March 18: Holidays, Historical Events, Famous Birthdays & Zodiac Sign
On March 18, 1965, cosmonaut Alexei Leonov stepped outside his Voskhod 2 spacecraft for twelve minutes and became the first human being to walk in space.
About March 18
March 18 carries a distinctly revolutionary spirit. In 1938, Mexico seized all foreign-owned oil reserves and facilities, creating Pemex—an act so significant that Mexicans still commemorate it annually as the Anniversary of the Oil Expropriation. Exactly a century earlier, a quieter but equally defiant gesture unfolded in England: six farm laborers from Tolpuddle, Dorset, were sentenced to transportation in Australia simply for forming a trade union. Their punishment outraged the British public and helped galvanize the modern labor movement.
The date also marks pivotal turning points in sovereignty and self-determination. In 1766, Parliament bowed to colonial resistance and repealed the Stamp Act, temporarily easing tensions that would eventually erupt into American independence. In 1922, Mohandas Gandhi received a six-year prison sentence for civil disobedience in British India—serving only two, but cementing his role as the face of a freedom struggle. And in 1990, citizens of East Germany voted in the first democratic elections ever held in that communist state, accelerating the reunification of a divided nation.
Beyond politics, March 18 has witnessed moments of extraordinary human reach. Leonov's twelve-minute float above Earth proved that people could survive outside a vehicle in the void. Earlier, in 1899, astronomers confirmed Phoebe as a moon of Saturn—the first satellite ever discovered through photographic plates rather than direct observation. Whether reaching into the cosmos or reclaiming resources at home, this date has repeatedly marked humanity pushing past old boundaries.
Holidays & Observances on March 18
- Anniversary of the Oil Expropriation (Mexico)
- Flag Day (Aruba)
- Gallipoli Memorial Day (Turkey)
- Men's and Soldiers' Day (Mongolia)
- Ordnance Factories' Day (India)
- Sheelah's Day (Ireland, Canada, Australia)
- Teacher's Day (Syria)
Fun & National Days on March 18
- Awkward Moments Day — Embrace your cringiest memories today—everyone has a story that still makes them shudder.
- National Sloppy Joe Day — Pile on the sauce and grab extra napkins; this messy sandwich deserves a proper celebration.
- Forgive Mom and Dad Day — A gentle nudge to let go of old parental grievances and appreciate them for who they are.
- Goddess of Fertility Day
- National Biodiesel Day
- National Lacy Oatmeal Cookie Day
- Supreme Sacrifice Day
- Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action
On This Day in History
- 37 — The Roman Senate set aside Emperor Tiberius's will and proclaimed his great-nephew Caligula—nicknamed "Little Boots"—as the new emperor.
- 1314 — Jacques de Molay, the twenty-third and final Grand Master of the Knights Templar, was burned at the stake in Paris by order of King Philip IV.
- 1571 — The fortified city of Valletta, built by the Knights of St. John after the Great Siege, was officially designated the capital of Malta.
- 1766 — Bowling to fierce colonial resistance, the British Parliament voted to repeal the much-hated Stamp Act, a milestone on the road to American independence.
- 1834 — Six agricultural laborers from Tolpuddle, Dorset, were sentenced to penal transportation in Australia for forming a trade union, sparking the labor movement.
- 1899 — Saturn's moon Phoebe became the first satellite ever discovered using photographic plates, which astronomer William Henry Pickering had taken the prior August.
- 1922 — Mohandas Gandhi was sentenced to six years in prison for civil disobedience in British India; he ultimately served only two years before release.
- 1938 — President Lázaro Cárdenas expropriated all foreign-owned oil assets in Mexico, creating the state company Pemex and transforming the nation's economy.
- 1965 — Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov stepped outside his Voskhod 2 capsule for twelve minutes, becoming the first person to perform a spacewalk.
- 1968 — The United States Congress eliminated the long-standing legal requirement that U.S. currency be backed by a gold reserve.
- 1990 — Citizens of the German Democratic Republic cast ballots in the first free democratic elections ever held in the former communist state.
- 1994 — Bosniak and Croat leaders signed the Washington Agreement, halting their mutual conflict and establishing the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Famous Birthdays on March 18
- 1837 — Grover Cleveland, The only U.S. president to serve two non-consecutive terms, as both the twenty-second and twenty-fourth chief executive.
- 1844 — Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer whose orchestral works like "Scheherazade" remain staples of the classical repertoire worldwide.
- 1858 — Rudolf Diesel, German engineer who invented the compression-ignition diesel engine, forever changing transportation and industry.
- 1869 — Neville Chamberlain, British Prime Minister remembered for his appeasement policy toward Hitler and the Munich Agreement of 1938.
- 1932 — John Updike, Prolific American novelist and critic celebrated for his Rabbit Angstrom series and keen chronicling of suburban American life.
- 1936 — F. W. de Klerk, South Africa's last apartheid-era president, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela for dismantling segregation.
- 1959 — Luc Besson, French film director and producer known for stylish action films like "Léon: The Professional" and "The Fifth Element."
- 1970 — Queen Latifah, American rapper, actress, and producer who broke barriers in hip-hop and became an entertainment powerhouse.
- 1979 — Adam Levine, American singer-songwriter and frontman of Maroon 5, also widely recognized as a longtime coach on "The Voice."