18 (number)

18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19.

In human affairs: Age 18

In many parts of the world, 18 is the age minimum for being allowed a driver's license and/or for purchasing alcohol or tobacco. It is also the voting age in many countries. During the Vietnam War, Americans could be drafted at an age as low at 18, but were not allowed to vote in most states until they were 21. A movement spread to lower the voting age, and in 1971, the Twenty-sixth Amendment extended a guarantee of suffrage to anyone 18 years or older in all states. The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in the U.K. and many other nations around that time.

Related Topics:
Driver's license - Alcohol - Tobacco - Vietnam War - 1971 - U.K.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Eighteen is also the age in most countries at which a person may appear in a pornographic video, if pornography is legal at all, or have sex with a person in a position of authority over them (a teacher, athletic coach, or employer, for instance, or in general anyone else over the age of 18).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

See also: 18 certificate

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~