Did you know
In 1197, he became tutor to the young Frederick II
Notable Deaths on March 18
87 people
978 – 2025
March 18 has seen 87 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 978 – 2025. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
1227 — Pope Honorius III (born 1148)
Pope Honorius III (born 1148)
Did you know
Pope Honorius III, born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death
Did you know
A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of important administrative positions, including that of Camerlengo
Did you know
As pope, he worked to promote the Fifth Crusade, which had been planned under his predecessor, Innocent III
Did you know
Honorius repeatedly exhorted King Andrew II of Hungary and Emperor Frederick II to fulfill their vows to participate
English king (born 962)
Edward the Martyr was King of the English from 8 July 975 until he was killed in 978. He was the eldest son of King Edgar. On Edgar's death, the succession to the throne was contested between Edward's supporters and…
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978
Duchess of Burgundy (born 1018)
Ermengarde of Anjou, known as Blanche, was a Duchess consort of Burgundy. She was the daughter of Count Fulk III of Anjou and Hildegarde of Sundgau. She was sometimes known as Ermengarde-Blanche.
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1076
Italian bishop (born 1036)
Anselm of Lucca, born Anselm of Baggio, was a medieval bishop of Lucca in Italy and a prominent figure in the Investiture Controversy amid the fighting in central Italy between Matilda, countess of Tuscany, and Emperor…
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1086
1308
Frankish knight (born 1244)
Jacques de Molay, also spelled "Molai", was the 23rd and last grand master of the Knights Templar, leading the order sometime before 20 April 1292 until it was dissolved by order of Pope Clement V in 1312. Though little…
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1314
Preceptor of Normandy for the Knights Templar
Geoffroi de Charney, also known as Guy d'Auvergne, was preceptor of Normandy for the Knights Templar. In 1307 de Charny was arrested, along with the entire Order of Knights Templar in France, and in 1314 was burned at…
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1314
Hungarian oligarch (born c. 1260/5)
Máté Csák or Matthew III Csák, also Máté Csák of Trencsén, was a Hungarian oligarch who ruled de facto independently the north-western counties of Medieval Hungary. He held the offices of master of the horse…
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1321
attempted assassin of William I of Orange (born 1562)
Juan de Jáuregui was a Biscayan accounting assistant known for his unsuccessful 1582 assassination attempt upon William the Silent, Prince of Orange.
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1582
1st Earl of Donegall, Irish soldier (born 1606)
Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall, was an Anglo-Irish military officer, politician and peer.
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1675
English soldier and politician (born 1607)
John Dixwell, alias James Davids, was an English lawyer, republican politician and regicide. Born in Warwickshire, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms he held various administrative positions in Kent on behalf of…
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1689
Maltese sculptor and painter (born 1645)
Suor Maria de Dominici was a Maltese painter, sculptor, and Carmelite tertiary nun. Born into a family of artists based in the city of Birgu (Vittoriosa), she was the daughter of a goldsmith and appraiser for the…
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1703
English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1676)
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the de facto first Prime Minister of Great Britain, serving from 1721 to…
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1745
Irish novelist and clergyman (born 1713)
Laurence Sterne was a British novelist and Anglican cleric. He is best known for his comic novels The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1759–1767) and A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy (1768).
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1768
French economist and politician, Controller-General of Finances (born 1727)
Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de l'Aulne, commonly known as Turgot, was a French economist and statesman. Sometimes considered a physiocrat, he is today best remembered as an early advocate for economic liberalism.…
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1781
Prussian minister of education (born 1731)
Karl Abraham Freiherr von Zedlitz und Leipe was a Prussian minister of education who was instrumental in establishing mandatory education in Prussia, which served as a model for the public education system in the United…
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1793
French cellist and composer (born 1753)
Jean-Baptiste Sebastien Bréval was a French cellist and composer. He wrote mostly for his own instrument, including pedagogical works as well as virtuoso display pieces.
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1823
Danish-Prussian politician and diplomat (born 1769)
Count Christian Günther von Bernstorff was a Danish and Prussian statesman and diplomat.
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1835
American gardener and missionary (born 1774)
John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced trees grown with apple seeds to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and the Canadian province of…
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1845
Indian-English mathematician and academic (born 1806)
Augustus De Morgan was a British mathematician and logician. He is best known for De Morgan's laws relating logical conjunction, disjunction, and negation, and for coining the term "mathematical induction", the…
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1871
American author and activist (born 1826)
Matilda Joslyn Gage was an American writer and activist. She is mainly known for her contributions to women's suffrage in the United States, but also campaigned for Native American rights, abolitionism, and freethought.…
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1898
Danish botanist (born 1835)
Hjalmar Frederik Christian Kiærskou, sometimes also stated as Hjalmar Kiaerskov, was a Danish botanist.
