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

April 18: Facts & Myths About This Day

April 18 is the 108^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 257 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday.

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

When this day started, 29,082,240 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 ‘hectaoctagon’ day.

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

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 305 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 4,501 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

April 18 Historical Events

• 1025 –
  Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland.
• 1506 –
  The cornerstone of the current St. Peter’s Basilica is laid.
• 1775 –
  American Revolution: The British advancement by sea begins; Paul Revere and other riders warn the countryside of the troop movements.
• 1857 –
  “The Spirits Book” by Allan Kardec is published, marking the birth of Spiritualism in France.
• 1864 –
  Battle of Dybbøl: A Prussian-Austrian army defeats Denmark and gains control of Schleswig. Denmark surrenders the province in the following peace settlement.
• 1899 –
  The St. Andrew’s Ambulance Association is granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria.
• 1924 –
  Simon & Schuster publishes the first crossword puzzle book.
• 1946 –
  The International Court of Justice holds its inaugural meeting in The Hague, Netherlands.
• 1949 –
  The aircraft carrier USS United States is laid down at Newport News Drydock and Shipbuilding. However, construction is canceled five days later, resulting in the Revolt of the Admirals.
• 1992 –
  General Abdul Rashid Dostum revolts against President Mohammad Najibullah of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and allies with Ahmed Shah Massoud to capture Kabul.

Who were born on April 18?

• 1590 –
  Ahmed I, Ottoman Emperor (d. 1617)
• 1740 –
  Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, English merchant banker (d. 1810)
• 1838 –
  Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, French scientist (d. 1912)
• 1857 –
  Alexander Shirvanzade, Armenian playwright and novelist (d. 1935)
• 1857 –
  Clarence Darrow, American attorney (d. 1938)
• 1901 –
  Al Lewis, American lyricist (d. 1967)
• 1946 –
  Skip Spence, Canadian-born guitarist, singer and songwriter (Jefferson Airplane) (d. 1999)
• 1950 –
  Paul Callery, football player
• 1965 –
  Rob Stenders, Dutch radio discjockey
• 1986 –
  Conrad Logan, Irish footballer

Who died on April 18?

• 1161 –
  Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury
• 1552 –
  John Leland, English antiquarian (b. 1502)
• 1556 –
  Luigi Alamanni, Italian poet (b. 1495)
• 1636 –
  Julius Caesar, English judge
• 1650 –
  Simonds d'Ewes, English antiquarian (b. 1602)
• 1945 –
  John Ambrose Fleming, English physicist and engineer (b. 1849)
• 1945 –
  Prince William of Wied, sovereign Prince of Albania (b. 1876)
• 1958 –
  Maurice Gamelin, French general (b. 1872)
• 1964 –
  Ben Hecht, American writer (b. 1894)
• 1965 –
  Guillermo González Camarena, Mexican inventor (b. 1917)