On this day in History -May 18

1756 – The Seven Years' War begins when Great Britain declares war on France.

1804 – Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of the French by the French Senate.

1917 – World War I: The Selective Service Act of 1917 is passed, giving the President of the United States the power of conscription.

1953 – Jacqueline Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier.

1974 – Nuclear weapons testing: Under project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon becoming the sixth nation to do so.

1980 – Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, United States, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.