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This is the 353rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 13 days remaining in 2024.

It was on this date in 1833, that the national anthem of the Russian Empire, “God Save the Tsar!” was first performed.
December 18, 1865, US Secretary of State William Seward proclaimed the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting slavery throughout the United States.
Also today in 1892, was the premiere performance of The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
On December 18, 1898, Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat set the first officially recognized land speed record of 63.159 km/h (39.245 mph) in a Jeantaud electric car.
That same date in 1958, Project SCORE, the world’s first communications satellite was launched.
On December 18, 1966, Saturn’s moon Epimetheus was discovered by astronomer Richard Walker.
Soviet Soyuz Programme: Soyuz 13, crewed by cosmonauts Valentin Lebedev and Pyotr Klimuk, was launched from Baikonur in the Soviet Union on this date in 1973.
Also on December 18, 1981, was the first flight of the Russian heavy strategic bomber Tu-160. It’s the world’s largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft and largest variable-sweep wing aircraft built.
December 18, 1999, NASA launched into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth Observation instruments, including ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT.
It was on this date in 2018, a meteor exploded over the Bering Sea with a force over 10 times greater than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.

Happy birthday goes out on this date to:

German explorer, Philipp von Hutten, born on this date in 1505.
Christopher Polhem, the Swedish physicist and inventor was born 363 years ago today.
English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate, J. J. Thomson, born on this date in 1856.
Joseph Stalin, Georgian-Russian marshal and politician,General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was born on that same date in 1878.
American engineer, invented FM radio, Edwin Howard Armstrong was born 134 years ago today.
Esther Lederberg, American microbiologist was born on that same date in 1922.
Also turning 90 today is Russian colonel, engineer, and cosmonaut Boris Volynov.
American mathematician and academic, Lenore Blum, born on this date in 1942.
English musician Keith Richards is 81 today.
Also turning 78 today is American director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded DreamWorks Steven Spielberg.
American actor and producer, Brad Pitt is 61 today.
Also born on that same date in 1975, Australian singer-songwriter, Sia.
American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress, Christina Aguilera, born on this date in 1980.
American singer, Billie Eilish is 23 today.

Listener Birthdays

20 – Phil Burchill the 9 year old I started listening to Technorama with turned 21 this year (2017)!
21 – Johnne Robison Kochheiser
21 – James Ballard KarakSindru
22 – Bo Pace
22 – Luke “Chuck’s Stalker” Smith (2000)
22 – Jason Pelloni, Tampa, FL
23 – Richard Green
24 – MaDBooM

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for December 18, 2024

If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our website and look for the Birthday Calendar link.

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Episode 760: Jingle Bells and Gigawatts