211 years ago today
The Battle of Waterloo Ends Napoleon's Era
On June 18, 1815, the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte met the Duke of Wellington's Anglo-allied army and Prussian forces under Blücher on the fields south of Brussels — and lost everything. After 15 hours of brutal combat, Wellington's position held long enough for the Prussians to arrive and shatter the French line. Napoleon's Old Guard, the elite infantry that had never been broken in battle, was repulsed and fled. Within days Napoleon abdicated for the final time. He was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena, where he died in 1821. Waterloo — a name that passed into every European language as a synonym for catastrophic defeat — ended 23 years of Napoleonic wars and reordered the map of Europe for a century.
Paul McCartney
English Musician & Beatles Co-founder
Co-writer (with John Lennon) of some of the most performed songs in history, McCartney was the melodic heart of the Beatles and one of popular music's most enduring figures. His songwriting partnership with Lennon produced 'Yesterday,' 'Hey Jude,' 'Let It Be,' and hundreds more.
Roger Ebert
American Film Critic
The first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, Ebert's reviews in the Chicago Sun-Times and his television program with Gene Siskel popularized film criticism for mass audiences. His 'two thumbs up' became cinema's most recognizable stamp of approval.
Isabella Rossellini
Italian Actress & Model
Daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini, Isabella Rossellini became an international model and actress — famous for her unsettling turn in David Lynch's Blue Velvet (1986) and her decades-long face contract with Lancôme.
Grand Duchess Anastasia
Russian Imperial Princess
The youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, Anastasia was murdered with her family by Bolsheviks in 1918. For decades, rumors that she had survived spawned numerous imposters and became one of the 20th century's most haunting royal mysteries, finally put to rest by DNA testing in 2009.
Blake Shelton
American Country Singer-Songwriter
One of the most decorated artists in country music history, Shelton has won multiple CMA Awards and became a household name as a coach on NBC's The Voice, helping launch the careers of dozens of artists.
Tang Dynasty Founded in China
Li Yuan proclaims himself Emperor Gaozu of Tang after forcing the abdication of the Sui dynasty's last ruler. The Tang dynasty that followed would be one of China's most prosperous and culturally brilliant eras, lasting nearly three centuries.
Battle of Patay — Joan of Arc Routs the English
French forces, inspired by Joan of Arc, crush the English army at Patay in one of the most decisive French victories of the Hundred Years' War. The English longbowmen — the terror of Crécy and Agincourt — were caught in the open and destroyed.
United States Declares War on Britain
President Madison signs a declaration of war against Britain — the War of 1812 — citing impressment of American sailors and British support for Native American tribes. The conflict would end inconclusively in 1815 but cement American sovereignty.
Napoleon Defeated at Waterloo
Wellington's allied forces and Prussian troops under Blücher crush Napoleon's army near Brussels. The defeat ends Napoleon's Hundred Days return to power and sends him into final exile on Saint Helena.
Susan B. Anthony Fined for Attempting to Vote
A federal judge in New York fines women's suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony $100 for the crime of voting in the 1872 presidential election. Anthony refused to pay the fine, and the case became a rallying point for the suffrage movement.
Amelia Earhart Becomes First Woman to Cross the Atlantic by Air
Amelia Earhart completes a transatlantic flight as a passenger aboard the Fokker Trimotor Friendship, landing in Wales — the first woman to make the crossing by air, though she would fly it alone four years later.
Churchill Delivers the 'Finest Hour' Speech
With France on the verge of collapse, Winston Churchill addresses the House of Commons and declares: 'Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour.'
De Gaulle's 'Appeal of 18 June' Rallies Free France
From London, Charles de Gaulle broadcasts his famous appeal on BBC Radio calling on French soldiers and officers to continue fighting Nazi Germany despite the government's surrender. The speech founded the Free French resistance movement.
Columbia Records Unveils the Long-Playing Album
Columbia Records publicly demonstrates its new 12-inch LP record spinning at 33⅓ rpm — holding up to 23 minutes of music per side compared to four minutes on a 78. The LP transformed music consumption, making the album the defining unit of popular music.
SALT II Arms Limitation Treaty Signed
Presidents Carter and Brezhnev sign SALT II in Vienna, placing limits on each superpower's nuclear weapons launchers. The U.S. Senate never ratified it after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, but both sides informally observed its terms.
Sally Ride Becomes First American Woman in Space
Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space when the Space Shuttle Challenger launches on mission STS-7. At 32, she was also the youngest American astronaut to enter orbit.
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Norwegian Polar Explorer
The first man to reach the South Pole (1911) and the first to complete the Northwest Passage, Amundsen disappeared on June 18, 1928 while flying a rescue mission over the Arctic to search for the crew of a crashed Italian airship. His body was never found.
Maxim Gorky
Russian Novelist & Playwright
The father of socialist realism, Gorky's novels and plays documented life among Russia's urban poor and inspired a generation of revolutionary writers. He died under murky circumstances in Stalin's Soviet Union, and some historians have long suspected foul play.
José Saramago
Portuguese Novelist & Nobel Laureate
Saramago won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998 and is Portugal's most celebrated modern author. His allegorical novels — including Blindness and The Gospel According to Jesus Christ — blend dark humor, moral philosophy, and rich experimental prose.
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