What Happened On
First U.S. Woman in Space
June 18, 1983
Sally Ride aboard the space shuttle Challenger. She is still the youngest American astronaut to have traveled to space, having done so at the age of 32.
She was the third woman in space overall, after USSR cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova (1963) and Svetlana Savitskaya (1982).
First Successful Long-Playing Microgroove Record
June 18, 1948
Do you know why it's called a record "album"?
Columbia Records introduces its 33⅓ rpm Long Play 10-inch and 12-inch records. One side played for 23 minutes as compared to about 3-5 minutes for the current 78 records. The 10-inch version was soon phased out. They were developed by Peter Goldmark.
RCA Victor had previously attempted to introduce a long-playing record for home use, but it didn't catch on.
Why is it called a "Record Album"?
Prior to the 33⅓ Long Play, records had a thicker groove and ran at 78 rpms and therefore were only about 3-5 minutes per side. Because of this, music was sold on multiple records gathered together in a book called an "album." The new 33⅓ LP could play about 23 minutes per side, therefore, all the records from a typical "album" could by stored on a single 33⅓ LP, but the name "album" stuck.
Earhart just prior to flight
Earhart just prior to flight
First Transatlantic Flight by a Woman
June 18, 1928
Amelia Earhart lands in the airplane Friendship, having begun the flight the previous day. She didn't pilot the flight, later commenting, "Stultz did all the flying - had to. I was just baggage, like a sack of potatoes. …maybe someday I'll try it alone," which she did in 1932.
Napoleon - Battle of Waterloo
June 18, 1815
Napoleon Bonaparte is defeated by the Duke of Wellington, during the 100 Days War.
War of 1812 - U.S. Declares War On Great Britain
June 18, 1812
U.S. declares war on Great Britain. Britain had been at war with Napoleonic France and had enforced a naval blockade to prevent American trade with France. Britain also impressed American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy to man the blockade. It was during this war that Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner, the White House was burned by the British, and the Battle of New Orleans was fought by Andrew Jackson.
The war ended with the Treaty of Ghent and although the Americans and the British fought over Canadian territory, there were no boundary changes.
Moon Explodes
June 18, 1178
Five Canterbury monks witness an explosion on the Moon, described as a flaming torch spewing out fire and sparks causing the Moon to throb like a wounded snake and causing it to take on a blackish appearance.
Some believe this event was the creation of the Giordano Bruno crater. An asteroid or comet impact on the Moon would cause a plume of molten matter to rise up from the surface, which is consistent with the monks' description and the location described by the monks matches the crater's location. Others say that is must be something else, as such a massive impact would have rained down Moon debris onto Earth, and no records of such an event exist. Also, a meteor impact would have been observable across a large portion of the Earth, yet there are no other eyewitness accounts.
Another theory is that a meteor exploded in front of the Moon. From the Earth, this would have looked like the Moon was exploding. This would also explain why the event was not widely observed across the Earth - as this event would only be observable to a small area on the Earth.
Soviet Nuclear Submarine Leak
June 18, 1961
A Soviet K-19 nuclear submarine develops a radioactive leak on its maiden voyage. Fourteen sailors die in the effort to prevent a reactor explosion.
Birthdays
The Beatles (Paul 2nd from left)
The Beatles (Paul 2nd from left)
Paul McCartney
Born June 18, 1942
British Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician, one of the Beatles (the "Cute Beatle"). His Beatles song Yesterday has been covered by more than 2,200 artists.
George Leigh-Mallory
Born June 18, 1886 d. 1924
British mountain climber. When asked why he wanted to climb Mt. Everest, he replied, "Because it is there." He and Andrew "Sandy" Irvine disappeared while climbing the North-East ridge of Everest during their attempt to make the first ascent of Everest. They were last seen at about 800 vertical feet (245 m) from the summit. If claims that they had reached the top are true, then they beat Sir Edmund Hillary by 29 years. Mallory's body wasn't found until 1999.
James Montgomery Flagg
Born June 18, 1877 d. 1960
American artist. Creator of the "I Want You" Uncle Sam recruiting poster (1917). He used his own face as the model for the poster.
Uday Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti
Born June 18, 1964 d. 2003
eldest son of Saddam Hussein and his first wife. In 1988, at a party thrown in the honor of the wife of President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Uday beat to death his father's personal valet with a cane in front of horrified guests before finishing him off with an electric carving knife. The valet had recently introduced his father Saddam to a beautiful, younger woman who later became Saddam's second wife. Uday took this as an insult to his mother. He also tortured Iraqi Olympic athletes who failed to win. Uday and his brother Qusay were killed by U.S. troops during the Iraq War.
