Year 1918 in History

Last day of the Julian calendar in Finland; January 2 becomes January 14

The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception).

Russian Bolshevik Party is renamed the All-Russian Communist Party

The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), also known as the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party (RSDWP) or the Russian Social Democratic Party (RSDP), was a socialist political party…

Fearing foreign invasion, Vladimir Lenin shifts revolutionary Russia's capital from Petrograd (St. Petersburg) to Moscow

American jazz musician Louis Armstrong (17) weds Daisy Parker (21); divorce in 1923

German World War I fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen aka "The Red Baron," is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur S

German World War I fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen aka "The Red Baron," is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur Somme in France. Canadian pilot Arthur Roy Brown is credited with the kill.

Nova Aquilae is discovered, the brightest nova since Kepler's nova of 1604

V603 Aquilae (or Nova Aquilae 1918) was a bright nova first observed (from Earth) in the constellation Aquila in 1918.

American jazz orchestra bandleader Duke Ellington (19) weds high school sweetheart Edna Thompson in Washington, D.C.

The Romanov royal family and several of their retainers are executed by a Bolshevik firing squad in the basement of Ipat

The Romanov royal family and several of their retainers are executed by a Bolshevik firing squad in the basement of Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Russia

"The Sinking of the Lusitania" by Winsor McCay is produced; at 12 minutes long, it is the longest work of animation at t

"The Sinking of the Lusitania" by Winsor McCay is produced; at 12 minutes long, it is the longest work of animation at that time

Abbott Costello straight man Bud Abbott (22) weds Betty Smith

Meuse-Argonne Offensive begins in western France, the largest and most costly American offensive of World War I, with mo

Meuse-Argonne Offensive begins in western France, the largest and most costly American offensive of World War I, with more than 1 million US soldiers participating [1]

World War I: A combined Arab and British force, led by Lawrence of Arabia, captures Damascus from the Ottoman Empire

The Capture of Damascus occurred on 1 October 1918 after the capture of Haifa and the victory at the Battle of Samakh which opened the way for the pursuit north from the Sea of Galilee and the Third...

Actor Charlie Chaplin (29) weds Mildred Harris (17)

The Spanish flu kills 21,000 people in the US in a single week

Western Union Cable Office in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, receives a top-secret coded message from Europe stating that on

Western Union Cable Office in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, receives a top-secret coded message from Europe stating that on November 11, 1918, all fighting will cease on land, sea, and in the air

World War I Armistice signed by the Allies and Germany comes into effect, with hostilities ending at 11 a.m., "the eleve

World War I Armistice signed by the Allies and Germany comes into effect, with hostilities ending at 11 a.m., "the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month"

US President Woodrow Wilson sails for the Versailles Peace Conference in France

Philippine Senator (and later 2nd President) Manuel L. Quezon (40) weds first cousin Aurora Aragon (30) in Hong Kong

After repeated clashes over pay with Brooklyn Robins owner Charlie Ebbets, star right fielder and future Baseball Hall o

After repeated clashes over pay with Brooklyn Robins owner Charlie Ebbets, star right fielder and future Baseball Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel is traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates

US Employment Service opens as a unit of the Department of Labor

British premier Lloyd George demand for unified peace

Finland's "Mosaic Confessors" law comes into effect, making Finnish Jews full citizens

Montreal Canadien's center Joe Malone scores 5 goals in a 9-4 win over Ottawa to become the first 20 goal scorer in NHL

Montreal Canadien's center Joe Malone scores 5 goals in a 9-4 win over Ottawa to become the first 20 goal scorer in NHL history; goes on to score 44 regular season goals

Finland and USSR adopt New Style (Gregorian) calendar

The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull Inter gravissimas issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it...

Austria and Germany are disrupted by strikes as people express impatience with leaders continuing the war

Finnish Civil War: The first serious battles between the Red Guards and the White Guard

The Finnish Civil War was a civil war in 1918 fought for the leadership and control of recently independent Finland (former part of Russia) between White Finland and the Finnish Socialist Workers'...

Ukraine proclaimed a free republic (German puppet)

The German revolution of 1918–1919, also known as the November Revolution (German: Novemberrevolution), was an uprising started by workers and soldiers in the final days of World War I.

