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FEBRUARY 18 | Birthdays and Events

2 min. read
February 14, 2025 6:16 pm CST

Notable Birthdays for February 18

Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough (1805-1877) - Admiral for the Union Navy.

Walter Page Lane (1817-1892) - Brigadier General for the Confederate Army.

Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831-1895) - First Black women to receive a medical degree in the U.S.

Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) - Stained glass artist.

Charles M. Schwab (1862-1939) - Co-founder of Bethlehem Steel

Eric De Lamarter (1880-1953) - Composer and conductor for the Chicago Symphony.

Wallace Stegner (1909-1993) - Novelist considered to be "The Dean of Western Writers."

Joe Gordon (1915-1978) - MLB player nicknamed "Flash" for his speed and agility.

Bill Cullen (1920-1990)Game show host.

Mary Amdur (1921-1998) - Toxicologist and public health researcher who made shocking discoveries on the effects of pollution

George Kennedy (1925-2016) - Actor who played Dragline in Cool Hand Luke

Johnny Hart (1931-2007) - Cartoonist who co-created The Wizard of Id.

Toni Morrison (1931-2019) - Novelist who wrote Song of Solomon (1977) and Beloved (1987).

Dennis DeYoung (1947-Still Living) - Musician and founding member of the rock band Styx.

John Travolta (1954-Still Living) - Actor whose credits include Grease, Urban Cowboy, Pulp FictionFace/Off, and Wild Hogs.

Matt Dillon (1964-Still Living) - Actor who became a mega star after his roles in Tex (1982), Rumble Fish (1983) and The Outsiders (1983).

Molly Ringwald (1968-Still Living) - 80s actress and star of Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and Pretty in Pink.

Julia Butterfly Hill (1974-Still Living) - Environmentalist and author who lived in a tree in protest of them being cut down. 

Jillian Michaels (1974-Still Living) - Famous personal trainer.

Memorable Events for February 18

1839 - The Detroit Boat Club forms.

1861 - Jefferson Davis becomes the President of the Confederate states.

1885 - Mark Twain publishes the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

1908 - The first rolls of postage stamps are issued to the public.

1930 - Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto.

1930 - Elm Farm Ollie becomes the first cow to fly and be milked in an aircraft.

1979 - Roots: Next Generations premieres on television.

2021 - NASA's Perseverance rover successfully lands on Mars.