Sunday · September 27, 2026
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American history, reported as it happened
Made for the 250th
On this day › August 18

What happened on August 18 in American history

August 18 is the 230th day of the year (the 231st in leap years). Patriot Compass has published 6 stories from August 18 spanning 1590 to 1963. Among them: in 1590, White comes home to Roanoke and finds it empty; the houses are taken down; and in 1864, Warren's men tear up track at Globe Tavern; Confederates strike back by afternoon.

1590

White comes home to Roanoke and finds it empty; the houses are taken down

He lands on his granddaughter's third birthday and finds only a carved word where his colony used to be.
1864Member story · 1776 Club

Warren's men tear up track at Globe Tavern; Confederates strike back by afternoon

Through rain and mud, Union soldiers reach the Weldon Railroad, then dig in after a Confederate counterattack pushes them back a mile.
1877

Hall finds a second Martian moon, tucked in close to the planet

Six days after spotting Deimos, the Naval Observatory astronomer confirms an inner satellite so near Mars it nearly hides in the glare.
1920

Tennessee ratifies; the 19th Amendment clears its final hurdle

A 24-year-old legislator's last-minute switch gives suffrage the 36th state it needed.
1938Member story · 1776 Club

Roosevelt and Mackenzie King cut one ribbon, open a bridge over the St. Lawrence

Twenty-five thousand people watched two heads of government share the same car for the first crossing.
1963Member story · 1776 Club

James Meredith earns his degree from Ole Miss

Eleven months after federal marshals walked him to class through riots, he leaves with a degree in political science.