May 18

Tuesday 18, 2004:

Randy Johnson pitches a perfect game for the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. the Atlanta Braves.

Monday 18, 1998:

United States v. Microsoft: The United States Department of Justice and 20 U.S. states file an antitrust case against Microsoft.

Thursday 18, 1995:

Alain Juppé becomes Prime Minister of France.

Monday 18, 1992:

The Archivist of the United States issues a proclamation to officially announce that the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has been ratified, despite more than 200 years for completion of the ratification process by the state legislatures.

Sunday 18, 1980:

Peru: Terrorist group Shining Path attacked a voting poll in the town of Chuschi, Ayacucho starting their activities.

Saturday 18, 1974:

Completion of the Warsaw radio mast, the tallest construction ever built at the time. It later collapses on August 8, 1991.

Sunday 18, 1969:

Apollo program: Apollo 10 launches.

Monday 18, 1959:

Launching of the National Liberation Committee of Côte d'Ivoire in Conakry, Guinea.

Sunday 18, 1958:

An F-104 Starfighter sets a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph (2,259.82 km/h).

Monday 18, 1953:

Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier (she flew in a F-86 Sabrejet at an average speed of 652.337 miles per hour (1049.835 km/h) at Rogers Dry Lake, California).

Tuesday 18, 1948:

The First Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China officially convenes in Nanking.

Thursday 18, 1944:

World War II: SS troops burn down six villages in the Brkini hills in south western Slovenia.

Thursday 18, 1933:

New Deal: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs an act creating the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Wednesday 18, 1927:

The Bath School Disaster: Forty-five people are killed by bombs planted by a disgruntled school-board member in Michigan.

Tuesday 18, 1926:

Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears while visiting a Venice, California, beach.

Friday 18, 1917:

World War I: The Selective Service Act passes the U.S. Congress giving the President the power of conscription.

Wednesday 18, 1910:

The Earth passes through the tail of Comet Halley.

Friday 18, 1900:

The United Kingdom proclaims a protectorate over Tonga.

Monday 18, 1896:

The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate but equal is constitutional.

Thursday 18, 1876:

Wyatt Earp starts work in Dodge City, Kansas under Marshall Larry Deger.

Tuesday 18, 1869:

Surrender and dissolution of the Ezo Republic to Japan.

Monday 18, 1863:

American Civil War: The Siege of Vicksburg begins, ending on July 4).

Thursday 18, 1848:

Opening of the first German National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) in Frankfurt, Germany.

Friday 18, 1804:

Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of France by the French Senate.

Wednesday 18, 1803:

Napoleonic Wars: The United Kingdom revokes the Treaty of Amiens and declares war on France.

Sunday 18, 1783:

First United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada after leaving the United States.

Saturday 18, 1765:

Fire destroys a large part of Montreal, Quebec.

Saturday 18, 1652:

Rhode Island passes the first law in North America making slavery illegal.

Sunday 18, 1631:

In Dorchester, Massachusetts, John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts.

Tuesday 18, 1593:

Playwright Thomas Kyd's accusations of heresy lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe.

Friday 18, 1268:

The Principality of Antioch, a crusader state, falls to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the Battle of Antioch; Baibars' destruction of the city of Antioch was so great as to permanently negate the city's importance.

Sunday 18, 1152:

Henry II marries Eleanor of Aquitaine

More on May, 18

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