18 February in history
6 events that happened on 18 February, from 1229 to 1943.
✦ Anniversary of the day
1229 CE 797 years ago
Frederick II regains Jerusalem by treaty
In the Sixth Crusade, Emperor Frederick II agreed a ten-year truce with the Ayyubid Sultan al-Kamil that returned Jerusalem to Christian control without a battle. The deal angered many on both sides.
1564 CE 462 years ago
Michelangelo dies in Rome
The sculptor, painter and architect died aged 88, still working as chief architect of St Peter's. His works include the David, the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the Last Judgement.
1678 CE 348 years ago
John Bunyan's 'The Pilgrim's Progress' is published
Partly written in Bedford gaol, Bunyan's allegory of Christian's journey to the Celestial City was an immediate success. It has been translated into more than 200 languages.
1885 CE 141 years ago
Mark Twain's 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' published in the US
Twain's novel of a boy and an escaped slave on the Mississippi was published in America. Written in vernacular speech, it has been called the source of all modern American literature.
