History for December 18

History for December 18 - On-This-Day.com:
Ty Cobb 1886 - Baseball player, Willy Brandt 1913, Betty Grable 1916


Keith Richards 1943 - Musician (Rolling Stones), Steven Spielberg 1947 Movie producer-director, Brad Pitt 1963 Actor


1898 - A new automobile speed record was set at 39 mph (63 kph).


1903 - The Panama Canal Zone was acquired 'in perpetuity' by the U.S. for an annual rent.


1912 - The discovery of the Piltdown Man in East Sussex was announced. It was proved to be a hoax in 1953.


1916 - During World War I, after 10 months of fighting the French defeated the Germans in the Battle of Verdun.


1940 - Adolf Hitler signed a secret directive ordering preparations for a Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. Operation "Barbarossa" was launched in June 1941.


1950 - NATO foreign ministers approved plans to defend Western Europe, including the use of nuclear weapons, if necessary.


1957 - The Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania went online. It was the first nuclear facility to generate electricity in the United States. It was taken out of service in 1982.


1998 - The U.S. House of Representatives began the debate on the four articles of impeachment concerning U.S. President Bill Clinton. It was only the second time in U.S. history that process had begun.