On this day: Iconic and influential writer Ernest Hemmingway, author of The Old Man and The Sea, shoots himself
1839 The slave ship the Amistad (which ironically means 'Friendship' in Spanish) leaves Havana under the cover of nightfall to avoid British antislavery patrols. Before dawn her cargo of men, women and children break or pick the locks on their chains, climb up to the main deck, head for the sadistic cook and bludgeon him to death in his sleep. After overpowering the rest of their captors they rely on two of them to steer a course back to Sierra Leone, unaware of the treacherous ordeal that lies ahead.
1901 Outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid rob a train of $40 000 at Wagner, Montana.
1937 Pioneering pilot Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan are last heard from over the Pacific Ocean.
1960 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Defending champion Maria Bueno of Brazil beats South Africa's Sandra Reynolds 8-6, 6-0.
1961 Nobel Prize-winning author, adventurer, war correspondent, bullfighter, drinker and all-round macho man, Ernest Hemmingway commits suicide at his home in Idaho, shooting himself with a shotgun. His father, grandfather, brother, sister, and granddaughter all killed themselves. He is best known for The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Old Man and The Sea.
1962 The first Walmart store opens in Rogers, Arkansas. The global firm, through its subsidiary Massmart, owns Game, Makro, Builders Warehouse and CBW.
1990 About 1 400 Muslim pilgrims die in a stampede in a tunnel at Mecca.
2002 Steve Fossett becomes the first to fly solo, nonstop, around the world in a balloon.
2010 A tanker truck explosion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo kills at least 230 people.
2016 A suicide bombing in Baghdad kills 341.
2018 British divers discover 12 boys and their football coach alive in Tham Luang Nang Non cave, Thailand, where they had been trapped for nine days by monsoon flooding.
2021 India's official Covid-19 death toll passes 400 000, amid expert speculation that over one million have died.
2022 Earliest evidence for the use of opium is found in burials at Tel Yehud, ancient Canaan (now Israel), dating from the 14th century BC.
DAILY NEWS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
24 hours in pictures, 18 July 2025
24 hours in pictures, 18 July 2025 Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. Australia's artistic swimmer Margo Joseph-Kuo and Australia's artistic swimmer Georgia Courage-Gardiner compete in the preliminary round of the women's duet technical artistic swimming event during the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on July 18, 2025. (Photo by François-Xavier MARIT / AFP) Smoke and lava rise from a volcano eruption near Grindavik, Reykjanes, Iceland, 18 July 2025. According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, a magma flow has begun at the Sundhnuk crater range on 16 July. Picture: EPA/JAKOB VEGERFORS Thai nationalists wave national flags during a protest rally outside the United Nations (UN) building in Bangkok, Thailand, 18 July 2025. The demonstrators are calling on the UN to launch an investigation into the Thai-Cambodian border crisis, after a landmine explosion injured three Thai soldiers during a patrol operation along the border with Cambodia on 16 July. Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have escalated following a brief military clash in May 2025, with both countries increasing their military presence along the border, and imposing measures against each other. Picture: EPA/NARONG SANGNAK Youngsters from the central Johannesburg community drink some water as they queue for food, while wearing their 67 Blankets For Nelson Mandela Day donations of scarves and beanies, 18 July 2025. The distribution forms part of the annual Nelson Mandela Day initiative. Scarves, knitted by volunteers across South Africa, were distributed at Port Plein Park and were available for anyone to help themselves. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen A farmer works at a paddy field in the village of Bardwan, north of Kolkata, Eastern India, 18 July 2025. India is the second largest rice producer in the world. This year's rice prices have increased by 20 percent compared to 2024, as well as the global market. Picture: EPA/PIYAL ADHIKARY Kanwariyas, devotees of the Hindu god Shiva, carry holy water of the river Ganges during the 'Kanwar Yatra' pilgrimage in the sacred month of Sawan in New Delhi on July 18, 2025. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP) A woman walks past an apartment building at a newly built residential district in Moscow, Russia, 18 July 2025. Picture: EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV Members of the MK (uMkhonto weSizwe) political party gather as they march in support of the KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi during a rally in central Pretoria, South Africa, 18 July 2025. Mkhwanazi has accused South African Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of sabotaging an investigation into political killings by allegedly seizing 121 open case files in March and pushing to disband the team assigned to the probe. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa placed Mchunu on leave with immediate effect. Picture: EPA/KIM LUDBROOK An aerial photo shows the banks of Butterley Reservoir which are partially revealed by a falling water level, near Oldham, northern England on July 18, 2025. Extremes in temperature and rainfall in the UK are becoming increasingly frequent, the nation's meteorological service said this week in a report on Britain's changing climate. Records were now being broken 'very frequently', said Mike Kendon, Met Office climate scientist and lead author of the Met Office's State of the UK Climate report. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) Balloonists prepare a hot air balloon for takeoff during the 25th Aero Station King's Cup, as part of the Segovia Hot Air Balloon Festival, in Segovia, Spain, 18 July 2025. The festival aims to highlight Segovia's status as a 'European City of Sport'. Picture: EPA/PABLO MARTIN PICTURES: Mandela Day blankets bring warmth to Joburg CBD
