What Happened on July 18?

July 18 is Nelson Mandela International Day — honoring the South African leader's birthday and call to serve others — on the same date the 54th Massachusetts charged Fort Wagner in 1863 and Intel was founded in 1968.

• 1863 — The 54th Massachusetts Infantry assaults Fort Wagner

  On July 18, 1863, the Union's first major Black regiment led a brave night attack on a Confederate fort guarding Charleston Harbor. Read the full story →

• 1925 — Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf is published

  On July 18, 1925, the first volume of Mein Kampf ('My Struggle') appeared — Hitler's autobiography outlining racist ideas that later fueled Nazi crimes. Read the full story →

• 1966 — Gemini 10 launches on a double rendezvous mission

  NASA's Gemini 10 lifted off on July 18, 1966, carrying astronauts who would dock with two different targets in orbit — practice for Moon missions. Read the full story →

• 1968 — Intel Corporation is founded in California

  On July 18, 1968, engineers Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce launched Intel — a company that would put microprocessors inside nearly every computer. Read the full story →

• 1995 — Soufrière Hills volcano erupts on Montserrat

  After centuries of quiet, Montserrat's Soufrière Hills volcano erupted on July 18, 1995 — eventually burying the capital and forcing half the island to flee. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) · Vin Diesel (1967) · Richard Branson (1950) · Priyanka Chopra (1982)

Days & observances

Nelson Mandela International Day · World Listening Day · National Sour Candy Day · National Caviar Day