About the day » Saturday May 18, 1861Calender converter

• Antje Kalkman, Krimpen aan de Lek
• Alice F Osborn, Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana, United States († 1942)
• Abraham Kret, Leiden,, Zuid-Holland, Nederland († 1861)
• Anna Pondman, Amsterdam(NH) († 1938)
• Anna Gesina Stevens, Neudörpen († 1936)
• Auguste Vandevoort, Sint-Truiden, België († 1863)
• Abram van Geest, De Lier († 1882)
• Anna Carolina Abdon, Ngandjoek, Kediri Ned. Indie († 1863)
• Antje Kalkman, Krimpen aan de Lek
• Arie Rodenburg, Rotterdam († 1861)

• Antonius van der Veeken (61), Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe (61jr)
• Adriana Hendrika Smith, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Nederland
• Antonie Maas (0), Someren
• Anna van Duijnhoven, Gemert
• augustin POURTOIS (61), Leval Trahegnies (Belgium)
• Abraham Frederikus Anastatius Bruinsma (49), Leeuwarden
• Bartholomeus Petit (36), Rotterdam
• Antonius Wilhelmus Zonneveld (68), Schoten, Noord-Holland, Nederland
• Antonie van der Veeke (61), Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe
• Antonius van Erp (64), Schijndel, Noord-Brabant, Nederland

• 1850 » Oliver Heaviside, English engineer, mathematician, and physicist († 1925)
• 1851 » James Budd, American lawyer and politician, 19th Governor of California († 1908)
• 1852 » Gertrude Käsebier, American photographer († 1934)
• 1854 » Bernard Zweers, Dutch composer and educator († 1924)
• 1855 » Francis Bellamy, American minister and author († 1931)
• 1862 » Josephus Daniels, American publisher and politician, 41st United States Secretary of the Navy († 1948)
• 1867 » Minakata Kumagusu, Japanese author, biologist, naturalist and ethnologist († 1941)
• 1868 » Nicholas II of Russia († 1918)
• 1869 » Lucy Beaumont, English-American actress († 1937)
• 1871 » Denis Horgan, Irish shot putter and weight thrower († 1922)

• 1844 » Richard McCarty, American lawyer and politician (b. 1780)
• 1853 » Lionel Kieseritzky, Estonian-French chess player (b. 1806)
• 1867 » Clarkson Stanfield, English painter (b. 1793)
• 1889 » Isabella Glyn, Scottish-English actress (b. 1823)
• 1900 » Félix Ravaisson-Mollien, French archaeologist and philosopher (b. 1813)
• 1908 » Louis-Napoléon Casault, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1823)
• 1909 » George Meredith, English novelist and poet (b. 1828)
• 1909 » Isaac Albéniz, Spanish pianist and composer (b. 1860)
• 1910 » Eliza Orzeszkowa, Polish author and publisher (b. 1841)
• 1910 » Pauline Viardot, French soprano and composer (b. 1821)

• Koning Willem III (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from 1849 till 1890 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• From February 23, 1860 till March 14, 1861 the Netherlands had a cabinet Van Hall - Van Heemstra with the prime ministers Mr. F.A. baron Van Hall (conservatief-liberaal) and Mr. S. baron Van Heemstra (liberaal).
• From March 14, 1861 till January 31, 1862 the Netherlands had a cabinet Van Zuijlen van Nijevelt - Loudon with the prime ministers Mr. J.P.P. baron Van Zuijlen van Nijevelt (conservatief-liberaal) and Mr. J. Loudon (liberaal).
• The Netherlands had about 3.6 million citizens.
• March 10 » El Hadj Umar Tall seizes the city of Ségou, destroying the Bamana Empire of Mali.
• May 13 » The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
• July 21 » American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run: At Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war begins and ends in a victory for the Confederate army.
• August 19 » First ascent of Weisshorn, fifth highest summit in the Alps.
• November 9 » The first documented football match in Canada is played at University College, Toronto.
• November 21 » American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis appoints Judah Benjamin Secretary of War.

The temperature on May 18, 1861 was about 11.4 °C. The air pressure was 1.5 kgf/m² and came mainly from the north. The airpressure was 77 cm mercury. The atmospheric humidity was 54%.