So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

September 18th


- National Day or Dieciocho, the date of the first Government Junta after the Chilean independence on February 12, 1818 (Chile)
- Christian Feast Day

September 18th


- 2009 - The 72 year run of the soap opera The Guiding Light ends as its final episode is broadcast.
- 2007 - Pervez Musharraf announces that he will step down as army chief and restore civilian rule to Pakistan, but only after he is re-elected president.
- 2007 - Buddhist monks join anti-government protesters in Myanmar, starting what some called the Saffron Revolution.
- 2006 - Right wing protesters riot the building of the Hungarian Television in Budapest, Hungary, one day after an audio tape is made public, in which Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány admitted he and his party lied during the 2006 general elections.
- 2001 - First mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attacks.
- 1998 - ICANN is formed.
- 1997 - United States media magnate Ted Turner donates USD $1 billion to the United Nations.
- 1992 - An explosion rocks Giant Mine at the height of a labor dispute, killing 9 replacement workers.
- 1991 - Yugoslavia begins a naval blockade of 7 Adriatic port cities.
- 1990 - Liechtenstein becomes a member of the United Nations.
- 1988 - End of pro-democracy uprisings in Myanmar after a bloody military coup by the State Law and Order Restoration Council. Thousands, mostly monks and civilians (primarily students) are killed by the Tatmadaw.
- 1984 - Joe Kittinger completes the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic.
- 1982 - Christian militia begin killing six-hundred Palestinians in Lebanon.
- 1981 - Assemblée Nationale votes to abolish capital punishment in France.
- 1980 - Soyuz 38 carries 2 cosmonauts (including 1 Cuban) to Salyut 6 space station.
- 1978 - Leaders of Israel and Egypt reach a settlement for the Middle East at Camp David.
- 1977 - Voyager I takes first photograph of the Earth and the Moon together.
- 1975 - Patty Hearst is arrested after a year on the FBI Most Wanted List.
- 1974 - Hurricane Fifi strikes Honduras with 110 mph winds, killing 5,000 people.
- 1973 - The Bahamas, East Germany and West Germany are admitted to the United Nations.
- 1964 - Constantine II of Greece marries Danish princess Anne-Marie.
- 1964 - North Vietnamese Army begins infiltration of South Vietnam.
- 1962 - Burundi, Jamaica, Rwanda and Trinidad and Tobago are admitted to the United Nations.
- 1961 - U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld dies in a plane crash while attempting to negotiate peace in the war-torn Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- 1960 - Fidel Castro arrives in New York City as the head of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations.
- 1959 - Vanguard 3 is launched into Earth orbit.
- 1948 - Communist Madiun uprising in Dutch Indies.
- 1948 - Margaret Chase Smith of Maine becomes the first woman elected to the US Senate without completing another senator's term, when she defeats Democratic opponent Adrian Scolten.
- 1947 - The United States Air Force becomes an independent branch of the United States armed forces.
- 1945 - General Douglas MacArthur moves his command headquarters to Tokyo.
- 1944 - World War II: The British submarine HMS Tradewind torpedoes Juny? Maru, 5,600 killed.
- 1943 - World War II: The Jews of Minsk are massacred at Sobibór.
- 1943 - World War II: Adolf Hitler orders the deportation of Danish Jews.
- 1942 - The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is authorized.
- 1940 - World War II: Italian troops conquer Sidi Barrani.
- 1939 - World War II: Polish government of Ignacy Mo?cicki flees to Romania.
- 1939 - William Joyce makes his first Nazi propaganda broadcast.
- 1934 - The USSR is admitted to League of Nations.
- 1932 - Actress Peg Entwistle commits suicide by jumping from the letter "H" in the Hollywood sign.
- 1931 - The Mukden Incident gives Japan the pretext to invade and occupy Manchuria.
- 1928 - Juan de la Cierva makes the first autogyro crossing of the English Channel.
- 1927 - The Columbia Broadcasting System goes on the air.
- 1922 - Hungary is admitted to League of Nations.
- 1919 - The Netherlands gives women the right to vote.
- 1919 - Fritz Pollard becomes the first African-American to play professional football for a major team, the Akron Pros.
- 1914 - The Irish Home Rule Act becomes law, but is delayed until after World War I.
- 1914 - World War I: South African troops land in German South West Africa.
- 1911 - Russian Premier Peter Stolypin is shot at the Kiev Opera House.
