December 18

Events

 * - : - 's  forces defeat those of the.
 * - renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the  of.
 * - becomes first European to land in
 * - Surrender of the frigate La Lutine by French royalists to ; renamed, she later becomes a famous treasure wreck.
 * - The is ratified by Georgia, fulfilling the two-thirds requirement for ratification, and banning  in the.
 * - The first performance of 's ballet  is held at the in.
 * - The to Gembrook  (2  6  or 762 ) Railway (now the ) in,  opened for traffic.
 * - The first performance of 's opera  is held in,.
 * - The defeated the Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 in the first ever . Due to a, the game was moved from  to the , the field measuring 60 yards long.
 * - The is founded in.
 * - : 77 and 200 other aircraft of U.S.  bomb, a Japanese supply base.
 * - invades.
 * - 's moon is discovered by.
 * - : 's motion to make permanent the , which had temporarily suspended  in,  and  for murder (but not for all crimes) for a period of five years, is carried by both the  and the.
 * - : , crewed by  and, is launched from  in the.
 * - releases the first version of the.
 * - The  passes a resolution officially declaring "" a language or dialect.
 * - is published by the.
 * - launches into orbit the  platform carrying five  instruments, including, , ,  and.
 * - :  announces that the state would face a record  of $35 billion, roughly double the figure reported during his reelection campaign one month earlier.
 * - Secretary of Defense resigns,  is sworn in as the new Secretary of Defense.

Births

 * -, Japanese warlord (d. )
 * -, English antiquarian and politician (d. )
 * -, French philologist (d. )
 * -, German Sanskrit scholar (d. )
 * - Queen (d. )
 * -, Swedish scientist and inventor (d. )
 * -, Scottish politician (d. )
 * -, English Methodist hymnist (d. )
 * -, wife of (d. )
 * -, German historian and Bible commentator (d. )
 * -, American general (d. )
 * -, American author (d. )
 * -, French composer (d. )
 * -, Filipino hero, orator and satirist (d. )
 * - Sir, British physicist and laureate (d. )
 * -, American composer and pianist (d. )
 * - (d. )
 * -, British writer (d. )
 * -, American political figure (d. )
 * -, leader of the Soviet Union (d. )
 * -, Swiss-born painter (d. )
 * -, American baseball player (d. )
 * -, American public works official (d. )
 * 1888  - Dame, British actress (d. )
 * -, American inventor (d. )
 * -, American arranger and composer (d. )
 * -, American film director (d. )
 * -, American auto racer (d. )
 * -, American Antarctic explorer (d. )
 * -, American playwright (d. )
 * -, American film director
 * -, American General (d. )
 * -, American author (d. )
 * 1913  -,  and  laureate (d. )
 * 1913  -, former head coach of  men's basketball team  (d. )
 * -, American actress (d. )
 * 1916  -, British-born trade unionist
 * -, American actor (d. )
 * -, U.S. Attorney General
 * 1927  -, 25th
 * -, Polish cardinal
 * -, American baseball player
 * -, American baseball player
 * -, American rock and roll business manager
 * 1931  -, British historian (d. )
 * -, Suspected Zodiac serial killer (d. )
 * -, Soviet cosmonaut
 * -, French chef
 * -, wrestler (d. )
 * -, American actor
 * 1938  -, American songwriter and composer (d. )
 * 1938  -, English musician  (d. )
 * -, British author
 * 1939  -, American scientist and  laureate
 * -, member of
 * -, American trumper and composer
 * -, English guitarist
 * -, Canadian ice hockey player
 * -, American film director
 * 1946  -, South African anti-apartheid activist (d. )
 * -, British musician (Be Bop Deluxe)
 * 1948  -, French singer and composer
 * -, USGS volcanoligist first to report mt StHelens 1980 eruption
 * -, Australian film director
 * 1950  -, American film critic
 * 1950  -, American drummer  (d.)
 * -, American guitarist
 * -, Chechen bard
 * -, American actor
 * -, American comedian
 * -, Japanese economist
 * -, Canadian figure skater
 * -, American football coach
 * 1963  -, American actor
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, American professional wrestler
 * 1964  -, American football player
 * 1964  -, British actor and singer
 * -, American musician
 * 1965  -, American actor
 * -, German singer
 * -, Dutch sports journalist
 * -, Australian actress
 * 1968  -, American actor
 * 1968  -, Spanish singer
 * -, Spanish footballer
 * 1969  -, Japanese racing driver
 * -, American rapper and actor
 * 1970  -, American author
 * 1970  -, American professional wrestler
 * 1970  -, American rapper
 * 1970  -, American fitness model
 * 1970  -, Canadian actress and fitness model
 * 1970  -, British artist
 * -, Spanish tennis player
 * 1971  -, Indian journalist
 * 1971  -, Japanese composer
 * -, Latvian DJ ( & )
 * -, American drummer
 * -, artist and television personality
 * 1974  -, American football player
 * 1974  -, Norwegian musician
 * -, Canadian professional wrestler
 * 1975  -, Japanese comedian
 * -, Japanese actress and model
 * -, Dominican baseball player
 * -, American actress
 * 1978  -, American footballer
 * 1978  -, Canadian ice hockey player
 * -, Portuguese footballer
 * -, American singer
 * -, American bassist
 * -, English footballer
 * -, Czech supermodel
 * 1985  -, 2006
 * 1985  -  American born in Moses Lake,WA
 * -, Japanese singer
 * 1987  -, Japanese figure skater
 * 1987  -, Panamanian-American jockey
 * -, American actress

