What Happened on November 18?
November 18 is Mickey Mouse Day — marking Steamboat Willie's 1928 premiere — on the same date North American railroads adopted standard time zones in 1883, Haiti won at Vertières in 1803, and Calvin and Hobbes debuted in 1985.
-
1493 — Columbus sights the island later called Puerto Rico
On November 18, 1493, during his second voyage, Christopher Columbus sighted the Caribbean island later known as Puerto Rico. Read the full story →
-
1803 — Battle of Vertières seals Haitian independence
On November 18, 1803, Haitian forces won the Battle of Vertières — the last major fight of the Haitian Revolution against French troops. Read the full story →
-
1883 — North American railroads adopt standard time zones
On November 18, 1883 — the 'day of two noons' — U.S. and Canadian railroads switched to four continental time zones. Read the full story →
-
1928 — Steamboat Willie premieres — Mickey Mouse's breakthrough
On November 18, 1928, Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie opened in New York — the hit synchronized-sound cartoon that made Mickey Mouse a star. Read the full story →
-
1985 — Calvin and Hobbes debuts in newspapers
On November 18, 1985, Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes first appeared — launching a beloved comic about a boy and his tiger. Read the full story →
Famous birthdays
Louis Daguerre (1787–1851) · W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) · Margaret Atwood (1939) · Owen Wilson (1968)
Days & observances
Mickey Mouse Day · National Apple Cider Day · National Vichyssoise Day · Latvia Independence Day