332day.year
Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople.
Emperor Constantine I initiated state-sponsored food distributions in Constantinople in AD 332, pioneering imperial welfare.
In 332, Emperor Constantine the Great established a large-scale grain distribution program in his newly founded capital, Constantinople. This 'annona' aimed to prevent shortages and secure the loyalty of the city's inhabitants through generous provisions. By guaranteeing free food, Constantine demonstrated the expanding role of the imperial government in public welfare. This initiative not only addressed immediate hunger but also reinforced the social contract between ruler and subjects. The success of this program laid the foundation for Byzantine welfare policies that would endure for centuries.
332
Constantine the Great
Constantinople
872day.year
Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of 47. His first coronation was 28 years earlier, in 844, during the reign of his father Lothair I.
In 872, Louis II of Italy was crowned Holy Roman Emperor for the second time at Rome, asserting his rule at age 47.
In the year 872, Louis II, son of Emperor Lothair I, returned to Rome to receive his second imperial coronation, 28 years after his first in 844. This ceremony at the Lateran Palace reaffirmed his authority over the fragmented Carolingian realms amid ongoing dynastic struggles. At age 47, Louis sought to strengthen his legitimacy against rival claimants and regional nobles. His renewed crowning underscored the papacy’s role in legitimating imperial power and the intertwining of church and state. The event marked a pivotal moment in the consolidation of the Holy Roman Empire during the turbulent 9th century.
872
Louis II of Italy
Holy Roman Emperor
Rome
Lothair I
1152day.year
The future Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. He would become king two years later, after the death of his cousin once removed King Stephen of England.
Henry, future King of England, married the wealthy duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, shaping medieval European dynasties.
On May 18, 1152, Henry Plantagenet, heir to the English throne, wed Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the most powerful and wealthy rulers of her time. Eleanor had recently annulled her marriage to Louis VII of France, bringing the vast duchy of Aquitaine under English influence. Their union dramatically expanded the Angevin domains and set the stage for the Plantagenet dynasty’s dominance in both England and France. The marriage produced eight children, including future kings Richard the Lionheart and John. This alliance would have lasting repercussions for the balance of power in medieval Western Europe.
1152
Henry II of England
Eleanor of Aquitaine
King Stephen of England
1631day.year
In Dorchester, Massachusetts, John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts.
On May 18, 1631, John Winthrop was sworn in as the first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, laying the foundations of its government.
John Winthrop, one of the leading figures in the Puritan migration, took the oath of office in Dorchester and assumed the governorship of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
His leadership established key principles of self-governance and communal responsibility in the fledgling settlement.
Winthrop’s vision of a “city upon a hill” guided colonial policies on religion, law, and social order.
Under his authority, Dorchester served as the initial seat of power before the colony’s government moved to Boston.
Winthrop’s tenure shaped early American political traditions and the identity of New England.
1631
Dorchester, Massachusetts
John Winthrop
Governor of Massachusetts
1804day.year
Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of the French by the French Senate.
On May 18, 1804, the French Senate proclaimed Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor of the French, signaling the birth of the First French Empire.
Through a senatus-consultum issued on May 18, 1804, Napoleon was granted the title of Emperor by the French legislative body.
This act transformed the French Republic into the First French Empire under Napoleon’s centralized rule.
Anticipating his formal coronation, Napoleon worked to unify administrative and military structures around his leadership.
The proclamation ended the Directory and consolidated power in his hands, reshaping European geopolitics.
It also intensified fears among monarchies, leading to new coalitions against France.
1804
Napoleon Bonaparte
Emperor of the French
French Senate
1812day.year
John Bellingham is found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging for the assassination of British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval.
John Bellingham was found guilty and sentenced to death for the 1812 assassination of British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval.
Spencer Perceval was the only British Prime Minister to be assassinated.\nOn May 11, 1812, John Bellingham shot him in the House of Commons lobby.\nBellingham was driven by personal financial grievances and perceived injustices in his business affairs.\nAfter a swift trial, he was found guilty on May 18, 1812, and sentenced to death by hanging.\nThe execution took place that day at Newgate Prison.\nThe assassination sent shockwaves through Britain and led to increased security measures around political figures.\nIt remains the only assassination of a British Prime Minister in history.\nBellingham's case is studied as a significant moment in British legal and political history.
1812
John Bellingham
assassination
British Prime Minister
Spencer Perceval
1848day.year
Opening of the first German National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) in Frankfurt, Germany.
On May 18, 1848, the first German National Assembly convened in Frankfurt, marking a pivotal moment in the 1848 revolutions and the push for German unity.
