Editing February 18 (section)

==Events==
===Pre-1600=== 
*[[3102 BC]] &ndash; [[Kali Yuga]], the fourth and final [[yuga]] of [[Hinduism]], starts with the death of [[Krishna]].<ref name="n995">{{cite web | title= Surya Siddhanta| url=https://ia800200.us.archive.org/0/items/SuryaSiddhantaTranslation/surya_siddhanta_english_text.pdf | access-date=11 August 2024}}</ref>
*[[1229]] &ndash; The [[Sixth Crusade]]: [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor]], signs a ten-year [[truce]]<ref>{{cite book|author1=Jaroslav Folda|author2=Professor Jaroslav Folda|title=Crusader Art in the Holy Land, From the Third Crusade to the Fall of Acre|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xifq5OE7174C&pg=PA154|date=5 September 2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-83583-1|pages=154|access-date=13 February 2020|archive-date=18 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218154653/https://books.google.com/books?id=Xifq5OE7174C&pg=PA154|url-status=live}}</ref> with [[al-Kamil]], regaining [[Jerusalem]], [[Nazareth]], and [[Bethlehem]] with neither military engagements nor support from the [[papacy]].
*[[1268]] &ndash; The [[Battle of Wesenberg (1268)|Battle of Wesenberg]] is fought between the [[Livonian Order]] and [[Daumantas of Pskov|Dovmont]] of [[Pskov]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Hector H. Munro|title=The Rise of the Russian Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pGfvAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT107|year=1900|publisher=Library of Alexandria|isbn=978-1-4656-0198-8|pages=107|access-date=2020-02-13|archive-date=2022-02-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218154649/https://books.google.com/books?id=pGfvAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT107|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[1332]] &ndash; [[Amda Seyon I]], [[Emperor of Ethiopia]] begins his campaigns in the southern [[Muslim]] provinces.
*[[1478]] &ndash; [[George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence|George, Duke of Clarence]], convicted of [[treason]] against his older brother [[Edward IV of England]], is [[execution (legal)|executed]] in private at the [[Tower of London]].

===1601–1900===
*[[1637]] &ndash; [[Eighty Years' War]]: Off the coast of [[Cornwall]], England, a [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] fleet [[Battle off Lizard Point|intercepts]] an important [[Kingdom of England|Anglo]]-[[Dutch Republic|Dutch]] merchant convoy of 44 vessels escorted by six warships, destroying or capturing 20 of them.
*[[1735]] &ndash; The ballad opera called ''Flora, or Hob in the Well'' went down in history as the first opera of any kind to be produced in North America (Charleston, S.C.)<ref>{{cite book|first=Clifton|last=Daniel|title=Chronicle of America|publisher=Chronicle Publications|year=2004|page=100|isbn=0-13-133745-9}}</ref> 
*[[1781]] &ndash; [[Fourth Anglo-Dutch War]]: Captain Thomas Shirley [[Shirley's Gold Coast expedition|opens his expedition]] against [[Dutch Gold Coast|Dutch colonial outposts]] on the [[Gold Coast (British colony)|Gold Coast]] of Africa (present-day [[Ghana]]).
*[[1791]] &ndash; Congress passes a law [[admission to the Union|admitting]] the state of [[Vermont]] to the Union, effective 4 March, after that state had existed for 14 years as [[Vermont Republic|a de facto independent largely unrecognized state]].
*[[1797]] &ndash; [[French Revolutionary Wars]]: Sir [[Ralph Abercromby]] and a fleet of 18 [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] warships [[Invasion of Trinidad (1797)|invade]] [[Trinidad]].
*[[1814]] &ndash; [[Napoleonic Wars]]: The [[Battle of Montereau]].
*[[1861]] &ndash; In [[Montgomery, Alabama]], [[Jefferson Davis]] is inaugurated as the provisional President of the [[Confederate States of America]].
*  1861   &ndash; With [[Italian unification]] almost complete, [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Victor Emmanuel II]] of [[Piedmont]], [[Savoy]] and [[Sardinia]] assumes the title of [[King of Italy]].
*[[1873]] &ndash; [[Bulgaria]]n revolutionary leader [[Vasil Levski]] is executed by [[hanging]] in [[Sofia]] by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] authorities.
*[[1878]] &ndash; [[John Tunstall]] is murdered by [[outlaw]] [[Jesse Evans]], sparking the [[Lincoln County War]] in [[Lincoln County, New Mexico]].
*[[1885]] &ndash; ''[[Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]'' by [[Mark Twain]] is published in the United States.
*[[1900]] &ndash; [[Second Boer War]]: Imperial forces suffer their worst single-day loss of life on [[Bloody Sunday (1900)|Bloody Sunday]], the first day of the [[Battle of Paardeberg]].

===1901–present===
*[[1906]] &ndash; [[Édouard de Laveleye]] forms the [[Belgian Olympic Committee]] in [[Brussels]].
