The two Germanys signed a treaty establishing a currency and economic union
This pivotal agreement merged East and West Germany's economies, replacing the East German mark with the West German Deutsche Mark. It was a crucial s...
May 18 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
1990
1980
Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington State, killing 57 people
MajorThe volcano exploded with the force of 500 atomic bombs, sending ash 80,000 feet into the atmosphere and destroying 250 homes. The lateral blast flatt...
1974
India conducted its first nuclear test, codenamed 'Smiling Buddha'
The underground detonation made India the sixth nation with nuclear weapons, shocking the world. India's government insisted it was a 'peaceful nuclea...
1969
Apollo 10 launched, rehearsing everything except the actual moon landing
MajorThe crew flew to within 8.4 nautical miles of the lunar surface, testing the lunar module in lunar orbit. This 'dress rehearsal' paved the way for Apo...
1959
Two monkeys became the first living beings to survive a space flight and return to Earth
Able, a rhesus monkey, and Baker, a squirrel monkey, rode a Jupiter rocket 360 miles into space and successfully splashed down in the Atlantic. Baker...
1953
Jackie Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier
Flying a Canadian-built F-86 Sabre jet, the pioneering aviator reached Mach 1 over California's Mojave Desert. Cochran held more speed, altitude, and...
1944
Allied forces finally captured Monte Cassino after four brutal months
Polish forces raised their flag over the ruins of the historic monastery after one of World War II's bloodiest battles. The Allies suffered 55,000 cas...
1920
Pope John Paul II was born as Karol Józef Wojtyła in Poland
The future pope survived Nazi occupation and communist persecution before becoming the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. His 27-year papacy was the...
1910
Earth passed through the tail of Halley's Comet, causing widespread panic
Astronomers had detected cyanogen gas in the comet's tail, leading to mass hysteria and predictions of the world's end. Entrepreneurs sold 'comet pill...
1897
Dracula by Bram Stoker was published in London
The gothic horror novel that created the modern vampire genre hit bookstores, though it wasn't an immediate bestseller. Stoker never knew his creation...
1896
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld racial segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson
MajorThe court established the infamous 'separate but equal' doctrine, legally sanctioning racial segregation for nearly 60 years. Homer Plessy had deliber...
1804
Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed himself Emperor of France
MajorThe French Senate declared Napoleon Emperor, marking the end of the French Republic and the beginning of the First French Empire. He would crown himse...
1643
Queen Elisabetta Sirani was born, becoming one of the first women to run her own art studio
This Italian Baroque painter produced over 200 works in her short life and trained other female artists at a time when women were largely excluded fro...
1291
Acre fell to the Mamluks, ending the Crusader presence in the Holy Land
After a brutal 43-day siege, the last major Crusader fortress in the Levant collapsed, marking the effective end of the Crusades after nearly 200 year...
