This Day In History : June 18

1980 India

Indian "human computer" Shakuntala Devi sets a world record by mentally multiplying two random 13-digit numbers in 28 seconds

Indian "human computer" Shakuntala Devi sets a world record by mentally multiplying two random 13-digit numbers in 28 seconds; She correctly answered that 7,686,369,774,870 × 2,465,099,745,779 = 18,947,668,177,995,426,462,773,730 !

Also on This Day in History June 18

Discover what happened on June 18 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, June 18
  • 1799 William Lassell

    English astronomer who discovered the moons of Uranus and Neptune

  • 1944 Paul Lansky

    American electronic-music composer and a pioneer in the development of computer music languages for algorithmic composition

  • 1857 Henry Clay Folger

    American CEO of Standard Oil and founder of the Folger Shakespeare Library

  • 1932 Dudley Herschbach

    American chemist known for molecular dynamics (Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1986)

  • 1942 Thabo Mbeki

    President of South Africa (1999-2008), 1st vice-president (1994-99) and economist

Deaths on This Day, June 18
  • 1673 Jeanne Mance

    French-Canadian settler who founded the first hospital in North America (Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal)

  • 1880 John Augustus Sutter

    Swiss-American immigrant (established Sutter's Fort in what is now Sacramento, where gold was first discovered in California)

  • 2015 Ralph J Roberts

    American businessman and founder of Comcast

  • 2014 Stephanie Kwolek

    American chemist and inventor (Kevlar)

  • 2023 (Richard) Stockton Rush [III]

    American businessman (co-founder and CEO of OceanGate)

1542

Crown of Ireland Act

Crown of Ireland Act 1542 passed by the Parliament of Ireland, gives English King Henry VIII the title "King of Ireland"  
1983

Sally Ride becomes the first American woman to travel to space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger

On June 18, 1983, NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first American woman in space.
1964

African Groundnut Council forms in Dakar

The African Groundnut Council was established on June 18, 1964, in Dakar, Senegal. It was formed following an agreement between the governments of Nigeria and Senegal.
1973

NCAA makes urine testing mandatory for participants

On June 18, 1973, the NCAA Executive Committee approved urine testing and other methods to be used on student-athletes participating in NCAA championships1.
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