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Mayflower arrives at Plymouth Harbor

Born on This Day

DMX

1970 - 2021

Rapper and actor known for his gritty style hits like "Party Up (Up In Here)" and "Ruff Ryders' Anthem."

Steven Spielberg

1946 -

Filmmaker credited with creating the modern blockbuster with "Jaws." Won Oscars for directing "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan."

Billie Eilish

2001 -

Singer-songwriter known for her haunting, introspective style and hits like "Bad Guy" and "Everything I Wanted."

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Billie EilishGetty Images

1975

DEC18

George and Kathy Lutz move into a house in Amityville, N.Y., site of a 1974 massacre; 28 days later, they flee in terror, citing oozing green slime, red-eyed pigs and more. Their much-disputed tale inspires the book and movie "The Amityville Horror."

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on December 18th

Slavery abolished in America with adoption of 13th amendment

Following its ratification by the requisite three-quarters of the states earlier in the month, the 13th Amendment is formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution, ensuring that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude… shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Before the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln and other leaders of […]

Woodrow Wilson marries Edith Bolling Galt

On December 18, 1915, President Woodrow Wilson marries Edith Galt in Washington, D.C. The bride was 43 and the groom was 59. It was the second marriage for Wilson, whose first wife died the year before from a kidney ailment. Edith, who claimed to be directly descended from Pocahantas, was the wealthy widow of a […]

Battle of Verdun ends

The Battle of Verdun, the longest engagement of World War I, ends on this day after ten months and close to a million total casualties suffered by German and French troops. The battle had begun on February 21, after the Germans—led by Chief of Staff Erich von Falkenhayn—developed a plan to attack the fortress city […]

First NFL playoff game is played indoors

On December 18, 1932, the Chicago Bears defeat the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans, 9-0, in the NFL’s first playoff game—and first game played indoors. The victory gives the Bears the championship and leads to a playoff system for the first time. Because of frigid weather and waist-deep snow, the game was moved from Wrigley Field to Chicago […]

Japan invades Hong Kong

Japanese troops land in Hong Kong on December 18, 1941, and slaughter ensues. A week of air raids over Hong Kong, a British crown colony, was followed up on December 17 with a visit paid by Japanese envoys to Sir Mark Young, the British governor of Hong Kong. The envoys’ message was simple: The British […]

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The Tokens earn a #1 hit with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”

On December 18, 1961, the Tokens’ version of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” becomes not just a #1 song but an instant classic—one of the most-covered, most successful pop songs of all time. Yet its true originator saw only a tiny fraction of the song’s enormous profits. The story begins in Johannesburg, South Africa, where in […]

Joe Biden loses first wife and daughter in tragic car accident

Just weeks after being elected the junior senator from Delaware, Joe Biden’s first wife, Neilia, and 13-month-old daughter, Naomi, are killed in a car accident while out shopping for a Christmas tree on December 18, 1972, when a tractor-trailer strikes their vehicle. The Bidens’ sons, Beau and Hunter, were also in the car and survived with […]

Nixon announces start of “Christmas Bombing” of North Vietnam

Following the breakdown of peace talks with North Vietnam just a few days earlier, President Richard Nixon announces the beginning of a massive bombing campaign to break the stalemate. For nearly two weeks, American bombers pounded North Vietnam. On December 13, peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam collapsed. The North Vietnamese and […]

President Donald Trump impeached for the first time

On December 18, 2019, after weeks of discussions among legislators, the House of Representatives vote to impeach the 45th President, Donald Trump, for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The vote fell largely along party lines: 230 in favor, 197 against and 1 present. Trump became only the third president ever to be impeached, joining […]

Argentina wins the World Cup, Messi’s first

The final came down to a dramatic penalty shootout.

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