THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2025

1811-A British East India Company force led by Baron Minto conquers Java, part of the Dutch East Indies, and Stamford Raffles is appointed Lieutenant-Governor

1812-Great Fire of Moscow burns out after five days, destroys 75% of the city and kills 12,000 people

1873-Government bond agent Jay Cooke & Co collapses, causing panic on Wall Street and the start of the Panic of 1873 and the Long Depression

1914-Irish Home Rule Bill receives Royal Assent

1931-Mukden Incident: To create a pretext for the invasion of Manchuria, China, the Japanese detonate a small quantity of dynamite close to a railway line owned by Japan's South Manchuria Railway

1947-Central Intelligence Agency officially comes into existence after being established by President Truman in July

1971-Momofuku Ando markets the first Cup Noodles, packaging them in a waterproof polystyrene container

1976-Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong's funeral takes place in Beijing, China

2001-First mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attacks