April 18 in U.S. military history

1775: Paul Revere and William Dawes begin their famous “midnight ride” from Boston to Lexington, Mass., where they link-up with Samuel Prescott, who rides on to Concord. All three are sounding the alarm – warning town leaders and alerting the militia – that nearly 1,000 British infantrymen, grenadiers, and Royal Marines are advancing from Boston.

1942: Sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers led by U.S. Army Air Forces Lt. Col. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle launch from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in the first raid against the Japanese mainland during World War II. The raid will be successful, but all aircraft will be lost. Eleven men will be killed or captured.

1943: P-38 “Lightning” fighters ambush the “Betty” bomber transporting Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, killing the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Navy.

1983: A suicide bomber crashes a truck carrying 2,000 lbs of explosives into the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, setting off a blast that kills 63 people. Among the fallen are 17 Americans, including the CIA’s station chief, his deputy, and the agency’s regional director) and four service me