*[[1911]] &ndash; The first official flight with [[airmail]] takes place from [[Allahabad]], [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh|United Provinces]], [[British India]] (now India), when [[Henri Pequet]], a 23-year-old pilot, delivers 6,500 letters to [[Naini]], about {{Convert|10|km|mi}} away.
*[[1915]] &ndash; [[U-boat Campaign]]: The Imperial German Navy institutes unrestricted submarine warfare in the waters around Great Britain and Ireland.<ref>{{cite book|last=Potter|first=Elmer Belmont|author2=Roger Fredland|author3=Henry Hitch Adams|title=Sea Power: A Naval History|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1981|page=223|isbn=0-87021-607-4}}</ref>
*[[1930]] &ndash; While studying photographs taken in [[January]], [[Clyde Tombaugh]] discovers [[Pluto]].
*  1930   &ndash; [[Elm Farm Ollie]] becomes the first [[cattle|cow]] to fly in a [[fixed-wing aircraft]] and also the first cow to be milked in an aircraft.
*[[1932]] &ndash; The [[Empire of Japan]] creates the independent state of [[Manzhouguo]] (the obsolete Chinese name for [[Manchuria]]) free from the [[Republic of China (1912–49)|Republic of China]] and installed former [[Emperor of China|Chinese Emperor]] [[Puyi|Aisin Gioro Puyi]] as Chief Executive of the State.
*[[1938]] &ndash; [[Second Sino-Japanese War]]: During the [[Nanking Massacre]], the [[Nanjing|Nanking]] Safety Zone International Committee is renamed "Nanking International Rescue Committee", and the safety zone in place for refugees falls apart.
*[[1942]] &ndash; [[World War II]]: The [[Imperial Japanese Army]] begins the [[Sook Ching|systematic extermination]] of perceived hostile elements among the [[Chinese in Singapore]].
*[[1943]] &ndash; World War II: The [[Nazism|Nazis]] arrest the members of the [[White Rose]] movement.
*  1943   &ndash; World War II: [[Joseph Goebbels]] delivers his [[Sportpalast speech|''Sportpalast'' speech]].
* [[1945]] &ndash; World War II: American and Brazilian troops kick off [[Operation Encore]] in Northern Italy, a successful limited action in the [[Northern Apennines]] that prepares for the western portion of the [[Spring 1945 offensive in Italy|Allied Spring offensive]].<ref>Ernest F. Fisher Jr., [https://web.archive.org/web/20120927071348/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/006/6-4-1/CMH_Pub_6-4-1.pdf ''The Mediterranean Theater of Operations: Cassino to the Alps''] (Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, 1977), p.&nbsp;425-434</ref>
*[[1946]] &ndash; Sailors of the [[Royal Indian Navy mutiny]] in [[Mumbai|Bombay]] harbour, from where the action spreads throughout the [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|Provinces of British India]], involving 78 ships, twenty shore establishments and 20,000 sailors
*[[1947]] &ndash; [[First Indochina War]]: The French [[Battle of Hanoi|gain complete control]] of [[Hanoi]] after forcing the [[Viet Minh]] to withdraw to the mountains.
*[[1954]] &ndash; The first [[Church of Scientology]] is established in [[Los Angeles]].
*[[1955]] &ndash; [[Operation Teapot]]: Teapot test shot "Wasp" is successfully detonated at the [[Nevada Test Site]] with a yield of [[Effects of nuclear explosions#Summary of the effects|1.2 kilotons]].  Wasp is the first of fourteen shots in the Teapot series.
*[[1957]] &ndash; [[Kenya]]n rebel leader [[Dedan Kimathi]] is executed by the British colonial government.
*  1957   &ndash; [[Walter James Bolton]] becomes the last person [[Capital punishment in New Zealand|legally executed]] in New Zealand.
*[[1965]] &ndash; [[The Gambia]] becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
*[[1970]] &ndash; The [[Chicago Seven]] are found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]].
*[[1972]] &ndash; The [[California Supreme Court]] in the case of ''[[People v. Anderson]]'', (6 Cal.3d 628) invalidates the state's [[Capital punishment|death penalty]] and commutes the sentences of all [[death row]] inmates to life imprisonment.
* [[1977]] &ndash; The [[Xinjiang 61st Regiment Farm fire]] started during Chinese New Year when a firecracker ignited memorial wreaths of the [[Death and state funeral of Mao Zedong|late Mao Zedong]], killing 694 personnel.<ref name="1995a">{{cite journal|title=694条生命化为灰烬——一场没有公开报道的特大火灾|journal=新世纪|date=1995|issue=4|last=西夫|url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ozEZgbB4HAVet3z7pfvRlw|access-date=2023-01-04|archive-date=2023-01-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104195119/https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ozEZgbB4HAVet3z7pfvRlw}}</ref><ref name="fo">{{cite news|orig-date=2007-02-26 |title=一九七七年 六十一团那场大火 |work=伊犁晚报|page=B06 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/hfgpHjEcf4EGds_fMc46Tw|date=2018-03-28|via=老知青家园|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104171830/https://freewechat.com/a/MzIwOTM1NDg0MA==/2247493889/3|archivedate=2023-01-04}}</ref> It remains the [[List of fireworks accidents and incidents|deadliest fireworks accident]] in the world.
