day of the year (78th in leap years), with 288 days left until the end of the year.

## March 18 in one line

Headline entries for March 18, from Wikipedia: in 1921, Russian Civil War: Bolshevik forces suppressed a rebellion of sailors and civilians in Kronstadt; born 1837: Grover Cleveland, American lawyer and politician, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (died 1908); died 1980: Erich Fromm, German psychologist and philosopher (born 1900). In 2026 it is a Wednesday, in 2027 a Thursday.

## Events on March 18

- 363 A fire began in Rome that resulted in the destruction of the Temple of Apollo Palatinus. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Apollo_Palatinus)
- 1241 First Mongol invasion of Poland: Mongol forces defeated the Polish armies of Sandomierz and Kraków at the Battle of Chmielnik. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chmielnik)
- 1277 Charles I of Anjou acquired a claim on the Kingdom of Jerusalem in exchange for a significant sum of money. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_Anjou)
- 1608 Susenyos I was formally crowned Emperor of Ethiopia. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susenyos_I)
- 1793 Andreas Joseph Hofmann proclaimed the Republic of Mainz, becoming the first republican state in Germany. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Joseph_Hofmann)
- 1838 The British soldier-explorer John Wood came close to rediscovering the ancient Greco-Bactrian city of Ai-Khanoum in modern Afghanistan. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ai-Khanoum)
- 1871 Declaration of the Paris Commune; President of the French Republic, Adolphe Thiers, orders the evacuation of Paris. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune)
- 1892 Canadian governor general Lord Stanley of Preston pledged to donate an award to Canada's top-ranked amateur ice hockey club, now known as the Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Cup)
- 1901 The construction of the House with Chimaeras commenced in Kyiv. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_with_Chimaeras)
- 1906 Romanian inventor Traian Vuia became the first person to fly a heavier-than-air monoplane with an unassisted takeoff. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traian_Vuia)
- 1915 First World War: In one of the largest naval battles of the Gallipoli campaign, Ottoman forces sank three Allied battleships and severely damaged three others. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_operations_in_the_Dardanelles_campaign)
- 1921 Russian Civil War: Bolshevik forces suppressed a rebellion of sailors and civilians in Kronstadt. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kronstadt_rebellion)
- 1925 The deadliest tornado in U.S. history spawned in Missouri and traveled more than 219 miles (352 km) across Illinois and Indiana, leaving one of the longest continuous tornado tracks ever recorded. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1925_Tri-State_tornado)
- 1944 Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupts, killing 26 people, causing thousands to flee their homes, and destroying dozens of Allied bombers. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Vesuvius)
- 1959 Tibetan uprising: After the 14th Dalai Lama sought refuge at Sera Monastery in Lhasa, Tibet, Chinese forces bombarded the monastery, inflicting severe destruction and killing hundreds of Buddhist monks. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sera_Monastery)
- 1965 Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov ventured outside the Soviet spacecraft Voskhod 2, becoming the first person to walk in space. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Leonov)
- 1969 Vietnam War: The United States began secretly bombing the Sihanouk Trail in Cambodia, used by communist forces to infiltrate South Vietnam. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sihanouk_Trail)
- 1970 U.S. postal workers began an eight-day strike after Congress raised their wages by only 4 percent despite increasing its own pay by 41 percent. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_United_States_postal_strike)
- 1977 The punk group the Clash released their first single, "White Riot", described as their "most controversial song" due to its lyrics about class economics and race. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Riot)
- 1985 The first episode of the soap opera Neighbours was broadcast on the Seven Network, later becoming the longest-running drama in Australian television history. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighbours)
- 1990 Unidentified thieves stole thirteen works of art collectively valued at $500 million from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Stewart_Gardner_Museum_theft)
- 1996 The deadliest fire in Philippine history broke out at a nightclub in Quezon City, causing 162 deaths. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_Disco_fire)
- 2005 As per a court order, the feeding tube of Terri Schiavo, an American woman who suffered brain damage, was removed at the request of her husband, fueling a worldwide debate on euthanasia. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Schiavo_case)
- 2014 The parliaments of Russia and Crimea sign an accession treaty. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Russian_annexation_of_Crimea)
- 2015 Gunmen attacked the Bardo National Museum in Tunisia, killing 24 people. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo_National_Museum_attack)
- 2019 Syrian civil war: The U.S. Air Force carried out an airstrike in al-Baghuz Fawqani, killing as many as 80, a disputed number of whom were civilians. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_U.S._airstrike_in_Baghuz)

