Today
Friday December 18 2026
- Day of the year
- 352/ 365
- Week
- 512,026
- Days left
- 1396%
- Moon
- 65%Waxing gibbous
Today is Friday, December 18, 2026. It is day 352 of 2026, a year of 365 days: 13 remain, and 96% of the year has gone. Under ISO 8601 this date falls in week 51.
What's celebrated on this date
International Migrants Day
WorldwideUnited Nations — International Days
Saints and name days
Saints whose feast falls on this date, most widely known first.
- Marymother of Jesus Christ
- FrumentiusBishop of Aksum
- Modestos of JerusalemGreek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
- Gatianus of Tours3rd century founding Bishop of Tours
- Winibald8th-century saint
Sources : Wikidata (P841) · CC0 1.0
Astronomy
New York
- Sunrise
- 07:15
- Sunset
- 16:30
- Length of day
- 9h 15m
- Solar noon
- 11:53
Times shown for America/New_York
Season
Autumn
began on September 22, 2026
Next season
Winter — 3 days, December 21, 2026 (December solstice)
Public holidays — United States
Not a public holiday in the United States.
Next public holiday : Christmas Day — December 25, 2026
National holidays only. Regions, provinces and Länder add their own.
Moon
Waxing gibbous
Illumination : 65%
Moon age : 9.7 days
- Next full moon
- December 24, 2026
- Next new moon
- January 7, 2027
Astrology
Today's zodiac sign
Sagittarius
until December 22, 2026 — Capricorn
Zodiac dates are an astrological convention, not the Sun's actual position among the constellations. The astronomy above is measured; this is not.
On this day in history
1118
The city of Zaragoza is conquered by king Alfonso I of Aragon from the Almoravid. Wikipedia
1271
Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China. Wikipedia
1787
New Jersey becomes the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Wikipedia
1865
US Secretary of State William Seward proclaims the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting slavery throughout the United States. Wikipedia
1892
The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky premiers in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Wikipedia
1916
World War I: The Battle of Verdun ends when the second French offensive pushes the Germans back two or three kilometres, causing them to cease their attacks. Wikipedia
Show more (4)
1958
Project SCORE, the world's first communications satellite, is launched. Wikipedia
1966
Saturn's moon Epimetheus is discovered by astronomer Richard Walker. Wikipedia
2006
United Arab Emirates holds its first-ever elections. Wikipedia
2022
Argentina win the FIFA World Cup final, defeating title holders France 4–2 on penalties following a 3–3 draw after extra time. Wikipedia
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
Births and deaths
Born on this day December 18
- 1856J. J. Thomson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1940)
- 1863Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (died 1914)
- 1878Joseph Stalin, Georgian-Russian marshal and politician,General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (died 1953)
- 1890Edwin Howard Armstrong, American engineer, invented FM radio (died 1954)
- 1913Willy Brandt, German politician, 4th Chancellor of Germany, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1992)
- 1946Steve Biko, South African activist, founded the Black Consciousness Movement (died 1977)
- 1946Steven Spielberg, American director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded DreamWorksturns 80 years
- 1963Pierre Nkurunziza, Burundian soldier and politician, 9th President of Burundi (died 2020)
Died on this day December 18
- 1737Antonio Stradivari, Italian instrument maker (born 1644)aged 93 years
- 1971Diana Lynn, American actress (born 1926)aged 45 years
- 1995Konrad Zuse, German engineer, designed the Z3 computer (born 1910)aged 85 years
- 1997Chris Farley, American comedian and actor (born 1964)aged 33 years
- 2001Gilbert Bécaud, French singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (born 1927)aged 74 years
- 2006Joseph Barbera, American animator, director, and producer, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (born 1911)aged 95 years
- 2008Mark Felt, American FBI agent, "Deep Throat" informant in the Watergate scandal (born 1913)aged 95 years
- 2011Václav Havel, Czech poet, playwright, and politician, 1st President of the Czech Republic (born 1936)aged 75 years
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
The day in words
In New York the sun rises at 07:15 and sets at 16:30, giving 9h 15m of daylight — the same as yesterday. It has been autumn since September 22, 2026; winter opens in 3 days, on December 21, 2026 (December solstice).
The moon is waxing gibbous, 65% illuminated. The next full moon falls on December 24, 2026 and the next new moon on January 7, 2027.
The saints' calendar attaches December 18 to Mary, Frumentius and Modestos of Jerusalem.
December 18 is International Migrants Day, designated by the United Nations or one of its agencies.
It is not a public holiday in the United States.
On this day in history: The city of Zaragoza is conquered by king Alfonso I of Aragon from the Almoravid (1118); Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China (1271). English Wikipedia records 10 events for this date.
J. J. Thomson was born on December 18, 1856; Antonio Stradivari died on December 18, 1737.
7 days remain until Christmas and 14 until New Year's Day.
In astrology — kept separate from the measured astronomy above, deliberately — December 18 falls under the sign of Sagittarius.
Calendar
By the numbers
- 96%
- of the year elapsed
- 7
- until Christmas
- 14
- until New Year
- 438
- until the next 29 February
2026 — Common year (365 days)
Work with dates
Sources
Every block on this page names where its data comes from. Nothing here is generated when the source is silent.
- United Nations — International Days— What's celebrated today
- Wikidata (P841)— Saints and name days · CC0 1.0
- Wikipedia (en)— On this day in history · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26