- 1792 18 Dec Thomas Paine is found guilty in absentia of seditious libel for his pamphlet 'The Rights of Man'.
- 1912 18 Dec 'Piltdown Man' is hailed as the 'missing link' between man and the apes, but is later exposed as a hoax.
- 1916 18 Dec The Battle of Verdun - Germany's attempt to 'bleed France white' - ends with nearly a million casualties.
World War One Centenary
- Find out more about how the BBC is covering the World War One Centenary, and see the latest programmes and online content
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