Editing August 18 (section)

===1601–1900===
*[[1612]] &ndash; The trial of the [[Pendle witches]], one of England's most famous witch trials, begins at [[Lancaster, Lancashire|Lancaster]] [[Assizes]].
*[[1634]] &ndash; [[Urbain Grandier]], accused and convicted of sorcery, is burned alive in [[Loudun]], France.
*[[1721]] &ndash; The city of [[Shamakhi]] in [[Safavid Shirvan]] [[Sack of Shamakhi|is sacked]].{{sfn|Kazemzadeh|1991|p=316}}{{sfn|Mikaberidze|2011|page=761}}
*[[1783]] &ndash; A [[1783 Great Meteor|huge fireball meteor]] is seen across Great Britain as it passes over the east coast.
*[[1809]] &ndash; The [[Senate of Finland]] is established in the [[Grand Duchy of Finland]] after the official adoption of the Statute of the Government Council by Tsar [[Alexander I of Russia]].<ref>Titus Hjelm & George Maude: ''Historical Dictionary of Finland'', p. 296.</ref>
*[[1826]] &ndash; [[Alexander Gordon Laing|Major Gordon Laing]] becomes the first European to enter [[Timbuktu]].<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Laing, Alexander Gordon}}</ref>
*[[1838]] &ndash; The [[United States Exploring Expedition|Wilkes Expedition]], which would explore the [[Puget Sound]] and Antarctica, weighs anchor at [[Hampton Roads]].
*[[1848]] &ndash; [[Camila O'Gorman]] and Ladislao Gutierrez are executed on the orders of Argentine dictator [[Juan Manuel de Rosas]].
*[[1864]] &ndash; [[American Civil War]]: [[Battle of Globe Tavern]]: [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] forces try to cut a vital [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] supply-line into [[Petersburg, Virginia]], by attacking the [[Wilmington and Weldon Railroad]].
*[[1868]] &ndash; French [[astronomer]] [[Pierre Janssen]] [[Timeline of chemical element discoveries|discovers]] [[helium]].
*[[1870]] &ndash; [[Franco-Prussian War]]: [[Battle of Gravelotte]] is fought.
*[[1877]] &ndash; American [[astronomer]] [[Asaph Hall]] discovers [[Phobos (moon)|Phobos]], one of [[Mars]]’s [[Moons of Mars|moons]].<ref>{{Cite journal |url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu//full/seri/Obs../0001//0000181.000.html |title=Notes: The Satellites of Mars |journal=The Observatory |volume=1 |issue=6 |date=20 September 1877 |pages=181–185 |access-date=4 February 2009 |bibcode = 1877Obs.....1..181. }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu//full/seri/AN.../0091//0000013.000.html |title=Observations of the Satellites of Mars |last=Hall |first=Asaph |journal=Astronomische Nachrichten |volume=91 |issue=2161 |pages=11/12–13/14 |date=17 October 1877 |type=Signed 21 September 1877 |bibcode = 1877AN.....91...11H |doi=10.1002/asna.18780910103 }}</ref><ref name="Morley1989">{{Cite journal |last=Morley |first=Trevor A. |url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu//full/seri/A+AS./0077//0000220.000.html |title=A Catalogue of Ground-Based Astrometric Observations of the Martian Satellites, 1877–1982 |journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series |volume=77 |issue=2 |date=February 1989 |pages=209–226 |bibcode=1989A&AS...77..209M }} (Table II, p. 220: first observation of Phobos on 18 August 1877.38498)</ref>
*[[1891]] &ndash; A [[1891 Martinique hurricane|major hurricane]] strikes [[Martinique]], leaving 700 dead.