August 18

### Up to 1900

- 1201 – The city of Riga in present–day Latvia is founded.
- 1487 – The Siege of Malaga comes to an end, with the taking of the city by Castilian and Aragonese forces.
- 1572 – Henry IV of France and Margaret of Valois marry.
- 1587 – Virginia Dare, granddaughter of Governor John White of the Colony of Roanoke, Virginia, becomes the first child of English parents to be born in the Americas. Exactly three years later, White returns from a supply trip to England to find that everyone from the colony had disappeared.
- 1612 – The trial of the Pendle witches, one of England's most well–known witch trials, begins at Lancaster Assizes.
- 1634 – Urbain Grandier, accused and convicted of sorcery, is burned alive in Loudon, France.
- 1783 – A huge fireball meteor is seen across Great Britain as it passes over the east coast.
- 1807 – Napoleon Bonaparte creates the Kingdom of Westphalia and installs his brother Jerome Bonaparte as its king.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Globe Tavern.
- 1868 – French astronomer Pierre Janssen discovers helium.
- 1870 – Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Gravelotte.
- 1877 – Mars' moon Phobos is discovered by Asaph Hall.
- 1891 – A major hurricane strikes Martinique, killing around 700 people.

### From 1901

- 1917 – The city of Thessaloniki in present–day Greece is largely destroyed by fire.
- 1920 – The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing women the right to vote.
- 1940 – World War II: Battle of Britain's "Hardest Day", on which both sides suffer their heaviest losses.
- 1945 – Sukarno becomes President of Indonesia, a day after declaring Indonesia independent from the Netherlands.
- 1946 – The Vergarolla explosion in Croatia kills 70 people.
- 1948 – The Australian cricket team completes a 4–0 Ashes series win over England during its undefeated "Invincibles" tour.
- 1950 – Julien Lahaut, chairman of the Belgian Communist Party, is murdered by far–right extremists.
- 1958 – Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel _Lolita_ is published in the United States.
- 1958 – Brojen Das from Bangladesh becomes the first Asian to swim across the English Channel.
- 1959 – The Mini automobile goes on sale.
- 1960 – The combined oral contraceptive pill becomes available in the United States.
- 1963 – James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.
- 1965 – Vietnam War: Operation Starlite begins – US marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in the major American ground battle of the war.
- 1966 – Vietnam War: The Battle of Long Tan ensues after a patrol from the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment clashes with a Viet Cong force in Phuoc Tuy province.
- 1971 – Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam.
- 1976 – The Soviet Luna 24 probe lands on the Moon.
- 1976 – In the Korean Demilitarized Zone at Panmunjom, the axe murder incident results in the deaths of two US soldiers.
- 1977 – Steve Biko is arrested. His death a few weeks later, at the hands of the police, makes him a symbol of the brutality of South Africa's apartheid system.
- 1983 – Hurricane Alicia hits Texas, killing 22 people.
- 1988 – George H. W. Bush makes his campaign promise _Read my lips, no new taxes_ during a speech in Louisiana.
- 1989 – Leading Presidential hopeful Luis Carlos Galan is murdered near Bogota, Colombia.
- 1991 – The August Coup against Mikhail Gorbachev begins.
- 1994 – A magnitude 5.9 earthquake kills 159 people in Algeria.
- 2005 – A massive power blackout hits the Indonesian island of Java, affecting around 100 million people.
- 2008 – Pervez Musharraf announces his resignation as President of Pakistan. Asif Ali Zardari succeeds him in September.
- 2017 – Two people are killed and several are injured in a stabbing attack in Turku, Finland.
- 2018 – The 2018 Asian Games, co–hosted by the cities of Jakarta and Palembang (in Indonesia), begin.
- 2018 – Former cricketer Imran Khan becomes Prime Minister of Pakistan.

