FRIDAY, April 18, 2025

1506-The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica is laid in the Vatican by Pope Julius II

1906-San Francisco earthquake and fire kills nearly 4,000 while destroying 75% of the city

1909-Joan of Arc receives beatification by the Roman Catholic Church at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican

1927-Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Shek forms an anti-government in China

1943-Operation Vengeance: US Army Air Force P-38G fighter aircraft from Kukum Field on Guadalcanal ambush and shoot down the transport bomber aircraft of Isoroku Yamamoto, commander-in-chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy and mastermind behind the Pearl Harbor attack [

1954-Egyptian Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser seizes power and appoints himself Prime Minister

1985-"Wham!" become the first western pop act to release an album in China