What happened today in history (February 18): Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Alessandro Volta and Dr. Dre are born, Michelangelo, Timur and J. Robert Oppenheimer die, the Royal Indian Navy mutiny occurs out, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published, Pluto is discovered, snow falls for the first time in the Sahara, and more.
This day in history (February 18): Celebrating the birth anniversary of Ramakrishna Paramahansa
Today in History, February 18: Valentine’s Day season is almost over. Anti-Valentine’s Week is underway and today is February 18, also known as Flirting Day.
This is aimed at those unlucky souls who spent Valentine’s Day alone or became lonely on that day. It’s better if you go ahead and do some fun, consensual flirting from time to time. But it’s important to keep expanding your mind.
On that note, learn about the historical significance of this day, February 18, here. It may not look like it, but February 18 is an important day in world history. In this article, we’ve covered the major events taking place on February 18 in sports, politics and the arts, along with famous birthdays and deaths on this day.
Historical events on this day
- In 1229, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signed a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, reclaiming Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem in the Sixth Crusade.
- In 1519, Spanish Conqueror Hernán Cortés, who was largely responsible for colonizing South America, left Cuba for the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, with 11 ships and 500 men.
- In 1861, Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia became the first king of Italy.
- In 1905, the Indian Home Rule Association was founded in London by Shyamji Krishnavarma.
- In 1911, the first official mail flight took place from Allahabad, British India, to Naini, with French pilot Henri Pequet delivering 6,000 cards and letters in his Humber biplane.
- In 1930, Pluto was discovered by 24-year-old American Clyde W. Tombaugh with no astronomical training.
- In 1946, the Royal Indian Navy mutiny began in Mumbai against British commanders and quickly spread to other parts of British India, with 20,000 sailors participating.
- In 1971, India established its first satellite communication with Britain through the Arvi satellite station.
- In 1979, the first snowfall occurred in the Sahara desert.
- In 2007, 70 people were killed in a terrorist bomb attack on the Indo-Pak Samjhauta Express.
- In 2014, the Ukrainian Revolution began causing deadly clashes between police and protesters. 76 people died and President Viktor Yanukovych was deposed by the National Assembly.
- In 2021, NASA’s Perseverance probe successfully landed on Mars to search for signs of ancient life and collect rock samples.
Sports event today
- In 1913, French artist Marcel Duchamp caused a controversy in New York due to his modernist painting “Nude Descending a Staircase”.
- In 1928, Sonja Henie of Norway won the women’s figure skating gold medal at the St. Moritz, her first of three consecutive titles in the event.
- In 1981, 20-year-old Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky, a future ice hockey legend, became the first player in NHL history to score five career hat-tricks before the age of 21.
Today’s Arts and Culture Events
- In 1885, the classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by American author Mark Twain was published.
- In 1903, the first African-American musical performed on Broadway, “In Dahomey”, opened at the New York Playhouse, starring George Walker and Bert Williams with music by Will Marion Cook.
Notable deaths on this day
|
Sir No |
Year of death |
Personality |
|
first |
1294 |
Kublai Khan, Mongol emperor famous for founding the Yuan Dynasty of China |
|
2 |
1405 |
Timur, Turkish-Mongolian ruler who founded the Timurid Empire and remained undefeated as a military commander |
|
3 |
1546 |
Martin Luther, German priest, theologian and writer who caused the Protestant Reformation |
|
4 |
1564 |
Michelangelo, Italian sculptor, painter and architect who is considered one of the greatest artists in history and designed the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican |
|
5 |
1851 |
Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi, German mathematician who made important discoveries in the fields of elliptic functions, number theory, ordinary and partial differential equations |
|
6 |
1957 |
Joseph Gilbert Hamilton, American scientist and professor who pioneered the use of radioactive isotopes to treat humans |
|
7 |
1967 |
J. Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist known as the “Father of the Atomic Bomb” for creating the first nuclear weapon during World War II |
|
8 |
2001 |
Dale Earnhardt, American car racer who won 7 NASCAR championships, died in an accident at the Daytona 500 |
Famous birthdays on this day
|
Sir No |
Year of Birth |
Personality |
|
first |
1516 |
Mary I, queen of England and Ireland from 1553 to 1558 known for reversing the Reformation in England and brutally suppressing religious dissent |
|
2 |
1745 |
Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist and chemist who invented the electric cell, discovered methane, and honored the SI unit of electric potential |
|
3 |
1836 |
Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Indian Hindu spiritual leader, philosopher and mystic who believed in the divine embodiment of the Supreme Being in every individual and was the teacher of Swami Vivekananda |
|
4 |
1898 |
Enzo Ferrari, Italian racing driver, automobile manufacturer and businessman, founder of the Ferrari car company |
|
5 |
1906 |
Hans Asperger, an Austrian psychiatrist famous for his research on autism in children, led to a new form of autism named after him, Asperger’s Syndrome. |
|
6 |
1931 |
Toni Morrison, American writer and the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature for her famous works Beloved, The Bluest Eye and Song of Solomon |
|
7 |
1933 |
Yoko Ono, Japanese singer and peace activist who is famous for her relationship with John Lennon and is blamed for the breakup of the Beatles |
|
8 |
1949 |
Gary Ridgway, American serial killer and sex offender responsible for murdering nearly 50 women |
|
8 |
1950 |
John Hughes, American filmmaker who created some of the funniest and most memorable films ever such as Home Alone, The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off |
|
ten |
1954 |
John Travolta, American actor best known for the dance music hits Grease and Saturday Night Fever but later ventured into the action and drama genre with films such as Pulp Fiction and Face Off |
|
11 |
1965 |
Dr. Dre, American rapper and record producer who founded the rap group NWA and later Beats Electronics, and launched other famous rappers such as Eminem and Snoop Dogg |
Related | Today in History (February 16)
Related | Today in History (February 17)
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: pagasa.edu.vn