February 18 in Pop Culture History -

February 18th History, Trivia, and Fun Facts

February 18th History Highlights

1865 – Union forces under Major General William T. Sherman set the South Carolina State House on fire during the burning of Columbia, near the end of the Civil War.
1885 – Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published for the first time.
1929 – The first Academy Awards were announced in 1929 for 1928’s films.
February 18, 1966 Birthday (fictional) Jack Bauer, TV, 24
1977 – The Space Shuttle Enterprise test vehicle had its maiden “test flight” on top of a Boeing 747.
If you were born on February 18th,
You were likely conceived the week of… May 28th (prior year)

February 18th is…

Crab Stuffed Founder Day
National Battery Day
National Drink Wine Day
Thumb Appreciation Day

February 18th Birthday Quotes

At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes enough. You don’t need to photograph, paint or even remember it. It is enough. No record of it needs to be kept and you don’t need someone to share it with or tell it to. When that happens- that letting go- you let go because you can.
– Toni Morrison

A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.
– Yoko Ono

The difference between getting somewhere and nowhere is the courage to make an early start. The fellow who sits still and does just what he is told will never be told to do big things.
– Charles M. Schwab

I have collected all the writings of the Empire and burnt those which were of no use.
– Qin Shi Huang

When I stood up there as a pinch hitter, I honestly believed I was the best hitter in the game. That’s the only attitude to have.
– Manny Mota

Never fail to know that if you are doing all the talking, you are boring somebody.
– Helen Gurley Brown

God has given us our talents, not to copy the talents of others, but rather to use our brains and imagination in order to obtain the revelation of true beauty.
– Louis Comfort Tiffany

February 18th Birthdays

259 BC – Qin Shi Huang, Chinese emperor (died in 210 BC)
1559 – Isaac Casaubon, Swiss scholar (died in 1614)
1795 – George Peabody, American merchant and philanthropist (died in 1869)
1848 – Louis Comfort Tiffany, American stained glass artist (died in 1933)
1862 – Charles M. Schwab, American businessman, co-founded Bethlehem Steel (died in 1939)
1892 – Wendell Willkie, American politician (died in 1944)
1906 – Hans Asperger, Austrian pediatrician and academic (died in 1980)
1919 – Jack Palance, American actor (died in 2006)
1920 – Bill Cullen, American game show panelist and host (died in 1990)
1922 – Helen Gurley Brown, American journalist and author (died in 2012)
1922 – Allan Melvin, American character actor (died in 2008)
1925 – George Kennedy, American actor (died in 2016)
1927 – Luis Arroyo, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (died in 2016)
1931 – Johnny Hart, American cartoonist, co-created The Wizard of Id (died in 2007)
1931 – Toni Morrison, American novelist (died in 2019)
1932 – Miloš Forman, Czech-American actor, director, and screenwriter (died in 2018)
1933 – Yoko Ono, Japanese-American singer-songwriter
1938 – Manny Mota, Dominican baseball player,
1939 – Bobby Hart, American singer-songwriter
1941 – Irma Thomas, American singer
1950 – John Hughes, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died in 2009)
1950 – Cybill Shepherd, American actress
1952 – Juice Newton, American singer-songwriter
1954 – John Travolta, American actor
1957 – Vanna White, American model and game show host
1960 – Greta Scacchi, Italian-Australian actress
1964 – Matt Dillon, American actor
1965 – Dr. Dre (Andre Young), American rapper and producer
1968 – Molly Ringwald, American actress
1974 – Jillian Michaels, American fitness trainer and author
1980 – Regina Spektor, Russian-American singer-songwriter
1986 – Robert DeLong, American singer-songwriter

February 18th History

1856 – The “Know-Nothing Party,” convened in Philadelphia to nominate its first presidential candidate. The Know-Nothing movement began in the 1840s, when an increasing rate of immigration led to the formation of a number of groups to combat “foreign” influences in American society.

1861 – Jefferson Davis became the provisional president of the Confederate States of America. He was ‘provisional’ because he was not elected by the people, but appointed by the Confederate Congress.

1908 – The first US postage stamps in coils were available for the first time in vending machines.

1911 – The first official flight with airmail took place from Allahabad, United Provinces, British India (now India), when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivered 6,500 letters to Naini, about 6 miles away.

1913 – Pedro Lascuráin becomes President of Mexico for 45 minutes, the shortest term to date of any person as president of any country.

1921 – The Colorado River was not the original name of the river that helped split the Grand Canyon. Before February 18th of this year, it was called the Grand River.

1930 – A cow named Ollie was milked over St. Louis, MO. Her milk was cartoned and parachuted down.

1930 – Ex-planet Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh.

1948 – Broadway Show – Mister Roberts (Play) February 18, 1948

1950 – #1 Hit February 18, 1950 – March 17, 1950: Red Foley – Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy

1954 – The first Church of Scientology was established in Los Angeles.

1956 – #1 Hit February 18, 1956 – February 24, 1956: Kay Starr – Rock And Roll Waltz

February 18, 1966 Birthday (fictional) Jack Bauer, 24, TV

1978 – The first Ironman Triathlon competition took place on the island of Oahu and was won by Gordon Haller.

2001 – Racecar legend Ralph Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash in the last lap of the Daytona 500 . Michael Waltrip (who was Earnhardt’s driver) won the race.

2001 – FBI agent Robert Hanssen was arrested for spying for the Soviet Union. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

2010 – WikiLeaks published the first of hundreds of thousands of classified documents disclosed by the American soldier now known as Chelsea Manning.

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

Astronaut John Glenn ate the first meal in space when he ate pureed applesauce squeezed from a tube aboard Friendship 7 in 1962.

Pope John Paul II – Real Name: Carol Wojtila

The ice cream soda was invented in 1874 by Robert Green, in Philadelphia.

“It was beauty killed the beast.” – Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) #moviequotes

The word “mesmerize” comes from the name of a German physician and hypnotist named Franz Mesmer who developed the theory of animal magnetism and used it as a healing practice.

2000 mockingbirds: 2 kilo mockingbirds

Each frame of the CGI scenes in James Cameron’s, “Avatar” (1/24 of a second) took an average of 47 hours to render.

Because of how heavy an average car is, one car is technically a ton, even tons, of traffic.

Daniel Radcliffe went through 160 pairs of prop glasses by the end of the Harry Potter series.

The ‘Hamster Dance’ song is a sped up version of ‘The Walking Song’ from Disney’s 1973 film, Robin Hood.

I’m Pet Sitting for Schrodinger. His cat is currently hiding behind all couches in existence and won’t come out. Do I just have to coax just one of them out or am I in big trouble?

‘The Bride of Frankenstein’ never killed anyone.

“Musicogenic Epilepsy” is a rare disease that makes you have a seizure whenever you hear your favorite music

Garfield the Cat is named after Jim Davis’s grandfather, who in turn was named after US President James A. Garfield.

Autodefenestration is the act of throwing ones self out a window.

Meat Loaf’s album “Bat Out of Hell” has sold more than 43 million copies worldwide and continues to sell an estimated 200,000 copies annually nearly 40 years after it was released.

Wouldn’t it make more sense to age yourself up when asked how old you are? That way people would say “damn you look good for 81, Joe.”