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1900
French chemist and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1827)
Pierre Eugène Marcellin Berthelot was a French chemist and Republican politician noted for the Thomsen–Berthelot principle of thermochemistry. He synthesized many organic compounds from inorganic substances, providing a…
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1907
George I was King of Greece from 30 March 1863 until his assassination on 18 March 1913.
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1913
American architect, designed the Plaza Hotel (born 1847)
Henry Janeway Hardenbergh was an American architect, best known for his hotels and apartment buildings, and as a "master of a new building form — the skyscraper." He worked three times with Edward Clark, the wealthy…
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1918
American painter (born 1863)
Jean Leon Gerome Ferris was an American painter best known for his series of 78 scenes from American history, entitled The Pageant of a Nation, the largest series of American historical paintings by a single artist.
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1930
Greek journalist, lawyer, and politician, 93rd Prime Minister of Greece (born 1864)
Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos was a Cretan Greek statesman and prominent leader of the Greek national liberation movement. As the leader of the Liberal Party, Venizelos served as prime minister of Greece for over 12…
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1936
English businessman, founded Lunn Poly (born 1859)
Sir Henry Simpson Lunn was an English humanitarian and religious figure, and also founder of Lunn Poly, one of the UK's largest travel companies.
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1939
French cyclist (born 1884)
Henri Cornet was a French cyclist who won the 1904 Tour de France. He is its youngest winner, just short of his 20th birthday.
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1941
American businessman, co-founded General Motors and Chevrolet (born 1861)
William Crapo Durant was an American businessman. A leading pioneer of the United States automobile industry, he was the founder of General Motors and a co-founder of Chevrolet. He created a system in which a company…
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1947
English cricketer (born 1868)
Walter Mead was the principal bowler for Essex during their first two decades as a first-class county. As a member of the Lord’s ground staff, he was also after J.T. Hearne the most important bowler for MCC and Ground,…
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1954
American environmentalist and author (born 1896)
Louis Bromfield was an American writer and conservationist. A bestselling novelist in the 1920s, he reinvented himself as a farmer in the late 1930s and became one of the earliest proponents of sustainable and organic…
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1956
American accountant and politician, 60th Governor of Delaware (born 1880)
Walter Wolfkiel Bacon was an American politician and accountant from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party who served three terms as Mayor of Wilmington and two terms as…
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1962
English Jesuit priest (born 1879)
Cyril Charlie Martindale was a Roman Catholic priest, scholar, and writer. Along with Martin D'Arcy, he was one of England's foremost Catholics of the first half of the 20th century, and was a correspondent of figures…
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1963
Swedish businessman, 4th President of the International Olympic Committee (born 1870)
Johannes Sigfrid Edström was a Swedish industrialist, chairman of the Sweden-America Foundation, and fourth president of the International Olympic Committee.
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1964
Farouk I was the tenth ruler of Egypt from the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and the Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936 and reigning until his overthrow in a military coup in 1952.
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1965
Estonian philologist and poet (born 1880)
Johannes Aavik was an Estonian linguist and innovator of the Estonian language.
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1973
Congolese politician, President of the Republic of the Congo (born 1938)
Marien Ngouabi was a Congolese politician and military officer who served as the fourth President of the People's Republic of the Congo from 1969 until his assassination in 1977.
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1977
Brazilian race car driver (born 1944)
José Carlos Pace was a Brazilian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1972 to 1977. Pace won the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix with Brabham.