- 1910 - In Amsterdam, 25,000 demonstrate for general suffrage.
- 1906 - A typhoon with tsunami kills an estimated 10,000 people in Hong Kong.
- 1898 - Fashoda Incident – Lord Kitchener's ships reach Fashoda, Sudan.
- 1895 - Booker T. Washington delivers the "Atlanta Compromise" address.
- 1895 - Daniel David Palmer gives the first chiropractic adjustment.
- 1885 - Riots break out in Montreal to protest against compulsory smallpox vaccination.
- 1882 - The Pacific Stock Exchange opens.
- 1879 - The Blackpool Illuminations are switched on for the first time.
- 1873 - The Panic of 1873 begins.
- 1872 - King Oscar II accedes to the throne of Sweden-Norway.
- 1870 - Old Faithful Geyser is observed and named by Henry D. Washburn during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition to Yellowstone.
- 1851 - First publication of The New-York Daily Times, which later becomes The New York Times.
- 1850 - The U.S. Congress passes the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.
- 1838 - The Anti-Corn Law League is established by Richard Cobden.
- 1837 - Tiffany and Co. (first named Tiffany & Young) is founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany and Teddy Young in New York City. The store is called a "stationery and fancy goods emporium".
- 1812 - The 1812 Fire of Moscow dies down after destroying more than three quarters of the city. Napoleon returns from the Petrovsky Palace to the Moscow Kremlin, spared from the fire.
- 1810 - First Government Junta in Chile. Though supposed to rule only in the absence of the king, it is in fact the first step towards independence from Spain, and is commemorated as such.
- 1809 - The Royal Opera House in London opens.
- 1793 - The first cornerstone of the Capitol building is laid by George Washington.
- 1759 - The British capture Quebec City.
- 1739 - The Treaty of Belgrade is signed, ceding Belgrade to the Ottoman Empire.
- 1679 - New Hampshire becomes a county of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
- 1635 - Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II of Austria declares war on France.
- 1502 - Christopher Columbus lands at Costa Rica on his fourth, and final, voyage.
- 1454 - In the Battle of Chojnice, the Polish army is defeated by the Teutonic army during the Thirteen Years' War.
- 1180 - Philip Augustus becomes king of France.
- 324 - Constantine the Great decisively defeats Licinius in the Battle of Chrysopolis, establishing Constantine's sole control over the Roman Empire.
- 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated.

September 18th


- 1990 - Lewis Holtby, German footballer
- 1988 - Annette Obrestad, Norwegian poker player
- 1986 - Keeley Hazell, British model
- 1984 - Jack Carpenter, American actor
- 1984 - Anthony Gonzalez, American football player
- 1983 - Kevin Doyle, Irish footballer
- 1981 - Jennifer Tisdale, American actress and model
- 1980 - Avi Strool, Israeli footballer
- 1980 - Chris Tarrant, Australian footballer
- 1980 - Mickey Higham, English rugby league player
- 1979 - Alison Lohman, American actress
- 1979 - Daniel Aranzubia, Spanish footballer
- 1979 - Vinay Rai, Indian actor
- 1978 - Pilar López de Ayala, Spanish actress
- 1978 - Augustine Simo, Cameroonian footballer
- 1977 - Li Tie, Chinese footballer
- 1977 - Kieran West, British oarsman
- 1976 - Gabriel Gervais, Canadian football player
- 1976 - Kikki Daire, American pornographic actress
- 1975 - Kanstantsin Lukashyk, Belarusian pistol shooter
- 1975 - Jason Sudeikis, American actor and comedian
- 1975 - "Habacuc" Guillermo Vargas, Costa Rican artist
- 1974 - Sol Campbell, English footballer
- 1974 - Travis Schuldt, Actor