## Born on March 18

- 1495 Mary Tudor, Queen of France (died 1533) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Tudor%2C_Queen_of_France)
- 1609 Frederick III of Denmark (died 1670) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_III_of_Denmark)
- 1782 John C. Calhoun, American lawyer and politician, 7th Vice President of the United States (died 1850) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Calhoun)
- 1813 Christian Friedrich Hebbel, German poet and playwright (died 1864) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hebbel)
- 1828 Randal Cremer, English activist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1908) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randal_Cremer)
- 1837 Grover Cleveland, American lawyer and politician, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (died 1908) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grover_Cleveland)
- 1842 Stéphane Mallarmé, French poet and critic (died 1898) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St%C3%A9phane_Mallarm%C3%A9)
- 1844 Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer and academic (died 1908) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Rimsky-Korsakov)
- 1858 Rudolf Diesel, German engineer, invented the Diesel engine (died 1913) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Diesel)
- 1869 Neville Chamberlain, English businessman and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1940) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Chamberlain)
- 1874 Nikolai Berdyaev, Russian-French philosopher and theologian (died 1948) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Berdyaev)
- 1893 Wilfred Owen, English soldier and poet (died 1918) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_Owen)
- 1903 Galeazzo Ciano, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 1944) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galeazzo_Ciano)
- 1928 Fidel V. Ramos, Filipino general and politician, 12th President of the Philippines (died 2022) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_V._Ramos)
- 1932 John Updike, American novelist, short story writer, and critic (died 2009) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Updike)
- 1936 F. W. de Klerk, South African lawyer and politician, former State President of South Africa, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2021) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._W._de_Klerk)
- 1950 Brad Dourif, American actor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Dourif)
- 1959 Luc Besson, French director, producer, and screenwriter, founded EuropaCorp [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luc_Besson)
- 1963 Vanessa L. Williams, American model, actress, and singer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa_Williams)
- 1970 Queen Latifah, American rapper, producer, and actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Latifah)
- 1979 Adam Levine, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and television personality [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Levine)
- 1989 Lily Collins, English-American actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lily_Collins)

## Died on March 18

- 1227 Pope Honorius III (born 1148) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Honorius_III)
- 1745 Robert Walpole, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1676) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Walpole)
- 1768 Laurence Sterne, Irish novelist and clergyman (born 1713) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_Sterne)
- 1781 Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, French economist and politician, Controller-General of Finances (born 1727) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Robert_Jacques_Turgot)
- 1913 George I of Greece (born 1845) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_I_of_Greece)
- 1936 Eleftherios Venizelos, Greek journalist, lawyer, and politician, 93rd Prime Minister of Greece (born 1864) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleftherios_Venizelos)
- 1965 Farouk of Egypt (born 1920) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farouk_of_Egypt)
- 1980 Erich Fromm, German psychologist and philosopher (born 1900) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Fromm)
- 1983 Umberto II of Italy (born 1904) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umberto_II_of_Italy)
- 1996 Odysseas Elytis, Greek poet and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1911) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odysseas_Elytis)
- 2008 Anthony Minghella, English director and screenwriter (born 1954) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Minghella)
- 2009 Natasha Richardson, English-American actress (born 1963) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natasha_Richardson)
- 2016 Guido Westerwelle, German lawyer and politician, 15th Vice-Chancellor of Germany (born 1961) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_Westerwelle)
- 2017 Chuck Berry, American guitarist, singer and songwriter (born 1926) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Berry)

## Holidays and observances

- Anniversary of the Oil Expropriation (Mexico) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Mexico)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Aimée-Adèle Le Bouteiller [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aim%C3%A9e-Ad%C3%A8le_Le_Bouteiller)
- Christian feast day: Alexander of Jerusalem [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_of_Jerusalem)
- Christian feast day: Anselm of Lucca [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anselm_of_Lucca)
- Christian feast day: Cyril of Jerusalem [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_of_Jerusalem)
- Christian feast day: Edward the Martyr [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Martyr)
- Christian feast day: Fridianus [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fridianus)
- Christian feast day: Salvator [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_of_Horta)
- Christian feast day: March 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_18_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Flag Day (Aruba) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Aruba)
- Gallipoli Memorial Day (Turkey) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_operations_in_the_Dardanelles_campaign)
- Men's and Soldiers' Day (Mongolia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_military_day)
- Ordnance Factories' Day (India) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directorate_of_Ordnance_(Coordination_%26_Services))
- Sheelah's Day (Ireland, Canada, Australia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheelah's_Day)
- Teacher's Day (Syria) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Teachers'_Days)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “March 18”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_18) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/March 18”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/March_18) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“March 18”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_18) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_18?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for March 18 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## March 18 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Wednesday | 2026-W12 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2027 | Thursday | 2027-W11 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2028 | Saturday | 2028-W11 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2029 | Sunday | 2029-W11 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2030 | Monday | 2030-W12 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on March 18

None of the 28 countries we track has a public holiday on March 18 in 2026 or 2027.

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← March 17](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-17/) · [March 19 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-19/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

---

Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-18/