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1977
American author and screenwriter (born 1915)
Leigh Douglass Brackett was an American author and screenwriter. Nicknamed "the Queen of Space Opera", she was one of the most prominent female writers during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. As a screenwriter, she…
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1978
American actress (born 1892)
Mary Margaret Wood was an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best remembered for her performance as the title character in the CBS television series Mama (1949–1957), for which she was nominated for…
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1978
German psychologist and philosopher (born 1900)
Erich Seligmann Fromm was a German-American social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was a German Jew who fled the Nazi regime and settled in the United…
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1980
Polish-American painter (born 1898)
Tamara Łempicka, known outside Poland as Tamara de Lempicka, was a Polish painter who spent her working life in France and the United States. She is best known for her polished Art Deco portraits of aristocrats and the…
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1980
Irish farmer and politician, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (born 1901)
Patrick Smith was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician, who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1923 until 1977, a tenure of 53 years, and the longest in the state. He held a number of ministerial positions within the…
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1982
Umberto II was the last king of Italy. Umberto's reign lasted for 34 days, from 9 May 1946 until his formal deposition on 12 June 1946, although he had been the de facto head of state since 1944. Due to his short reign,…
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1983
American baseball player and coach (born 1933)
Charles Richard Lau was an American professional baseball player and a highly influential hitting coach. During his playing career in Major League Baseball, Lau appeared in 527 games as a catcher and pinch hitter over…
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1984
American novelist and short story writer (born 1914)
Bernard Malamud was an American novelist and short story writer. Along with Saul Bellow, Joseph Heller, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Norman Mailer and Philip Roth, he was one of the best known American Jewish authors of the…
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1986
Norwegian singer and revue actress (born 1914)
Kari Diesen was a Norwegian singer and revue actress. She worked for the revue theatre Chat Noir from 1937 to 1953, and for the Edderkoppen Theatre from 1954 to 1959. She participated in 24 films between 1941 and 1985.…
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1987
American trumpet player and cornet player (born 1917)
Charles William Butterfield was an American jazz bandleader, trumpeter, flugelhornist, and cornetist.
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1988
American comedian (born 1953)
Robin Hughes Harris Sr. was an American comedian and actor, best known for his recurring comic sketch about "Bé-bé's Kids". He was posthumously nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his…
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1990
English-American economist and activist (born 1910)
Kenneth Ewart Boulding was an English-born American economist, educator, peace activist, and interdisciplinary philosopher. Boulding was the author of two citation classics: The Image: Knowledge in Life and Society…
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1993
Greek poet and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1911)
Odysseas Elytis was a Greek poet, man of letters, essayist and translator, regarded as the definitive exponent of romantic modernism in Greece and the world. He is one of the most praised poets of the second half of the…
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1996
German theologian and academic (born 1909)
Eberhard Bethge was a German theologian and pastor, best known for being the close friend and biographer of the theologian and anti-Nazi Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
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2000
American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1935)
John Edmund Andrew Phillips was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was the leader of the vocal group the Mamas & the Papas and remains frequently referred to as Papa John Phillips. In addition to writing…
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2001
American soldier and author (born 1914)
Raphael Aloysius Lafferty was an American science fiction, fantasy and historical fiction writer best known for his imaginative and eccentric short stories and novels from the 1960s and 1970s.
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2002
German race car driver (born 1910)
Karl Kling was a German racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One at 11 Grands Prix from 1954 to 1955.
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2003
Thai-English engineer and businessman, founded the Osborne Computer Corporation (born 1939)
Adam Osborne was a British author, software publisher, and computer designer who founded several companies in the United States and elsewhere. He introduced the Osborne 1, the first commercially successful portable…
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2003
Canadian businessman, co-founded McCain Foods (born 1927)
Harold Harrison McCain was a Canadian businessman and co-founder, along with his three brothers, of international frozen foods giant McCain Foods.
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2004
Canadian photographer and cinematographer (born 1922)
Dan Gibson was a Canadian photographer, cinematographer and sound recordist.
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2006
Indian-English cricketer, coach, and sportscaster (born 1948)
Robert Andrew Woolmer was an English cricket coach, cricketer, and a commentator. He played in 19 Test matches and six One Day Internationals for the England cricket team and later coached South Africa, Warwickshire and…
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2007
English director and screenwriter (born 1954)
Anthony Minghella was a British playwright and filmmaker. He was chairman of the board of Governors at the British Film Institute between 2003 and 2007. He directed Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990), The English Patient…
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2008
Iranian journalist and blogger (born 1980)
Omid Reza Mir Sayafi was an Iranian blogger and journalist.
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2009
English-American actress (born 1963)
Natasha Jane Richardson was an English actress. A member of the Redgrave family, she was a daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director-producer Tony Richardson and a granddaughter of Michael Redgrave and Rachel…
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2009
American actor and businessman (born 1924)
Fess Elisha Parker Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of the title characters in Walt Disney Productions' television miniseries Davy Crockett and the television series Daniel…
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2010
American lawyer and politician, 63rd United States Secretary of State (born 1925)
Warren Minor Christopher was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, and United States Navy officer who served as the 63rd United States secretary of state from 1993 to 1997.
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2011
American journalist and author (born 1918)
James Furman Bisher was an American newspaper sportswriter and columnist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in Atlanta, Georgia.
