This Day In History, February 18th.
Five Historical Events That Happened on February 18th.
In 1478, the Tower of London executed George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, for treason against his brother, King Edward IV of England.
Explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle founded Fort St. Louis, a French colony in what is now Texas, in 1685.
In 1766, Samuel Adams and James Otis Jr. delivered speeches in Boston opposing the Stamp Act, a British tax on paper goods that would spark the American Revolution.
In Montgomery, Alabama, Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America in 1861.
Clyde Tombaugh, an astronomer from Flagstaff, Arizona, discovered Pluto in 1930 at the Lowell Observatory.
This Day In History, February 18th, 1478, George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, was executed in the Tower of London for treason against his brother King Edward IV of England.
King Edward IV of England's brother was George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence. However, he was accused of plotting against his brother and was executed on February 18th, 1478, in the Tower of London. He was allegedly drowned in a barrel of Malmsey wine, according to historical accounts, though this method of execution has been debated by historians. His death paved the way for his brother Richard to succeed him as King Richard III.
February 18th, 1685, Fort St. Louis, a French colony in what is now Texas, was established by explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle.
On February 18, 1685, a French explorer named Robert Cavelier de La Salle established Fort St. Louis in what is now Texas. The fort was built near the Garcitas Creek, which is now near Victoria, Texas. The fort was named after King Louis XIV of France by La Salle, who intended it to serve as a French colony. The colony, however, faced numerous challenges, such as disease, conflicts with Native American tribes, and supply shortages. The colony was eventually abandoned, and the fort was destroyed by Native Americans in 1689.
In 1766, Samuel Adams and James Otis Jr. delivered speeches in Boston protesting the Stamp Act, a British tax on paper goods that would eventually lead to the American Revolution.
On February 18, 1766, Samuel Adams and James Otis Jr. delivered speeches in Boston protesting the Stamp Act, a British tax on paper goods imposed the previous year on the American colonies. The Stamp Act was widely opposed by colonists who believed they should not be taxed without their consent. The speeches given by Adams and Otis were part of a larger anti-tax resistance movement that resulted in the repeal of the tax in 1766. The Stamp Act rebellion was a significant event in the lead-up to the American Revolution because it demonstrated the growing tensions between the colonies and Great Britain.
In 1861, Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Alabama.
Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Alabama on February 18, 1861. Prior to the secession of the southern states, Davis was a prominent political figure in the United States, and he was instrumental in the formation of the Confederacy. His inauguration was a watershed moment in American history, as it signaled the formal establishment of a separate government in the South and the start of the Civil War. Throughout the war, from 1861 to 1865, Davis served as President of the Confederacy.
In 1930, Pluto was discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Clyde Tombaugh, an American astronomer, discovered Pluto on February 18, 1930, at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Tombaugh was tasked with finding a ninth planet in our solar system, which was thought to exist due to irregularities in Neptune and Uranus' orbits. Tombaugh finally found a small, faint object that appeared to be moving in an unusual manner after months of searching. This object was later discovered to be a new planet, named Pluto after the Roman god of the underworld. Pluto was thought to be the ninth planet in our solar system until 2006, when the International Astronomical Union reclassified it as a "dwarf planet."