Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

February 18

1965
Gambia: The West African colony gains its independence from Great Britain.

1953
First full-length 3-D movie: Bwana Devil opens in New York City. The audience was required to wear special Polaroid viewers.

1930
Pluto: The planet is discovered by Clyde William Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona.

1861
Civil War: Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as president of the Confederate States.

1861
Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians give up their claims to most of Colorado.

1753
Gregorian calendar is adopted by Sweden: Today's date became March 1.

1685
Texas: French explorer La Salle established the first settlement in Texas.

1678
Pilgrim's Progress: English preacher John Bunyan first publishes his famous religious work in England. For over 200 years, except for the Bible, it was the most widely read book in the world. (Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church)

1968
Molly Ringwald, American actress, part of the "Brat Pack." Film: Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and Pretty in Pink (1986).

1964
Matt Dillon, American actor. Film: My Bodyguard (1980), Rumble Fish (1983), and Drugstore Cowboy (1989).

1963
Mark Bode, American cartoonist, creator of Miami Mice and known for his work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

1957
Vanna White, American TV personality. TV: Wheel of Fortune (letter turner).

1954
John Travolta, American actor. Film: Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978) and Urban Cowboy (1980). TV: Welcome Back, Kotter (Vinnie Barbarino).

1953
Robie Bachman, Canadian drummer, with Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Music: Takin' Care of Business (1974) and You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (1974, #1).

1952
Juice Newton (Judy Cohen), American singer. Music: Angel in the Morning (1981) and The Sweetest Thing (1981, #1).

1950
Cybill Shepherd, American actress, winner of Memphis Miss Teenage. TV: Moonlighting (Maddie Hayes).

1947
Dennis DeYoung, American singer, keyboardist, with Styx. Music: Lady (1973), Grand Illusion (1977), and Babe (1979, #1).

1933
Yoko Ono, Japanese-born artist, musician, widow of John Lennon.

1931
Toni Morrison (Chloe Anthony Wofford), American Nobel-Pulitzer-winning author. Writings: Song of Solomon (1978), Beloved (1987, Pulitzer), and Jazz (1992). She was the first black American to win the Nobel Prize in literature (1993).

1931
Johnny Hart (John Lewis Hart), American cartoonist, creator of B.C. (1958) and The Wizard of Id (1963).

1922
Helen Gurley Brown, American author, editor of Cosmopolitan magazine (since 1965), which published the first nude male centerfold (1972, Burt Reynolds).

1920     d. 1945
Eddie Donald Slovik, American Army private, the only U.S. soldier executed for desertion during World War II, and the first since the Civil War.

1919
Jack Palance (Walter Jack Palahnuik), American Oscar-Emmy-winning actor. Film: Sudden Fear (1952) and City Slickers (1991, Oscar). TV: Ripley's Believe It or Not (host).

1862     d. 1939
Charles Michael Schwab, American industrialist. Starting out in the steel industry as a stake driver, he rose to president of Carnegie Steel (1897-1901), president of U.S. Steel (1901-03), and chairman of Bethlehem Steel (1903 et seq.).

1848     d. 1933
Louis Comfort Tiffany, American artist, glassmaker.

1838     d. 1916
Ernst Mach, Austrian physicist. The unit of measure of speed "Mach" is named for him.

1795     d. 1869
George Peabody, American financier, philanthropist, and for whom Peabody, Massachusetts is named. He founded the Peabody Institute in Maryland, the Peabody Museums at Yale and Harvard, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Great Americans (1900).

1745     d. 1827
Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist, inventor of the electric battery, and for whom the volt, the standard unit of electromotive force, is named.

1516     d. 1558
Mary Tudor, Queen of England and Ireland (1553-58). Her persecution of Protestants for heresy to the Roman Catholic Church earned her the name "Bloody Mary."

2006     b. 1937
Richard Bright, American actor.  Film: The Godfather (1972, Al Neri)

1967     b. 1904
J. Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist. "father of the atom bomb." He predicted the existence of rapidly rotating neutron stars (1938), black holes (1939), and directed the lab that perfected the atom bomb (1943-45).

1966     b. 1908
Robert Rossen, American Oscar-winning director. Film: All the King's Men (1949, Best Picture Oscar) and The Hustler (1961).

1933     b. 1866
James "Gentleman Jim" Corbett, American boxer, world heavyweight boxing champ (1892, the first to win under the Marquis of Queensberry rules). He is considered to be the first scientific boxer.

1915     b. 1843
Frank James, American outlaw, brother of Jesse James. After Jesse was killed, he surrendered to authorities and was tried twice, but not convicted.

1906     b. 1830
John B. Stetson, American hat maker. He founded his hat company in 1865.

1874     b. 1792
William Sandys, English lawyer and composer of The First Noel. (Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church)

1695     b. 1651
Sir William Phips, English Colonial leader and governor of the Massachusetts Colony (1692-94) during the Salem witchcraft trials.

1564     b. 1475
Michelangelo Buonarroti, Italian Renaissance artist. His works include his marble sculpture of David (1504) and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican (1512).

1546     b. 1483
Martin Luther, German religious reformer. His stand on the Bible led to the formation of the Lutheran Church. He was excommunicated (1521) from the Roman Catholic Church for challenging the church's doctrines.

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