Deaths

 * -, French writer
 * - King (b. )
 * -, French Catholic bishop (b. )
 * - King (b. )
 * -, German statesman (b. )
 * -, Italian violin maker (b. )
 * -, British Admiral and Governor of Newfoundland (b. )
 * 1787  -, English writer (b. )
 * -, French mathematician (b. )
 * -, German writer (b. )
 * -, French scientist (b. )
 * -, British Viceroy of India (b. )
 * -, Bohemian mathematician and philosopher (b. )
 * -, American composer and pianist (b. )
 * -, French mathematician (b. )
 * -, Austro-Hungarian-born Yugoslav seismologist (b. )
 * -, British socialite (b. )
 * -, American golfer (b. )
 * 1971  -, American actress (b. )
 * -, Pakistani scholar, orator and philosopher (b. )
 * -, American baseball player (b. )
 * -, Ukrainian geneticist (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * -, German pilot (b. )
 * -, Vietnamese poet (b. )
 * -, German record producer and musician (b. )
 * -, French cellist and composer (b. )
 * 1990  -, American actress (b. )
 * -, British Formula 1 driver (b. )
 * -, American game show producer (b. )
 * -, American rapper (b. )
 * 1993  -, American actor (b. )
 * -, Greek-French mathematician (b. )
 * -, German engineer and computing pioneer (b. )
 * -, Russian physicist (b. )
 * -, American actor and comedian (b. )
 * -, cosmonaut (b. )
 * -, French film director (b. )
 * -, British singer and songwriter (b. )
 * -, French singer (b. )
 * 2001  -, Greek composer (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * 2002  -, former U.S. Congressman (D-UT) (b. )
 * -, British journalist and biographer (b. )
 * -, American engineer and urban planner (b. )
 * -, American cartoonist (b. )
 * 2006  -, American photographer
 * 2006  -, British radio broadcaster (b. )
 * 2006  -, Pakistani author, journalist and political activist (b. )
 * 2006  -, Pakistani author, journalist and political activist (b. )

Holidays and observances

 * - A celebration to New Jersey's admission to the union
 * - Feast of (during )
 * Also see
 * - (autonomous in )
 * – Feast of the Martyr
 * – Feast of the Martyr