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2012
American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1932)
William Richard Charette was a United States Navy master chief hospital corpsman who received the nation's highest military decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor. He was awarded the medal for heroic actions "above…
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2012
American general (born 1920)
William Grover Moore Jr. was a general in the United States Air Force and the former commander-in-chief of Military Airlift Command. Moore was a combat veteran with 100 missions flown during World War II and the Korean…
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2012
George Tupou V was King of Tonga from 2006 until his death in 2012. He was the eldest son of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV.
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2012
Pakistani general and pilot (born 1935)
Muhammad Mahmood Alam best known as M. M. Alam and affectionately nicknamed Little Dragon and Peanut Alam, was a Pakistani flying ace, war hero, and a former one-star rank officer in the Pakistan Air Force.
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2013
American novelist, screenwriter, and director (born 1947)
Alfred Henry Bromell was an American novelist, screenwriter, and director.
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2013
2013
Nigerian author, playwright, and academic (born 1951)
Catherine Obianuju Acholonu was a Nigerian author, researcher and political activist. She served as the Senior Special Adviser (SSA) to President Olusegun Obasanjo on Arts and Culture and was a founder-member of the…
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2014
Zambian footballer, coach, and manager (born 1953)
Kaiser Kalambo was a Zambian coach and former footballer. He represented Zambia in three African Cup of Nations tournaments and was named Zambian captain in 1980, the same year in which he was voted Zambian footballer…
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2014
American author and critic (born 1943)
Lucius Shepard was an American writer. Classified as a science fiction and fantasy writer, he often leaned into other genres, such as magical realism.
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2014
2015
American priest and theologian (born 1939)
Thomas John Hopko was an Eastern Orthodox Christian priest and theologian. He was the Dean of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary from September 1992 until July 1, 2002 and taught dogmatic theology there from…
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2015
Kenyan nurse, journalist, and politician (born 1930)
Grace Emily Ogot was a Kenyan author, nurse, journalist, politician and diplomat. Together with Charity Waciuma she was the first Anglophone female Kenyan writer to be published. She was one of the first Kenyan members…
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2015
English author and screenwriter (born 1939)
Melvin Barry Hines, FRSL was an English author, playwright and screenwriter. His novels and screenplays explore the political and economic struggles of working-class Northern England, particularly in his native West…
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2016
2016
American football player (born 1992)
Tray Walker was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Southern Tigers, and was selected by…
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2016
German lawyer and politician, 15th Vice-Chancellor of Germany (born 1961)
Guido Westerwelle was a German politician who served as foreign minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Vice-Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011, being the first openly gay person to hold any…
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2016
American guitarist, singer and songwriter (born 1926)
Charles Edward Anderson Berry was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was one of the pioneers of rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into the…
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2017
American test pilot, engineer and astronaut (born 1932)
Alfred Merrill Worden was an American test pilot, engineer and NASA astronaut who was command module pilot for the Apollo 15 lunar mission in 1971. One of the 24 Apollo astronauts to fly to the Moon, he orbited it 74…
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2020
American Air Force officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut (born 1930)
Thomas Patten Stafford was an American Air Force officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, and one of 24 Apollo astronauts who flew to the Moon. He also served as Chief of the Astronaut Office from 1969 to 1971.
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2024
2025
American convicted murderer (born 1978)
Jessie Dean Hoffman Jr. was an American convicted murderer who was sentenced to death in Louisiana for the 1996 rape and murder of Molly Elliott. On November 26, 1996, Hoffman, then 18, abducted the 28-year-old…
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2025
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March 18 in the Blog
Greek War of Independence — March 18, 1821
1821 Greek War of Independence sparks in Mani Peninsula, Greece, with a heroic uprising
Read the full storyNotable deaths
Who died on March 18?
Pope Honorius III (born 1148) — Head of the Catholic Church from 1216 to 1227
FeaturedPope Honorius III (born 1148)
Death year1227
Known forA canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of important administrative positions, including that of Camerlengo
Deaths on this date87 (978 – 2025)
Explore March 18
Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.
Also on March 18 in History
2025
Israel launches widespread aerial bombardments and attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 591 people, including children. Wikipedia →
2015
The Bardo National Museum in Tunisia is attacked by gunmen. Twenty-four people, almost all tourists, are killed, and at least 50 other people are wounded. Wikipedia →
2014
See all events on March 18
The parliaments of Russia and Crimea sign an accession treaty. Wikipedia →
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