Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on December 18th?

The birth of Cicero, one of Rome's most famous orators, statesmen, and philosophers.

Pope Celestine V abdicates the papacy, becoming one of the few popes to voluntarily resign.

The Joseon Dynasty in Korea repels the Japanese invasion during the Battle of Wihwa Island.

The Mayflower Pilgrims arrive at modern-day Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts after spending some time in Cape hook, known today as Provincetown Harbor, and proceed to get ready to establish the Plymouth Colony. More

New Jersey ratifies the Constitution of the United States becoming the third State of the Union.

The WWI battle of Verdun ends. The engagement in which the French repulsed a major German offensive was one of the longest, bloodiest, and most-ferocious battles of the war, lasting for almost a year. French casualties amounted to about 400,000, German ones to about 350,000. Some 300,000 were killed. More

Battle of Hong Kong . Japan attacks the Island of Honk Kong as a continuation of an attack on the British Colony which started on December 7. A Japanese force of around 35,000 strong was faced by a defending force of 13,500 British, Indian, Canadian, and local troops. Hong Kong surrendered on Christmas Day 1941 and Hong Kong entered a period of Japanese rule that lasted for three years and eight months. More

Charles de Gaulle is reelected as the President of France.

India annexes the territories of Goa, Daman, and Diu, ending Portuguese colonial rule in the region.

The last convoy of U.S. troops leaves Iraq, officially marking the end of the Iraq War. Violence continued and in fact worsened over the subsequent years. As of the end of 2024, the U.S. still has a military presence of about 2,500 personnel in Iraq as part of the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve effort. Talks continue on Security cooperation. More