So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

February 18th


- Christian Feast Day
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Gambia from the United Kingdom in 1965.

February 18th


- 3102 - 3102 BC – Epoch (origin) of the Kali Yuga.
- 2007 - Terrorist bombs explode on the Samjhauta Express in Panipat, Haryana, India, killing 68 people.
- 2004 - Up to 295 people, including nearly 200 rescue workers, die near Neyshabur in Iran when a run-away freight train carrying sulfur, petrol and fertilizer catches fire and explodes.
- 2003 - Nearly 200 people die in the Daegu subway fire in South Korea.
- 2003 - Comet C/2002 V1 (NEAT) makes perihelion, seen by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.
- 2001 - FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying for the Soviet Union. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
- 2001 - Dale Earnhardt dies in an accident in the final turn of the final lap of the Daytona 500.
- 1998 - Two white separatists are arrested in Nevada and accused of plotting a biological attack on New York City subways.
- 1991 - The IRA explodes bombs in the early morning at Paddington station and Victoria station in London.
- 1983 - Thirteen people die and one is seriously injured in the Wah Mee Massacre in Seattle, Washington. It is said to be the largest robbery-motivated mass-murder in U.S. history.
- 1979 - Snow falls in the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria for the only time in recorded history.
- 1977 - The Space Shuttle Enterprise test vehicle is carried on its maiden "flight" on top of a Boeing 747.
- 1972 - The California Supreme Court in the case of People v. Anderson, 6 Cal.3d 628 invalidates the state's death penalty and commutes the sentences of all death row inmates to life imprisonment.
- 1970 - The Chicago Seven are found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
- 1969 - Hawthorne Nevada Airlines Flight 708 crashes into Mount Whitney killing all on board.
- 1965 - The Gambia becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
- 1957 - Kenyan rebel leader Dedan Kimathi is executed by the British colonial government.
- 1955 - Operation Teapot: Teapot test shot "Wasp" is successfully detonated at the Nevada Test Site with a yield of 1.2 kilotons. Wasp is the first of fourteen shots of the Teapot series.
- 1954 - The first Church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles, California.
- 1948 - Eamon de Valera resigns as Taoiseach of Ireland.
- 1943 - The Nazis arrest the members of the White Rose movement.
- 1943 - Joseph Goebbels delivers his Sportpalast speech.
- 1932 - The Empire of Japan declares Manzhouguo (the obsolete Chinese name for Manchuria) independent from the Republic of China.
- 1930 - While studying photographs taken in January, Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto.
- 1930 - Elm Farm Ollie becomes the first cow to fly in a fixed-wing aircraft and also the first cow to be milked in an aircraft.
- 1929 - The first Academy Awards are announced.
- 1913 - Raymond Poincaré becomes President of France.
- 1911 - 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 kilometres (6.2 mi) away.
- 1906 - Edouard de Laveleye forms the Belgian Olympic Committee in Brussels.
- 1901 - Winston Churchill makes his maiden speech in the House of Commons.
- 1885 - Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published for the first time.
- 1878 - John Tunstall is murdered by outlaw Jessie Evans, sparking the Lincoln County War in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
- 1873 - Bulgarian revolutionary leader Vasil Levski is executed by hanging in Sofia by the Ottoman authorities.
- 1865 - Union forces under Major General William T. Sherman set the South Carolina State House on fire during the burning of Columbia.
- 1861 - In Montgomery, Alabama, Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America.
- 1861 - With the Italian unification almost complete, Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont, Savoy and Sardinia assumes the title of King of Italy.
- 1856 - The Know-Nothings convene in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to nominate their first Presidential candidate, former President Millard Fillmore.
- 1846 - Beginning of the Galician peasant revolt.
- 1841 - The first ongoing filibuster in the United States Senate begins and lasts until March 11.
- 1814 - Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Montereau.
- 1797 - Trinidad is surrendered to a British fleet under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby.
