On This Day for May 18 - Eruption of Mount St. Helens, John Paul II is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. May 18 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY John Paul II READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2017: American television producer and political consultant Roger Ailes—who was a highly influential figure in the Republican Party, especially as the founding president of the Fox News Channel (1996–16)—died at age 77. 2012: Facebook, an American company offering online social networking services, held its initial public offering, which raised $16 billion. [Test your knowledge of tech companies.] 2004: American baseball player Randy Johnson became the oldest pitcher to throw a perfect game, for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Atlanta Braves. [Take our quiz about America's favourite pastime.] 1974: India detonated a nuclear weapon in the Rajasthan desert. [Sort fact from fiction in our India quiz.] 1956: Swiss climbers Fritz Luchsinger and Ernest Reiss made the first ascent of the Lhotse I mountain in the Himalayas. [How much do you know about mountains?] 1953: American aviator Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier. [ Take our quiz about early aviation.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1970 Tina Fey American comedian, writer, and actress 1868 Nicholas II tsar of Russia 1920 St. John Paul II pope 1872 Bertrand Russell British logician and philosopher 1957 Ai Weiwei Chinese activist and artist 1955 Chow Yun-Fat Chinese actor SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2020 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help