Ingenpedia:OnThisDay/December 18


 * 1970 An atomic leak in Nevada forces hundreds of citizens to flee the test site.
 * 1972 President Richard M. Nixon declares that the bombing of North Vietnam will continue until an accord can be reached (Operation Linebacker II).
 * 1989 The European Economic Community and the Soviet Union sign an agreement on trade and economic communication.
 * 2002 California Gov. Gray Davis announces the state faces a record budget deficit; the looming $35 billion shortfall is almost double the amount reported a month earlier during the state's gubernatorial campaign.
 * 2005 Civil war begins in Chad with a rebel assault on Adre; the rebels are believed to be backed by Chad's neighbor, Sudan.
 * 2008 United Arab Emirates holds it first-ever elections.
 * 2010 In an opening act of Arab Spring, anti-government protests erupt in Tunisia.