Events, Births and Deaths Happening on this Date
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Today is the 49th day of 2026. There are 316 days left in this year.
Notable Events
1861
Jefferson Davis was sworn in as president of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Ala.
1885
Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" was published in the United States.
1930
The ninth planet of our solar system, Pluto, was discovered.
1953
"Bwana Devil," the movie that heralded the 3D fad of the 1950s, opened in New York City.
1960
The 8th Winter Olympic Games were formally opened in Squaw Valley, Calif., by Vice President Nixon.
1970
The Chicago Seven defendants were found innocent of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic national convention.
1972
The California Supreme Court struck down the state's death penalty.
1977
The space shuttle Enterprise, sitting atop a Boeing 747, went on its maiden "flight" above the Mojave Desert.
1988
Anthony M. Kennedy was sworn in as the 104th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Notable Births
1516
Mary Tudor, the Queen of England popularly known as "Bloody Mary," was born in Greenwich Palace.
Notable Deaths
1546
Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant Reformation in Germany, died.
1564
The artist Michelangelo died in Rome.
1998
Sportscaster Harry Caray died in Rancho Mirage, Calif., at age 83.