Today is December 18th: Discover the significance of the holiday and historical events that took place on this day.

December 18 – Day of the Military Counterintelligence of the SBU. On this day in 1974, "the last soldier of World War II," Teruo Nakamura, surrendered. In 1940, the Nazis approved Operation Barbarossa. In 1916, the Battle of Verdun concluded. In 1892, writer and playwright Nikolai Kulish, whose life is linked to Kharkiv, was born. In 1865, slavery was abolished in the United States.

Holidays and Commemorative Dates on December 18

December 18 is the Day of the Military Counterintelligence of the SBU.

Worldwide – International Migrants Day.

Also today: International Arabic Language Day, Cookie Day, and Snowflake Day of Gratitude.

December 18 in History

On December 18, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery, came into effect in the United States. Read more.

On December 18, 1892, writer, director, and playwright Nikolai Kulish was born. Read more.

On December 18, 1916, the Battle of Verdun (also known as "the Verdun Meat Grinder") concluded – one of the largest battles on the Western Front of World War I. Read more.

On December 18, 1940, Hitler approved Directive No. 21, known to all by the code name for the attack on the USSR – "Operation Barbarossa." Read more.

On December 18, 1974, Indonesian soldiers arrested Teruo Nakamura on Morotai Island, who entered history as "the last soldier of World War II." He was a warrior of the Imperial Japanese Army, unaware of his country's surrender, and continued to follow orders from a command that no longer existed.

Nakamura was a Taiwanese aborigine who joined the Japanese army in 1943. From the outset of his involvement in World War II, he was stationed on Morotai Island. The Allies captured this territory in September 1944. Communication with Japan was lost. Over time, the Japanese Imperial Army declared its soldiers on the island (including Nakamura) as dead. However, they continued to hide in the jungle – initially staying together. In the mid-1950s, Nakamura "split off" from a small group of survivors and created his own camp in the jungle. He built himself a hut, grew potatoes, and ate fruits that he gathered from trees. His hideout was unexpectedly discovered in September 1974 by Indonesian pilots – from above. This led to a series of negotiations with the Japanese embassy for a rescue mission (since Nakamura was still "fighting" and believed he would be killed if found). The Indonesians managed to coax the hermit out of his hut on December 18 by playing the national anthem of Imperial Japan and waving the flag of that country. To the surrounding soldiers, the 55-year-old World War II warrior handed over his rifle with five remaining bullets and stated, "My commander ordered me to fight to the very end." The indomitable warrior was brought back to civilization and hospitalized in Jakarta. More than anything, he wanted to return to his wife, but she, believing him to be dead, had already remarried.

News of this event reached Japan on December 27. Since Nakamura was not Japanese, he decided to repatriate to his native Taiwan. However, the new government of the Republic of China on Taiwan was not particularly welcoming to the former soldier of the enemy imperial army. Initially, the Japanese leadership was also not inclined to assist the veteran. However, under pressure from the public and the media, this position changed: Nakamura was awarded a compensation of 3.5 million yen (around 12,000 USD at the time). An additional 750,000 yen was raised for him as donations from Japanese citizens. Furthermore, he was granted a military pension. In the "real world," Nakamura lived for another five years – he passed away on June 15, 1979, from lung cancer.

On December 18, 1991, Armenia recognized Ukraine's independence.

Church Holiday on December 18

On December 18, the memory of the martyrs Sebastian and his warriors is honored. Read more.

Folk Signs

If it is frosty on December 18, the rest of the winter will be snowy and warm.

If snow settles underfoot, there will be a thaw.

If the wind is from the west or southwest, it will warm up.

What Not to Do on December 18

Do not consume alcohol.

Do not hold loud celebrations.