This Day in Auto History:

3.18.1881 Rudolph Carl Norberg of the Willard Storage Battery Company is born in Stockholm, Sweden 3.18.1917 The steamer “Vigilancia” with 84 FWD trucks on board is torpedoed by a German U-boat leading to United States entry into World War I 3.18.1929 General Motors announces plans to acquire Adam Opel AG of Germany 3.18.1937 Racer Mark N. Donohue Jr. is born in Summit, NJ 3.18.1953 The Chrysler Imperial Newport hardtop coupe is introduced as a mid-year model

Source: Automobile History Day By Day, by Douglas A. Wick