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KALW Almanac - Wednesday March 18, 2026

Aztec Wood Statue of Goddess of Fertility
/
Flickr Creative Commons
Aztec Wood Statue of Goddess of Fertility

Today is Wednesday, the 18th of March of 2026,

March 18 is the 77th day of the year

288 days remain until the end of the year.

2 days until spring begins

Vernal Equinox will be Friday, March 20, at 7:46 a.m. PDT

Sunrise this morning is at 7:15:39 am

and sunset this evening will be at 7:20:52 pm.

We will have 12 hours and 5 minutes of daylight

The solar transit will be at 1:18:15 pm.

Water temperature in San Francisco Bay today is 60.6°F

The first low tide was at 4:59 am at 1.07 feet

The first high tide will be at 11:01 am at 5.57 feet

The next low tide will be at 5:13 pm at 0.18 feet

and the final high tide at Ocean Beach tonight will be at 11:37 pm at 5.62 feet

The Moon is 0.4% visible

It's still considered a waning crescent moon

It will be a zero per cent visible New Moon this evening at 6:23 pm

Today is....

Small Business Development Centers Day

Awkward Moments Day

Forgive Mom and Dad

Goddess of Fertility Day

National Biodiesel Day

National Lacy Oatmeal Cookie Day

National Sloppy Joe Day

Supreme Sacrifice Day

Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action

Today is also....

the Anniversary of the Oil Expropriation in Mexico

Flag Day in Aruba

Gallipoli Memorial Day in Turkey

Men's and Soldiers' Day in Mongolia

Ordnance Factories' Day in India

Sheelah's Day in Ireland, Canada, and Australia

and Teacher's Day in Syria

If today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You! You share your special day with these figures in Women's Herstory....

March 18, 1964 – Bonnie Blair, speed skater, one of the most successful Winter Olympians in U.S. history, 5 time gold medalist

1495 – Mary Tudor, Queen of France (died 1533)

1634 – Madame de La Fayette, French author (died 1693)

1789 – Charlotte Elliott, English poet, hymn writer, editor (died 1871)

1800 – Harriet Smithson, Irish actress, the first wife and muse of Hector Berlioz (died 1854)

1857 – Harriet Converse Moody, American businesswoman and arts patron (died 1932)

1870 – Agnes Sime Baxter, Canadian mathematician (died 1917)

1927 – Lillian Vernon, German-American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded the Lillian Vernon Company (died 2015)

1933 – Unita Blackwell, American civil rights activist and politician (died 2019)

1935 – Frances Cress Welsing, American psychiatrist and author (died 2016)

1942 – Kathleen Collins, American filmmaker and playwright (died 1988)

1945 – Susan Tyrrell, American actress (died 2012)

1950 – Linda Partridge, English geneticist and academic

1951 – Tret Fure, American contemporary folk singer-songwriter, and audio engineer, born in Iowa

1956 – Deborah Jeane Palfrey, American madam (died 2008)

1959 – Irene Cara [Escalera], American Grammy and Academy Award-winning singer-songwriter ("Fame"; "Flashdance...What A Feeling"), and actress (Fame; D.C. Cab), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2022)

1963 – Vanessa L. Williams, Vanessa Williams(62 years old) actress and 1st African American Miss America (1983), born in The Bronx, New York

1964 – Bonnie Blair, American speed skater

1964 – Jo Churchill, British politician

1964 – Rozalla [Miller], Zambian electronic dance music performer, born in Ndola, Northern Rhodesia

1964 – Isabel Noronha, Mozambican film director

1967 – Miki Berenyi, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1970 – Katy Gallagher, Australian politician

1970 – Queen Latifah, American rapper, producer, and actress

American Grammy and Emmy Award-winning rapper ("Ladies First"; "Unity"), actress (Chicago; Bessie: Beauty Shop), and TV personality (THe Queen Latifah Show), born in Newark, New Jersey

1971 – Kitty Ussher, English economist and politician

1973 – Luci Christian, American voice actress and screenwriter

1974 – Laure Savasta, French basketball player, coach, and sportscaster

1976 – Giovanna Antonelli, Brazilian actress and producer

1980 – Sophia Myles, English actress

1981 – Tora Berger, Norwegian biathlete

1985 – Ana Beatriz, Brazilian race car driver

1987 – Rebecca Soni, American swimmer

1989 – Lily Collins, English-American actress

1995 – Irina Bara, Romanian tennis player

1995 – Julia Goldani Telles, American actress and dancer

1997 – Ciara Bravo, American actress

Kevin Vance created a program of folk music for KALW, A Patchwork Quilt, in October 1991. He grew up in Berkeley during the 1960s and '70s and spent his years learning in public schools, community colleges, bookstores, libraries, and non-commercial radio stations, as well as from the people around him. When he's not on the radio, then he's selling books, taking care of his family, listening to music, entering stuff into a computer, or taking a class.