What are the important events that happened on May 18? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

May 18: Facts & Myths About This Day

May 18 is the 138^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 227 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Sunday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is May 5, 2025 – a Sunday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 29,125,440 minutes has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘hectatriacontaoctagon’ day.

Taurus is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Emerald is the modern birthstone for this month. Sapphire is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 275 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,531 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

May 18 Historical Events

• 1302 –
  Bruges Matins, the nocturnal massacre of the French garrison in Bruges by members of the local Flemish militia.
• 1593 –
  Playwright Thomas Kyd’s accusations of heresy lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe.
• 1783 –
  First United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown (later called Saint John), New Brunswick, Canada after leaving the United States.
• 1804 –
  Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of the French by the French Senate.
• 1860 –
  Abraham Lincoln wins the Republican Party presidential nomination over William H. Seward, who later becomes the United States Secretary of State.
• 1965 –
  Israeli spy Eli Cohen was hanged in Damascus, Syria.
• 1983 –
  In Ireland, the government launches a crackdown, with the leading Dublin pirate Radio Nova being put off the air.
• 1991 –
  Northern Somalia declares independence from the rest of Somalia as the Republic of Somaliland but is not recognized by the international community.
• 1993 –
  EU - riots in Nørrebro, Copenhagen caused by the approval of the four Danish exceptions in the Maastricht Treaty referendum. Police opened fire against civilians for the first time since World War II and injured 11 demonstrators. In total 113 bullets are fired.
• 1995 –
  Shawn Nelson, 35, goes on a tank rampage in San Diego.

Who were born on May 18?

• 1905 –
  Hedley Verity, English cricketer (d. 1943)
• 1923 –
  Jean-Louis Roux, French Canadian actor and artistic director
• 1933 –
  Bernadette Chirac, French politician
• 1939 –
  Gordon O'Connor, Canadian politician
• 1941 –
  Lobby Loyde, Australian guitarist and songwriter (Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs) (d. 2007)
• 1960 –
  Yannick Noah, French tennis player
• 1962 –
  Mike Darnell, American television executive
• 1979 –
  Anna Chatziathanassiou, Greek figure skater
• 1985 –
  Francesca Battistelli, American singer
• 1988 –
  Ryan Cooley, Canadian actor

Who died on May 18?

• 1401 –
  Władysław Opolczyk (lang-de Ladislaus von Oppel), count palatine of Hungary 1367-1372, governor of Halych-Volhynia 1372 – 1378, count palatine of Poland
• 1584 –
  Ikeda Motosuke, Japanese samurai commander (b. 1559)
• 1808 –
  Elijah Craig, American minister and inventor
• 1844 –
  Richard McCarty, American politician (b. 1780)
• 1958 –
  Jacob Fichman, Israeli poet and essayist (b. 1881)
• 1995 –
  Elizabeth Montgomery, American actress (b. 1933)
• 1999 –
  Betty Robinson, American runner (b. 1911)
• 2000 –
  Maulana Yousuf Ludhianvi, Indian Muslim scholar (b. 1932)
• 2002 –
  Davey Boy Smith, English professional wrestler (b. 1962)
• 2003 –
  Anna Santisteban, Puerto Rican beauty contest organizer (b. 1914)