March 18
March 18 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 288 days remain until the year's end. It falls in winter (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Pisces.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On March 18 the Sun's declination is approximately -1.2°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a March 18.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
No widely-observed holidays catalogued for this day in our base set. See the external almanacs above for region-specific observances.
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
- 1314 — Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, was burned at the stake in Paris. ↗(712 years ago)
- 1850 — American Express was founded by Henry Wells and William Fargo in Buffalo, New York. ↗(176 years ago)
- 1965 — Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov made the first space-walk, outside Voskhod 2. ↗(61 years ago)
- 1990 — In the largest art theft in U.S. history, thieves stole 13 works (estimated US$500 million) from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. ↗(36 years ago)
Notable births
Notable deaths
- 1768 — Laurence Sterne, Anglo-Irish novelist (Tristram Shandy). ↗(258 years ago)
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (78) | 2 × 3 × 13 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (288) | 2^5 × 3^2 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 18032026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -1.21° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 89 days |