In History, Today on February 18

NASA's Perseverance rover successfully landed on Mars, beginning its mission to search for signs of past life and collect samples for future return to Earth.

The United States announced charges against Huawei and its CFO Meng Wanzhou, accusing them of racketeering and conspiracy to steal trade secrets.

The Vatican announced that it had defrocked former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick after finding him guilty of sexual abuse.

Violent clashes erupted in Kyiv, Ukraine, between protesters and police, marking a significant escalation in the Euromaidan protests.

A plane crashed into an IRS building in Austin, Texas, in a suicide attack by Andrew Joseph Stack III, killing two people including the pilot.

A train derailed near Nishapur, Iran, causing explosions that killed at least 295 people.

An arson attack on a subway train in Daegu, South Korea, resulted in the deaths of 192 people.

Dale Earnhardt, a legendary NASCAR driver, died in a crash during the final lap of the Daytona 500.

The controversial figure Jörg Haider resigns as governor of the Austrian state of Carinthia amid international criticism of his far-right Freedom Party's participation in the Austrian government.

The IRA launches a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street in London, targeting British Prime Minister John Major and his cabinet during a meeting.

Snow falls in the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria for the only time in recorded history.

NASA's first Space Shuttle, Enterprise, made its first test flight on top of a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. This marked a key step in shuttle testing leading towards human spaceflight.

The Gambia attained independence from the United Kingdom, marking the end of British colonial rule and the establishment of a sovereign nation.

The first Church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles, California.

Joseph Goebbels delivered the Sportpalast speech at the Berlin Sportpalast calling for a Total War against the Allies.

Japan declared the establishment of the puppet state of Manchukuo in Manchuria.

Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is published in the United States.

Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional president of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Alabama.

The first ongoing filibustering trial begins in an American courtroom over the capture of two Cuban ships by Americans.

University of Maryland, the first dental school in the world, was incorporated.

The Battle of Montereau was fought between Napoleonic forces and a coalition led by Austria during the War of the Sixth Coalition.

Trinidad, a Spanish colony, was invaded by a British fleet led by Sir Ralph Abercromby. The Spanish governor, José María Chacón, surrendered the island to the British.

The Treaty of Dresden was signed, ending the Second Silesian War between Prussia and Saxony.

George, Duke of Clarence, is executed for treason against his brother Edward IV of England. Legend has it that he was drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine.

The Livonian Brothers of the Sword, a military order, are dissolved by Pope Clement IV.

The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with Al-Kamil, the Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt, allowing Christians to regain control of Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem without military conflict.

The Council of Constantinople ends, which was convened to address the issue of iconoclasm in the Byzantine Empire.

Saint Pamphilus of Caesarea, a Christian scholar and presbyter, was martyred during the Diocletianic Persecution.