This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride of all the fascinating things that happened 18th February!
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of history. Now, let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 18th February”.
1836: Ramakrishna was born
Hindu religious leader Ramakrishna, who founded a school of thought that united diverse mystical traditions into a single belief system that became the Ramakrishna Order, was born in Hooghly, Bengal state, India.
1911: The first official flight with air mail
The first official flight with air mail takes place in Allahabad, British India, when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivers 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 km away.
1930: Pluto is discovered
Using a 13-inch (33-cm) telescope at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, Clyde W. Tombaugh, a 24-year-old American with no formal training in astronomy, discovered the dwarf planet Pluto on 18th February in 1930. Tombaugh discovered the dwarf planet when sifting through photographs taken a month earlier.
1978: Hawaii hosts the first Ironman Triathlon
Contestants have to swim 2.4 miles (3.86 km), bike 112 miles (180.25 km) and complete a marathon run measuring 26.2 miles (42.2 km). It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world. Most Ironman events have a limited time of 16 or 17 hours to complete the race, course dependent. Any participant who manages to complete the triathlon within these time constraints is designated an Ironman.
2014: Revolution in Ukraine
Ukrainian Revolution of 2014 begins as protesters, riot police and unknown shooters take part in violent events in the capital, Kiev, culminating after five days in the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych.
