October 18 in Pop Culture History

October 18th History, Trivia, and Fun Facts

October 18th History Highlights

  • 1867 – The United States took possession of Alaska after purchasing it from Russia for $7.2 million. Some called it #sewardsfolly
  • 1896 – The first newspaper comic strip, The Yellow Kid, by Richard Outcault, appeared in The New York Journal.
  • 1972 – The US Congress passed The Water Pollution Act
  • October 18, 1985, Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System released, their Video Game Console
  • 2019 – NASA Astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch took part in the first all-women spacewalk outside of the International Space Station.
  • If you were born on October 18th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… January 25th (same year)

Traditional October 18th Information

The first regular, ongoing newspaper comic strip, The Yellow Kid, by Richard Outcault, appeared in The New York Journal on October 1896. Prior to that, he appeared in Hogan’s Alley, created in 1895 by Richard Outcault and depicting the Yellow Child. The Yellow Kid’s actual name was Mickey Dugan.

Hogan’s Alley gradually became so popular that the Yellow Kid appeared several times a week and he soon became known as the “Yellow Dugan Kid,” who wore an omnipresent yellow nightgown. Most historians agree that this is the first full-color comic to be printed, and one of the earliest in the history of the comic. Outcault also created Buster Brown, who debuted in 1902. Buster became one of the first “mascots” in advertising, for the Brown Show Company in 1904.

October 18th is…

Chocolate Cupcake Day
Meatloaf Appreciation Day
Necktie Day
Persons Day (in Canada)
St. Luke Feast Day

October 18th Birthday Quotes

“I grew up thinking art was pictures until I got into music and found I was an artist and didn’t paint.”
Chuck Berry

“Once you start believing in yourself, anything is possible. Once you start believing in yourself, your dreams take shape. The more you believe, the more you achieve.”
– Martina Navratilova

“Training is useful but there is no substitute for experience.”
– Lotte Lenya

“When you fall, get right back up. Just keep going, keep pushing it.”
– Lindsey Vonn

“It costs a lot of money to be rich.”
– Peter Boyle

I believe that the obsessive worship of movie, TV, and sports figures is less likely to produce spiritual gain than praying to Thor.”
– Chuck Lorre

“I believe in destiny. I believe destiny opens doors for you, but it’s up to you to walk through them.”
– Zac Efron

October 18th Birthdays

1836 – Frederick August Otto Schwarz, American businessman, founded FAO Schwarz (died in 1911)
1898 – Lotte Lenya, Austrian singer, and actress (died in 1981)
1921 – Jesse Helms, American politician (died in 2008)
1926 – Chuck Berry, American singer-songwriter (died in 2017)
1926 – Klaus Kinski, German-American actor, director, and screenwriter (died in 1991)
1927 – George C. Scott, American actor, and director (died in 1999)
1935 – Peter Boyle, American actor (died in 2006)
1938 – Dawn Wells, American model, and actress, Miss Nevada 1959
1939 – Mike Ditka, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
1939 – Lee Harvey Oswald, American assassin of John F. Kennedy (died in 1963)
1952 – Chuck Lorre, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1956 – Martina Navratilova, Czech-American tennis player
1960 – Erin Moran, American actress (died in 2017)
1960 – Jean-Claude Van Damme, Belgian martial artist
1979 – Ne-Yo, American singer
1984 – Lindsey Vonn, American skier
1987 – Zac Efron, American actor

October 18th History

1386 – The University of Heidelberg opened.

1620 – The Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts.

1851 – Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick was first published as ‘The Whale.’

1867 – “Seward’s Folly” United States took possession of Alaska after purchasing it from Russia for $7.2 million.

1898 – The United States took possession of Puerto Rico from Spain.

1922 – The British Broadcasting Company (Corporation) BBC was founded.

1952 – #1 Hit October 18, 1952 – November 21, 1952: Patti Page – I Went To Your Wedding

1954 – Texas Instruments introduced the first Transistor radio.

1964 – Jackie Mason appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and may have given Ed “the finger” on the air. He never appeared on the show again.

October 18, 1967 Birthday (fictional) Ross Geller, Friends, TV

1968 – The US Olympic Committee suspended Tommie Smith and John Carlos for giving a “Black Power” salute during a victory ceremony at the Mexico City games.

1969 – #1 Hit October 18, 1969 – October 31, 1969: The Temptations – I Can’t Get Next To You

October 18, 1985, Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System released their Video Game Console

1988Roseanne premiered on ABC

1997 – East End Show – Chicago (Musical) October 18, 1997

2001 – Broadway Show – Mamma Mia! (Musical) October 18, 2001

2008 – #1 Hit October 18, 2008 – October 24, 2008: T.I. featuring Rihanna – Live Your Life

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

“No wire hangers, ever!” – Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) in Mommie Dearest, 1981

“Resistance is futile” – Picard as Borg (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Cosmic Latte is the ‘average’ overall color of the universe, an eggshell; color code: #FFF8E7.

A man holds the record for most times getting struck by lightning at 7. Is he the unluckiest man ever or the luckiest man?

Jimmy Carter said if he became president, he would release all government UFO information to the public. Once elected, he decided not to due to “national security concerns.”

The official name for Greece is the ‘Hellenic Republic’.

Over 500,000 birds are killed annually by wind farms. Cats kill over 3 billion.

The Capital of Italy is Rome

September isn’t the seventh month, and October isn’t the eighth.

TV Quotes… “Do you believe in miracles?” Al Michaels, 1980 Winter Olympics

Gene Simmons – Real Name: Chaim Witz

Why can’t Hollywood come up with original ideas like they used to, in the days of The Godfather, The Wizard of Oz, James Bond, Gone With The Wind, Psycho, and Ben Hur?

A group of Hippopotamuses (Hippopotami) is called a Bloat.

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