February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 316 days remaining until the end of the year (317 in leap years).

Events[link]

• 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.
• 1268 – The Livonian Brothers of the Sword are defeated by Dovmont of Pskov in the Battle of Rakvere.
• 1332 – Amda Seyon I, Emperor of Ethiopia begins his campaigns in the southern Muslim provinces.
• 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.
• 1637 – Eighty Years' War: Off the coast of Cornwall, England, a Spanish fleet intercepts an important Anglo-Dutch merchant convoy of 44 vessels escorted by 6 warships, destroying or capturing 20 of them.
• 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.
• 1781 – Fourth Anglo-Dutch War: Captain Thomas Shirley opened his expedition against Dutch colonial outposts on the Gold Coast of Africa (present-day Ghana).
• 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: Sir Ralph Abercromby and a fleet of 18 British warships invade Trinidad.
• 1814 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Montereau.
• 1846 – Beginning of the Galician peasant revolt.
• 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.
• 1865 – Union forces under Major General William T. Sherman set the South Carolina State House on fire during the burning of Columbia.
• 1873 – Bulgarian revolutionary leader Vasil Levski is executed by hanging in Sofia by the Ottoman authorities.
• 1878 – John Tunstall is murdered by outlaw Jesse Evans, sparking the Lincoln County War in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
• 1900 – Second Boer War: Imperial forces suffer their worst single-day loss of life on Bloody Sunday, the first day of the Battle of Paardeberg.
• 1906 – Edouard de Laveleye forms the Belgian Olympic Committee in Brussels.
• 1911 – The first official flight with air mail takes place from Allahabad, United Provinces, British India (now India), when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivers 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away.
• 1913 – Pedro Lascuráin becomes President of Mexico for 45 minutes; this is the shortest term to date of any person as president of any country.
• 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.
• 1932 – The Empire of Japan declares Manzhouguo (the obsolete Chinese name for Manchuria) independent from the Republic of China.
• 1938 – During the Nanking Massacre Nanking Safety Zone International Committee renamed "Nanking International Rescue Committee" and safety zone in place for refugees falls apart.
• 1942 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army begins the systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore.
• 1943 – The Nazis arrest the members of the White Rose movement.
• 1943 – Joseph Goebbels delivers his Sportpalast speech.
• 1946 – Sailors of the Royal Indian Navy mutinied in Bombay harbour, from where the action spread throughout the Provinces of British India, involving 78 ships, twenty shore establishments and 20,000 sailors
• 1954 – The first Church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles, California.
• 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.
• 1957 – Kenyan rebel leader Dedan Kimathi is executed by the British colonial government.
• 1957 – Walter James Bolton becomes the last person legally executed in New Zealand.
• 1965 – The Gambia becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
• 1969 – Hawthorne Nevada Airlines Flight 708 crashes into Mount Whitney killing all on board.
• 1970 – The Chicago Seven are found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
• 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.
• 1977 – The Space Shuttle Enterprise test vehicle is carried on its maiden "flight" on top of a Boeing 747.
• 1978 – The first Ironman Triathlon competition takes place on the island of Oahu, won by Gordon Haller.
• 1979 – Snow falls in the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria for the only time in recorded history.
• 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.
• 1991 – The IRA explodes bombs in the early morning at Paddington station and Victoria station in London.
• 2001 – FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying for the Soviet Union. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
• 2001 – Seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt dies in an accident during the Daytona 500.
• 2001 – Inter-ethnic violence between Dayaks and Madurese breaks out in Sampit, Indonesia, that will ultimately result in more than 500 deaths and 100,000 Madurese displaced from their homes.
• 2003 – Nearly 200 people die in the Daegu subway fire in South Korea.
• 2004 – Up to 295 people, including nearly 200 rescue workers, die near Neyshabur in Iran when a runaway freight train carrying sulfur, petrol and fertilizer catches fire and explodes.
• 2007 – Terrorist bombs explode on the Samjhauta Express in Panipat, Haryana, India, killing 68 people.

Births[link]

• 1374 – Saint Jadwiga of Poland, queen of Poland (d. 1399)
• 1404 – Leon Battista Alberti, Italian painter and philosopher (d. 1472)
• 1486 – Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Bengali yogi (d. 1534)
• 1516 – Queen Mary I of England (d. 1558)
• 1530 – Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese samurai and warlord (d. 1578)
• 1543 – Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1608)
• 1559 – Isaac Casaubon, French classical scholar (d. 1614)
• 1602 – Per Brahe, Swedish soldier (d. 1680)
• 1609 – Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, English historian (d. 1674)
• 1632 – Giovanni Battista Vitali, Italian composer and violinist (d. 1692)
• 1635 – Johan Göransson Gyllenstierna, Swedish statesman (d. 1680)
• 1642 – Marie Champmeslé, French actress (d. 1698)
• 1658 – Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French writer (d. 1743)
• 1732 – Johann Christian Kittel, German organist, composer, and teacher (d. 1809)
• 1745 – Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist (d. 1827)
• 1814 – Samuel Fenton Cary, American-born U. S. Congressman (d. 1900)
• 1817 – Lewis A. