On December 18, history records 31 notable events, 186 famous births and 100 deaths, spanning the years 1271 to 1892.
Events on this day include: Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China. (1271); Portuguese forces score a military victory over the Kingdom of Kongo at the Battle of Mbumbi in present-day Angola. (1622).
Notable people born on December 18 include Richard Olivier de Longueil (1406), Sophie of Mecklenburg (1481-1503) (1481), Philipp von Hutten (1505).
Notable figures who died on this day include Theodulf of Orléans (821), Lady Wu (Qian Liu's wife) (919), Empress Dowager Yaonian Yanmujin (933).
Events on 18 December 31
See all →Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China.
Portuguese forces score a military victory over the Kingdom of Kongo at the Battle of Mbumbi in present-day Angola.
The Whitehall Conference ends with the determination that there was no law preventing Jews from re-entering England after the Edict of Expulsion of 1290.
The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking the recent victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga in October.
Surrender of the frigate La Lutine by French Royalists to Lord Samuel Hood; renamed HMS Lutine, she later becomes a famous treasure wreck.
The national anthem of the Russian Empire, "God Save the Tsar!", is first performed.
US Secretary of State William Seward proclaims the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting slavery throughout the USA.
Premiere performance of The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Saint Petersburg, Russia.