Eyewitness News
3 days ago
- Eyewitness News
Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner of Championship club Swansea
LONDON - Snoop Dogg has become co-owner of Championship side Swansea City in an unlikely alliance between the world of rap and football, the Welsh club announced. The 53-year-old American star joins former Real Madrid stalwart and Croatia World Cup finalist Luka Modric in the club's ownership structure. Snoop Dogg made a surprise appearance on the club's social media channels last week modelling their new home jersey for the 2025-26 season and the club announced on Thursday that he has become an investor. His involvement comes after American businessmen Brett Cravatt and Jason Cohen took over the club last November. Swansea will hope that Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, can use his 100 million-plus social media followers to boost the club's profile as they seek to return to the Premier League for the first time since they were relegated in 2018. Swansea's owners have said they want to generate greater revenue, which would allow them to invest more in new players under the profit and sustainability rules in British football. The 53-year-old rapper said on the club's website: "My love of football is well known, but it feels special to me that I make my move into club ownership with Swansea City. "The story of the club and the area really struck a chord with me. This is a proud, working class city and club. An underdog that bites back, just like me. "I'm proud to be part of Swansea City." Swansea announced in April that Modric, who this week joined AC Milan at the age of 39 after leaving Real Madrid, had acquired a stake in the club. "To borrow a phrase from Snoop's back catalogue, this announcement is the next episode for Swansea City as we seek to create new opportunities to boost the club's reach and profile," Swansea's owners said in a statement. "Snoop's colossal global fanbase and audience will certainly help us do that, and he has made clear to us throughout this process just how excited he is at the prospect of joining the club. "Snoop has openly shared his love of football and his desire to be involved in the game and we expect his involvement to support us putting as competitive a team as possible out on the field." Swansea's Welsh rivals Wrexham have achieved a meteoric rise to the Championship - the second tier of English football - since Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased the club in 2020.
The South African
3 days ago
- The South African
Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner of UK football side
Snoop Dogg has become co-owner of Championship side Swansea City in an unlikely alliance between the world of rap and football, the Welsh club announced. The 53-year-old American star joins former Real Madrid stalwart and Croatia World Cup finalist Luka Modric in the club's ownership structure. Snoop Dogg made a surprise appearance on the club's social media channels last week modelling their new home jersey for the 2025/26 season and the club announced on Thursday that he has become an investor. His involvement comes after American businessmen Brett Cravatt and Jason Cohen took over the club last November. Swansea will hope that Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, can use his 100 million-plus social media followers to boost the club's profile as they seek to return to the Premier League for the first time since they were relegated in 2018. Swansea's owners have said they want to generate greater revenue, which would allow them to invest more in new players under the profit and sustainability rules in British football. The 53-year-old rapper said on the club's website: 'My love of football is well known, but it feels special to me that I make my move into club ownership with Swansea City. 'The story of the club and the area really struck a chord with me. This is a proud, working class city and club. An underdog that bites back, just like me. 'I'm proud to be part of Swansea City.' Swansea announced in April that Modric, who this week joined AC Milan at the age of 39 after leaving Real Madrid, had acquired a stake in the club. 'To borrow a phrase from Snoop's back catalogue, this announcement is the next episode for Swansea City as we seek to create new opportunities to boost the club's reach and profile,' Swansea's owners said in a statement. 'Snoop's colossal global fanbase and audience will certainly help us do that, and he has made clear to us throughout this process just how excited he is at the prospect of joining the club. 'Snoop has openly shared his love of football and his desire to be involved in the game and we expect his involvement to support us putting as competitive a team as possible out on the field.' Swansea's Welsh rivals Wrexham have achieved a meteoric rise to the Championship – the second-tier of English football – since Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased the club in 2020. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
