Anniversaries and commemorations come and go daily. Most of us, even the best historians, miss most occasions. If we think of history as events then we are faced with a continually showering in the grains of sand. Nevertheless, we do pick out certain patterns in the remembrance of historical dates. The blog here reminds us of some dates where the local, state, national, and global perspectives entwine.
On 18, Monday March 1844, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer, born (d. 1908)
On 18, Thursday March 1869, Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, born (d. 1940)
On 18, Tuesday March 1919, Santiago Álvarez, Cuban filmmaker, born (d. 1998)
On 18, Saturday March 1944, Dick Smith, businessman, born.
On 18, Saturday March 1944, The last eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy kills 26 and causes thousands to flee their homes.
On 18, Saturday March 1944, WWII: The Nazis execute almost 400 prisoners, Soviet citizens and anti-fascist Romanians at Rîbnița.
On 18, Wednesday March 1959, American President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill to grant statehood to Hawaii.
On 18, Wednesday March 1959, Luc Besson, French film producer, writer and director, born
On 18, Wednesday March 1959, Irene Cara, American singer, born
On 18, Tuesday March 1969, Operation Breakfast, the covert bombing of Cambodia by U.S. planes, begins.
On 18, Tuesday March 1969, Vassily Ivanchuk, Ukrainian chess grandmaster, born
On 18, Tuesday March 1969, Jimmy Morales, Guatemalan politician, 37th President of Guatemala, born
On 18, Tuesday March 1969, Barbara Bates, American actress, died (b. 1925)
On 18, Sunday March 1979, Ten miners die in a methane gas explosion at Golborne Colliery near Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.
On 18, Sunday March 1979, Shola Ama, English singer, born
On 18, Sunday March 1979, Adam Levine, American singer (Maroon 5), born
On 18, Sunday March 1979, Marjorie Daw, American actress, died (b. 1902)
On 18, Saturday March 1989, Francesco Checcucci, Italian footballer, born
On 18, Saturday March 1989, Lily Collins, British-born American actress, daughter of Phil Collins, lead singer of British rock group Genesis, born
On 18, Saturday March 1989, Kana Nishino, Japanese singer-songwriter, born
On 18, Friday March 1994, It is announced that David Barbagallo and Dennis Atkins, advisors to Queensland Premier Wayne Goss, will face a Criminal Justice Commission Inquiry into their alleged misconduct.
On 18, Thursday March 1999, First day of the Australian Track & Field Championships for the 1998–1999 season, which are held at the Olympic Park in Melbourne, Victoria. The 10,000 metres was conducted at the Zatopek Classic, Melbourne on 5 December 1998. The men’s decathlon event was staged at the Hobart Grand Prix on 25–27 February.
On 18, Wednesday March 2009, Natasha Richardson, English actress, died (b. 1963)
On 18, Tuesday March 2014, Jorge Arvizu, Mexican voice actor, died (b. 1932)
On 18, Tuesday March 2014, Lucius Shepard, American writer, died (b. 1942)
Other On This Day days in history
Neville Buch