These historical events took place on May 18th:
1631: John Winthrop is elected the first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
1783: First United Empire Loyalists reached Parrtown, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada after leaving the United States.
1860: United States Republican Party nominates Abraham Lincoln for president.
1863: United States General Ulysses S. Grant begins siege on Vicksburg, Mississippi; after 47 days of battle siege, Confederate Lt. General John C. Pemberton’s troops surrender.
1896: United States Supreme court affirms the legitimacy of racial separation, Plessy v Ferguson, a doctrine that came to be known as “separate but equal.”
1917: United States Congress passed the Selective Service Act, authorizing the federal government to raise a national army for the American entry into World War I through compulsory enlistment.
1964: United States Supreme Court rules it unconstitutional to deprive naturalized citizens of citizenship if they return to their home country for more than three years.
1980: Mount St Helens erupts in Washington state, causing the largest landslide in history, killing 57 people and costing $1 billion in damage.
1995: “Braveheart” directed by Mel Gibson and starring Mel Gibson and Sophie Marceau premieres at the Seattle Film Festival. This film would a year later win Best Picture.
2010: Police officer James Crooker is asked to leave the Red and Black Café in Portland, Oregon after co-owner John Langley claimed Crooker’s uniformed presence made him uncomfortable.
2020: United States President Donald Trump confirms he is taking the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine against Covid-19.