Russia declared a republic of Soviets

The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (LSSR) was a short-lived Soviet puppet state during the early interwar period.

Finnish Civil War: Rebels seized control of the capital, Helsinki, and members of the Senate of Finland go underground

Ukrainian-Soviet War: Battle of Kruty

The Ukrainian–Soviet War is the term commonly used in post-Soviet Ukraine for the events taking place between 1917 and 1921, nowadays regarded essentially as a war between the Ukrainian People's...

A series of accidental collisions on a misty Scottish night leads to the loss of two Royal Navy submarines with over a h

A series of accidental collisions on a misty Scottish night leads to the loss of two Royal Navy submarines with over a hundred lives, and damage to another five British warships.

Twin Peaks Tunnel for streetcars begins service in San Francisco, at 11,920 feet one of world's longest

Separation of church and state begins in USSR

Great Britain grants women aged 30 and over the right to vote

A movement to fight for women's right to vote in the United Kingdom finally succeeded through acts of Parliament in 1918 and 1928. In 1832, the Representation of the People Act (or First Reform Act)...

"Stars & Stripes,", weekly US armed forces newspaper, 1st published

Sacha Guitry's "Deburan" premieres in Paris

In Finland, General Carl Gustaf Emil Von Mannerheim gathers an army known as the 'White Guard' to mount a counter revolu

In Finland, General Carl Gustaf Emil Von Mannerheim gathers an army known as the 'White Guard' to mount a counter revolution against the Bolshevik 'Red Guard'

USSR adopts New Style (Gregorian) calendar (originally Feb 1)

Lithuania declares independence from Russia & Germany (National Day)

The Act of Independence of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Nepriklausomybės Aktas) or the Act of February 16th, also the Lithuanian Resolution on Independence (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Nepriklausomybės...

Germany renews its offensive against the Russians, making dramatic gains against disorganized and dispirited Russian tro

Germany renews its offensive against the Russians, making dramatic gains against disorganized and dispirited Russian troops

Australians chase Turkish troop out of Jericho, Dutch Palestine

Germany claims Baltic states, Finland & Ukraine from Russia

The Baltic Fleet is the fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian...

First victory of the Red Army over the Kaiser's German troops near Narva and Pskov; since 1923, this date becomes the Da

First victory of the Red Army over the Kaiser's German troops near Narva and Pskov; since 1923, this date becomes the Day of the Red Army in honor of this victory

Estonia declares independence from Russia

The history of Estonia forms a part of the history of Europe. Human settlement in what is now Estonia became possible 13,000–11,000 years ago, after the ice from the last glacial era had melted, and...

Stands at Hong Kong Jockey Club collapse & burn, killing 604

Facing internal counterrevolutionary pressures and external German offensive, Bolsheviks forced to sign harsh Treaty of

Facing internal counterrevolutionary pressures and external German offensive, Bolsheviks forced to sign harsh Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany and Austria

Terek Autonomous Republic established in RSFSR (until 1921)

The Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus (MRNC), also referred to as the United Republics of the North Caucasus, Mountain Republic, or the Republic of the Mountaineers, was a short-lived...

US naval boat "Cyclops" disappears in Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a loosely defined region in the North Atlantic Ocean, roughly bounded by Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico.

H Carroll & J McCarthy's musical "Oh, Look!" premieres in NYC

Conservationists John Merriam, Madison Grant, and Henry Fairfield Osborn found "Save the Redwoods League" - a non-profit

Conservationists John Merriam, Madison Grant, and Henry Fairfield Osborn found "Save the Redwoods League" - a non-profit forest conservation land trust in San Francisco, California founded

American Red Magen David (Jewish Red Cross) forms

1st concrete ship to cross the Atlantic (Faith) is launched in San Francisco

Geoffrey O'Hara's "K-K-K-Katy" song published

"K-K-K-Katy" is a World War I-era song written by Canadian-American composer Geoffrey O'Hara in 1917 and published in 1918.

Soccer team SON OF Meerssen forms

S Potter becomes 1st US pilot to shoot down a German seaplane

World War I: Germany launches Somme offensive

The Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought during the First World War on the Western Front from late August to early September, in the basin of the River Somme.