Isabella Rossellini
Born June 18, 1952
Italian model, actress. Model: Lancome cosmetics. Film: Blue Velvet (1986) and Wild at Heart (1990).
Carol Kane
Born June 18, 1952
American Emmy-winning actress. TV: Taxi (Latka's wife Simka).
Roger Ebert
Born June 18, 1942 d. 2013
American film critic. He won the first Pulitzer Prize for film criticism (1975) and wrote the screenplay for Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970).
He and Gene Siskel hosted a series of popular review shows on television (1975-99).
George Lawrence Mikan Jr.
Born June 18, 1924 d. 2005
American Hall of Fame basketball player, "Mr. Basketball." He was the first professional player to score 10,000 points. His proficiency at blocking shots at the rim led the NCAA to ban goaltending. He was the first commissioner of the American Basketball Association (ABA, 1967).
Richard Boone
Born June 18, 1917 d. 1981
American actor. TV: Have Gun - Will Travel (1957-63, Paladin) and The Richard Boone Show (1963-64).
Boone, who lived in Hawaii at the time, was offered the role of Steve McGarrett in the TV series Hawaii Five-O, but turned it down and the roll ultimately went to Jack Lord, who had coincidentally appeared alongside Boone in the first episode of Have Gun - Will Travel.
E.G. Marshall (Everett G. Marshall)
Born June 18, 1914 d. 1998
American Emmy-winning actor. TV: The Defenders (Emmy, as Lawrence Preston). Film: 12 Angry Men (1957, conscientious juror #4).
Sammy Cahn
Born June 18, 1913 d. 1993
American Oscar-winning lyricist. Music: Call Me Irresponsible, Three Coins in a Fountain (1954, Oscar), High Hopes, and Love And Marriage (theme to TV's Married… With Children).
Keye Luke
Born June 18, 1904 d. 1991
Chinese-born American actor. Film: Charlie Chan's No. 1 son. TV: Kung Fu (Master Po).
Cyrus H. K. Curtis
Born June 18, 1850 d. 1933
American publisher. Founder of Ladies' Home Journal (1883).
Deaths
Willie Mays (Willie Howard Mays Jr)
Died June 18, 2024 b. 1931
American Baseball Hall-of-Famer. Known as "The Say Hey Kid", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
U.S. soldier wearing a kevlar-reinforced vest
U.S. soldier wearing a kevlar-reinforced vest
Inventor of Kevlar
Stephanie Kwolek
Died June 18, 2014 b. 1923
American chemist. Inventor of Kevlar (1965), which is five times stronger than steel by weight, and is used in bulletproof vests. It was originally used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Shortest MLB Player
Eddie Gaedel (Edward Carl Gaedel)
Died June 18, 1961 b. 1925
American baseball player. At only 3 foot, 7 inches (109 cm) tall, he was a pinch hitter for the St. Louis Browns, making him the shortest player in Major League Baseball. He was walked with four straight balls on his only time at bat (1951). After his time at bat he said, "Man, I felt like Babe Root."
Gaedel died of a heart attack in 1961 after being severely beaten in a fight.
First Lady of the American Theater
Ethel Barrymore (Ethel Mae Blyth)
Died June 18, 1959 b. 1879
American actress. Known as the "First Lady of the American Theater." TV: Ethel Barrymore Theatre (1956).
John Augustus Sutter (Johann August Suter)
Died June 18, 1880 b. 1803
German-born American explorer, trader. He was prosperous until gold was discovered on his mill (1848) - the incoming prospectors stole his land and his workers quit to seek their own fortunes.
Vera Lynn (Vera Welch)
Died June 18, 2020 b. 1917
British singer. She became the first British artist to hit #1 on the American Billboard chart (1952) with Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart. During World War II, she became known as "The Forces Sweetheart" for her performances for the troops.
Robert Galambos
Died June 18, 2010 b. 1914
American neuroscientist who coined the term "echolocation." He and Donald Griffin proved that bats use echolocation for night flight.
Peter Allen
Died June 18, 1992 b. 1944
Australian Oscar-winning songwriter, actor. Music: Arthur's Theme (Oscar) and I Honestly Love You (hit for Olivia Newton-John).
Pedro Armendariz
Died June 18, 1963 b. 1912
Mexican actor. Film: From Russia with Love (British spymaster Ali Kerim Bey). His death was attributed to radiation exposure received from an A-bomb test near the filming of a movie in 1953.
Edmund Ruffin
Died June 18, 1865 b. 1794
American agriculturist. He fired the first shot of the attack on Fort Sumter starting the Civil War. According to legend, he wrapped himself in the Confederate flag and committed suicide after the collapse of the Confederacy.