July 18 has witnessed great fires, political assassinations, and pivotal moments in the fight against injustice.
A devastating fire broke out in the merchant district of Rome, burning for six days and destroying much of the city. Emperor Nero was rumored to have played the fiddle while Rome burned, though historians doubt this account.
A military uprising led by General Francisco Franco against the Spanish Republic ignited a brutal three-year civil war. The conflict became a proxy war for fascism and democracy, killing over 500,000 people.
The anti-apartheid revolutionary and future president of South Africa was born in Mvezo, Transkei. Mandela spent 27 years in prison before leading his country's transition to multiracial democracy.
Adolf Hitler's autobiographical manifesto was published while he was imprisoned in Landsberg. The book outlined his ideology of racial supremacy and German expansion that would lead to World War II and the Holocaust.
Senator Edward Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, resulting in the death of passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. The incident effectively ended Kennedy's presidential aspirations.
The First Vatican Council declared the doctrine of papal infallibility, asserting that the Pope cannot err when speaking ex cathedra on matters of faith and morals. The declaration reshaped Catholic theology.
Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar escaped from his self-designed luxury prison, La Catedral. His escape triggered a massive manhunt that ended with his death 16 months later.