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

• 1803 –
  Napoleonic Wars: The United Kingdom revokes the Treaty of Amiens and declares war on France.
• 1804 –
  Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of the French by the French Senate.
• 1848 –
  Opening of the first German National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) in Frankfurt, Germany.
• 1917 –
  World War I: The Selective Service Act of 1917 is passed, giving the President of the United States the power of conscription.
• 1926 –
  Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears while visiting a Venice, California beach.
• 1927 –
  After being founded for 20 years, the Government of the Republic of China approves Tongji University to be among the first national universities of the Republic of China.
• 1944 –
  Deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union government.
• 1944 –
  World War II: Battle of Monte Cassino – Conclusion after seven days of the fourth battle as German paratroopers evacuate Monte Cassino.
• 1974 –
  Completion of the Warsaw radio mast, the tallest construction ever built at the time. It collapsed on August 8, 1991.
• 2009 –
  Sri Lankan Civil War: The LTTE are defeated by the Sri Lankan government, ending almost 26 years of fighting between the two sides.

Who were born on May 18?

• 1048 –
  Omar Khayyám, Persian mathematician, poet and philosopher (d. 1131)
• 1785 –
  John Wilson, Scottish writer (d. 1854)
• 1913 –
  Jane Birdwood, Canadian-born British far right activist (d. 2000)
• 1913 –
  Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Indian politician (d. 1996)
• 1919 –
  Dame Margot Fonteyn, English ballet dancer (d. 1991)
• 1931 –
  Don Martin, American cartoonist (d. 2000)
• 1948 –
  Yi Munyol, South Korean writer
• 1952 –
  George Strait, American country musician
• 1955 –
  Lena T. Hansson, Swedish actor
• 1976 –
  Oleg Tverdovsky, Ukrainian ice hockey player

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
• 1675 –
  Stanisław Lubieniecki, Polish Socinian theologist (b. 1623)
• 1781 –
  Túpac Amaru II, Peruvian Indian revolutionary, a descendant of the last Inca ruler, Túpac Amaru (b. 1742)
• 1800 –
  Alexander Suvorov, Russian general (b. 1729)
• 1829 –
  Maria Josepha of Saxony, queen consort of Spain (b. 1803)
• 1958 –
  Jacob Fichman, Israeli poet and essayist (b. 1881)
• 1981 –
  William Saroyan, American author (b. 1908)
• 1988 –
  Daws Butler, American voice actor (b. 1916)
• 2003 –
  Barb Tarbox, Canadian anti-smoking crusader (b. 1961)
• 2004 –
  Vladislav Terzyul, Ukrainian mountaineer (b. 1953)