Step into the Time Machine and let history roll back the years. From witch trials in England and peace treaties with Spain, to the founding of cities and a trailblazing moment for women’s rights, 18 August has carried its fair share of defining moments. Here are ten highlights from the UK, Spain, and around the world.
United Kingdom: Three Noteworthy Moments
Birth of Virginia Dare (1587)
On Roanoke Island, the first English child was born in the Americas. Virginia Dare became a symbol of England’s earliest attempt at colonisation, her fate tied to the enduring mystery of the “Lost Colony.”
Pendle Witch Trials begin (1612)
At Lancaster Assizes, eleven local people were put on trial for witchcraft. The accusations and subsequent executions remain one of the darkest and most notorious episodes of English judicial history.
Alexander Gordon Laing reaches Timbuktu (1825)
Scottish explorer Laing became the first European to set foot in Timbuktu, long considered a mythical city of wealth. His triumph was short-lived, as he was killed the following month.
Spain: Shaping Events and Treaties
Third War of Religion erupts in France (1568)
Though centred in France, the conflict between Huguenots and royalists reverberated across the Iberian Peninsula, adding to Spain’s concerns over Protestant expansion and religious upheaval in Europe.
Treaty of London ratified (1604)
Signed at Somerset House, this treaty between England and Spain ended almost two decades of warfare. It marked a rare moment of respite in a turbulent period of European rivalries.
Spanish ties in wider conflicts
The ripple effects of these treaties and conflicts underscored Spain’s central place in Europe’s shifting power struggles during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Global Highlights: Three Historic Milestones
Riga founded (1201)
On the Baltic coast, Bishop Albert of Buxhoeveden established Riga. From humble missionary roots, the city grew into a major trading centre and later the capital of Latvia.
A fireball over Britain (1783)
A blazing meteor lit up the skies, witnessed by people across the country. The spectacular fireball was one of the most widely recorded celestial events of the eighteenth century.
Women’s suffrage in the United States (1920)
Tennessee’s narrow approval of the 19th Amendment secured women the right to vote across the United States. It was the culmination of decades of campaigning by suffragists.
Special Bonus: A Modern Blackout (2005)
On 18 August, Indonesia endured one of the largest power cuts in history. The Java–Bali outage plunged an estimated 100 million people into darkness before the grid was restored within hours.
