Deaths on May 18

Richard McCarty, American lawyer and politician (b. 1780)

Richard McCarty (February 19, 1780 – May 18, 1844) was an American politician from New York.

8 Mar

Union between Sweden and Norway
King Oscar I ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.
23 May

Bahá'í Faith
Declaration of the Báb the evening before the 23rd: A merchant of Shiraz announces that he is a Prophet and founds a religious movement that would later be brutally crushed by the Persian government. He is considered to be a forerunner of the Bahá'í Faith; Bahá'ís celebrate the day as a holy day.
24 May

Old Supreme Court Chamber
Samuel Morse sends the message "What hath God wrought" (a biblical quotation, Numbers 23:23) from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland, to inaugurate a commercial telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington D.C.
27 Jun

Death of Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum Smith, are killed by a mob at the Carthage, Illinois jail.
22 Oct

Great Disappointment
The Great Anticipation: Millerites, followers of William Miller, anticipate the end of the world in conjunction with the Second Advent of Christ. The following day became known as the Great Disappointment.