Alick Wickham dives 200' into Australia's Yarra River

Belarusian People's Republic is established

The Belarusian People's Republic (BNR; Belarusian: Беларуская Народная Рэспубліка, romanized: Biełaruskaja Narodnaja Respublika, БНР), also known as the Belarusian Democratic Republic, was a state...

Moldova and Bessarabia join Romania

The union of Bessarabia with Romania was proclaimed on April 9 [O.S. March 27] 1918 by Sfatul Țării, the legislative body of the Moldavian Democratic Republic.

Stanley Cup, Mutual Street Arena, Toronto, ON: Toronto Arenas (NHL) beat Vancouver Millionaires (PCHA), 2-1 for a 3-2 se

Stanley Cup, Mutual Street Arena, Toronto, ON: Toronto Arenas (NHL) beat Vancouver Millionaires (PCHA), 2-1 for a 3-2 series victory; first series contested by the new NHL

Douglas Campbell is 1st US ace pilot (shooting down 5th German plane)

The 1st Operations Group (1 OG) is the flying component of the 1st Fighter Wing, assigned to the USAF Air Combat Command. The group is stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.

The British House of Commons passes a new Military Service Bill, taking men up to 55 years old and extending to Ireland

During World War I (1914–1918), Ireland was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, which entered the war in August 1914 as one of the Entente Powers, along with France and Russia.

Raid of Zeebrugge; the British navy attempts to block German vessels from leaving port by sinking obsolete ships - mostl

Raid of Zeebrugge; the British navy attempts to block German vessels from leaving port by sinking obsolete ships - mostly fails

Giants' 9-0 winning start & Dodgers' 0-9 losing streak are stopped

Orange Nassau soccer team forms in Groningen

General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware

General Motors Company (GM) is an American multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States.

HMS Vindictive sunk to block entrance of Ostend Harbor

First US airmail stamps are issued (24 cents)

Sunday baseball is made legal in Washington, D.C.

1st regular US airmail postal service between NY, Philadelphia & Washington, D.C.

United States airmail was a service class of the United States Post Office Department (USPOD) and its successor United States Postal Service (USPS) delivering air mail by aircraft flown within the...

Washington Senator Walter Johnson pitches 1-0, 18 inning game

Sedition Act of 1918 is passed by Congress, making criticism of the government an imprisonable offense

The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law enacted on June 15, 1917, shortly after the United States entered World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years.

Dutch Indian Volksraad installed in Batavia

Washington's 1st Sunday game, Senators beat Cleveland 1-0 in 18 innings

US Navy launches USS New Mexico, its first battleship with an electric-turbine propulsion system

US House of Representatives passes amendment allowing women to vote

The Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution prohibits the United States and its states from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of...

King Oil/Shell refinery on Curacao officially opens

British officer General Poole lands at Murmansk, the Russian port on the Barents Sea

Armenia defeats the Ottoman Army in the Battle of Sardarapat

The Battle of Baku (Azerbaijani: Bakı döyüşü, Turkish: Bakü Muharebesi, Russian: Битва за Баку) took place in August and September 1918 between the Ottoman–Azerbaijani coalition forces led by Nuri...

Third Battle of Aisne: German offensive overcomes British forces (WWI)

The Battle of Soissons (1918) (also known as the Battle of the Soissonnais and of the Ourcq (French: Bataille du Soissoinais et de L'Ourcq)) was fought on the Western Front during World War I.

Azerbaijan gains independence and declares itself a Democratic Republic

The Declaration of Independence of Azerbaijan is the pronouncement adopted by the Azerbaijani National Council meeting in Tiflis on 28 May 1918, declaring the independence of the Azerbaijan...

Boston Red Sox pitcher Dutch Leonard throws his 2nd no-hitter; beats Detroit Tigers, 5-0 at Navin Field

French troops, with the aid of US troops, stop the Germans at Chateau-Thierry as they attempt to cross the Marne

Battle of Belleau Wood, 1st US victory of WW I

1st aerial bombing raid by an American unit, France

World War II (1939–1945) involved sustained strategic bombing of railways, harbours, cities, workers' and civilian housing, and industrial districts in enemy territory.

