Portal:United States/Anniversaries/August/August 18
- 1877 – Astronomer Asaph Hall discovers the Martian moon Phobos, a week after he discovered another Martian moon, Deimos.
- 1902 – Margaret Murie (pictured), considered the "Grandmother of the Conservation Movement", and an instrumental force behind the passage of the Wilderness Act and the creation of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, is born.
- 1920 – The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage.
- 1983 – Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 22 people and causing over USD $1 billion in damage.
- 2000 – A Federal jury finds the Environmental Protection Agency guilty of discrimination against Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This would later inspire passage of the No FEAR Act.
- 2005 – Dennis Rader is sentenced to 175 years in prison for the BTK serial killings.
On this day for the United States
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Events
- 1636 – The Covenant of the Town of Dedham, Massachusetts, is first signed.
- 1862 – Minnesota trader Andrew Myrick is killed and has his mouth stuffed with grass.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Globe Tavern – Union forces try to cut a vital Confederate supply-line into Petersburg, Virginia, by attacking the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad.
- 1877 – Asaph Hall discovers Martian moon Phobos.
- 1909 – Mayor of Tokyo Yukio Ozaki presents Washington, D.C., with 2,000 cherry trees, which President Taft decides to plant near the Potomac River.
- 1920 – The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage.
- 1938 – The Thousand Islands Bridge, connecting New York State, United States, with Ontario, Canada, over the St. Lawrence River, is dedicated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- 1958 – Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita is published in the United States.
- 1963 – American civil rights movement: James Meredith becomes the first black person to graduate from the University of Mississippi.
- 1965 – Vietnam War: Operation Starlite begins – United States Marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in the first major American ground battle of the war.
- 1969 – Jimi Hendrix plays the unofficial last day of Woodstock.
- 1971 – Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam.
- 1983 – Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 22 people and causing over USD $1 billion in damage (1983 dollars).
- 1992 – Wang Laboratories files for bankruptcy.
- 2000 – A federal jury finds the US EPA guilty of discrimination against Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, later inspiring passage of the No FEAR Act.
- 2005 – Dennis Rader is sentenced to 175 years in prison for the BTK serial killings.
Births
- 1803 – Nathan Clifford, American statesman, diplomat, and Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1881)
- 1822 – Isaac P. Rodman, American Union general (d. 1862)
- 1841 – William Halford, American naval officer (d. 1919)
- 1893 – Burleigh Grimes, American baseball player (d. 1985)
- 1900 – Glenn Albert Black, American archaeologist (d. 1964)
- 1902 – Margaret Murie, American conservationist, naturalist, and author (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Caspar Weinberger, American politician (d. 2006)
- 1918 – Cisco Houston, American folk singer (d. 1961)
- 1919 – Wally Hickel, 2nd and 8th Governor of Alaska
- 1920 – Bob Kennedy, baseball player (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Shelley Winters, American actress (d. 2006)
- 1927 – Rosalynn Carter, First Lady of the United States
- 1928 – Marge Schott, baseball team owner (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Vincent Bugliosi, American attorney
- 1935 – Rafer Johnson, American athlete
- 1936 – Robert Redford, American actor
- 1938 – Joe Frank, American radio personality
- 1939 – Johnny Preston, American singer
- 1943 – Martin Mull, American comedian
- 1945 – Barbara Harris, American singer (Toys)
- 1952 – Elayne Boosler, American comedian
- 1952 – Patrick Swayze, American actor
- 1953 – Louie Gohmert, American politician
- 1956 – John Debney, American composer
- 1956 – Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, American musician
- 1957 – Denis Leary, American comedian and actor
- 1958 – Madeleine Stowe, American actress
- 1959 – Tom Prichard, American wrestler
- 1960 – Fat Lever, American basketball player
- 1961 – Bob Woodruff, American journalist, anchor
- 1964 – Edith Frost, American singer/songwriter
- 1964 – Craig Bierko, American actor
- 1964 – Kenny Walker, American basketball player
- 1965 – Jim Florentine, American comedian
- 1967 – Brian Michael Bendis, American comic-book writer
- 1967 – Dan Peters, American musician
- 1969 – Masta Killa, American rapper
- 1969 – Everlast, American musician
- 1969 – Edward Norton, American actor
- 1969 – Christian Slater, American actor
- 1970 – Greg Dean Schmitz, American online film journalist
- 1970 – Malcolm-Jamal Warner, American actor
- 1971 – Jacob Vargas, American actor
- 1976 – Daphnee Duplaix Samuel, American actress, Playboy Playmate
- 1976 – Bryan Volpenhein, American rower
- 1978 – Andy Samberg, American comedian
- 1980 – Jeremy Shockey, American football player
- 1980 – Bart Scott, American football player
- 1981 – Jonathan Schneck, American musician (Relient K)
- 1983 – Michael Montgomery, American football player
- 1983 – Daniel Keith Swain (Danny!), American record producer/hip-hop artist
- 1987 – Mika Boorem, American actress
- 1994 – Jessie Flower, American actress
- 1995 – Parker McKenna Posey, American actress
Deaths
- 1815 – Chauncey Goodrich, American politician (b. 1759)
- 1940 – Walter P. Chrysler, American automobile executive (b. 1875)
- 1949 – Paul Mares, American musician (b. 1900)
- 1963 – Clifford Odets, American playwright (b. 1906)
- 1981 – Anita Loos, American screenwriter (b. 1889)
- 1990 – B. F. Skinner, American psychological theorist (b. 1904)
- 1992 – John Sturges, American film director (b. 1911)
- 2002 – Dean Riesner, American film and television writer (b. 1918)
- 2004 – Elmer Bernstein, American composer (b. 1922)
- 2004 – Hiram Fong, former U.S. Senator from Hawaii (b. 1906)
- 2005 – Christopher Bauman, American wrestler (b. 1982)
- 2007 – Michael Deaver, Reagan Administration Deputy White House Chief of Staff (b. 1938)