In the wake of widespread revolutions, representatives from various German states gathered in Frankfurt's Paulskirche.\nThe assembly aimed to draft a constitution for a unified, constitutional German nation.\nDelegates debated issues such as the role of monarchy versus republic and individual rights.\nThe Paulskirche Constitution was adopted but lacked enforcement power without support from major German princes.\nPrussian and Austrian opposition eventually led to the assembly's dissolution in 1849.\nDespite its short life, the Frankfurt Parliament laid the intellectual groundwork for later German unification.\nIt is celebrated as an early expression of democratic and national aspirations in Germany.
1848
National Assembly
Nationalversammlung
Frankfurt
1860day.year
United States presidential election: Abraham Lincoln wins the Republican Party presidential nomination over William H. Seward, who later becomes the United States Secretary of State.
Abraham Lincoln secured the Republican presidential nomination on May 18, 1860, overtaking William H. Seward in Chicago.
Delegates at the Republican National Convention in Chicago named Lincoln over Seward on the third ballot.\nLincoln's oratory and moderate stance on slavery appealed to a broad coalition of party members.\nHis Cooper Union speech earlier that year had also raised his national profile.\nSecuring the nomination marked a dramatic rise for Lincoln, a relatively unknown lawyer and former congressman.\nWilliam H. Seward, the early favorite, graciously accepted Lincoln’s leadership and later served as Secretary of State.\nLincoln’s nomination set the stage for his election as the 16th President of the United States later that year.\nThis moment was a turning point in American politics and the fight over slavery.
1860
United States presidential election
Abraham Lincoln
Republican Party
presidential nomination
William H. Seward
United States Secretary of State
1896day.year
The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that the "separate but equal" doctrine is constitutional.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the "separate but equal" doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson on May 18, 1896, legitimizing racial segregation.
Homer Plessy, a mixed-race railway passenger, challenged Louisiana’s segregation laws by refusing to leave a whites-only car.\nThe Supreme Court ruled 7–1 that state-enforced segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment.\nJustice Henry Billings Brown asserted that segregation was permissible if facilities were equal in quality.\nThis decision provided constitutional backing for Jim Crow laws across the American South.\nFor decades, African Americans endured legalized discrimination in public spaces, schools, and transportation.\nThe Plessy ruling stood until Brown v. Board of Education overturned it in 1954.\nPlessy v. Ferguson remains a landmark case in the history of civil rights in the United States.
1896
United States Supreme Court
Plessy v. Ferguson
separate but equal
1900day.year
The United Kingdom proclaims a protectorate over Tonga.
The United Kingdom declared a protectorate over Tonga on May 18, 1900, extending British influence in the Pacific while preserving Tongan autonomy.
Concerned about rival colonial ambitions in the Pacific, Britain moved to formalize its relationship with Tonga.\nOn May 18, 1900, King George Tupou II agreed to a treaty establishing a British protectorate.\nUnder the arrangement, Tonga retained internal self-governance, monarchy, and cultural traditions.\nBritain assumed responsibility for Tonga’s foreign affairs and defense.\nUnlike full colonization experienced by nearby islands, Tonga maintained a unique status.\nThe protectorate lasted until Tonga achieved full independence in 1970.\nThis agreement exemplified the dynamics of colonial power and indigenous sovereignty in the early 20th century.
1900
protectorate
Tonga
1917day.year
World War I: The Selective Service Act of 1917 is passed, giving the President of the United States the power of conscription.
The Selective Service Act of 1917 was enacted on May 18, giving the U.S. President authority to draft soldiers for World War I.
As the United States prepared to enter World War I, Congress passed the Selective Service Act.\nSigned into law on May 18, 1917, it required men aged 21 to 30 to register for military conscription.\nThe Act granted the President power to call up citizens for service through a draft lottery.\nBy war’s end, over 2.8 million men had been drafted under its provisions.\nThis marked the first peacetime conscription in U.S. history.\nThe law faced legal challenges but was upheld by the Supreme Court.\nThe Selective Service system shaped the structure of the American military in the 20th century.
1917
World War I
Selective Service Act of 1917
President of the United States
conscription
1927day.year
After being founded for 20 years, the Nationalist government approves Tongji University to be among the first national universities of the Republic of China.
In 1927, the Nationalist government of the Republic of China designated Tongji University as one of the nation’s first national universities.
Tongji University in Shanghai was founded in 1907 by German physicians to provide modern engineering education. After twenty years under provincial administration, it earned national university status from the Nationalist government on May 18, 1927. This recognition aimed to strengthen higher education and train skilled professionals for China’s modernization. As one of the earliest national institutions, Tongji expanded its faculties and research programs. The elevation marked a milestone in the Republic’s efforts to centralize and upgrade education. Tongji’s evolution influenced the development of technical universities across China in the decades that followed.
Nationalist government
Tongji University
Republic of China