March 18 in Pop Culture History

March 18 Fun Facts, Trivia and History

March 18 History Highlights

  • 1874 – Hawaii signed a treaty with the United States granting exclusive trade rights.
  • 1925 – The Tri-State Tornado hit the Midwestern states of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, killing 695 people.
  • 1937 – The New London School explosion in New London, Texas, killed over 300 people, mostly children.
  • 1965 – Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, left his spacecraft Voskhod 2, for 12 minutes, becoming the first person to walk in space.
  • If you were born on March 18th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… June 25th (prior year)

Traditional March 18 Information

March 18th is National Supreme Sacrifice Day, meant to honor those who have made personal sacrifices for the sake and the good of others. This also including those who sacrifice their lives each and every day for us. It is to call to mind the men and women in uniform who’ve laid down their lives protecting their country and thier communities. The day also honors those who may have stepped up during times of crisis to help and rescue a stranger or a neighbor and gave the supreme sacrifice that day.

March 18 is…

Awkward Moments Day
Biodiesel Day
Oatmeal Cookie Day
Supreme Sacrifice Day

March 18 Birthday Quotes

“You have to stand for what you believe in and sometimes you have to stand alone.”
– Queen Latifah

“Dreams come true. Without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.”
– John Updike

“The wiser you get, the more experience you have, and the more you see people for who they are as human beings, as opposed to figures you have to fight against.”
– Vanessa L. Williams

“Art has something to do with the arrest of attention in the midst of distraction.”
– George Plimpton

“Losing my mind sounds so pessimistic. I prefer the term winning my insanity.”
– Dane Cook

March 18 Birthdays

1837 – Grover Cleveland, American politician, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (died in 1908)
1846 – Kicking Bear, Native American tribal leader (died in 1904)
1858 – Rudolf Diesel, German engineer, invented the Diesel engine (died in 1913)
1869 – Neville Chamberlain, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died in 1940)
1877 – Edgar Cayce, American mystic and psychic (died in 1945)
1912 – Art Gilmore, American voice actor and announcer (died in 2010)
1926 – Peter Graves, American actor (died in 2010)
1927 – Lillian Vernon, German-American businesswoman, founded the Lillian Vernon Company (died in 2015)
1927 – George Plimpton, American writer (died in 2003)
1932 – John Updike, American novelist, short story writer, and critic (died in 2009)
1934 – Charley Pride, American country music singer and musician (died in 2020)
1938 – Carl Gottlieb, American actor and screenwriter
1941 – Wilson Pickett, American singer-songwriter (died in 2006)
1945 – Michael Reagan, American journalist and radio host
1952 – Will Durst, American journalist and actor
1959 – Luc Besson, French director, producer, and screenwriter
1962 – Irene Cara, American singer-songwriter
1963 – Vanessa Williams, American model, actress, and singer
1970 – Queen Latifah, American rapper and actress
1972 – Dane Cook, American comedic actor
1980 – Sophia Myles, English actress
1986 – Lykke Li, Swedish singer-songwriter
1989 – Lily Collins, English-American actress
1997 – Ciara Bravo, American actress

March 18 History

37 – Caligula was declared emperor of Rome.

1834 – The first US railroad tunnel was completed between Hollidaysburg and Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

1850 – American Express is founded by Henry Wells and William Fargo. They were also very successful in banking.

1852 – Henry Wells and William G. Fargo founded Wells, Fargo and Company.

1911Irving Berlin copyrighted the first mega-pop hit, Alexander’s Ragtime Band.

1922 – Mohandas Gandhi was sentenced to six years in prison for civil disobedience (he served only two).

1925 – Tri-State Tornado (Missouri-Illinois-Indiana) killed 695 people.

1944 – Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupted, killing 26 people

1950 – #1 Hit March 18, 1950 – April 14, 1950: Teresa Brewer – Music! Music! Music!

1967 – #1 Hit March 18, 1967 – March 24, 1967: The Beatles – Penny Lane

1968 – The U.S. Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve (the Gold Standard) to back US currency.

1972 – #1 Hit March 18, 1972 – March 24, 1972: Neil Young – Heart of Gold

1975 – McLean Stevenson’s character (Lt. Colonel Henry Blake) died in the M*A*S*H episode “Abyssinia, Henry”, its third season finale.

1978 – #1 Hit March 18, 1978 – May 12, 1978: Bee Gees – Night Fever

1981The Greatest American Hero debuted on NBC

1984 – Miss America, Vanessa Williams became even more well-known when she became the first Miss America to resign after old nude photos of her appeared in “Penthouse” magazine. She has gone on to prove herself as a first-class actress and singer. That particular issue is also noted for being the first issue with a man on the cover (George Burns), and an underage Traci Lords is the nude centerfold. It is illegal to own, or even look inside, this issue in most countries, including the United States.

1990 – In the largest art theft in US history, 12 paintings, collectively worth over $500 million, were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

2000 – #1 Hit March 18, 2000 – April 7, 2000: Destiny’s Child – Say My Name

2005The Suite Life of Zack & Cody premiered on The Disney Channel.

2006 – #1 Hit March 18, 2006 – March 31, 2006: Ne-Yo – So Sick

2008 – East End Show – Jersey Boys (Musical) March 18, 2008

2012 – Broadway Show – Once (Musical) March 18, 2012

March 18, 2263 (fiction) Leeloo ends in Korben Dallas’ cab, The Fifth Element, Film

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

Key characters dying that you know won’t stay dead. #moviecliches #tvcliches #exceptbarb

“Everybody carries baggage; the good news is that you get to decide how heavy it is.” – Joe H3

I stopped to put air in my tires today. The pump cost $1.50! I remember when those things used to only cost 25 cents. I guess the price has adjusted for inflation.

TV Quotes… “Suit up!” (Barney Stinson) on “How I Met Your Mother”

Michael Jackson did actually voice the Simpsons character Leon Kompowsky (mental patient who pretended to be Michael Jackson).

If there are an infinite amount of numbers, then there has to be an infinite number of names for these numbers. I guess a blabillion is a number then.

The “Bong” sound/musical cue in “Inception” is actually the song Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien by Edith Piaf slowed down.

One meter (metre) was originally defined as one ten-millionth of the distance between the equator and the North Pole through Paris.

The average American adult spends 93% of their life indoors.

FOR SALE: The entire planet Mars. This fourth planet from the Sun has everything a planetary warlord would need! Comfortable gravity. Cool temperatures. Majestic, rusty terrain. Just add water to see it spring to life!

The Capital of Oman is Muscat

Cavemen had tattoos. Ötzi the Iceman from 3250 B.C. had 61 tattoos across his body.

Sea Otters have the densest hair in the world, ranging from about 26,000 to 165,000 hairs per square centimeter.

The biggest film of 1965: The Sound of Music (Musical) earned ~ $163,000,000

The color you see in total darkness is not black, but a dark gray called “eigengrau”.

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