Calendar date · December

What happened on December 18

On December 18, 1118: The city of Zaragoza is conquered by king Alfonso I of Aragon from the Almoravid.

Events

39

across history

Notable births

50

Notable deaths

50

Zodiac

Sagittarius

Featured moment · 1118

The city of Zaragoza is conquered by king Alfonso I of Aragon from the Almoravid.

Zaragoza, traditionally known in English as Saragossa, is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the Huerva and the Gállego, roughly in the centre of both Aragon and the Ebro basin.

People

Born on December 18

Syd Hartha 2002– Filipino singer-songwriter
Giuliano Simeone 2002– Argentine footballer (born 2002)
Billie Eilish 2001– American singer-songwriter (born 2001)
Jalen Johnson 2001– American basketball player (born 2001)
Jayden Daniels 2000– American football player (born 2000)
Korapat Kirdpan 2000– Thai actor, model and singer (born 2000)
Travon Walker 2000– American football player (born 2000)
Ronald Acuña Jr. 1997– Venezuelan baseball player (born 1997)
Alex DeBrincat 1997– American ice hockey player (born 1997)
Show 9 more — notable births on December 18
Barbora Krejčíková 1995– Czech tennis player (born 1995)
Lim Na-young 1995– South Korean actress (born 1995)
Gerard Gumbau 1994– Spanish footballer (born 1994)
Natália Kelly 1994– American-Austrian singer (born 1994)
Byron Buxton 1993– American baseball player (born 1993)
Thomas Lam 1993– Finnish footballer (born 1993)
Ryan Crouser 1992– American track and field athlete (born 1992)
Bridgit Mendler 1992– American actress, singer and entrepreneur (born 1992)
Marcus Butler 1991– English YouTuber and model (born 1991)

People

Died on December 18

Jim Hunt American politician (1937–2025)
Osman Hadi Bangladeshi politician and activist (1993–2025)
Slim Dunlap American guitarist and singer-songwriter (1951–2024)
John Marsden Australian writer and educator (1950–2024)
Sayaka Kanda Japanese actress (1986–2021)
Jerry Relph American politician (1944–2020)
Kim Jong-hyun South Korean singer-songwriter (1990–2017)
Zsa Zsa Gabor Hungarian-American socialite and actress (1917–2016)
Luc Brewaeys Belgian musician
Show 9 more — notable deaths on December 18
Helge Solum Larsen Norwegian politician (1969–2015)
Donald J. Albosta American politician (1925–2014)
Gideon Ben-Yisrael Israeli politician (1923–2014)
Larry Henley American musician (1937–2014)
Virna Lisi Italian actress (1936–2014)
Mandy Rice-Davies Welsh model (1944–2014)
Robert Simpson Meteorologist
Ken Hutcherson American football player and Christian pastor (1952–2013)
Graham Mackay South African businessman

Timeline

Every December 18 on record

  1. 1118 The city of Zaragoza is conquered by king Alfonso I of Aragon from the Almoravid.

    Capital of Aragon, Spain

    Zaragoza, traditionally known in English as Saragossa, is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the Huerva and the Gállego, roughly in the centre of both Aragon and the Ebro basin.

  2. 1271 Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China.

    Emperor of Yuan China from 1271 to 1294

    Kublai Khan, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder and first emperor of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China. He proclaimed the dynastic name "Great Yuan" in 1271, and ruled Yuan China until his death in 1294.

  3. 1499 A rebellion breaks out in Alpujarras in response to the forced conversions of Muslims in Spain.

    Uprisings by Muslims in southern Iberia

    The First Rebellion of the Alpujarras was a series of uprisings by the Muslim population of the Kingdom of Granada, Crown of Castile against their Catholic rulers. They began in 1499 in the city of Granada in response to mass forced conversions of the Muslim population to the Catholic faith, which were perceived as violations of the 1491 Treaty of Granada. The uprising in the city quickly died down, but it was followed by more serious revolts in the nearby mountainous area of the Alpujarras.

  4. 1622 Portuguese forces score a military victory over the Kingdom of Kongo at the Battle of Mbumbi in present-day Angola.

    Colonial empire between 1415 and 1999

    The Portuguese Empire was the first European colonial empire, existing between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa and various islands in Asia and Oceania.

  5. 1655 The Whitehall Conference ends with the determination that there was no law preventing Jews from re-entering England after the Edict of Expulsion of 1290.

    1655 meeting about Jews in England

    The Whitehall Conference was a gathering of prominent English merchants, clergymen, and lawyers convened by Oliver Cromwell for the purpose of debating whether Jews should be readmitted to England. The conference lasted from 4 to 18 December 1655.

  6. 1777 The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking the recent victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga in October.
  7. 1787 New Jersey becomes the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
  8. 1833 The national anthem of the Russian Empire, "God Save the Tsar!", is first performed.
  9. 1854 The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada abolishes the seigneurial system.
  10. 1865 US Secretary of State William Seward proclaims the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting slavery throughout the United States.
  11. 1867 A magnitude 7.0 earthquakes strikes off the coast of Taiwan, triggering a tsunami and killing at least 580 people.
  12. 1878 The Al-Thani family become the rulers of the state of Qatar.
  13. 1892 The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky premiers in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
  14. 1898 Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat sets the first officially recognized land speed record of 63.159 km/h (39.245 mph) in a Jeantaud electric car.
  15. 1916 World War I: The Battle of Verdun ends when the second French offensive pushes the Germans back two or three kilometres, causing them to cease their attacks.
Show 15 earlier entries from December 18
  1. 1917 The resolution containing the language of the Eighteenth Amendment to enact Prohibition is passed by the United States Congress.
  2. 1932 The Chicago Bears defeat the Portsmouth Spartans in the first NFL playoff game to win the NFL Championship.
  3. 1935 The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is founded in Ceylon.
  4. 1939 World War II: The Battle of the Heligoland Bight, the first major air battle of the war, takes place.
  5. 1944 World War II: XX Bomber Command responds to the Japanese Operation Ichi-Go offensive by dropping five hundred tons of incendiary bombs on a supply base in Hankow, China.
  6. 1944 The Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in Korematsu v. United States supporting Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 which cleared the way for the incarceration of nearly all 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, born and raised in the United States.
  7. 1957 A violent F5 tornado wipes out the entire community of Sunfield, Illinois.
  8. 1958 Project SCORE, the world's first communications satellite, is launched.
  9. 1966 Saturn's moon Epimetheus is discovered by astronomer Richard Walker.
  10. 1972 Vietnam War: President Richard Nixon announces that the United States will engage North Vietnam in Operation Linebacker II, a series of Christmas bombings, after peace talks collapsed with North Vietnam on the 13th.
  11. 1973 Soviet Soyuz Programme: Soyuz 13, crewed by cosmonauts Valentin Lebedev and Pyotr Klimuk, is launched from Baikonur in the Soviet Union.
  12. 1977 United Airlines Flight 2860 crashes near Kaysville, Utah, killing all three crew members on board.
  13. 1977 SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730 crashes near Madeira Airport in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, killing 36.
  14. 1981 First flight of the Russian heavy strategic bomber Tu-160, the world's largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft and largest variable-sweep wing aircraft built.
  15. 1995 A Lockheed L-188 Electra crashes in Jamba, Cuando, Angola, killing 141 people.

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