December 18

December 18

Events

• 1499 – A rebellion breaks out in Alpujarras in response to the forced conversions of Muslims in Spain.

• 1878 – The Al-Thani family become the rulers of the state of Qatar.

• 2005 – The Chadian Civil War begins when rebel groups, allegedly backed by neighbouring Sudan, launch an attack in Adré.
• 2006 – The first of a series of floods strikes Malaysia. The death toll of all flooding is at least 118, with over 400,000 people displaced.
• 2006 – United Arab Emirates holds its first-ever elections.

Births

• 1552 – Ahmad Ibn al-Qadi, Moroccan writer, judge and mathematician (d. 1616)

• 1863 – Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (d. 1914)

• 1928 – Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Indian-English caliph and author (d. 2003)

• 1986 – Usman Khawaja, Pakistani-Australian cricketer

• 1988 – Imad Wasim, Pakistani cricketer

Deaths

• 1645 – Nur Jahan, empress consort of the Mughal Empire (b. 1577)^[16]

• 1973 – Allamah Rasheed Turabi, Indian-Pakistani religious leader and philosopher (b. 1908)

• 2002 – Necip Hablemitoğlu, Turkish historian and academic (b. 1954)

• 2006 – Shaukat Siddiqui, Pakistani author and activist (b. 1923)

• 2012 – Mustafa Ould Salek, Mauritanian colonel and politician, President of Mauritania (b. 1936)

Holidays and Observances

• National Day (Qatar)