History for April 18

History for April 18 - On-This-Day.com:
George Henry Lewes 1817 - English philosopher, literary and theater critic, Clarence Darrow 1857 - Attorney, famous for his part in the Scopes 'monkey trial', Hayley Mills 1946 - Actress ("The Parent Trap"), singer

James Woods 1947 - Actor ("The Onion Field", "Casino"), Rick Moranis 1954 - Actor ("Parenthood", "Ghostbuster" series, "Spaceballs"), Conan O'Brien 1963 - Television personality ("Late Night with Conan O'Brien")


1775 - American revolutionaries Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott rode though the towns of Massachusetts giving the warning that the Regulars were coming out. Later, the phrase "the British are coming" was attributed to Revere even though it is unlikely he used that wording.


1906 - San Francisco, CA, was hit with an earthquake. The original death toll was cited at about 700. Later information indicated that the death toll may have been 3 to 4 times the original estimate.


1923 - Yankee Stadium opened in the Bronx, NY. The Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1. John Phillip Sousa's band played the National Anthem.


1938 - Superman made his debut when he appeared in the first issue of Action Comics. (Cover date June 1938)


1942 - James H. Doolittle and his squadron, from the USS Hornet, raided Tokyo and other Japanese cities.


1945 - American war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed by Japanese gunfire on the Pacific island of Ie Shima, off Okinawa. He was 44 years old.


1949 - The Republic of Ireland was established.


1983 - The U.S. Embassy in Beirut was blown up by a suicide car-bomber. 63 people were killed including 17 Americans.