On This Day July 18

2006
Nein Means Nein! Video is released of German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacting violently when President Bush attempts to give her a sneak massage from behind.

1994
Oldest person to give birth: A 62-year-old Italian woman, who became pregnant by embryo donation, gives birth to a 7-pound, 4-ounce boy.

1991
A couple is arrested after being videotaped through their bathroom window by a neighbor while having sex.

1984
McMurder: 41-year-old James Oliver Huberty sets the record for killing by one man in a single day when he enters a San Diego McDonald's and kills 21 people and wounds 19 others before being killed by police.

1969
Chappaquiddick: Sen. Edward Kennedy drives his car off a bridge on the island. He swam to safety leaving Mary Jo Kopechne to drown in the car. He then spent the night in a hotel and reported the accident to police in the morning.

1947
25th Amendment: Pres. Truman signs the Presidential Succession Act, designating the Speaker of the House and Senate pro tempore next in succession after the vice-president. It was ratified in 1967.

1938
Wrong-Way Corrigan: He lands in Ireland after making a nonstop transatlantic flight from N.Y. without a permit. He claimed he had intended to fly to Los Angeles, but had followed the wrong end of his compass.

1933
Bonnie and Clyde: The gang is confronted by law officers armed with Thompson submachine guns in Platte City, Missouri. The Barrow gang manages to shoot their way out using automatic rifles.

1925
Adolf Hitler: The future German leader publishes Mein Kampf. It was written while he was in prison for an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Bavarian government.

1870
The Doctrine of Papal Infallibility is proclaimed by the Vatican Council.

1863
Civil War - First African American to earn the Medal of Honor: During the assault on Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina, Sgt. William Harvey Carney, although wounded four times, struggled across the battlefield and retrieved the Union flag. For his actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. This battle is portrayed in the film Glory (1989).

64 A.D.
The Great Fire of Rome: Two-thirds of Rome was destroyed. Blame was placed on an obscure Jewish sect, the Christians, leading to the beginning of state-supported Christian persecution in Rome. Legend has it Nero fiddled as it burned.

1967
Vin Diesel (Mark Vincent), American actor. Film: Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Iron Giant (1999, voice of the Iron Giant), Pitch Black (2000), The Fast and the Furious (2001), xXx (2002).

1954
Ricky Skaggs, American Grammy-winning country singer. Music: Crying My Heart Out Over You (1982, #1) and Country Music Association's 1985 Entertainer of the Year.

1950
Sir Richard Branson (Richard Charles Nicholas Branson), British billionaire, founder of the Virgin brand. He and Per Lindstrand were the first to cross the Atlantic in a hot air balloon (1987).

1941
Martha Reeves, American singer. Music: Dancing In The Street (1964, #2) and Jimmy Mack (1966).

1939 d. 2005
Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist, creator of Gonzo journalism. Writings: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1972).

1930
Burt Kwouk, British actor. Film: The Pink Panther (Inspector Clouseau's manservant Kato) and Goldfinger (1964, Mr. Ling).

1929
Dick Button, American world-champion figure skater, sportscaster. He pioneered the modern style of free skating. In 1948 he became the first U.S. athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating.

1922 d. 1996
Thomas S. Kuhn, American science historian. His book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962), was one of the most influential books in 20th-century social sciences, humanities, and philosophy.

1921
John H. Glenn Jr., American astronaut, U.S. Senator (D-Ohio), first American in orbit.

1918
Nelson Mandela, South African President, Nobel-winning civil rights leader who spent 27 years in prison for fighting apartheid. He and F.W. de Klerk shared the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. He also established the first black law partnership in South Africa.

1913 d. 1997
Red Skelton (Richard Skelton), American comedian, known for his trademark signoff, "Good night and may God bless, thank you." Quote: "All men make mistakes, but married men find out about them sooner."

1911 d. 2003
Hume Cronyn, Canadian Tony-winning actor, director. Film: The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).

1909 d. 1989
Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko, Soviet statesman, director of Soviet affairs with the West for nearly 50 years.

1902 d. 1978
Chill Wills, American actor, voice of Francis the talking mule.

1890 d. 1961
Charles Erwin Wilson, American engineer, president of General Motors (1941-53), designed the motor for the first electric automobile starter, and as U.S. Secretary of Defense (1953-57) stated, "¼what was good for the country was good for General Motors and vice versa."

1867 d. 1932
Margaret Tobin Brown, American socialite. She was called "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" after surviving the sinking of the Titanic (1912).

1811 d. 1863
William Makepeace Thackeray, English novelist, Vanity Fair (1847-48) and Pendennis (1850).

1993 b. 1900
Jean Negulesco, Rumanian film director. Film: How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and Three Coins in a Fountain (1954).

1992 b. circa 1904
Rudolf Ising, American cartoonist, co-founder of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.

1969 b. 1940
Mary Jo Kopechne, American teacher, secretary. She drowned when Sen. Edward Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island.

1966 b. 1943
Bobby Fuller, American singer, songwriter, formed The Bobby Fuller Four. Music: I Fought the Law (1966). He died in a mysterious car accident just as the group was taking off.

1938 b. 1875
Marie, Queen of the Rumania (1922-38). She was the first reigning queen to visit the U.S. (1926).

1899 b. 1834
Horatio Alger Jr., American boy's author. His characters overcame adversity.

1868 b. 1816
Emanuel Leutze, German-born American painter, Washington Crossing the Delaware, Washington at Monmouth, and Columbus before the Queen.

1817 b. 1775
Jane Austen, English novelist. Writings: Sense and Sensibility (1811) and Persuasion (1818).

1800 b. 1739
John Rutledge, American statesman, associate justice of the Supreme Court (1789-91). He was nominated for chief justice but was denied because of his opposition to the Jay Treaty.

1792 b. 1747
John Paul Jones, Scottish-born American naval officer. He is known for his famous proclamation, "I have not yet begun to fight."

July 18

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