Historical Events  - August 18

1841: Britain established world’s first National Fire brigade.

1920: The 19^th amendment of the United States Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing woman suffrage.

1945: Sukarno became the First President of Indonesia.

1958: Brojen Das became the First Asia Person Who swam across the English Channel in competition.

1963: James Meredith became the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

2008: President of Pakistan Parvez Musharraf resigned under threat of impeachment.

 

Famous Birthdays  – August 18

1700 :  Baji Rao I, the 7th Peshwa of Maratha Empire in India.

1792 : John Russell, former Prime Minister of United Kingdom.

1830 : Franz-Josef I, an Austro Hungarian emperor who invaded Serbia and helped initiate World War I.

1900  : Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Indian diplomat, and politician who became the first woman President of the United Nations General Assembly.

1933 : Roman Polanski, a polish film director who has worked in Europe and the USA, directing films such as Repulsion, Rosemary’s baby, and The Sundance kid.

1934 : Gulzar, one of the most popular Urdu poet from India.

1946  : Aruna Irani, an Indian actress.

1951 : V. K. Sasikala, an Indian politician and the president of the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam political party in Tamil Nadu.

1959 : Nirmala Sitaraman, Indian Politician. The current minister of finance and former defense minister. She is the second female finance minister and second female defense minister after Indira Gandhi in India.

1967 : Daler Mehndi, Indian recording artist, and performer, who helped popularized the Bhangra music. His first album Bolo Ta Ra Ra (1995) sold 20 million copies worldwide.

 

Death Anniversaries  – August 18

1227 : The Mongol ruler Genghis Khan, the conqueror of a vast empire that extends from the pacific to Dnieper River, died after falling from his horse.

1886 : Eli Whitney Blake, American inventor, Invented mortise lock.

1945 : Subbhash Chandra Bose, Indian freedom fighter.

1979 : Vasantrao Naik, Indian politician.

2009 : Kim Dae-Jung, eighth President of South Korea.

2018 : Kofi Annan, Ghanaian politician who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006.