Here's a quick look at our top stories for Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025:
Watch the latest weather forecast
TOP HEADLINES:
Powerful windstorm slams Butte: Trees down, schools closed
Big Sky rental shops see slower season amid warm weather
Viewer submitted photos of damage from Wednesday's storm
THAT’S INTERESTING:
Major Historical Events for December 18
1118 - The city of Zaragoza was conquered by King Alfonso I of Aragon from the Almoravids
1271 - Kublai Khan renamed his empire "Yuan" (元), officially establishing the Yuan Dynasty in China
1773 - A tragic skirmish at Grass Cove in Queen Charlotte Sound resulted in the deaths of two Māori and nine members of James Cook's expedition in New Zealand
1892 - Tchaikovsky's famous ballet "The Nutcracker" premiered in Russia, eventually becoming one of the most performed seasonal works in ballet history
1915 - President Woodrow Wilson married Edith Galt in Washington, D.C. The bride was 43 and the groom was 59 - his second marriage after his first wife died the previous year
1916 - The Battle of Verdun ended - the longest and one of the most devastating battles of World War I
1957 - The Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania became operational, marking a milestone as the first civilian nuclear facility in the United States to produce electricity
1969 - The House of Lords voted to abolish the death penalty in England, Wales, and Scotland
1972 - Operation Linebacker II began - an intense bombing campaign during the Vietnam War
1978 - China began implementing major economic reforms that would transform it into a global economic powerhouse
2011 - The last convoy of heavily armored U.S. troops left Iraq, ending a nearly nine-year war
2019 - Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, becoming the third U.S. president ever impeached
2022 - Argentina won the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, with Lionel Messi finally capturing his first World Cup title in a dramatic final against France
Notable Births
- Steven Spielberg (1946) - Legendary filmmaker
- Keith Richards (1943) - Rolling Stones guitarist
- Brad Pitt (1963) - Academy Award-winning actor
- Billie Eilish (2001) - Grammy-winning singer-songwriter known for hits like "Bad Guy"
- Robert Moses (1888) - Influential American urban planner who shaped New York's landscape
- Bhikhari Thakur (1887) - Renowned Bhojpuri folk artist and theatre performer
Notable Deaths
- Antonio Stradivari (1737) - Famed Italian violin maker who died in Cremona
- Václav Havel (2011) - Former president of Czechoslovakia (1989-1992) and Czech Republic (1993-2003), playwright and human rights activist
- Ravi Shankar (2012) - Indian sitar virtuoso and composer
Interesting Facts
- December 18 is also celebrated as Bake Cookies Day and Answer The Telephone Like 'Buddy The Elf' Day
- People born on this date share the Sagittarius zodiac sign
- The Blue Topaz is the birthstone for December
- This date marks the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) with 13 days remaining until the new year
Parts of this story were converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
