A Day in the Past

On this day: 18 August

124 things happened on 18 August, from AD 440 to 2024. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 10

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Around the world 28

1958 68 years ago

Brojen Das from Bangladesh swims across the English Channel in a competition as the first Bengali and the first Asian to do so, placing first among the 39 competitors.

Sport Find out more: Brojen Das (Wikipedia)
1966 60 years ago

Vietnam War: Members of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment were surrounded by a much larger Viet Cong unit at the Battle of Long Tan (helicopter pictured), but held them off for several hours until reinforcements arrived.

War & peaceKings & queens Find out more: Vietnam War (Wikipedia)
2019 7 years ago

One hundred activists, officials, and other concerned citizens in Iceland hold a funeral for Okjökull glacier, which has completely melted after having once covered six square miles (15.5 km2).

Find out more: Okjökull (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “Second World War: During the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe made an all-out”?

    1. 1923
    2. 1940
    3. 1783
    Show the answer

    B: 1940. 1940 — that’s 86 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “The trials of the Pendle and Samlesbury witches, among the most famous of”?

    1. 1590
    2. 1826
    3. 1612
    Show the answer

    C: 1612. 1612 — that’s 414 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. The trials of the Pendle and Samlesbury witches, among the most famous of
    2. John White, governor of the Roanoke Colony, the first English settlement in
    3. Second World War: During the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe made an all-out
    Show the answer

    B: John White, governor of the Roanoke Colony, the first English settlement in. 1612: The trials of the Pendle and Samlesbury witches, among the most famous of · 1590: John White, governor of the Roanoke Colony, the first English settlement in · 1940: Second World War: During the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe made an all-out Find it on the page

  4. “John White, governor of the Roanoke Colony, the first English settlement in” happened in 1590. How many years ago was that?

    1. 426 years
    2. 436 years
    3. 446 years
    Show the answer

    B: 436 years. 2026 − 1590 = 436. Find it on the page

Born on this day 35

Famous people whose birthday is 18 August.

Remembering 18

Well-known people who died on 18 August.

Special days 12

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 18 August somewhere in the world.

For older readers 21 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

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.

Where these facts come from

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 “August 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.