History Events on April 18

World War II: Operation Vengeance, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is killed when his aircraft is shot down by U.S. fighters over Bougainville Island.

#Operation_Vengeance

The Republic of Ireland Act comes into effect.

#Republic_of_Ireland_Act_1948

The International Amateur Radio Union is formed in Paris.

#International_Amateur_Radio_Union

Real Academia de la Historia ("Royal Academy of History") is founded in Madrid.

#Real_Academia_de_la_Historia

Pierre Laval becomes Prime Minister of Vichy France.

#Pierre_Laval

Over 1,000 bombers attack the small island of Heligoland, Germany.

#Bomber

Yankee Stadium: "The House that Ruth Built" opens.

#Yankee_Stadium_(1923)

Battle of Dybbøl: A Prussian-Austrian army defeats Denmark and gains control of Schleswig. Denmark surrenders the province in the following peace settlement.

#Battle_of_Dybbøl

Joan of Arc is beatified in Rome.

#Joan_of_Arc

Bostonians rise up in rebellion against Sir Edmund Andros.

#Boston

World War II: The Doolittle Raid on Japan: Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Nagoya are bombed.

#World_War_II

The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica is laid.

#Cornerstone

Gamal Abdel Nasser seizes power in Egypt.

#Gamal_Abdel_Nasser

Robert Menzies, who became Australia's longest-serving prime minister, is elected as leader of the United Australia Party after the death of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons.

#Robert_Menzies

The International Court of Justice holds its inaugural meeting in The Hague, Netherlands.

#International_Court_of_Justice

The Greco-Turkish War is declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire.

#Greco-Turkish_War_(1897)

Trial of Martin Luther begins its second day during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. He refuses to recant his teachings despite the risk of excommunication.

#Martin_Luther

American victory at the battle of Cerro Gordo opens the way for invasion of Mexico.

#Battle_of_Cerro_Gordo

The United States launches Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian naval forces in the largest naval battle since World War II.

#Operation_Praying_Mantis

American Revolution: The British advancement by sea begins; Paul Revere and other riders warn the countryside of the troop movements.

#American_Revolution

King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The patrician Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days.

#Æthelred_I_of_Northumbria

Twenty-nine nations meet at Bandung, Indonesia, for the first Asian-African Conference.

#Bandung

An earthquake and fire destroy much of San Francisco, California.

#1906_San_Francisco_earthquake

King Mswati III of Swaziland announces that his country's name will change to Eswatini.

#Ngwenyama

"The Spirits Book" by Allan Kardec is published, marking the birth of Spiritualism in France.

#The_Spirits_Book

The Cunard liner RMS Carpathia brings 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic to New York City.

#Cunard_Line

Bona Sforza is crowned as queen consort of Poland.

#Bona_Sforza

The keel for the aircraft carrier USS United States is laid down at Newport News Drydock and Shipbuilding. However, construction is canceled five days later, resulting in the Revolt of the Admirals.

#USS_United_States_(CVA-58)

The Red River flood begins and soon overwhelms the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Fire breaks out and spreads in downtown Grand Forks, but high water levels hamper efforts to reach the fire, leading to the destruction of 11 buildings.

#1997_Red_River_flood

The 7.5 Mw? Guatemala earthquake shakes Guatemala with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), killing between 800-2,000.

#1902_Guatemala_earthquake

A redacted version of the Mueller Report is released to the United States Congress and the public.

A suicide bombing in a Baghdad cafe kills 27 people and injures another 65.

A series of bombings, two of them being suicides, occur in Baghdad, killing 198 and injuring 251.

In Lebanon, at least 106 civilians are killed when the Israel Defense Forces shell the United Nations compound at Qana where more than 800 civilians had taken refuge.

A suicide bomber in Lebanon destroys the United States embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people.

The Republic of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) comes into being, with Canaan Banana as the country's first President. The Zimbabwean dollar replaces the Rhodesian dollar as the official currency.

The British Broadcasting Corporation announced that "there is no news" in their evening report.

French pilot Roland Garros is shot down and glides to a landing on the German side of the lines during World War I.

The St. Andrew's Ambulance Association is granted a royal charter by Queen Victoria.

The University of Alabama is founded in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Three-Fifths Compromise: the first instance of black slaves in the United States of America being counted as three fifths of persons (for the purpose of taxation), in a resolution of the Congress of the Confederation. This was later adopted in the 1787 Constitution.