Holidays Calendar for November 18, 2026
Proclamation of the Republic is celebrated in Latvia on November 18. This public holiday is also known as Independence Day, since its marks the beginning of a new era in the life of the country.
National Day is celebrated in Oman annually on November 18. This holiday was started to celebrate birthday of Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said.
The Moroccans annually celebrate Independence Day on November 18. This public holiday was introduced to celebrate the anniversary of declaration of independence of Morocco from Spain and France in 1956.
Battle of Vertières Day is a public holiday in Haiti. It's annually celebrated on November 18 to commemorate the victory of the Battle of Vertières in the Second War of Haitian Independence in 1803.
The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá (Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Chiquinquirá), also known as the Virgin of Chiquinquirá (Virgen de Chiquinquirá), is celebrated on Venezuela on November 18. This image of the Blessed Virgin Mary is venerated as the patron saint of Colombia, the state of Zulia in Venezuela, and the town of Caraz in Peru.
World COPD Day (also known as World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Day) is annually observed on the second or third Wednesday in November (mostly the third). This international observance was created in 2002.
GIS Day is celebrated in many countries around the world on the third Wednesday in November. This holiday was created in 1999 in the USA and later it spread to other countries.
European Antibiotic Awareness Day is observed annually on November 18. It was created to raise awareness of the dangers of antimicrobial resistance and encourage the responsible use of antibiotics.
In April 2019, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko established three new military observances: Infantry Day, Reservist Day and Sergeant Day. The last one is celebrated annually on November 18.
National Education Support Professionals Day, also known as National ESP Day, is celebrated annually on the Wednesday of American Education Week, which is typically the third Wednesday of November.
Anniversaries and Memorial Days →
Croatia
Remembrance Day of the Sacrifice of Vukovar in 1991 in Croatia
The Battle of Vukovar was one of the major battles in the Croatian War of Independence. The battle was a 87-day siege, that ended on November 18, 1991. Anniversary of the end of the siege is commemorated as Remembrance Day of the Sacrifice of Vukovar in 1991.
Buß- und Bettag (Day of Repentance and Prayer) is a public holiday in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is celebrated on the second Wednesday before the first Sunday of Advent.
National Flag Day in Uzbekistan is celebrated annually on November 18. It was established to commemorate the adoption of the flag of Uzbekistan in 1991.
National Vichyssoise Day is a food day celebrated annually on November 18. It is dedicated to a thick, creamy soup that is believed to be either American or French in origin.
Mickey Mouse is one of the most recognizable animal cartoon characters, created by the Walt Disney Company. It's considered, that November 18 is Mickey Mouse's Birthday, and this unofficial holiday is celebrated by all Disney's cartoon lovers around the world.
Ded Moroz’s birthday is an unofficial holiday celebrated in Russia on November 18 every year. It is dedicated to one of the most popular and revered characters of East Slavic folklore, who has become an important part of Russian culture and a symbol of the winter holiday season.
November 18 is the perfect day to relax with a mug of hot apple cider, a beverage associated with autumn, warmth and comfort, because it is Apple Cider Day.
The third Wednesday of November is the perfect day to sit back and relax with a glass of wine since it is National Zinfandel Day. This amazing holiday was created to celebrate one of the most popular wine grape varieties grown in California vineyards.
UN Observances
World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence
World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence is observed annually on November 18. It was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2022 to shine a light on the sexual exploitation and abuse of children and bring together stakeholders from around the world to prevent it.
This Day in History
- 2020 Wildlife officials with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources discovered a metal pillar, late nicknamed the Utal monolith, standing in a red sandstone slot canyon in northern San Juan County.
- 2017 Died: Malcolm Young, Australian musician best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter of the hard rock band AC/DC.
- 2013 Died: Ljubomir Vračarević, Serbian martial artist. He founded Real Aikido, which is a mixture of aikido, judo and jujutsu with some modifications.
- 2013 NASA launched the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) probe to Mars. The probe reached Mars on September 22, 2014.
- 1996 Approximately 1,600 ft (500 meters) of the Channel Tunnel from France to England were damaged when a fire occurred on a traveling train. Several people were injured, but nobody died.
- 1991 Died: Gustáv Husák, Slovak politician, the 9th President of Czechoslovakia. His administration during 1969-1987 was known as the period of "Normalization" after the Prague Spring.
