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Today in History: August 18, 19th Amendment gives women the vote

inquirer.com · 10h · first reportShare

Today is Tuesday, Aug. 18, the 230th day of 2026. There are 135 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing American women’s right to vote, was ratified as Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it. Also on this date: In 1590, John White, the governor of the Roanoke Island colony (in present-day North Carolina), returned to Roanoke after nearly three years abroad only to find the settlement deserted; the fate of the “Lost Colony” remains a mystery. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued his Proclamation of Neutrality, aimed at keeping the United States out of World War I. In 1958, Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Lolita” was published in the United States. In 1963, James Meredith became the first Black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi. In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, New York, wound to a close after three days and nights with a mid-morning set by Jimi Hendrix. In 1983, Hurrican