October 18th

October 18 is the 292nd day of the year.  There are 74 days remaining until the end of the year.

1776 In a New York bar decorated with bird tail, an obviously witty gay customer orders a "cock tail"

1851 Herman Melville's Moby Dick is first published as The Whale by Richard Bentley Press of London. The sock only makes it look larger than it really is

1878 Edison makes electricity available for household usage though the shallower of us prefer propane

1922 The British Broadcasting Company (later Corporation) is founded by a consortium, to establish a nationwide network of radio transmitters to provide a national broadcasting service.

1954 Texas Instruments announces the first Transistor radio. [$46.95 in 1954 would cost $370.48 in 2009]

1962 Dr. Watson (US), Dr. Crick, and Dr. Wilkins (Britain) win Nobel Prize for Medicine for work in determining structure of DNA

1968 Bob Beamon sets a world record of 8.90 m (29' 2½") in the long jump at the Mexico City games, but still lands on his ass.

1991 "Most Happy Fella" closes at New York State Theater New York City

1804 King Mongkut of Siam [Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthramaha Mongkut Phra Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua], the real King of the King and I (1851-1868) 

1926 Klaus Kinski [Nikolaus Günther Nakszynski], Polish actor 

1926 Chuck Berry, US (STLMO) musician 

1956 Martina Navratilova, gay Czech-born US tennis player 

1960 Jean-Claude Van Damme [Van Varenberg], Belgian action star 

1962 Vincent Spano, US actor 

1965 Curtis Stigers, maybe gay US musician 

1968 Michael Stich, German tennis player 

1969 Vince Gatton, gay US actor 

1972 Kurt Caceres [Heinzman], maybe gay US actor

1974 Marcus Iron, gay US pornographic actor 

1974 Robbie Savage, Welsh soccer player 

1977 Chris L. McKenna, maybe gay US actor 

1979 Alex Sirvent, Mexican actor 

1982 Ne-Yo [Shaffer Chimere Smith], US singer 

1987 Zac Efron, maybe gay US actor  

1987 Sam Clark, Australian actor/singer 

1984 Jon-Erik Hexum, US actor (Bear), extends his appeal to necrophiliacs <le sigh>

1994 Cab Calloway, US Musician, hi-de-hos

2010 Yertward "Eight Finger Eddie" Mazmanian, US hippie, flips the bird.