- 1974 - Andrew Hansen, Australian comedian and musician
- 1974 - Ticha Penicheiro, Portuguese basketball player
- 1974 - Xzibit, American rapper
- 1973 - Paul Brousseau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1973 - James Marsden, American actor
- 1973 - Ami Onuki, Japanese singer (Puffy AmiYumi)
- 1973 - Mark Shuttleworth, South African entrepreneur
- 1972 - Brigitte Becue, Belgian swimmer
- 1972 - David Jefferies, British motorcycle racer (d. 2003)
- 1971 - Lance Armstrong, American cyclist
- 1971 - Anna Netrebko, Russian opera singer
- 1971 - Jada Pinkett Smith, American model and actress
- 1971 - Michael Patrick Walker, American composer and lyricist
- 1970 - Darren Gough, English cricketer
- 1970 - Dan Eldon, British photojournalist (d. 1993)
- 1970 - Aisha Tyler, American actress and comedian
- 1969 - Cappadonna, American rapper
- 1968 - Toni Kuko?, Croatian basketball player
- 1967 - Ricky Bell, American singer (New Edition, Bell Biv DeVoe)
- 1967 - Tara Fitzgerald, English actress
- 1966 - Tom Chorske, American ice hockey player
- 1964 - Jens Henschel, German footballer
- 1964 - Marco Masini, Italian singer-songwriter
- 1964 - Holly Robinson Peete, American actress
- 1963 - Jim Pocklington, British racing driver
- 1963 - John Powell, British composer
- 1962 - Joanne Catherall, English singer
- 1962 - John Fashanu, English footballer
- 1962 - Boris Said, American race car driver
- 1961 - James Gandolfini, American actor
- 1960 - Karim Rashid, Egyptian/English industrial designer
- 1959 - Ryne Sandberg, American baseball player
- 1959 - Ian Arkwright, English footballer
- 1959 - Mark Romanek, American filmmaker
- 1958 - John Aldridge, Irish footballer
- 1958 - Don Geronimo, American radio personality
- 1958 - Linda Lusardi, English actress and model
- 1958 - Joan Walsh, American writer
- 1957 - Emily Remler, American Jazz Guitarist (d. 1990)
- 1956 - Peter Š?astný, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1956 - Chris Hedges, American journalist and author
- 1956 - Tim McInnerny, English actor
- 1955 - Bob Papenbrook, American voice actor (d. 2006)
- 1954 - Tommy Tuberville, American football coach
- 1954 - Murtaza Bhutto, Pakistani politician (d. 1996)
- 1954 - Takao Doi, Japanese astronaut
- 1954 - Steven Pinker, Canadian-American scientist
- 1954 - Dennis Johnson, American basketball player (d. 2007)
- 1953 - Betsy Boze née: Vogel, American academic
- 1952 - Giorgos Dimitrakopoulos, Greek politician
- 1952 - Rick Pitino, American basketball coach
- 1952 - Dee Dee Ramone, American bassist (The Ramones) (d. 2002)
- 1951 - Benjamin Carson, American neurosurgeon
- 1951 - Tony Scott, American baseball player
- 1951 - Darryl Stingley, American football player (d. 2007)
- 1951 - Marc Surer, Swiss motor racing driver
- 1950 - Shabana Azmi, Indian actress
- 1950 - Darryl Sittler, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1950 - Anna Deavere Smith, American actress and playwright
- 1949 - Jim McCrery, American politician
- 1949 - Mo Mowlam, British politician (d. 2005)
- 1949 - Peter Shilton, English footballer
- 1949 - Billy Drago, American actor
- 1949 - Kerry Livgren, American singer (Kansas)
- 1948 - Rodger Beckman, American baseball player
- 1948 - Ken Brett, American baseball player (d. 2003)
- 1947 - Giancarlo Minardi, Italian motor racing team boss
- 1946 - Nicholas Clay, English actor (d. 2000)
- 1946 - Otis Sistrunk, American football player
- 1944 - Michael Franks, American musician
- 1944 - Charles L. Veach, American astronaut (d. 1995)
- 1944 - Rocío Jurado, Spanish singer and actress (d. 2006)
- 1942 - Gabriella Ferri, Italian singer.
