This Day in History – February 18

The present state of mankind is the cumulative effect of its history.  The journey from Homo Habilis to Homo Sapiens has been an eventful one – riddled with disorder, chaos, wars, inventions, each contributing to shaping our present existence. Each day marks some significant event in history. In this blog, we enlist all the watershed events of the past that took place on February 18.

Historic Events in India That Happened on February 18 

3102 BC Epoch (origin) of Kaliyuga 
According to astronomer Aryabhatta, the Kaliyuga, the last of the four yugas (as per Hindu scriptures) started on this day. 

1665 – Portuguese hand over Mumbai island to England
 A battle was fought between the British and the Portuguese at Surat over the possession of Bombay. Portuguese lost the battle which led to the transfer of Bombay to the British.

1719 – Rafi-ud-Darajat was made Mughal Emperor
After the revolt of Nikusiyyar, captured the forts of Agra and declared himself as the Mughal emperor on February 18 1719.

1905 – Indian Home Rule Society was founded
 Indian Home Rule Society was founded in London to promote self-rule in British India. This organization was founded by Shyamji Krishna Verma along with Bhikaji Cama, S.R. Rana and Lala Lajpat Rai.

1941 – Minor revolt in Royal Indian Navy
Triggered by the conditions and treatment of the Indian in the navy 1,100 Indian sailors or of the HMIS Talwar and the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) Signal School in Bombay declared a hunger strike. on February 18 1941.

1946 – Cabinet Mission in India
With an aim to ensure the smooth transfer of power from the British government to Indian Leadership, the cabinet mission came to India to establish unity and grant Independence.

1998 – Shri Subramanian awarded Bharat Ratna
Widely regarded as the architect of modern agricultural development policy, Shri Subramanian was awarded Bharat Ratna for his contribution to the Green Revolution.

1999 – India Brand Equity Fund was launched (IBEF)
India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) is a trust established by the Department of Commerce was founded to facilitate dissemination of knowledge of Indian products and services on February 18 1999.

What Happened Around the World on February 18?

1219 BC Recapture of Jerusalem
In a peace treaty between holy Roman emperor Fredrick II and Egyptian ruler Al – Kamil, Jerusalem was retaken by the Christian crusader kingdom.

1478 – Execution of Duke of Clarence
George, Duke of Clarence was convicted for treason of his brother King Edward IV and was privately executed in the Tower of London.

1536 – Trade agreement against King Karel
On this day, French and Turkey signed a military/ trade agreement against their mutual nemesis King Karel on February 18 1536.

1685 Establishment of St Louis
Fort St Louis was established by a Frenchman at Matagorda Bay which formed the basis for France’s claim to Texas.

1735 – Performance of Flora
The first-ever soap opera performance, Flora was conducted on this day in Charleston in South Carolina.

1787 – Banning of child labour
Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II banned children under 8 from any form of hazardous labour.

1814 – Victory in the battle of Montereau
The french saw victory in the battle of Montereau against Austrians under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte.

1861 – The first King of Italy
King Victor Sardinia II became the first of Italy on February 18 1861.

1879 – Statue of Liberty
Sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi is awarded a patent for his design for the Statue of Liberty.

1885 – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain published Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the United States of America.

1901- Winston Churchill’s 1st speech
Winston Churchill made his maiden speech in the British House of Commons, commencing his political career.

1911 – The first official flight with airmail
 The first official flight with air mail was carried out in Allahabad, British India, when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivered 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 km away.

1927 – Diplomatic relations
On February 18 1927, America and Canada opened diplomatic relations.

1951 – The constitutional monarchy in Japan
After the Jan Andolan Movement, Nepal adopted a constitution and became a constitutional monarchy.

1955 – Baghdad Pact
Turkey and Iraq signed the Baghdad Pact on February 18 1955, thus becoming defence allies.

1970 – Nixon doctrine
US President Richard Nixon launches the “Nixon doctrine” wherein support was vouched to the American allies in economic and military support rather than ground troops.

2009 – Knighthood conferred to Terry Pratchet
English fantasy author Terry Pratchett received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

2014 – Revolution in Ukraine
After the ouster of President  Viktor Yanukovych, riots began in the capital which lasted for 5 days resulting in a series of violent events.

List of Important Birthdays

259 BC Qin Shi Huang (d. 210 BC)
Qin Shi Huang, born in Handan, was the founder of the Qin dynasty and 1st emperor of a unified China (220 – 210 BC) 

1486 – Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (d 1534)
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a 15th-century Indian saint and founder of Achintya Bheda Abheda.

1745 Alessandro Volta, (d 1827)
Alessandro Volta was an Italian physicist and inventor of the 1st battery.

1836 – Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (d. 1886) 
Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa is a mystic saint and is widely regarded as the guru of Shri Swami Vivekananda. 

1894 – Rafi Ahmed Kidwai (d.1954)
Rafi Ahmed Kidwai is an Independence Activist who contributed widely to the Khilafat Movement and non cooperation movement. He was also the 1st communication Minister of independent India.

1896 André Breton (d. 1966)
Born in Tinchebray, France, André Breton was a French writer and poet and the founder of Surrealism. 

1906 Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar
Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar was the second chief of the RSS and is referred to as ‘guruji’. He is renowned for his book “Bunch of Thoughts” which was about his thoughts on nationalism and the idea of a nation.

1931 – Swraj Paul 
Swraj Paul is an Indian-born British businessman, philanthropist and politician and was given the title of Baron Paul after being appointed at the House of Lords as a crossbencher.

1931 Toni Morrison (d 2019)
 Chloe Anthony Wofford aka Toni Morrison was an African- American writer who is famous for her novels; Tar Baby, Beloved, Song of Solomon. she is also the first African American woman to win a Nobel Prize.

1933 Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono Lennon, Japanese singer, artist and a peace activist. she was born in Tokyo, Japan and was married to the British singer Mr John Lennon on February 18 1933.

1954 John Travolta
John Travolta is an American actor who has acted in films like Grease, Pulp Fiction. He was born in Englewood, New Jersey.

This was all about the events that took place on February 18. If you are a history enthusiast and would like to know more about the significance behind other days, check out more of our blogs at Leverage Edu. For more such educational content and follow us on LinkedIn, Youtube, Facebook, Quora, and Instagram!