Phillies and Cards tie 8-8 in 19 innings

1" of snow falls in Northern Pennsylvania

A circus train is rammed by a troop train in Ivanhoe, Illinois, killing 68 people

Baku-Turkish communist party forms

The Australian steamer Wimmera is sunk by a mine laid north of Cape Maria van Diemen in 1917 by the German raider Wolf;

The Australian steamer Wimmera is sunk by a mine laid north of Cape Maria van Diemen in 1917 by the German raider Wolf; 26 of its 151 passengers and crew were killed

Canadian hospital ship HMHS Llandovery Castle sunk by German U-boat off southern Ireland - only 24 of 258 people on boar

Canadian hospital ship HMHS Llandovery Castle sunk by German U-boat off southern Ireland - only 24 of 258 people on board survive (U-boat officers later charged with war crimes) [1]

First flight between Hawaiian islands

A provisional government opposed to the Bolsheviks establishes itself at Vladivostok, the Russian port on the Sea of Jap

A provisional government opposed to the Bolsheviks establishes itself at Vladivostok, the Russian port on the Sea of Japan

Prominent US Socialist and Pacifist Eugene Debs is arrested on charges of denouncing the government, a violation of the

Prominent US Socialist and Pacifist Eugene Debs is arrested on charges of denouncing the government, a violation of the Espionage Act of 1917

SDAP'er Suze Groenweg elected 1st woman in Dutch parliament

Altar dedicated at full-scale replica of Stonehenge at Maryhill, Washington

killed and 171 injured in worst US train wreck in Nashville, Tennessee

The Great Train Wreck of 1918 occurred on July 9, 1918, in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Two passenger trains, operated by the Nashville, Chattanooga and St.

Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic is formed

The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, the Russian Federative Soviet Republic, and the Russian Soviet...

Japanese battleship explodes in Bay of Tokayama, 500 killed

World War I: Second Battle of Marne begins

The Battle of Soissons (1918) (also known as the Battle of the Soissonnais and of the Ourcq (French: Bataille du Soissoinais et de L'Ourcq)) was fought on the Western Front during World War I.

Longest errorless game, Cubs beat Phillies 2-1 in 21 innings

World War I: US and French forces launch Aisne-Marne offensive

Washington Senators catcher Eddie Ainsmith applies for draft deferment; Secretary of War, Newton D Baker rules baseball

Washington Senators catcher Eddie Ainsmith applies for draft deferment; Secretary of War, Newton D Baker rules baseball players not draft exempt but later moves date to 1 September; both leagues end regular season 2 September

U-156 shells Nauset Beach, in Orleans, Massachusetts

The attack on Orleans was a naval and air action during World War I on 21 July 1918 when a German submarine fired on a small convoy of barges led by a tugboat off Orleans, Massachusetts, on the...

Lightning kills 504 sheep in Utah's Wasatch National Park

Annette Adams is sworn in as the first female district attorney in the US, in California

Race riot in Philadelphia kills three white people and one black person

Socony 200, the first concrete barge in the US, is launched to carry oil into Flushing Bay, NY

British troops enter Vladivostok

Japan announces that it is deploying troops to Siberia in the aftermath of World War I

Japan participated in World War I from 1914 to 1918 as a member of the Allies/Entente and played an important role against the Imperial German Navy.

The first Allied troops land at Archangel, the Russian port on the White Sea

The Russian Civil War was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire, lasting from 1917 to 1922, sparked by the overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution,...

Ferdinand Foch becomes Marshal of France during WWI

World War I: The Allies launch the Hundred Days Offensive, beginning with the Battle of Amiens, where 500 tanks and 10 A

World War I: The Allies launch the Hundred Days Offensive, beginning with the Battle of Amiens, where 500 tanks and 10 Allied divisions attack German lines

WWI: Allies defeat Germans at the Battle of Amiens, the last great battle on the Western Front

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) is established as a public company in Germany

The official founding date of the German motor vehicle manufacturer BMW is 7 March 1916, when an aircraft producer called Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (formerly Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik) was established.

US troops overrun at Archangelsk by Bolshevik troops

Bolshevik revolutionary leader Moisei Uritsky is assassinated

Moisei Solomonovich Uritsky, also known by his pen-name Boretsky, was a Bolshevik revolutionary leader in Russia.

