On This Day - What Happened On May 18 | Britannica

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1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens On this day in 1980, following an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 on the Richter scale, Mount St. Helens in Washington state erupted in one of the greatest volcanic explosions ever recorded in North America. Test your knowledge of disasters of historic proportions. U.S. Geological Survey

Featured Biography

John Paul II pope bornMay 18, 1920Wadowice, PolanddiedApril 2, 2005 (aged 84)Vatican CityClaudio Luffoli—AP/REX/Shutterstock.com 1970 Tina Fey American comedian, writer, and actress 1957 Ai Weiwei Chinese activist and artist 1955 Chow Yun-Fat Chinese actor 1920 St. John Paul II pope 1872 Bertrand Russell British logician and philosopher See All Biographies On This Day

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2017 American television producer and political consultant Roger Ailes—who was a highly influential figure in the Republican Party, especially as the founding president of the Fox News Channel (1996–16)—died at age 77. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about famous Americans© Fox News Network, LLC 2012 Facebook, an American company offering online social networking services, held its initial public offering, which raised $16 billion. Test your knowledge of tech companiesJustin Sullivan—Getty Images News 2004 American baseball player Randy Johnson became the oldest pitcher to throw a perfect game, for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Atlanta Braves. Take our quiz about America's favourite pastimeFocus On Sport/Getty Images 2001 The comedy Shrek—with voices provided by Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz, among others—had its nationwide release in the United States; it went on to become the first movie to win the Academy Award for best animated feature. How much do you know about the Academy Awards?© 2001 DreamWorks LLC 1974 India detonated a nuclear weapon in the Rajasthan desert. Sort fact from fiction in our India quizEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1956 Swiss climbers Fritz Luchsinger and Ernest Reiss made the first ascent of the Lhotse I mountain in the Himalayas. How much do you know about mountains?Ted Kerasote/Photo Researchers 1953 American aviator Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier. Take our quiz about early aviationCourtesy Air Force Flight Test Center History Office/Air Force Link 1940 Brussels fell to the invading German army in World War II and was subjected to harsh terms of occupation. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about wartime Germany 1933 The U.S. government established the Tennessee Valley Authority to control floods and produce electrical power along the Tennessee River and its tributaries. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about riversTennessee Valley Authority 1899 The first of a series of international conferences that produced the Hague Convention began at The Hague in the Netherlands.Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 1896 The U.S. Supreme Court released its decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, and the judgment advanced the controversial “separate but equal” doctrine for assessing the constitutionality of racial segregation laws. Read about 10 milestones in U.S. civil rights historyNational Archives, Washington, D.C. 1883 German architect and educator Walter Gropius, who exerted a major influence on the development of modern architecture while serving as director of the Bauhaus (1919–28), was born in Berlin. Sort fact from fiction in our art and architecture quizErich Hartmann/Magnum Photos 1860 Abraham Lincoln became the Republican candidate for the U.S. presidency on the third ballot at the Republican National Convention in Chicago. Test your knowledge of Abraham LincolnLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Digital file no. 3a53289) 1642 Montreal was founded by Paul de Chomedey, sieur (lord) de Maisonneuve. Take our quiz about world cities© Perry Mastrovito/Stockbyte/Getty Images SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.