Today in history: April 18
Paul Revere began his famous ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Massachusetts, warning colonists that British Regular troops were approaching, and more events that happened on this day in history.
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1775: Paul Revere
In 1775, Paul Revere began his famous ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Massachusetts, warning colonists that British Regular troops were approaching.
1906: San Francisco
In 1906, a devastating earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by raging fires; estimates of the final death toll range between 3,000 and 6,000.
1954: Gamal Abdel Nasser
In 1954, Gamal Abdel Nasser seized power as he became prime minister of Egypt.
1955: Albert Einstein
In 1955, physicist Albert Einstein died in Princeton, New Jersey, at age 76.
1966: Bill Russell
In 1966, Bill Russell was named player-coach of the Boston Celtics, becoming the NBA’s first Black coach.
1978: The Panama Canal Treaty
In 1978, the Senate approved the Panama Canal Treaty, providing for the complete turnover of control of the waterway to Panama on the last day of 1999.
1983: Beirut
In 1983, 63 people, including 17 Americans, were killed at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, by a suicide bomber.
1995: Joe Montana
In 1995, quarterback Joe Montana retired from professional football.
2011: Standard & Poor's
Ten years ago: Standard & Poor’s lowered its long-term outlook for the U.S. government’s fiscal health from “stable” to “negative,” and warned of serious consequences if lawmakers failed to reach a deal to control the massive federal deficit.
2011: The Boston Marathan
Ten years ago: Kenya’s Geoffrey Mutai won the men's Boston Marathon in 2:03:02, the fastest anyone had ever run the 26.2 mile distance; fellow Kenyan Caroline Kilel won the women’s race in 2:22:36.
2016: "Hamilton"
Five years ago: “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop stage biography of America’s first treasury secretary, won the Pulitzer Prize for drama.
2016: Iraq
Five years ago: The U.S. agreed to deploy more than 200 additional troops to Iraq and to send eight Apache helicopters for the first time into the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq, the first major increase in U.S. forces in nearly a year.
2019: The Mueller Report
In 2019, the final report from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation was made public; it outlined Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election but did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government. (Mueller offered no conclusion on the question of whether the president obstructed justice.)
2020: Hong Kong
One year ago: Police in Hong Kong arrested at least 14 veteran pro-democracy lawmakers, activists and a media tycoon on charges of joining unlawful protests in 2019.
2020: Mike Pence
One year ago: In an effort to show that the country was on course to gradually reopening from coronavirus shutdowns, Vice President Mike Pence delivered a commencement address to the U.S. Air Force Academy’s graduating class, telling cadets that they “inspire confidence that we will prevail against the invisible enemy in our time.”
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