136 things happened on 18 June, from AD 618 to 2024. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Charles VII's army defeats an English army under John Talbot at the Battle of Patay during the Hundred Years' War. The English lost 2,200 men, over half their army, crippling their efforts during this segment of the war.
UK story
Charles I is crowned King of Scots at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh.
UK story
The charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony is revoked via a scire facias writ issued by an English court.
UK story
American Revolutionary War: The British Army abandons Philadelphia.
UK story
Action of 18 June 1799: A frigate squadron under Rear-admiral Jean-Baptiste Perrée is captured by the British fleet under Lord Keith.
UK story
The United States declaration of war upon the United Kingdom is signed by President James Madison, beginning the War of 1812.
UK story
War of the Seventh Coalition: Napoleon fought and lost his final battle, the Battle of Waterloo (depicted), in present-day Belgium.
UK story
Charles Darwin received a manuscript by fellow naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace on natural selection, which encouraged him to publish his own theory of evolution.
UK story
Charles Darwin received a manuscript by fellow naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace on natural selection, which encouraged him to publish his own theory of evolution.
UK story
The Troubles in Ulster (1920–1922) begin with a week of sectarian violence in Derry.
UK story
World War II: The "Finest Hour" speech is delivered by Winston Churchill.
UK story
Britain, France and the United States announce that on June 21, the Deutsche Mark will be introduced in western Germany and West Berlin. Over the next six days, Communists increasingly restrict access to Berlin.[citation needed]
UK story
English composer Benjamin Britten's one-act opera Noye's Fludde was premiered at the Aldeburgh Festival.
UK story
A major clash between about 5,000 police and a similar number of striking miners takes place at Orgreave, South Yorkshire, during the 1984–85 UK miners' strike.
Sui–Tang transition: Chinese governor Li Yuan (pictured) declared himself emperor, establishing the Tang dynasty.
Sui–Tang transition: Chinese governor Li Yuan (pictured) declared himself emperor, establishing the Tang dynasty.
Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.
Battle of Civitate: Three thousand Norman horsemen of Count Humphrey rout the troops of Pope Leo IX.
Pope Adrian IV crowns Frederick Barbarossa as Holy Roman Emperor.
The treaty of Benevento between Pope Adrian IV and William I of Sicily is concluded.
The Parliament of Ireland meets at Castledermot in County Kildare, the first definitively known meeting of this Irish legislature.
A draft Byzantine–Venetian treaty is concluded between Venetian envoys and Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, but is not ratified by Doge Reniero Zeno.
Tokhtamysh–Timur war: Battle of the Kondurcha River: Timur defeats Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde in present-day southeast Russia.
Third Silesian War: The Austrian victory at the Battle of Kolín forced Prussian leader Frederick the Great to give up the Siege of Prague and retreat to Saxony.
First ascent of Aletschhorn, second summit of the Bernese Alps.
Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.
The Reinsurance Treaty between Germany and Russia is signed.
The Cadaver Tomb of René of Chalon (pictured) in Bar-le-Duc, France, was designated a monument historique.
Sultan Abdelaziz of Morocco ratifies the agreement reached in the Algeciras Conference in a personal decree.
Most resistance societies in Santiago return to work, bringing an end to the 1907 Chilean general strike.
The University of the Philippines is established.
Japanese immigration to Brazil begins when 781 people arrive in Santos aboard the ship Kasato-Maru.
Aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean (she is a passenger; Wilmer Stultz is the pilot and Lou Gordon the mechanic).
World War II: Charles de Gaulle gave his Appeal of 18 June speech, often considered to be the origin of the French Resistance.
World War II: Charles de Gaulle gave his Appeal of 18 June speech, often considered to be the origin of the French Resistance.
William Joyce ("Lord Haw-Haw") is charged with treason for his pro-German propaganda broadcasting during World War II.
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, a Socialist, calls for a Direct Action Day against the Portuguese in Goa.
Columbia Records introduces the long-playing record album in a public demonstration at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
The Egyptian revolution of 1952 ends with the overthrow of the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the declaration of the Republic of Egypt.
Carlos Castillo Armas led a CIA-sponsored invasion force across the Guatemalan border, beginning the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état.
American musician Jimi Hendrix burned his guitar on stage at the end of a performance at the Monterey International Pop Festival in California.
SALT II is signed by the United States and the Soviet Union.
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the first operational aircraft to be designed around stealth technology, made its maiden flight.
Aboard Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman and third one overall in space.
The first Kazakh space satellite, KazSat-1, is launched.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a NASA robotic spacecraft is launched.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was appointed the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was appointed the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.
An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 strikes northern Osaka.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Charles Darwin received a manuscript by fellow naturalist Alfred Russel”?
A: 1858. 1858 — that’s 168 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “Charles Darwin received a manuscript by fellow naturalist Alfred Russel”?
A: 1858. 1858 — that’s 168 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: War of the Seventh Coalition: Napoleon fought and lost his final battle, the. 1858: Charles Darwin received a manuscript by fellow naturalist Alfred Russel · 1958: English composer Benjamin Britten's one-act opera Noye's Fludde was premiered · 1815: War of the Seventh Coalition: Napoleon fought and lost his final battle, the Find it on the page
“English composer Benjamin Britten's one-act opera Noye's Fludde was premiered” happened in 1958. How many years ago was that?
C: 68 years. 2026 − 1958 = 68. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 18 June.
Well-known people who died on 18 June.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 18 June somewhere in the world.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “June 18” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.