*[[1977]] &ndash; A thousand armed soldiers raid [[Kalakuta Republic]], the commune of Nigerian singer [[Fela Kuti]], leading to the death of [[Funmilayo Anikulapo Kuti]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Agunbiade|first=Tayo|title=Remembering Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti: Nigeria's 'lioness of Lisabi'|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/10/1/the-lioness-of-lisabi-who-ended-unfair-taxes-for-nigerian-women|access-date=2022-09-12|publisher=Al Jazeera|language=en}}</ref>
*[[1977]] &ndash; The [[Space Shuttle Enterprise|Space Shuttle ''Enterprise'']] test vehicle is carried on its maiden "flight" on top of a [[Boeing 747]].
*[[1979]] &ndash; [[Richard Petty]] wins a then-record [[1979 Daytona 500|sixth]] [[Daytona 500]] after leaders [[Donnie Allison]] and [[Cale Yarborough]] crash on the final lap of the first [[NASCAR]] race televised live flag-to-flag.
*[[1983]] &ndash; Thirteen people die and one is seriously injured in the [[Wah Mee massacre]] in [[Seattle]]. It is said to be the largest robbery-motivated mass-murder in U.S. history.
*[[1991]] &ndash; The [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] [[Victoria station and Paddington station bombings|explodes bombs]] in the early morning at [[Paddington station]] and [[London Victoria station|Victoria station]] in London.
*[[2001]] &ndash; [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agent [[Robert Hanssen]] is arrested for spying for the [[Soviet Union]]. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
*  2001   &ndash; [[Sampit conflict]]: Inter-ethnic violence between [[Dayak people|Dayaks]] and [[Madura Island|Madurese]] breaks out in [[Sampit]], [[Central Kalimantan]], Indonesia, ultimately resulting in more than 500 deaths and 100,000 Madurese displaced from their homes.
*[[2003]] &ndash; 192 people die when an arsonist [[Daegu subway fire|sets fire to a subway train]] in Daegu, South Korea.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Chan|first1=Wing-Cheong|title=Support for Victims of Crime in Asia|date=12 September 2007|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-07711-3|pages=67–177|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zcK0iJIyZlIC&pg=PA177|language=en}}</ref>
*[[2004]] &ndash; Up to 295 people, 182 of which being rescue workers, die near [[Nishapur|Nishapur, Iran]], when a runaway freight train carrying [[sulfur]], [[petrol]] and [[fertilizer]] [[Nishapur train disaster|catches fire and explodes]].
*[[2010]] &ndash; [[WikiLeaks]] publishes the first of hundreds of thousands of [[Classified information|classified documents]] disclosed by the soldier now known as [[Chelsea Manning]].
*[[2013]] &ndash; Armed robbers [[Brussels Airport diamond heist|steal]] a haul of diamonds worth $50 million during a raid at [[Brussels Airport]] in [[Belgium]].
*[[2014]] &ndash; At least 76 people are killed and hundreds are injured in [[February 2014 Euromaidan riots|clashes]] between riot police and demonstrators in [[Kyiv|Kyiv, Ukraine]].
*[[2018]] &ndash; [[Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 3704]] crashes in the [[Dena]] sub-range in the [[Zagros Mountains]] of Iran, Resulting in 66 Deaths<ref name="ASN180218">{{cite web|last=Ranter|first=Harro|title=Aircraft accident ATR 72–212 EP-ATS Yasuj Airport (YES)|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20180218-0|access-date=18 February 2018|website=aviation-safety.net|publisher=Flight Safety Foundation which owns the Aviation Safety Network}}</ref>
*[[2021]] &ndash; [[Perseverance (rover)|Perseverance]], a [[Mars rover]] designed to [[Space exploration|explore]] [[Jezero (crater)|Jezero crater]] on [[Mars]], as part of [[NASA]]'s [[Mars 2020]] mission, lands successfully.<ref name="landingtime">{{citation-attribution|{{cite web|last=mars.nasa.gov|title=Touchdown! NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover Safely Lands on Red Planet|url=https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8865/touchdown-nasas-mars-perseverance-rover-safely-lands-on-red-planet|access-date=18 February 2021|publisher=NASA|archive-date=20 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220060100/https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8865/touchdown-nasas-mars-perseverance-rover-safely-lands-on-red-planet/|url-status=live}}}}</ref>