- 1987 A fire broke at King's Cross St Pancras underground station, the busiest station in London. 31 people died and at least 100 others were injured.
- 1986 Born: Georgia King, Scottish actress. She is best known for her roles as Goldie in the NBC sitcom The New Normal and Amanda Snodgrass in the HBO dark comedy series Vice Principals.
- 1978 American religious leader Jim Jones led his Peoples Temple to a mass murder-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. The incident claimed 918 lives, including 270 children.
- 1976 Born: Steven Pasquale, American actor best known for his role as the New York City Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician Sean Garrity in the series Rescue Me.
- 1974 Born: Chloë Sevigny, American actress, model, and fashion designer. Known for her work in independent films, she rose to prominence with her portrayal of Lana Tisdel in Boys Don't Cry.
- 1970 Born: Peta Wilson, Australian actress and model. She is probably best known for her role as Nikita in the Canadian television series La Femme Nikita.
- 1969 Born: Daphne Rubin-Vega, American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is best known for originating the role of Mimi Marquez in the Bradway musical Rent.
- 1969 Died: Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and politician. He is known for his own political prominence as well as that of his children and was a patriarch of the Kennedy family.
- 1968 Born: Owen Wilson, American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for roles in Meet the Parents, Shanghai Moon, Shanghai Knights, Marley & Me, The Internship, the Night at the Museum trilogy etc.
- 1963 The first push button telephone went into service.
- 1962 Died: Niels Bohr, Danish physicist. He made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics for this work in 1922.
- 1962 Born: Kirk Hammett, American musician who has been the lead guitarist of heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Prior to joining Metallica, he co-formed the thrash metal band Exodus in 1979.
- 1961 Born: Steven Moffat, Scottish producer and screenwriter. He is known for his work as writer and producer of the British TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock.
- 1952 Born: Delroy Lindo, English-American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for playing prominent roles in four Spike Lee films: Malcolm X, Crooklyn, Clockers, and Da 5 Bloods.
- 1947 A fire started in the Ballantyne's Department Store in Christchurch, New Zealand. 41 people died, making it the worst fire disaster in the history of New Zealand.
- 1941 Died: Walther Nernst, German physician, widely known for his theories behind the calculation of chemical affinity. This work won him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1920.
- 1928 Steamboat Willie, the first fully synchronized sound cartoon, was released by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The cartoon featured the third appearance of cartoon characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.
- 1927 Died: Scipione Borghese, 10th Prince of Sulmona, Italian aristocrat, industrialist, politician, explorer, mountain climber and racing driver belonging to the House of Borghese.
- 1922 Died: Marcel Proust, French author and critic, best known for his novel In Search of Lost Time. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest authors of all time.
- 1901 Born: George Gallup, American statistician and academic. He invented the Gullup poll, a successful statistical method of survey sampling for measuring public opinion.
- 1897 Born: Patrick Blackett, British experimental physicist known for his work on cloud chambers, cosmic rays, and paleomagnetism. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1948.
- 1888 Born: Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, Indian yoga teacher, ayurvedic healer and scholar. He is seen as one of the most important gurus of modern yoga, and is often called "Father of Modern Yoga".
- 1886 Died: Chester A. Arthur, American politician, the 21st President of the United States who served in office from September 19, 1881 to March 4, 1885.
- 1883 Five standard continental time zones were instituted by American and Canadian railroads. This ended the confusion of thousands of local times.
- 1863 King Christian IX of Denmark signed the November constitution that declared Schleswig to be part of Denmark. The German Confederation saw this as a violation of the London Protocol, which led to the Second Scheswig War.
- 1836 Born: W. S. Gilbert, English playwright, poet, and illustrator, best remembered for his 14 comic operas (the Savoy operas), produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan.
- 1828 Born: John Langdon Down, British physician. He is best known for his description of a relatively common genetic disorder now called Down syndrome that he originally classified in 1862.
- 1827 Died: Wilhelm Hauff, German poet and novelist. He wrote numerous novels and short stories, but he is best known for his fairy tales.
- 1787 Born: Louis Daguerre, French artist and photographer. He invented the daguerreotype process of photography and is known as one of the fathers of photography.
- 1689 Died: Jacob van der Ulft, Dutch painter of the Dutch Golden Age. He is known for his landscape paintings and as the best glass painter of the century.
- 1493 Christopher Columbus first sighted the island that is now known as Puerto Rico.