What Happened on June 18?

June 18, 1983, sent Sally Ride into space as the first American woman astronaut — on the same calendar date the U.S. declared the War of 1812 and Napoleon lost at Waterloo.

• 1429 — Joan of Arc's army wins the Battle of Patay

  The day after taking a key bridge, teenage hero Joan of Arc's French army crushed England's best troops at Patay — England's worst defeat of the Hundred Years' War. Read the full story →

• 1812 — United States declares war, beginning the War of 1812

  President James Madison signed Congress's declaration of war against Britain after years of disputes over trade and ships at sea — starting the conflict sometimes called America's 'second war of independence.' Read the full story →

• 1815 — Napoleon defeated at the Battle of Waterloo

  In Belgium, an allied army led by Britain's Duke of Wellington, helped by Prussian forces, decisively beat French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in his final great battle. Read the full story →

• 1983 — Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space

  Physicist Sally Ride blasted off aboard space shuttle Challenger on mission STS-7, becoming the first American woman to fly in space. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Paul McCartney (1942) · Roger Ebert (1942–2013) · Isabella Rossellini (1952)

Days & observances

International Picnic Day · International Sushi Day · Go Fishing Day