◆ On this day

October 18

4 sourced moments from October 18 in history: The Basel earthquake devastated Switzerland (1356); Herman Melville's Moby-Dick was first published (1851); The U.S. formally took possession of Alaska (1867), plus 1 more.

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4 things happened on October 18

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1922 Language & Communication · Media & Communication

The BBC was founded

On October 18, 1922, a consortium of wireless manufacturers met in London and agreed to form a single national broadcaster.

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1867 Geography · Borders & Maps

The U.S. formally took possession of Alaska

On Castle Hill in Sitka, the Russian flag came down and the American flag went up, completing a $7.2 million purchase.

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1851 Culture & Arts · Literature

Herman Melville's Moby-Dick was first published

Melville's whale epic first appeared in London as 'The Whale' in 1851, to lukewarm reviews and slow sales.

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1356 Earth & Climate · Natural Disasters

The Basel earthquake devastated Switzerland

Late one autumn night in 1356, the ground tore open beneath Basel and levelled the largest seismic disaster in central Europe's recorded history.

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