WWI: Britain opens an offensive on the Western front

The Eastern Front or Eastern Theater, of World War I, was a theater of operations that encompassed at its greatest extent the entire frontier between Russia and Romania on one side and...

Chicago Cubs win earliest pennant ever as season ends September 2

The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central Division.

Winchell Smith and Frank Bacon's comedic play "Lightnin'" premieres in New York City

Christy Mathewson resigns as Cincinnati Reds manager to accept a commission as a captain in the Chemical Warfare Branch

Christy Mathewson resigns as Cincinnati Reds manager to accept a commission as a captain in the Chemical Warfare Branch of the US Army

MLB Cleveland Indians outfielder Tris Speaker is suspended for the season due to an assault on umpire Tom Connolly

Czechoslovakia forms an independent republic

Czechoslovakia ( CHEK-oh-sloh-VAK-ee-ə, CHEK-ə-, -⁠slə-, -⁠VAH-; Czech and Slovak: Československo, Česko-Slovensko) was a country in Central Europe created in 1918, as Czecho-Slovakia (until 1920),...

Boston Red Sox, win earliest AL pennent ever (season ended Sept 2)

Battle of Megiddo starts, the final Allied offense during Sinai and Palestine campaign won by the Allies

Allied forces push German troops back across the Hindenburg Line

The Hindenburg Line (Siegfriedstellung, Siegfried Position) was a German defensive fortification built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front in France during the First World War.

Jhr. Ch. Ruys de Beerenbrouck becomes the first Dutch Catholic prime minister

Decree of the Council of People's Commissars "On Red Terror" is published in Russia

The Red Terror was a campaign of political repression and executions in Soviet Russia which was carried out by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War, chiefly through the Cheka, the Bolshevik...

Dutch government of Ruijs de Beerenbrouck forms

The First Ruijs de Beerenbrouck cabinet was the cabinet of the Netherlands from 9 September 1918 until 18 September 1922.

WWI: US forces launch an attack on German-occupied St Mihiel

Train accident at Weesp Netherlands, kills 42

WWI: Austria-Hungary sends a note to the Allies requesting peace discussions, but the Allies reject the offer

Royal Dutch Blast Furnace & Steel Factory opens in The Hague

Koninklijke Hoogovens known as Koninklijke Nederlandse Hoogovens en Staalfabrieken (KNHS) until 1996 or informally Hoogovens. is a Dutch steel producer founded in 1918.

WWI: Allied forces score a decisive breakthrough of the Hindenburg Line

Boris becomes King of Bulgaria

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea.

US ship Otranto sinks between Scotland and Ireland, killing 425

Baden's Geisz forms a government

Major tsumani shakes Caribbean

Cloquet fire kills 453 and injures or displaces 52,000 people

The Cloquet Fire was an immense forest fire in northern Minnesota, United States, in October 1918, caused by sparks on the local railroads amid dry conditions.

British Q-ship Cymric sinks British submarine J6

De Kooy Airport in the Netherlands opens

Czechoslovakia declares independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire

The Czechoslovak Declaration of Independence or the Washington Declaration (Czech: Washingtonská deklarace; Slovak: Washingtonská deklarácia; German: Washingtoner Erklärung; Hungarian: Washingtoni...

Margaret Owen sets a world typing speed record of 170 wpm for one minute

Canadian steamship "Princess Sophia" hits a reef off Alaska, 398 die

German sailors refuse to obey orders to fight British naval forces and lead a revolt in the naval ports of Wilhelmshaven

German sailors refuse to obey orders to fight British naval forces and lead a revolt in the naval ports of Wilhelmshaven, beginning the German Revolution

Slovakia asks for the creation of the Czechoslovakian state

Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe.

Short-lived Banat Republic founded in territory where Romania, Hungary, and Serbia meet

Serbia, officially the Republic of Serbia, is a landlocked country in Southeast and Central Europe.

die in a NYC BMT subway derailment at Malbone Street Brooklyn

The Malbone Street wreck, also known as the Brighton Beach Line accident, was a rapid transit railroad accident that occurred on November 1, 1918, on the New York City Subway's BMT Brighton Line (now...

Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolves

The Austro-Hungarian Navy or Imperial and Royal War Navy (German: kaiserliche und königliche Kriegsmarine, in short k.u.k.

The Allied armistice with Austria-Hungary, signed 3 November, goes into effect

The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice that ended fighting on land, at sea, and in the air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany.

Republic of Poland proclaimed

The Second Polish Republic, officially known at the time as the Republic of Poland, was the Polish state that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939 after being established in the final...

Kurt Eisner overthrows the Wittelsbach dynasty in the Kingdom of Bavaria as a revolutionary uprising spreads throughout

Kurt Eisner overthrows the Wittelsbach dynasty in the Kingdom of Bavaria as a revolutionary uprising spreads throughout Germany

Soviet dramatic play "Mystery-Bouffe" by Vladimir Mayakovsky premieres in Petrograd

Mystery-Bouffe is a socialist dramatic play written by Vladimir Mayakovsky in 1918/1921.

Pro-German supreme commander general Cutters lay-offs

Dutch SDAP leader Troelstra announces revolution

Emperor Karl of Austria-Hungary abdicates, Austria becomes a republic

The emperor of Austria (German: Kaiser von Österreich, Latin: Imperator Austriae) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Prince Friedrich, last reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, abdicates

Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (Friedrich Adolf Hermann Fürst zu Waldeck und Pyrmont; 20 January 1865 – 26 May 1946) was the last reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont from 12 May 1893 to...

Hungarian People's Republic declared

The First Hungarian Republic (Hungarian: Első Magyar Köztársaság), until 21 March 1919 the Hungarian People's Republic (Magyar Népköztársaság), was a short-lived unrecognized country, which quickly...

German troops evacuate Brussels

The military forces of the German Empire occupied Belgium during World War I between 1914 and 1918.

Belgian troops re-enter Brussels, lost to the German invaders on 20 August 1914

2 German ammunition trains explode in Hamont Belgium, 1,750 die

Grand Duke Frederik II, the last Grand Duke of Baden, resigns

Béla Can forms Hungarian Communist Party

Béla Kun (Hungarian: Kun Béla, born Béla Kohn; 20 February 1886 – 29 August 1938) was a Hungarian communist revolutionary and politician who in 1919 governed the Hungarian Soviet Republic. After...

The Podgorica Assembly votes for "union of the people", declaring assimilation into the Kingdom of Serbia

Bukovinian Romanians declare their union with Romania

The union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on 1 December [O.S. 18 November] 1918 by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia.

Denmark recognizes Iceland as an independent and sovereign state

The Kingdom of Iceland (Icelandic: Konungsríkið Ísland; Danish: Kongeriget Island) was an associated state of Denmark (prior to its invasion by Nazi Germany) and kingdom under a personal union that...

Oil refinery on Curacao opens

French troops occupies Mainz

Mainz is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 35th-largest city.

John Heyder becomes president of baseball's National League for the 2nd time

US army of occupation crosses Rhine, enters Germany

David Loyd George's coalition Government wins a clear majority in the UK general election

David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922.

American Jewish Congress holds its 1st meeting

German troops evacuate Finland, give over Kiev in the Ukraine to revolutionary forces and pull back from Estonia as Bols

German troops evacuate Finland, give over Kiev in the Ukraine to revolutionary forces and pull back from Estonia as Bolshevik forces move in

A conference of workers' and soldiers' councils take control of German government in Berlin, until elections in January

A conference of workers' and soldiers' councils take control of German government in Berlin, until elections in January selects new national assembly

Robert Ripley begins his "Believe It or Not" column (NY Globe)

Eugene O'Neill's play "Moon of the Caribees" premieres in NYC

Red Sox trade Dutch Leonard, Ernie Shore & Duffy Lewis to Yankees for Ray Caldwell & Slim Love, Frank Gilhooey, Al Walte

Red Sox trade Dutch Leonard, Ernie Shore & Duffy Lewis to Yankees for Ray Caldwell & Slim Love, Frank Gilhooey, Al Walters & $15,000

1st day of 1st-class cricket in Aust after WW I (Vic v NSW)

The Great Poland Uprising against the Germans begins.

The Greater Poland uprising of 1918–1919, or Wielkopolska uprising of 1918–1919 (Polish: powstanie wielkopolskie 1918–1919 roku; German: Großpolnischer Aufstand) or Poznań War was a military...