- 1942 - Alex Stepney, English football goalkeeper
- 1939 - Jorge Sampaio, President of Portugal
- 1939 - Frankie Avalon, American musician
- 1939 - Fred Willard, American comedian
- 1937 - Ralph Backstrom, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1936 - Big Tom, Irish country singer
- 1935 - John Spencer, English snooker player (d. 2006)
- 1933 - Robert Foster Bennett, American senator (Utah)
- 1933 - Robert Blake, American actor
- 1933 - Scotty Bowman, Canadian ice hockey coach
- 1933 - Jimmie Rodgers, American singer and composer
- 1932 - Nikolai Rukavishnikov, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 2002)
- 1929 - Nancy Littlefield, American film producer (d. 2007)
- 1927 - Phyllis Kirk, American actress (d. 2006)
- 1926 - Bob Toski, American golfer
- 1926 - Bud Greenspan, American film producer
- 1925 - Harvey Haddix, American baseball player (d. 1994)
- 1923 - Peter Smithson, English architect (d. 2003)
- 1923 - Queen Anne of Romania
- 1923 - Bertha Wilson, Canadian jurist (d. 2007)
- 1922 - Grayson Hall, American actress (d. 1985)
- 1922 - Ray Steadman-Allen, English composer
- 1920 - Jack Warden, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1918 - John Berger, English politician
- 1917 - June Foray, American voice actress
- 1917 - Francis Parker Yockey, American author (d. 1960)
- 1916 - Rossano Brazzi, Italian singer and actor (d. 1994)
- 1916 - John Jacob Rhodes, Jr., American politician and lawyer (d. 2003)
- 1916 - Frank Bell, British educator (d. 1989)
- 1914 - Jack Cardiff, British film director (d. 2009)
- 1912 - Kurt Lotz, German business executive, second postwar CEO of Volkswagen (d. 2005)
- 1911 - Syd Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1976)
- 1907 - Leon Askin, Austrian actor (d. 2005)
- 1907 - Edwin McMillan, Nobel laureate (d. 1991)
- 1905 - Eddie Anderson, American actor (d. 1977)
- 1905 - Agnes de Mille, American choreographer (d. 1993)
- 1905 - Greta Garbo, Swedish actress (d. 1990)
- 1904 - Bun Cook, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1988)
- 1904 - David Eccles, 1st Viscount Eccles, British politician and peer (d. 1999)
- 1901 - Harold Clurman, American film producer (d. 1980)
- 1900 - Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, 1st Prime Minister of Mauritius (d. 1985)
- 1895 - Tomoji Tanabe, the oldest man in the world from January 2007 until his death (d. 2009)
- 1895 - John Diefenbaker, 13th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1979)
- 1893 - Arthur Benjamin, Australian composer (d. 1960)
- 1893 - William March, American writer (d. 1954)
- 1889 - Doris Blackburn, Australian politician (d. 1970)
- 1888 - Toni Wolff, Swiss student and lover of Carl Jung (d. 1953)
- 1885 - Uzeyir Hajibeyov, Azerbaijani composer, conductor, publicist, playwright (d. 1948)
- 1883 - Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, British composer (d. 1950)
- 1876 - James Scullin, 9th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1953)
- 1875 - Tomas Burgos, Chilean philanthropist (d. 1945)
- 1870 - Clark Wissler, American anthropologist (d. 1947)
- 1863 - Hermann Kutter, Swiss theologian (d. 1931)
- 1859 - John L. Bates, 41st Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1946)
- 1859 - Lincoln Loy McCandless, American cattle rancher (d. 1940)
- 1858 - Kate Booth, the oldest daughter of William and Catherine Booth (d. 1955)
- 1857 - John Hessin Clarke, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1945)
- 1846 - Richard With, Norwegian businessman, politician and captain, founder of Hurtigruten (d. 1930)
- 1838 - Anton Mauve, Dutch artist (d. 1888)
- 1837 - Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos, (Portuguese) Archbishop of Goa (d. 1880)
- 1819 - Leon Foucault, French physicist (d. 1868)
- 1812 - Herschel Vespasian Johnson, American politician (d. 1880)
- 1786 - Christian VIII of Denmark, King of Denmark (d. 1848)
- 1786 - Justinus Kerner, German poet (d. 1862)
- 1779 - Joseph Story, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1845)
- 1765 - Pope Gregory XVI (d. 1846)
- 1752 - Adrien-Marie Legendre, French mathematician (d. 1833)
- 1750 - Tomas de Iriarte, Spanish writer (d. 1791)
- 1733 - George Read, signer of the United States Declaration of Independence (d. 1798)
- 1718 - Nikita Ivanovich Panin, Russian statesman (d. 1783)
- 1709 - Samuel Johnson, English writer and lexicographer (d. 1784)
- 1684 - Johann Gottfried Walther, German composer (d. 1748)
- 1676 - Eberhard Ludwig, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1733)
- 1643 - Gilbert Burnet, Scottish Bishop of Salisbury (d. 1715)
- 1587 - Francesca Caccini, Italian composer (d. c. 1640)
- 1434 - Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress (d. 1467)
- 1344 - Marie Valois, Princess of France (d. 1404)
- 53 - Trajan, Roman Emperor (d. 117)