August 18
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Christianfeast day:
Agapitus of Palestrina, Alberto Hurtado, Daig of Inniskeen, Evan (or Inan), Fiacre, Florus and Laurus, Helena of Constantinople(Roman Catholic Church), August 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
A series of Christian feast days honoring saints such as Agapitus, Helena, and others on August 18.
Arbor Day (Pakistan)
Arbor Day in Pakistan is dedicated to tree planting and environmental awareness nationwide.
Armed Forces Day (North Macedonia)
Armed Forces Day in North Macedonia honors the service and sacrifice of the Macedonian military.
Birthday of Virginia Dare(Roanoke Island)
Celebration of the birth of Virginia Dare, the first child of English parents born in the Americas.
Constitution Day (Indonesia)
Constitution Day in Indonesia marks the adoption of the 1945 Constitution and the birth of the republic.
Long Tan Day, also called Vietnam Veterans' Day (Australia)
Long Tan Day in Australia commemorates the 1966 Battle of Long Tan and honors Vietnam War veterans.
National Science Day (Thailand)
National Science Day in Thailand promotes science education and celebrates scientific contributions to society.
Agapitus of Palestrina
Feast day honoring Saint Agapitus of Palestrina, an early Christian martyr.
Alberto Hurtado
Feast day commemorating Saint Alberto Hurtado, Chilean Jesuit and social advocate.
Events
Battle of Marj Rahit: Umayyad partisans defeat the supporters of Ibn al-Zubayr and cement Umayyad control of Syria.
In 684, Umayyad forces defeated Ibn al-Zubayr’s supporters at the Battle of Marj Rahit, securing their dominance over Syria.
Princess Abe accedes to the imperial Japanese throne as Empress Genmei.
In 707, Princess Abe ascended the Japanese throne as Empress Genmei, becoming one of Japan’s few reigning empresses.
The Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle is fought to a draw between the French army and the Flemish militias.
The Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle in 1304 ended in a draw between the French royal army and Flemish militias.
The Siege of Málaga ends with the taking of the city by Castilian and Aragonese forces.
In 1487, Castilian and Aragonese forces captured Málaga, ending centuries of Muslim rule in the city.
The first grammar of the Spanish language (Gramática de la lengua castellana) is presented to Queen Isabella I.
Antonio de Nebrija presented the first Spanish grammar, Gramática de la lengua castellana, to Queen Isabella I in 1492.
The Huguenot King Henry III of Navarre marries the Catholic Margaret of Valois, ostensibly to reconcile the feuding Protestants and Catholics of France.
King Henry III of Navarre married Margaret of Valois in 1572 to bridge the divide between French Protestants and Catholics.
John White, the governor of the Roanoke Colony, returns from a supply trip to England and finds his settlement deserted.
In 1590, Governor John White returned to Roanoke Island to find the English colony mysteriously deserted.
The trial of the Pendle witches, one of England's most famous witch trials, begins at Lancaster Assizes.
The Pendle witch trials began at Lancaster Assizes in 1612, becoming one of England’s most infamous witchcraft prosecutions.
Urbain Grandier, accused and convicted of sorcery, is burned alive in Loudun, France.
In 1634, Urbain Grandier was executed by burning in Loudun after being convicted of sorcery in a highly controversial trial.
Births
Ashikaga Takauji
Ashikaga Takauji was the founder and first shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan, ruling from 1338 until his death in 1358.
Marko Marulić
Marko Marulić was a Croatian Renaissance humanist, poet, and author often hailed as the "father of Croatian literature".
Lorenzo Pucci
Lorenzo Pucci was an Italian cardinal and diplomat who served the Catholic Church under Popes Alexander VI and Clement VII.
Francesco Canova da Milano
Francesco Canova da Milano was a celebrated Italian lutenist and composer of the Renaissance, renowned for his intricate fantasias and ricercars.
Charles Neville
Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, was an English nobleman who co-led the Northern Rebellion against Queen Elizabeth I in 1569.
Countess Charlotte Flandrina of Nassau was a noblewoman who became a Catholic abbess and patron of religious life in the Spanish Netherlands.
Virginia Dare
Virginia Dare was the first child of English parents born in North America, becoming a symbol of the Lost Colony of Roanoke.
Jean Bolland
Jean Bolland was a Flemish Jesuit priest and scholar who founded the critical study of saints' lives known as the Acta Sanctorum.
Henry Hammond
Henry Hammond was an influential English churchman and theologian who shaped Anglican doctrine during the English Civil War and Restoration.
Deaths
Decentius
Roman usurper who briefly claimed the imperial throne in the Western Roman Empire.
Pope of the Western Church from 432 until his death, noted for church-building in Rome.
Ricimer
Powerful Roman general and kingmaker who controlled the Western Empire behind the throne.
Fiacre
Irish hermit and saint renowned for healing miracles and patronage of gardeners.
Kim Yu-shin
Legendary Silla general instrumental in unifying the Korean peninsula.
Walafrid Strabo
Frankish monk and theologian known for his biblical commentaries and monastic leadership.
Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya
First Zaydi Imam who established a lasting Islamic state in Yemen.
Medieval Danish king whose reign was marked by famine and political unrest.
Narapatisithu
Pagan Dynasty king celebrated for temple-building and economic prosperity.