Nicosia, Cyprus. The following are some of the major events recorded on May 18, including political milestones, scientific developments, and notable deaths. The list spans from 1911 to 2006.
1911
Czech-born Austrian composer Gustav Mahler died after completing nine symphonies and several song cycles, including “Das Lied von der Erde” (The Song of the Earth).
1944
A Polish-led Allied force evicted German troops from Monte Cassino, Italy, after four months of siege.
1974
India successfully tested its first nuclear device in the Rajasthan Desert.
1977
The United States, the Soviet Union, and 29 other nations signed a U.N. pact banning the artificial use of the weather as a weapon of war, pledging they would never attack each other with man-made storms, earthquakes, or tidal waves.
1980
Mount St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington erupted, creating a cloud of ash 2,500 miles (4,000 km) long and 1,000 miles (1,600 km) wide.
1993
Danes voted in a referendum to ratify the Maastricht Treaty, a year after rejecting it in a previous vote.
2003
The world’s first bottle-nose dolphin conceived through artificial insemination using frozen-then-thawed semen was born and named “Charlie”.
2005
U.S. actor and master impressionist Frank Gorshin, known for playing the Riddler on the 1960s TV series “Batman”, died at age 72.
2006
Nepal’s parliament approved a plan to curtail the powers of the king, including his control of the army, in a historic move for a country that has traditionally considered the monarch to be a god.
Which of these May 18 events do you want to learn more about?