- 1745 - The city of Surakarta, Central Java is founded on the banks of Bengawan Solo River, and becomes the capital of the Kingdom of Surakarta.
- 1685 - Fort St. Louis is established by a Frenchman at Matagorda Bay thus forming the basis for France's claim to Texas.
- 1478 - George, Duke of Clarence, convicted of treason against his older brother Edward IV of England, is executed in private at the Tower of London.
- 1332 - Amda Seyon I, Emperor of Ethiopia begins his campaigns in the southern Muslim provinces.
- 1268 - The Livonian Brothers of the Sword are defeated by Dovmont of Pskov in the Battle of Rakvere.
- 1229 - 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.

February 18th


- 1992 - Logan Miller, American actor
- 1991 - Malese Jow, American actress and singer
- 1991 - Sebastian Neumann, German footballer
- 1991 - Henry Surtees, British racing driver (d. 2009)
- 1990 - Cody Hodgson, Canadian hockey player
- 1989 - Vicente, Brazilian footballer
- 1988 - Shane Lyons, American actor and chef
- 1988 - Maiara Walsh, American actress
- 1988 - Max, South Korean singer (TVXQ)
- 1986 - Marc Torrejón, Spanish footballer
- 1985 - Anton Ferdinand, English footballer
- 1985 - Chelsea Hobbs, American actress
- 1985 - Lee Boyd Malvo, Jamaican serial killer
- 1984 - Kathrin Wörle, German tennis player
- 1983 - Jermaine Jenas, English footballer
- 1983 - Jason Maxiell, American basketball player
- 1983 - Troy Bienemann, American football player
- 1982 - Juelz Santana, American rapper
- 1981 - Andrei Kirilenko, Russian basketball player
- 1981 - Alex Rios, American baseball player
- 1981 - Ivan Sproule, Irish footballer
- 1981 - Larry Sweeney, American professional wrestler
- 1981 - Kim Jae Won, South Korean actor
- 1980 - Nikolai Antropov, Kazakh ice hockey player
- 1980 - Regina Spektor, Russian/American singer and songwriter
- 1978 - Oliver Pocher, German comedian
- 1978 - Josip Šimuni?, Croatian footballer
- 1977 - Ike Barinholtz, American actor
- 1977 - Kátia, Brazilian footballer
- 1977 - Sean Watkins, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1977 - Chrissie Wellington, British triathlete
- 1976 - Chanda Rubin, American tennis player
- 1976 - Leilani Munter, American race car driver
- 1975 - Sarah Brown, American actress
- 1975 - Keith Gillespie, Irish footballer
- 1975 - Gary Neville, English footballer
- 1975 - Simon Kvamm, Danish singer and comedian
- 1974 - Jamey Carroll, American baseball player
- 1974 - Julia Butterfly Hill, American environmental activist
- 1974 - Ruby Dhalla, Canadian politician
- 1974 - Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Russian tennis player
- 1974 - Jillian Michaels, personal trainer
- 1973 - Claude Makélélé, French footballer
- 1971 - Constantin Popa, Romanian-born Israeli basketball player
- 1971 - Merritt Gant, American thrash metal guitarist
- 1970 - Raine Maida, Canadian musician (Our Lady Peace)
- 1970 - Susan Egan, American actress
- 1970 - Andy Williams, British musician (Doves)
- 1970 - Jez Williams, British musician (Doves)
- 1969 - Tomaž Humar, Slovenian mountaineer (d. 2009)
- 1969 - Alexander Mogilny, Russian ice hockey player
- 1969 - Jason Sutter, American drummer (Smash Mouth, American Hi-Fi)
- 1968 - Molly Ringwald, American actress
- 1967 - Tony Anselmo, American animator
- 1967 - Marco Aurélio, Brazilian footballer
- 1967 - Roberto Baggio, Italian footballer
- 1967 - Tracey Edmonds, American film and television producer
- 1967 - Harry Van Barneveld, Belgian judoka
- 1967 - Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, Thai film director and producer
