Did you know
Michelangelo was born in the Republic of Florence but was mostly active in Rome from his 30s onwards.
Notable Deaths on February 18
1564 — Michelangelo
Italian sculptor and painter (born 1475)
February 18 has 56 recorded notable deaths across history, from 675 to 2026. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
56 source records
675 – 2026
Today in history
Major events on February 18
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 2010 WikiLeaks publishes the first of hundreds of thousands of classified documents disclosed by the soldier now known as Chelsea Manning. Source
- 1954 The first Church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles. Source
- 1781 Fourth Anglo-Dutch War: Captain Thomas Shirley opens his expedition against Dutch colonial outposts on the Gold Coast of Africa (present-day Ghana). Source
- 1861 In Montgomery, Alabama, Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America. Source
Did you know
Ralph Dale Earnhardt was an American professional stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series, most notably driving the No.
Did you know
Andy Devine also appeared alongside John Wayne in films such as Stagecoach (1939), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and How the West Was Won.
Did you know
When his father died in April 1711, the Duke of Burgundy became the official Dauphin of France.
Did you know
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici was an Italian noblewoman who was the last lineal descendant of the main branch of the House of Medici.
More major people who died on February 18
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
2001
Dale Earnhardt
American racer and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (born 1951)
Ralph Dale Earnhardt was an American professional stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series, most notably driving the No.
1977
Andy Devine
American actor (born 1905)
Andrew Vabre Devine was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers in 10 feature films.
1712
Louis
Dauphin of France, (born 1682)
Louis, Dauphin of France, Duke of Burgundy, was the eldest son of Louis, Grand Dauphin, and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria and grandson of the reigning French king, Louis XIV.
1743
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici
Italian noble (born 1667)
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici was an Italian noblewoman who was the last lineal descendant of the main branch of the House of Medici.
2014
Maria Franziska von Trapp
Austrian-American singer (born 1914)
Maria Agatha Franziska Gobertina 'Mitzi' von Trapp was the second-oldest daughter of Georg von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp.
1933
James J. Corbett
American boxer and actor (born 1866)
James John Corbett was an American professional boxer and a World Heavyweight Champion, best known as the only man who ever defeated John L. Sullivan.
1695
William Phips
governor of Massachusetts (born 1650)
Major-General Sir William Phips was a treasure hunter, military officer, and colonial administrator from the New England Colonies.
1397
Enguerrand VII
French nobleman (born 1340)
Enguerrand VII de Coucy,, also known as Ingelram de Coucy and Ingelram de Couci, was a medieval French nobleman and the last Lord of Coucy.
1969
Dragiša Cvetković
Serbian lawyer and politician, 17th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (born 1893)
Dragiša Cvetković was a Yugoslav politician active in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He served as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1939 to 1941.
1893
Serranus Clinton Hastings
American lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Justice of California (born 1814)
Serranus Clinton Hastings was an American politician, rancher, and lawyer in California. Born in Watertown, New York, he studied law as a young man and moved to the Iowa District in 1837 to open a law office.
1780
Kristijonas Donelaitis
Lithuanian pastor and poet (born 1714)
Kristijonas Donelaitis was a Prussian Lithuanian poet and Lutheran pastor. He lived and worked in Lithuania Minor, a territory in the Kingdom of Prussia, that had a sizable Lithuanian-speaking minority.
1478
George Plantagenet
1st Duke of Clarence, English nobleman (born 1449; executed)
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, was the sixth child and third surviving son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, and the brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III.
1873
Vasil Levski
Bulgarian activist, founded the Internal Revolutionary Organization (born 1837)
Vasil Levski, born Vasil Ivanov Kunchev, was a Bulgarian revolutionary who is, today, a national hero of Bulgaria.
2025
Gene Hackman
award-winning American actor (born 1930)
Eugene Allen Hackman was an American actor. Considered one of the greatest actors of his generation and a paragon of the New Hollywood movement, Hackman's mainstream acting career spanned over four decades.
1294
Kublai Khan
Mongol emperor (born 1215)
Kublai Khan, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder and first emperor of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China.
1966
Grigory Nelyubov
Soviet pilot and military officer (born 1934)
Grigory Grigoryevich Nelyubov was one of the original 20 Soviet cosmonauts, who was dismissed from the Soviet space program in 1963 for drunk and disorderly conduct.
1546
Martin Luther
German priest and theologian, leader of the Protestant Reformation (born 1483)
Martin Luther was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Augustinian friar.
1967
J. Robert Oppenheimer
American physicist and academic (born 1904)
J. Robert Oppenheimer was an American theoretical physicist who served as the director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II.
2015
Elchanan Heilprin
Slovak-born English rabbi (born 1920 or 1922)
Elchanan Halpern was a Rabbi in the Golders Green neighbourhood of London and President of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations.