What Happened on March 18?

On March 18, a cosmonaut floated outside his spacecraft and became the first person to walk in space — the same day America signed the law making Hawaii the 50th state!

• 1959 — Hawaii Admission Act signed — pathway to 50th statehood

  President Eisenhower signed the Hawaii Admission Act, clearing the way for the islands to become America's 50th state later that year. Read the full story →

• 1965 — Alexei Leonov performs the first spacewalk

  Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov floated out of the Voskhod 2 spacecraft on a tether and spent about 12 minutes as the first human to walk in space. Read the full story →

• 1990 — Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art theft — largest in U.S. history

  Thieves disguised as police officers talked their way into a Boston museum overnight and stole 13 artworks worth around $500 million — they have never been found. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Rudolf Diesel (1858–1913) · Grover Cleveland (1837–1908) · John Updike (1932–2009) · Wilson Pickett (1941–2006)

Days & observances

Global Recycling Day