### Up to 1900

- 1414 – Jami, Persian poet (d. 1492)
- 1450 – Marko Marulic, Croatian poet (d. 1524)
- 1497 – Francesco Canovada Milano, Italian composer (d. 1543)
- 1587 – Virginia Dare, first child of English parents to be born in what is now the United States (d. before 1591)
- 1596 – Jean Bolland, Flemish painter (d. 1665)
- 1606 – Maria Anna of Spain (d. 1646)
- 1611 – Marie Louise Gonzaga, Queen Consort of Poland (d. 1667)
- 1657 – Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena, Italian architect and painter (d. 1743)
- 1685 – Brook Taylor, English mathematician (d. 1731)
- 1692 – Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon (d. 1740)
- 1700 – Baji Rao I, Indian Emperor (d. 1740)
- 1748 – Pierre Sonnerat, French naturalist and explorer (d. 1814)
- 1750 – Antonio Salieri, Italian composer (d. 1825)
- 1774 – Meriwether Lewis, American explorer (d. 1809)
- 1786 – Jean Guillaume Lugol, French physician (d. 1851)
- 1792 – John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1878)
- 1803 – Nathan Clifford, 19th United States Attorney General (d. 1881)
- 1807 – Charles Francis Adams, Jr., American lawyer, politician, diplomat and writer (d. 1886)
- 1819 – Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1876)
- 1822 – Isaac P. Rodman, American general (d. 1862)
- 1830 – Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria (d. 1916)
- 1855 – Alfred Wallis, British painter (d. 1942)
- 1856 – Ahad Ha'am, Hebrew essayist and Zionist thinker (d. 1927)
- 1857 – Eusebius Mandyczewski, Austrian composer and musicologist (d. 1929)
- 1859 – Anna Ancher, Danish painter (d. 1935)
- 1870 – Lavr Kornilov, Russian general (d. 1918)
- 1875 – King Prithvi of Nepal (d. 1911)
- 1877 – Jimmy Michael, Welsh cyclist (d. 1904)
- 1879 – Aleksandr Rodzyanko, Russian general (d. 1970)
- 1879 – Manuel Arce y Ochoterena, Spanish cardinal, Archbishop of Tarragona (d. 1948)
- 1882 – Herman Groman, American runner (d. 1954)
- 1883 – Sidney Hatch, American runner (d. 1966)
- 1890 – Walther Funk, Nazi politician (d. 1960)
- 1892 – Hal Foster, Canadian–American illustrator (d. 1982)
- 1893 – Burleigh Grimes, American baseball player and manager (d. 1985)
- 1896 – Jack Pickford, Canadian–American actor (d. 1933)
- 1900 – Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Indian politician ans diplomat (d. 1990)

### 1901 – 1950

- 1901 – Arne Borg, Swedish swimmer (d. 1987)
- 1901 – Jean Guitton, French philosopher and writer (d. 1999)
- 1904 – Max Factor, Polish–born cosmetics entrepreneur (d. 1996)
- 1908 – Edgar Faure, French politician and historian (d. 1988)
- 1908 – Sam English, Irish footballer (d. 1967)
- 1911 – Amelia Boynton Robinson, American activist (d. 2015)
- 1912 – Ertugrul Osman, head of the Ottoman dynasty (d. 2009)
- 1913 – Romain Maes, Belgian cyclist (d. 1983)
- 1915 – Joseph Arthur Ankrah, leader of Ghana (d. 1992)
- 1916 – Neagu Djuvara, Romanian historian, journalist and diplomat (d. 2018)
- 1916 – Don Keefer, American actor (d. 2014)
- 1917 – Caspar Weinberger, American politician (d. 2006)
- 1919 – Wally Hickel, American politician, 2nd and 8th Governor of Alaska (d. 2010)
- 1920 – Shelley Winters, American actress (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Lydia Litvyak, Soviet pilot (d. 1943)
- 1921 – Zdzislaw Zigulski, Jr., Polish art historian (d. 2015)
- 1922 – Alain Robbe-Grillet, French writer and movie maker (d. 2008)
- 1924 – Julien Bogaert, Belgian cartoonist (d. 2018)
- 1925 – Brian Aldiss, British science–fiction writer (d. 2017)
- 1927 – Rosalynn Carter, former First Lady of the United States
- 1929 – Hugues Aufray, French singer
- 1930 – Bo Hi Pak, South Korean church leader
- 1930 – Liviu Librescu, Romanian–American scientist (d. 2007)
- 1931 – Bramwell Tillsley, 14th General of the Salvation Army
- 1931 – Hans van Mierlo, Dutch politician (d. 2010)
- 1932 – Luc Montagnier, French microbiologist
- 1933 – Just Fontaine, French footballer
- 1933 – Roman Polanski, movie director
- 1934 – Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican baseball player (d. 1972)
- 1934 – Ronnie Carroll, Northern Irish singer, entertainer and political candidate (d. 2015)
- 1935 – Hifikepunye Pohamba, 2nd President of Namibia
- 1935 – Rafer Johnson, American athlete and actor
- 1936 – Gulzar, Indian director, producer and songwriter
- 1936 – Robert Redford, American actor
- 1939 – Johnny Preston, American singer (d. 2011)
- 1940 – Stanley Johnson, British author and politician, father of Boris Johnson
- 1941 – Mohamed Ghannouci, former Prime Minister of Tunisia
- 1941 – Christopher Jones, American actor (d. 2014)
- 1943 – Norma Pons, Argentine actress (d. 2014)
- 1943 – Gianni Rivera, Italian footballer and politician
- 1943 – Roberto Rosato, Italian footballer (d. 2010)
- 1943 – Carl Wayne, British singer and actor (d. 2004)
- 1945 – Paula Danziger, American author (d. 2004)
- 1950 – Dennis Elliott, English drummer and sculptor