- 1966 - Guy Ferland, American television director
- 1965 - Dr. Dre, American record producer and rapper
- 1965 - Gregory Scott Johnson, American murderer (d. 2005)
- 1964 - Matt Dillon, American actor
- 1964 - Paul Hanley, British musician (The Fall, Tom Hingley and the Lovers)
- 1963 - Henry Winter, English football journalist
- 1962 - Moe Lemay, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1962 - Julie Strain, American actress
- 1961 - Hironobu Kageyama, Japanese singer
- 1961 - Cosmo Wilson, American concert lighting designer
- 1960 - Carol McGiffin, British TV and radio presenter
- 1960 - Greta Scacchi, Australian actress
- 1960 - Andy Moog, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1958 - Giovanni Lavaggi, Italian racing driver
- 1958 - Gar Samuelson, American drummer (d. 1999)
- 1958 - Lucie Visser, Dutch actress and model
- 1957 - Marita Koch, German athlete
- 1957 - Vanna White, American game show presenter
- 1956 - Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer (d. 1997)
- 1956 - Paul Reed Smith, American luthier, founder and owner of PRS Guitars
- 1955 - Miles Tredinnick, English playwright
- 1955 - Raymond Rougeau, Canadian wrestler
- 1954 - John Travolta, American actor
- 1953 - Robbie Bachman, Canadian drummer (Bachman-Turner Overdrive)
- 1952 - Maurice Lucas, American basketball player (d. 2010)
- 1952 - Juice Newton, American singer
- 1951 - Isabel Preysler, Philippines-born Spanish socialite
- 1950 - John Hughes, American director (d. 2009)
- 1950 - Cybill Shepherd, American actress
- 1950 - Michel Gauthier, Canadian politician
- 1949 - Gary Ridgway, American serial killer
- 1948 - Keith Knudsen, American drummer and songwriter (The Doobie Brothers) (d. 2005)
- 1948 - Georg Brunnhuber, German politician
- 1948 - Sinéad Cusack, Irish actress
- 1947 - Dennis DeYoung, American musician (Styx)
- 1947 - Princess Christina of the Netherlands
- 1947 - Carlos Lopes, Portuguese athlete
- 1947 - Eliot Lance Engel, American politician
- 1946 - Michael Buerk, British newsreader
- 1946 - Jean-Claude Dreyfus, French actor
- 1945 - Judy Rankin, American golfer
- 1944 - Pat Bowlen, American sports team owner (Denver Broncos)
- 1943 - Graeme Garden, Scottish writer
- 1941 - Irma Thomas, American singer
- 1940 - Fabrizio De André, Italian singer-songwriter (d. 1999)
- 1939 - Dal Maxvill, American baseball player
- 1939 - Marek Janowski, Polish-born conductor
- 1939 - Claude Ake, Nigerian political scientist
- 1938 - István Szabó, Hungarian film director
- 1938 - Manny Mota, Dominican baseball player
- 1938 - Sadanoyama Shinmatsu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 50th Yokozuna
- 1936 - Jean Auel, American writer
- 1936 - Dick Duff, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1935 - Michel Aoun, Lebanese prime minister
- 1934 - Audre Lorde, Caribbean poet and activist (d. 1992)
- 1933 - Yoko Ono, Japanese-American artist
- 1933 - Sir Bobby Robson, English football player and manager (d. 2009)
- 1933 - Mary Ure, Scottish actress (d. 1975)
- 1932 - Miloš Forman, Czech film director
- 1931 - Johnny Hart, American cartoonist (d. 2007)
- 1931 - Toni Morrison, American writer, Nobel laureate
- 1931 - Bob St. Clair, American football player
- 1930 - Gahan Wilson, American cartoonist
- 1929 - André Mathieu, Canadian composer (d. 1968)
- 1929 - Len Deighton, British author
- 1928 - Tom Johnson, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1927 - John Warner, American politician
- 1927 - Luis Arroyo, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1927 - Peter Fryer English Marxist writer and journalist (d. 2006)
