February 18
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Christianfeast day:
Bernadette Soubirous(France), Colmán of Lindisfarne, Flavian of Constantinople, Geltrude Comensoli, Simeon of Jerusalem(Western Christianity), February 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
A Christian feast day commemorating saints such as Bernadette Soubirous, Colmán of Lindisfarne, Flavian of Constantinople, Geltrude Comensoli, and Simeon of Jerusalem in Western and Eastern traditions.
Dialect Day(Amami Islands, Japan)
A day celebrating the unique dialects and linguistic heritage of the Amami Islands in Japan.
Independence Day, celebrates the independence ofthe Gambiafrom the United Kingdom in 1965
Independence Day marking the Gambia's liberation from British colonial rule in 1965.
Kurdish Students Union Day(Iraqi Kurdistan)
A day honoring the founding and contributions of the Kurdish Students Union in Iraqi Kurdistan.
National Democracy Day, celebrates the 1951 overthrow of theRana dynasty(Nepal)
National Democracy Day commemorating Nepal's overthrow of the Rana dynasty and the restoration of democratic rule in 1951.
Bernadette Soubirous(France)
Feast day of Saint Bernadette Soubirous, known for her Marian visions in Lourdes, France.
Colmán of Lindisfarne
Feast day of Saint Colmán of Lindisfarne, an early bishop and missionary in the Irish Church.
Flavian of Constantinople
Feast day of Saint Flavian of Constantinople, Patriarch and defender of orthodoxy in the 5th century.
Geltrude Comensoli
Feast day of Blessed Geltrude Comensoli, founder of the Institute of the Sisters of Divine Zeal.
Events
Kali Yuga, the fourth and final yuga of Hinduism, starts with the death of Krishna.
Kali Yuga, the final age in Hindu cosmology, is said to begin with the death of Krishna in 3102 BC.
The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem with neither military engagements nor support from the papacy.
In 1229, Frederick II negotiated a peaceful ten-year truce with Sultan al-Kamil, regaining key holy cities without military conflict or papal backing.
The Battle of Wesenberg is fought between the Livonian Order and Dovmont of Pskov.
The Battle of Wesenberg in 1268 saw the Livonian Order clash with the forces of Dovmont of Pskov in a significant medieval engagement.
Amda Seyon I, Emperor of Ethiopia begins his campaigns in the southern Muslim provinces.
In 1332, Emperor Amda Seyon I launched campaigns into Ethiopia’s southern Muslim provinces, expanding his empire through decisive military actions.
George, Duke of Clarence, convicted of treason against his older brother Edward IV of England, is executed in private at the Tower of London.
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, was executed for treason in the Tower of London in 1478, accused of plotting against his brother King Edward IV.
Eighty Years' War: Off the coast of Cornwall, England, a Spanish fleet intercepts an important Anglo-Dutch merchant convoy of 44 vessels escorted by six warships, destroying or capturing 20 of them.
During the Eighty Years’ War in 1637, a Spanish fleet intercepted and decimated an Anglo-Dutch convoy off the coast of Cornwall.
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.)
Flora, or Hob in the Well, premiered in Charleston in 1735 as the first opera performed in North America, marking a milestone in colonial cultural history.
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War: Captain Thomas Shirley opens his expedition against Dutch colonial outposts on the Gold Coast of Africa (present-day Ghana).
Captain Thomas Shirley began an expedition against Dutch outposts on the Gold Coast in 1781 during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War.
Congress passes a law admitting the state of Vermont to the Union, effective 4 March, after that state had existed for 14 years as a de facto independent largely unrecognized state.
On February 18, 1791, the US Congress passed a law admitting Vermont as the 14th state, formalizing its long-standing de facto independence.
Births
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi
13th-century Persian polymath whose work in astronomy, mathematics, and ethics influenced both Islamic and Western scholars.
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani
15th-century Egyptian jurist and muhaddith whose seminal works in hadith studies remain authoritative today.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
15th-century Indian saint and social reformer who introduced congregational chanting of Krishna's name.
First queen regnant of England who sought to restore Catholicism, earning the epithet 'Bloody Mary'.
Uesugi Kenshin
16th-century Japanese daimyō famed for his martial skill and honorable conduct in the Sengoku period.
Charles III
16th-century Duke of Lorraine who balanced regional autonomy amid French and Imperial pressures.
Bahāʾ al-dīn al-ʿĀmilī
Renowned Iranian philosopher and theologian who founded the Isfahan School of Islamic philosophy.
Isaac Casaubon
Prominent Swiss-born philologist celebrated for critical editions of classical Greek and Latin texts.
Henry Vane the Elder
17th-century English statesman who served as Treasurer of the Navy and fathered a notable Puritan leader.
Deaths
Colmán
Irish monk and bishop of Lindisfarne known for his defense of Celtic Christian practices.
Angilbert
Frankish monk and diplomat who served at the court of Charlemagne.
Thābit ibn Qurra
Arab scholar who made pioneering contributions to mathematics, astronomy, and medicine.
Gregory V
First German pope who led the Catholic Church at the turn of the first millennium.
Yaropolk II
Grand Prince of Kiev who ruled during a period of dynastic strife in Kievan Rus'.
Berthold V
Duke of Zähringen and Margrave of Baden who played a key role in southwestern German politics.
Hugh Bigod
3rd Earl of Norfolk and prominent Norman nobleman involved in English politics.
Kublai Khan
Mongol emperor who established the Yuan dynasty and ruled China from his capital at Khanbaliq.
Albert II
Duke of Mecklenburg who governed northeastern German territories in the 14th century.