### 1951 – 1975

- 1952 – Patrick Swayze, American actor, singer and dancer (d. 2009)
- 1952 – Ricardo Villa, Argentine footballer
- 1952 – Mohammad Sarwar, British–Pakistani politician, former Glasgow MP and two–time Governor of the Punjab.
- 1953 – Sergio Castellitto, Italian actor, screenwriter and director
- 1954 – Umberto Guidoni, Italian astronaut
- 1954 – Rustem Khamitov, Russian politician
- 1954 – VK Sasikala,Indian Businesswoman turned politician.
- 1957 – Denis Leary, American actor
- 1957 – Carole Bouquet, French actress and model
- 1957 – Harald Schmidt, German television presenter
- 1958 – Reg E. Cathey, American actor (d. 2018)
- 1958 – Sergei Treshchov, Soviet–Russian cosmonaut
- 1958 – Madeleine Stowe, American actress
- 1961 – Huw Edwards, Welsh journalist and news presenter
- 1961 – Timothy Geithner, 75th United States Secretary of the Treasury
- 1962 – Felipe Calderon, former President of Mexico
- 1963 – Billy Reid, Scottish footballer
- 1964 – Kenny Walker, American basketball player
- 1968 – Lee Seung-yeon, South Korean actress and talk show host
- 1969 – Edward Norton, American actor
- 1969 – Christian Slater, American actor
- 1970 – Malcolm-Jamal Warner, American actor
- 1971 – Aphex Twin, Irish–born musician
- 1972 – Masahiro Nakai, Japanese actor, singer and television presenter
- 1972 – Keiko Yamada, Japanese singer
- 1972 – Victoria Coren Mitchell, British television presenter and poker player
- 1973 – Paulo Schroeber, Brazilian guitarist (d. 2014)
- 1975 – Kaitlin Olson, American actress

### From 1976

- 1977 – Régine Chassagne, Canadian singer-songwriter (Arcade Fire)
- 1978 – Steve Chen, Taiwanese–American internet entrepreneur, co–founder of YouTube
- 1978 – Andy Samberg, American actor and comedian
- 1980 – Esteban Cambiasso, Argentine footballer
- 1981 – Dimitris Salpingidis, Greek footballer
- 1981 – Jan Frodeno, German triathlete
- 1982 – Florian Kringe, German footballer
- 1983 – Kris Boyd, Scottish footballer
- 1983 – Mika, Lebanese–English singer
- 1983 – Georgina Bardach, Argentine swimmer
- 1983 – Danny!, American rapper and producer
- 1984 – Robert Huth, German footballer
- 1985 – Bryan Ruiz Gonzalez, Costa Rican footballer
- 1986 – Ross McCormack, Scottish footballer
- 1987 – Tine Thing Helseth, Norwegian trumpeter
- 1987 – Mika Boorem, American actress
- 1988 – Luke Jackson, British author
- 1988 – Eggert Jónsson, Icelandic footballer
- 1988 – G-Dragon, South Korean rapper, singer–songwriter and record producer
- 1992 – Elizabeth Beisel, American swimmer
- 1992 – Amy Willerton, English model
- 1992 – Frances Bean Cobain, daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love
- 1993 – Maia Mitchell, Australian actress
- 1995 – Parker McKenna Posey, American actress
- 1997 – Renato Sanches, Portuguese footballer

