November 18: What Happened on This Day in History (Elementary Level)?

(Page last edited 10/12/2017)

1. 1493 - Christopher Columbus first sights the island now known as Puerto Rico.
2. 1626 - St. Peter's Basilica is consecrated.
3. 1883 - American and Canadian railroads institute five standard continental time zones, ending the confusion of thousands of local times.
4. 1928 - Release of the animated short Steamboat Willie, the first fully synchronized sound cartoon, directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, featuring the third appearances of cartoon characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. This is also considered by the Disney corporation to be Mickey's birthday.
5. 1963 - The first push-button telephone goes into service.
6. Famous Birthdays: Louis Daguerre (French physicist and photographer, developed the daguerreotype), W. S. Gilbert (English playwright, poet, and illustrator), Dorothy Dix (American journalist), George Gallup (American statistician and pollster), George Wald (American scientist, Nobel Prize laureate)

For famous birthdays and other daily events in history, visit our Daily Dose Activities.

Click Here for Yesterday in History: November 17

Click Here for Tomorrow in History: November 19

For more history resources on Internet 4 Classrooms, visit our Social Studies and History index. For Pre K-8th Grade Level History and Social Studies Resources, visit our Grade Level Index.