On this day in history - June 18

What Happened On This Day – June 18

• 1979 Leonid Brezhnev and Jimmy Carter sign SALT II

  The second “Strategic Arms Limitation Talks” (SALT) agreement was a ground-breaking arms reduction treaty between the Soviet Union and the United States.

• 1972 118 die in the Staines Air Disaster

  The Hawker Siddeley Trident aircraft entered a deep stall and plummeted to the ground shortly after takeoff from London Heathrow Airport.

• 1948 The LP record is introduced

  The 33⅓ rpm microgroove vinyl Long Playing record developed by Columbia Records soon became the music industry's standard medium. It allowed for a total playing time of 20 minutes per side.

• 1940 A speech by Charles de Gaulle sparks the French Resistance to German occupation

  The Appeal of June 18, transmitted by radio from de Gaulle's exile in the United Kingdom, was pivotal in mobilizing the French after Germany had declared more than half of the country an occupied zone. On August 25, French and Allied troops liberated Paris.

• 1815 Napoleon suffers a shattering defeat at the Battle of Waterloo

  The battle was Napoleon's last. The French Emperor was exiled to Saint Helena where he died six years later. “To meet one's Waterloo” is still a figure of speech today indicating total defeat.