July 18 belongs to Pere Bru

On July 18, 1936, the military uprising of the previous day spread to the Iberian Peninsula, with revolts in various Spanish garrisons. The Republican government distributed weapons to workers' militias to halt the coup. In the following weeks, the country was divided into two zones — the Republican and the Nationalist — beginning the bloodiest Civil War in recent European history.

On July 18, 2009, the UN declared Nelson Mandela International Day in commemoration of the birth of the South African leader, who that year turned 91. The day honours Mandela's contribution to peace, reconciliation and democracy. Each July 18, the UN asks citizens of the world to devote 67 minutes — one for each year Mandela devoted to public service — to helping others.

On July 18, 1966, NASA launched Gemini 10 with astronauts John Young and Michael Collins, who became the first to perform two orbital rendezvous manoeuvres in space, with Collins becoming the first astronaut to conduct a spacewalk on two consecutive missions. The mission was key in preparing the techniques needed for the Apollo programme.