### Up to 1900

- 353 – Decentius, Roman usurper
- 440 – Pope Sixtus III
- 472 – Ricimer, Roman general (b. 405)
- 673 – Kim Yu-shin, Korean general (b. 595)
- 1095 – Olaf I of Denmark (b. 1050)
- 1227 – Genghis Khan, Mongol ruler (b. around 1160)
- 1258 – Theodore II Laskaris, Byzantine–Greek Emperor (b. 1222)
- 1276 – Pope Adrian V (b. 1520)
- 1503 – Pope Alexander VI (b. 1431)
- 1559 – Pope Paul IV (b. 1476)
- 1613 – Giovanni Artusi, Italian composer, theorist and thinker (b. 1540)
- 1620 – Wanli, Chinese emperor (b. 1563)
- 1642 – Guido Reni, Italian painter (b. 1775)
- 1645 – Eudoxia Streshneva, Russian Empress (b. 1608)
- 1648 – Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1615)
- 1707 – William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, English soldier and politician (b. 1640)
- 1765 – Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1708)
- 1842 – Louis de Freycinet, French explorer (b. 1779)
- 1850 – Honoré de Balzac, French writer (b. 1799)
- 1886 – Eli Whitney Blake, American inventor (b. 1795)

### 1901 – 2000

- 1919 – Joseph E. Seagram, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1841)
- 1939 – Frank Wild, English explorer (b. 1873)
- 1940 – Walter Chrysler, American automobile executive (b. 1875)
- 1942 – Rafaela Ottiano, Italian–American actress (b. 1888)
- 1944 – Ernst Thalmann, German politician (b. 1886)
- 1945 – Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian independence fighter (b. 1897)
- 1950 – Julien Lahaut, Belgian politician (b. 1884)
- 1952 – Alberto Hurtado, Chilean priest, lawyer, writer and saint (b. 1901)
- 1963 – Clifford Odets, American playwright (b. 1906)
- 1968 – Cy Walter, American pianist (b. 1915)
- 1970 – Soledad Miranda, Spanish actress (b. 1943)
- 1981 – Anita Loos, American screenwriter and author (b. 1889)
- 1989 – Luis Carlos Galan, Colombian politician (b. 1943)
- 1990 – B. F. Skinner, American psychological theorist (b. 1904)
- 1992 – John Sturges, American director (b. 1910)
- 1994 – Richard Laurence Millington Synge, British chemist (b. 1914)

### From 2001

- 2003 – Tony Jackson, British musician (b. 1938)
- 2004 – Hiram Fong, United States Senator for Hawaii (b. 1906)
- 2005 – Gao Xiumin, Chinese actress (b. 1959)
- 2009 – Kim Dae Jung, President of South Korea (b. 1925)
- 2010 – Hal Connolly, American hammer thrower (b. 1931)
- 2010 – Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-Parma, Spanish aristocrat (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Jesse Robredo, Filipino politician (b. 1958)
- 2012 – Scott McKenzie, American singer (b. 1939)
- 2013 – Rolv Wesenlund, Norwegian actor (b. 1936)
- 2013 – Dezso Gyarmati, Hungarian polo player (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Jim Jeffords, United States Senator for Vermont (b. 1934)
- 2014 – Don Pardo, American radio and television announcer (b. 1918)
- 2014 – Levente Lengyel, Hungarian chess player (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Gordon Faber, American politician (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Hashim Khan, Pakistani squash player (b. 1914)
- 2015 – Suvra Mukherjee, Indian philosopher and dancer, First Lady of India (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Khaled Asaad, Syrian scholar (b. 1932)
- 2015 – Louis Stokes, American politician (b. 1925)
- 2015 – William Jay Smith, American poet (b. 1918)
- 2017 – Pertti Alaja, Finnish footballer (b. 1952)
- 2017 – Alfonso Azpiri, Spanish comic artist (b. 1947)
- 2017 – Dave Creighton, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1930)
- 2017 – Bruce Forsyth, English entertainer and television presenter (b. 1928)
- 2017 – Venero Mangano, American mobster (b. 1921)
- 2017 – Duncan Russell, English football manager (b. 1958)
- 2017 – Don Shepherd, Welsh cricketer (b. 1927)
- 2017 – Sonny Burgess, American rockabilly singer (b. 1929)
- 2017 – Vicente Iturat, Spanish racing cyclist (b. 1928)
- 2018 – Kofi Annan, Ghanaian diplomat, 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations (b. 1938)
- 2018 – Jack Costanzo, American percussionist and actor (b. 1919)
- 2018 – Ronnie Moore, Australian–born New Zealand speedway rider (b. 1933)
- 2018 – Peter Tapsell, British politician (b. 1930)
- 2018 – Henk Wesseling, Dutch historian (b. 1937)
- 2019 – Kathleen Blanco, American politician, Governor of Louisiana (b. 1942)
- 2019 – Karel Kuklík, Czech photographer (b. 1937)
- 2019 – Encarna Paso, Spanish actress (b. 1931)
- 2019 – Jack Whitaker, American sportscaster (b. 1924)

## Observances

- National Science Day (Thailand)