- 1926 - Wallace Berman, American artist
- 1926 - Nalini Jaywant, Indian actress
- 1925 - George Kennedy, American actor
- 1925 - Marcel Barbeau, Canadian artist
- 1924 - Humberto Fernández Morán, Venezuelan scientist (d. 1999)
- 1924 - Louis Laberge, Canadian labour union leader (d. 2002)
- 1922 - Helen Gurley Brown, American editor
- 1922 - Allan Melvin, American actor (d. 2008)
- 1922 - Juhan Smuul, Estonian author (d. 1971)
- 1922 - Joe Tipton, American baseball player (d. 1994)
- 1920 - Bill Cullen, American game show host (d. 1990)
- 1920 - Eric Gairy, Grenadan politician (d. 1997)
- 1919 - Jack Palance, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1918 - Jane Loevinger, American psychologist (d. 2008)
- 1916 - Jean Drapeau, Canadian politician, mayor of Montreal (d. 1999)
- 1915 - Phyllis Calvert, British actress (d. 2002)
- 1914 - Pee Wee King, American country musician and songwriter (d. 2000)
- 1909 - Tuppy Owen-Smith, South African cricketer and English rugby union player (d. 1990)
- 1909 - Wallace Stegner, American writer (d. 1993)
- 1907 - Oscar Brodney, American screenwriter (d. 2008)
- 1906 - Hans Asperger, Austrian pediatrician (d. 1980)
- 1905 - Queenie Leonard, American actress (d. 2002)
- 1903 - Nikolai Podgorny, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (d. 1983)
- 1902 - Walter Herbert, German-born conductor and impresario (d. 1975)
- 1901 - Reginald Sheffield, British actor (d. 1957)
- 1898 - Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rican poet (d. 1980)
- 1898 - Enzo Ferrari, founder of Ferrari (d. 1988)
- 1897 - Charles Kuentz, German-born French WW1 veteran and centenarian (d. 2005)
- 1896 - Andre Breton, French writer (d. 1966)
- 1892 - Wendell Willkie, American politician (d. 1944)
- 1890 - Edward Arnold, American actor (d. 1956)
- 1890 - Adolphe Menjou, American actor (d. 1963)
- 1884 - Andrew Watson Myles, Canadian politician (d. 1970)
- 1883 - Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek author (d. 1957)
- 1883 - Madan Lal Dhingra, Indian Revolutionary (d. 1909)
- 1871 - Harry Brearley, English inventor (d. 1948)
- 1870 - William Laurel Harris, American mural painter and writer (d. 1924)
- 1859 - Sholom Aleichem, Russian Yiddish humorist (d. 1916)
- 1849 - Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author (d. 1906)
- 1848 - Louis Comfort Tiffany, American glass artist (d. 1933)
- 1846 - Wilson Barrett, English playwright (d. 1904)
- 1838 - Ernst Mach, Austrian physicist (d. 1916)
- 1836 - Sri Ramakrishna, Indian Bengali guru of Swami Vivekananda (d. 1886)
- 1818 - Pedro Figueredo, Cuban poet, musician, revolutionary (d. 1870)
- 1814 - Samuel Fenton Cary, American-born U. S. Congressman (d. 1900)
- 1745 - Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist (d. 1827)
- 1658 - Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French writer (d. 1743)
- 1642 - Marie Champmeslé, French actress (d. 1698)
- 1635 - Johan Göransson Gyllenstierna, Swedish statesman (d. 1680)
- 1609 - Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, English historian (d. 1674)
- 1602 - Per Brahe, Swedish soldier (d. 1680)
- 1559 - Isaac Casaubon, French classical scholar (d. 1614)
- 1543 - Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1608)
- 1530 - Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese samurai and warlord (d. 1578)
- 1516 - Queen Mary I of England (d. 1558)
- 1486 - Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Bengali yogi (d. 1534)
- 1404 - Leone Battista Alberti, Italian painter and philosopher (d. 1472)
- 1374 - Saint Jadwiga of Poland, queen of Poland (d. 1399)