Discover what happened on May 18 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

May 18

Discover what happened on May 18 with HISTORY&#8217;s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

May 18 Archives - History.com

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America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian - the U.S. president - would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

World War I pitted Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire against Great Britain, the United States, France, Russia, Italy and Japan. New military technology resulted in unprecedented carnage. By the time the war was over and the Allied Powers claimed victory, more than 16 million people—soldiers and civilians alike—were dead.

World War I

The 21st century saw the dawn of the war on terrorism, as the 9/11 attacks and the Boston Marathon bombing dramatically changed society. Economic issues moved to the forefront during the Great Recession. The COVID-19 pandemic upended lives and economies around the world. Awareness of social inequality grew as the killings of Black Americans, including Trayvon Martin and George Floyd, spurred widespread protests.

21st Century

The continent of Asia, home to the majority of the world's population and countries as diverse as China, South Korea and India, has thousands of years of rich history.&nbsp;

Asian History

Crime

Native American history spans an array of diverse groups and leaders like Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and Tecumseh, and events like the Trail of Tears, the French and Indian War and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Native American History

Religion and spiritual issues, including Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, the Bible, Wicca, Buddhism and more, are at the core of human values and history.

Religion

Crime has been a dark and powerful undercurrent in human society throughout history. Uncover the facts behind some of the most daring robberies, brazen scams and brutal murders ever committed.&nbsp;

The U.S. government, with its three branches of government and a system of checks and balances, is responsible for governing the 50 states and all districts and territories of the United States.

U.S. Government and Politics

The Civil War was America's bloodiest and most divisive conflict, pitting the Union Army against the Confederate States of America. The war resulted in the deaths of more than 620,000 people, with millions more injured and the South left in ruins.

Civil War

India

Disappearances

Nuclear Weapons

American Revolution

Volcanoes

The Revolutionary War waged by the American colonies against Britain influenced political ideas and revolutions around the globe, as a small fledgling nation won its freedom from the greatest military force of its time.

Videos

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History.com Editors

Art history tells the complex story of human civilization through art and design. It ranges from prehistoric art of the Neolithic period through Renaissance masterpieces, Impressionism, Modernism, the Bauhaus and contemporary art.

Art, Literature, and Film History

Scandals

<a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history">World War II</a> was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

World War II

China

Cold War

Natural disasters and changes in the environment, such as global warming, the San Francisco Earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, the Galveston Hurricane, the Krakatoa eruption and others, have profoundly shaped human history. Explore both the sudden and long-term impacts of natural and human-made disasters.

This Day In History: May 18

Pope John Paul II born

Also on This Day in History May | 18

Facebook raises $16 billion in largest tech IPO in U.S. history

This Day in History Video: What Happened on May 18

Supreme Court rules “separate but equal” constitutional in Plessy v. Ferguson

Mount St. Helens erupts

Abraham Lincoln nominated for presidency at Republican Convention

India joins the nuclear club

Adolf Hitler gives the order for Operation Alaric

Newspaper prints scathing report about First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln

Chief Satanta attacks wagon trains, killing teamsters

Ian Curtis of Joy Division dies by suicide

Playwright Thomas Kyd’s accusations lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe

Popular evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears

One million protesters take to the streets in Beijing

The Siege of Vicksburg commences

United Empire Loyalists reach Canada

U.S. Congress passes Selective Service Act

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