TODAY IN HISTORY – 18th Jun, 2026 – Africa World News
By Valentine Uchechukwu Ndukwu.
One of the mind-blogging paradoxical statements on history is from Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel when he said that we learn from history that we learn nothing from history.
I am tempted to think that the idea here is, despite studying history, humans often fail to learn from past mistakes and experiences, repeating similar patterns over time.
I crave your indulgence on some remarkable events that took place today in the distant past
Today in 1778, the British Army abandons Philadelphia. This is with reference to the American Revolutionary War (amazing stuff).
On this day in 1837, St. Joseph Mutiny: African soldiers in the 1st West India Regiment led by former slave trader Daaga, launch a rebellion in the British colony of Trinidad in an attempt to escape to Africa.
Still on this day in 1858, Charles Darwin receives a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that includes nearly identical conclusions about evolution as Darwin’s own, prompting Darwin to publish his theory.
According to Today in History, on this day in 1906, Sultan Abdelaziz of Morocco ratifies the agreement reached in the Algeciras Conference in a personal decree.
Again, on this day in 1908, Japanese immigration to Brazil begins when 781 people arrive in Santos aboard the ship Kasato-Maru.
Interestingly on this day in 1953, the Egyptian revolution of 1952 ends with the overthrow of the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the declaration of the Republic of Egypt.
In 1983 on this day, Space Shuttle program: STS-7, astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.
Sadly it was on this day in 1983 that Mona Mahmudnizhad, together with nine other women of the Baháʼí Faith, is sentenced to death and hanged in Shiraz, Iran, over her religious beliefs
Sadly, again on this day in 1998, Propair Flight 420 crashes near Montréal–Mirabel International Airport in Quebec, Canada, killing 11.
Remembering XXXTentacion (Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy), the American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer who they murdered when he was shot near a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
Regrettably in 2023, Titan, a submersible operated by OceanGate Expeditions, implodes in the North Atlantic Ocean while attempting to view the wreck of the Titanic, killing all five people on board, including OceanGate co-founder and CEO Stockton Rush.
For South Africans, today is the birthday of Thabo Mbeki (1942). He is a Pan-African Leader, and a former South African President. Thabo Mbeki was born on 18 June 1942. He succeeded Nelson Mandela and became a chief architect of modern Pan-Africanism and economic integration.
Following the end of the Nigerian Civil War, regarded by many Biafrans and Igbo people as one of the greatest human tragedies in African history and a genocide that never received adequate global recognition. For Biafran faithfuls whose side of the story was well downplayed in Nigeria’s historical journey, June 18 remains a date of profound significance, marking the return of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu from 13 years of political exile and the homecoming of a man who, for millions, embodied the spirit, sacrifice, and enduring memory of Biafra.
Autistic Pride Day
National Day (Seychelles)
Today in history
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