Historical Events
- Dutch swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband wins the coveted 100m freestyle gold medal in 48.17 ahead of Roland Schoeman of South Africa at the Athens Olympics
- Japanese swimmer Kosuke Kitajima wraps up the 100/200m breaststroke double at the Athens Olympics when he wins the 200m in 2:09.44, an Olympic record
- Shot put event at the Athens Olympics held in Ancient Olympia, site of the ancient Olympic Games; first time women ever compete in venue; Yumileidi Cumbá of Cuba wins women's gold; American Adam Nelson men's gold
- US women's 4 × 200m freestyle relay team of Natalie Coughlin, Carly Piper, Dana Vollmer & Kaitlin Sandeno smash long-standing world record set by GDR in 1987 to win gold at the Athens Olympics (7:53.42)
Famous Deaths
- Elmer Bernstein, American film music composer (The Magnificent Seven; To Kill A Mockingbird; The Age Of Innocence; Thoroughly Modern Millie), dies at 82
- Hiram Fong, American businessman and politician (U.S. Senator from Hawaii), dies at 97
- Joe Dodge, American jazz drummer (Dave Brubeck Quartet, 1953-56), dies at 82
Died in 2004 2004 Highlights
About August 18, 2004
Day of the Week: Wednesday
How Long Ago? 19 years, 8 months and 10 days
Leap Year: Yes
Generation: Generation Z
Chinese Zodiac: Monkey
Star Sign: Leo
Music Charts
#1 Song: Lean Back - Terror Squad
#1 Song: Babycakes - 3 Of A Kind