Famous Births

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is born

Gamal Abdel Nasser is born

Gertrude B. Elion is born

Gertrude B. Elion, American biochemist and pharmacologist, known for american biochemist and pharmacologist, was born on 1918-01-23.

John Forsythe is born

John Forsythe, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1918-01-29. John Lincoln Forsythe (né Freund; January 29, 1918 – April 1, 2010) was an American stage, film/television actor,…

Muriel Spark is born

Muriel Spark, Scottish author, known for scottish author, was born on 1918-02-01. Dame Muriel Sarah Spark was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist..

Nicolae Ceaușescu is born

Patty Berg is born

Al Gross is born

Bobby Riggs is born

Bobby Riggs, American athlete, known for american tennis player, was born on 1918-02-25.

Sam Walton is born

Sam Walton, American business magnate, known for american business magnate, was born on 1918-03-29.

Bobby Doerr is born

Bobby Doerr, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1918-04-07.

Betty Ford is born

William Holden is born

William Holden, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1918-04-17. William Franklin Holden (né Beedle; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest…

Jack Paar is born

Jack Paar, American writer and comedian, known for american writer and comedian, was born on 1918-05-01.

Mike Wallace is born

Mike Wallace, American journalist, known for american journalist, was born on 1918-05-09.

Julius Rosenberg is born

Cicely Saunders is born

Alec Bedser is born

Alec Bedser, English athlete, known for english cricketer, was born on 1918-07-04.

Ingmar Bergman is born

Ingmar Bergman, Swedish filmmaker, known for swedish filmmaker, was born on 1918-07-14. Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter.

Nelson Mandela is born

Guy Gibson is born

Guy Gibson recipient of the victoria cross, known for recipient of the victoria cross, was born on 1918-08-12.

Leonard Bernstein is born

Leonard Bernstein, American musician, known for american conductor and composer, was born on 1918-08-25.

Rita Hayworth is born

Rita Hayworth, American actress, dancer, pin-up girl, known for american actress, dancer, pin-up girl, was born on 1918-10-17. Rita Hayworth was an American actress, dancer, and pin-up girl.

Bob Feller is born

Bob Feller, American athlete, known for american baseball pitcher, was born on 1918-11-03.

Bodil Schmidt-Nielsen is born

Bodil Schmidt-Nielsen, American physiologist, known for american physiologist, was born on 1918-11-06.

Billy Graham is born

Billy Graham evangelist, known for american evangelist, was born on 1918-11-07. William Franklin Graham Jr.

John Bromwich is born

John Bromwich, Australian athlete, known for australian tennis player, was born on 1918-11-14.

Jacqueline Susann is born

Jacqueline Susann, American novelist and actress, known for american novelist and actress, was born on 1918-08-20.

Rosemary Kennedy is born

Rosemary Kennedy sister of john f. kennedy, known for sister of john f. kennedy, was born on 1918-09-13.

Art Carney is born

Art Carney, American actor and comedian, known for american actor and comedian, was born on 1918-11-04.

Kurt Waldheim is born

Kurt Waldheim, Austrian diplomat and politician, known for austrian diplomat and politician, was born on 1918-12-21. Kurt Josef Waldheim was an Austrian politician and diplomat.

Notable Deaths

John L. Sullivan dies

John L. Sullivan, American boxer, known for american boxer, died on 1918-02-02. John Lawrence Sullivan (October 15, 1858 – February 2, 1918) was an American professional boxer.

Frank Wedekind dies

Frank Wedekind, German playwright, known for german playwright, died on 1918-03-09. Benjamin Franklin Wedekind (July 24, 1864 – March 9, 1918) was a German playwright.

Claude Debussy dies

Claude Debussy, French classical composer, known for french classical composer, died on 1918-03-25. Achille Claude Debussy was a French composer.

The Red Baron dies

The Red Baron, English world war i flying ace aka "red baron", known for german world war i flying ace aka "red baron", died on 1918-04-21.

Gavrilo Princip dies

Gavrilo Princip, Bosnian assassin of archduke franz ferdinand, known for assassin of archduke franz ferdinand, died on 1918-04-28.