November 18 is the 322nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 43 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about November 18th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about November 18th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- Occult Day
- Mickey Mouse Day
- Housing Day
- Push Button Phone Day
- Use Less Stuff Day
- Beaujolais Nouveau Day
- Social Enterprise Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – November 18
1978: Mass suicides in Jonestown
Over 900 people committed suicide at the behest of Jim Jones the founder and head of a group called Peoples Temple. Formed in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the mid-1050s, members of the group moved to Guyana in 1974 and set up a settlement outside Georgetown and called in Jonestown.
1963: Push button phones are used for the first time
Bell systems started replacing rotary dial phones by push button phone in the United States. Push button phones use keys or buttons to dial a number.
1916: End of the Somme Offensive
The battle was bought between German forces on one side and British and French forces on the other during the First World War. Thought to be one of the bloodiest battles of the 20th century – the conflict started on July 1, 1916, and was fought on the banks of the river Somme in France.
1903: Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty signed between Panama and the US
The treaty created the Panama Canal Zone and set up the terms for the construction of the Panama Canal. Until 1979, the Panama Canal Zone was a territory of the United States. The French began construction on the Panama Canal in 1881 but had to stop due to engineering problems. The US took over the construction in 1904 and finished building the canal in 1914.
1883: Canadian and American railroads adopt time zones
Prior to this, most cities had their own local time, making it difficult for railways to be on time and confusing passengers. To solve this problem, private railways decided to divide the continent into 4 distinct time zones – the lines of which are very close to the time zone lines today.
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, November 18
1974: Chloë Sevigny, American actress, fashion designer
1953: Alan Moore, English author, illustrator
1939: Margaret Atwood, Canadian poet, author, critic
1933: Bruce Conner, American painter, photographer, director
1923: Ted Stevens, American politician
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, November 18
1987: Jacques Anquetil, French cyclist
1978: Jim Jones, American cult leader, founded the Peoples Temple
1962: Niels Bohr, Danish physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1922: Marcel Proust, French writer
1886: Chester A. Arthur, American politician, 21st President of the United States
