On This Day: 18 February

18 February in Indian history

• 1946Sailors of the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in Bombay harbour, from where the action spreads throughout the Provinces of British India, involving 78 ships, twenty shore establishments and 20,000 sailorsIndia
• 1911The 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.India
• 1766Enslaved Malagasy captives on the Dutch East India Company slave ship Meermin began a mutiny that led to the ship's destruction on Cape Agulhas in present-day South Africa and the recapture of the instigators.India
• 3102 BCAccording to Hindu scriptures, Kali Yuga, the last of the four stages that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas, began.India

18 February in world history

• 2021Perseverance, a Mars rover designed to explore Jezero crater on Mars, as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission, lands successfully.
• 2010WikiLeaks published the first of hundreds of thousands of classified documents disclosed by Chelsea Manning.
• 2010In a coup d'état, military rebels attacked the presidential palace in Niamey, Niger, and replaced President Mamadou Tandja with a ruling junta, the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy.
• 2001American FBI agent Robert Hanssen was arrested for having spied for the KGB and GRU over a 22-year period.
• 2001Inter-ethnic violence between the Dayak and the Madurese broke out in Sampit, Indonesia, ultimately causing more than 500 deaths and the displacement of 100,000 Madurese from their homes.
• 1991The IRA explodes bombs in the early morning at Paddington station and Victoria station in London.
• 1979Richard Petty wins a then-record 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.
• 1977NASA's first Space Shuttle, Enterprise, made its first test flight on top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
• 1957Kenyan rebel leader Dedan Kimathi is executed by the British colonial government.
• 1932The Empire of Japan creates the independent state of Manzhouguo (the obsolete Chinese name for Manchuria) free from the Republic of China and installed former Chinese Emperor Puyi as Chief Executive of the State.
• 1878John Tunstall is murdered by outlaw Jesse Evans, sparking the Lincoln County War in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
• 1873Bulgarian revolutionary leader Vasil Levski is executed by hanging in Sofia by the Ottoman authorities.
• 1861With Italian unification almost complete, Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont, Savoy and Sardinia assumes the title of King of Italy.
• 1268Northern Crusades: The Battle of Wesenberg (depicted) took place between Novgorodian and Pskovian forces against the Livonian Order and its allies, ending with Russian forces retreating from Danish Estonia.

Born on 18 February

• 2002Manu Bhaker, Indian sports shooterIndia
• 1965Dr. Dre, American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur
• 1922Connie Wisniewski, American baseball player (died 1995)
• 1921Mary Amdur, American toxicologist and public health researcher (died 1998)
• 1836Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Indian mystic and yogi (died 1886)India
• 1486Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Indian monk and saint (died 1534)India

Died on 18 February

• 1969Dragiša Cvetković, Serbian lawyer and politician, 17th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (born 1893)
• 1893Serranus Clinton Hastings, American lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Justice of California (born 1814)
• 1712Louis, Dauphin of France, (born 1682)
• 1564Michelangelo, Italian sculptor and painter (born 1475)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 18 February in history?

2021: Perseverance, a Mars rover designed to explore Jezero crater on Mars, as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission, lands successfully. 2010: WikiLeaks published the first of hundreds of thousands of classified documents disclosed by Chelsea Manning. 2010: In a coup d'état, military rebels attacked the presidential palace in Niamey, Niger, and replaced President Mamadou Tandja with a ruling junta, the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy. 2001: American FBI agent Robert Hanssen was arrested for having spied for the KGB and GRU over a 22-year period.

What happened on 18 February in Indian history?

1946: Sailors of the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in Bombay harbour, from where the action spreads throughout the Provinces of British India, involving 78 ships, twenty shore establishments and 20,000 sailors. 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. 1766: Enslaved Malagasy captives on the Dutch East India Company slave ship Meermin began a mutiny that led to the ship's destruction on Cape Agulhas in present-day South Africa and the recapture of the instigators.

Which famous people were born on 18 February?

Manu Bhaker, Indian sports shooter (2002); Dr. Dre, American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur (1965); Connie Wisniewski, American baseball player (died 1995) (1922); Mary Amdur, American toxicologist and public health researcher (died 1998) (1921).

Which day is observed on 18 February?

Dialect Day (Amami Islands, Japan); Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Gambia from the United Kingdom in 1965; Kurdish Students Union Day (Iraqi Kurdistan); National Democracy Day, celebrates the 1951 overthrow of the Rana dynasty (Nepal).