What Happened on February 18?
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events
births
deaths
holidays
EVENTS ON FEBRUARY 18
Explore the most important historical events that happened on February 18, featuring key moments that shaped the world.
Airmail
Year:
1911
The first official flight with airmail takes place from Allahabad, United Provinces, British India (now India), when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivers 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away.
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Édouard de Laveleye
Year:
1906
Édouard de Laveleye forms the Belgian Olympic Committee in Brussels.
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Second Boer War
Year:
1900
Second Boer War: Imperial forces suffer their worst single-day loss of life on Bloody Sunday, the first day of the Battle of Paardeberg.
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Year:
1885
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is published in the United States.
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U-boat campaign
Year:
1915
U-boat Campaign: The Imperial German Navy institutes unrestricted submarine warfare in the waters around Great Britain and Ireland.
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Elm Farm Ollie
Year:
1930
Elm Farm Ollie becomes the first cow to fly in a fixed-wing aircraft and also the first cow to be milked in an aircraft.
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Joseph Goebbels
Year:
1943
World War II: Joseph Goebbels delivers his Sportpalast speech.
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World War II
Year:
1942
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army begins the systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore.
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BIRTHS ON FEBRUARY 18
Discover famous people and historical figures born on February 18, including leaders, artists, scientists, and cultural icons.
Pee Wee King
Year of birth:
1914
Pee Wee King, American singer-songwriter and fiddler (died 2000)
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Wallace Stegner
Year of birth:
1909
Wallace Stegner, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (died 1993)
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Hans Asperger
Year of birth:
1906
Hans Asperger, Austrian pediatrician and academic (died 1980)
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Joe Gordon
Year of birth:
1915
Joe Gordon, American baseball player and manager (died 1978)
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Phyllis Calvert
Year of birth:
1915
Phyllis Calvert, English actress (died 2002)
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Rolande Falcinelli
Year of birth:
1920
Rolande Falcinelli, French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue (died 2006)
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Jack Palance
Year of birth:
1919
Jack Palance, American boxer and actor (died 2006)
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Nikolai Podgorny
Year of birth:
1903
Nikolai Podgorny, Ukrainian engineer and politician (died 1983)
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DEATHS ON FEBRUARY 18
Look back at notable individuals who passed away on February 18, and learn about their lasting influences on history.
Louis, Duke of Burgundy
Year of death:
1712
Louis, Dauphin of France, (born 1682)
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Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici
Year of death:
1743
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, Italian noble (born 1667)
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William Phips
Year of death:
1695
William Phips, governor of Massachusetts (born 1650)
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Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem
Year of death:
1683
Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, Dutch painter (born 1620)
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Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac
Year of death:
1654
Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac, French author (born 1594)
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Otto Ferdinand von Abensperg und Traun
Year of death:
1748
Otto Ferdinand von Abensberg und Traun, Austrian field marshal (born 1677)
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Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff
Year of death:
1772
Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, Danish politician (born 1712)
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Gene Hackman
Year of death:
2025
Gene Hackman, award-winning American actor (born 1930)
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HOLIDAYS ON FEBRUARY 18
See which holidays, observances, and special celebrations take place on February 18 around the world.
February 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian feast day: February 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
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Ryukyuan languages
Dialect Day (Amami Islands, Japan)
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Public holidays in Nepal
National Democracy Day, celebrates the 1951 overthrow of the Rana dynasty (Nepal)
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Bernadette Soubirous
Christian feast day: Bernadette Soubirous (France)
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Geltrude Comensoli
Christian feast day: Geltrude Comensoli
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Colmán of Lindisfarne
Christian feast day: Colmán of Lindisfarne
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Flavian of Constantinople
Christian feast day: Flavian of Constantinople
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Public holidays in Iraq
Kurdish Students Union Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)
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