In History, Today on November 18

Venice, Italy, experienced its worst flooding in more than 50 years, with water levels peaking at 187 cm (6.14 ft), causing extensive damage to the historic city.

Pope Francis created 17 new cardinals during a consistory at St. Peter's Basilica, further shaping the future electoral college that will choose his successor.

NASA launched the MAVEN spacecraft to study the Martian atmosphere, aiming to understand the planet's climate history and the loss of its atmosphere.

The European Space Agency and Russia's Roscosmos launched the Phobos-Grunt mission to Mars, which ultimately failed to leave Earth's orbit and was declared lost.

The Irish government formally requested financial aid from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund due to a banking crisis and severe economic issues within the country, leading to a bailout agreement.

Iraq executed Saddam Hussein's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as 'Chemical Ali,' for his role in the chemical attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that the state could not deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples, making Massachusetts the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.

The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1441, which offered Iraq a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations and warned of serious consequences if it failed to do so.

Terry Waite, a Church of England envoy, was released by Islamic Jihad after being held for 1,763 days as a hostage in Lebanon.

A fire in the King's Cross St Pancras tube station in London killed 31 people and injured many more, leading to major safety improvements in the London Underground.

The comic strip 'Calvin and Hobbes' by Bill Watterson debuted.

The Jonestown Massacre occurred, where over 900 members of the Peoples Temple, led by Jim Jones, died in a mass murder-suicide in Guyana.

The first push-button telephone was introduced by Bell Telephone Company.

Mickey Mouse made his first appearance in the animated short film 'Steamboat Willie', marking the official debut of the character.

World War I: The Battle of the Somme ended, resulting in over one million casualties from both the Allied and Central Powers.

The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was signed, granting the United States the rights to build the Panama Canal.

Standard time zones were established in the United States and Canada by the railroads to end the confusion of dealing with thousands of local times.

Mark Twain's short story 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County' is published in the New York Saturday Press.

King Christian IX of Denmark signed the November Constitution, which declared Schleswig a part of Denmark, leading to the Second Schleswig War.

Nicaraguan national hero, teacher, and popularly known martyr, Augusto César Sandino was born in Niquinohomo, Nicaragua.

The American whaler Essex was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale in the South Pacific, an event which inspired Herman Melville's novel 'Moby-Dick'.

The United States and Spain sign the Treaty of Aranjuez.

Frederick II (Frederick the Great) becomes King of Prussia.

Sweden's King Charles XII defeats the Russians at Narva.

St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City was consecrated by Pope Urban VIII.

Christopher Columbus arrives at the island of Borikén, today known as Puerto Rico, during his second voyage to the Americas. This event marked the European encounter with Puerto Rico, which would later become a Spanish colony.

William Caxton produced the first dated printed book in England, 'Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophres'.

A storm in the North Sea creates the St. Elizabeth's flood in the Netherlands, killing thousands.

William Tell, a legendary Swiss folk hero, is said to have shot an apple off his son's head, an event that symbolizes the struggle for Swiss independence.

The Visigoths, led by King Alaric I, invade Italy, marking the beginning of the Visigothic War in Italy.

The old St. Peter's Basilica is consecrated by Pope Sylvester I in Rome.