| May 18, 1642: The city of <a href="/encyclopedia/places/north-america/canada/montreal">Montreal</a> was founded by the French. |
| May 18, 1804: <a href="/encyclopedia/history/bios/france/bonaparte">Napoleon Bonaparte</a> was proclaimed Emperor of France by the French Senate. |
| May 18, 1920: <a href="/encyclopedia/history/bios/us/jones-john-paul">Pope John Paul II</a> was born near Krakow, Poland. |
| May 18, 1953: <a href="/node/147641">Jacqueline Cochran</a> became the first woman to fly faster than the <a href="/node/6252">speed of sound</a>. |
| May 18, 1974: <a href="/node/70511">India</a> became the 6th country to become a nuclear power. |
| May 18, 2000: A bill was finally passed that <a href="/node/171715">removed the Confederate flag</a> from the <a href="/node/70040">South Carolina</a> statehouse. |
| More events from This Day in History: May 18 |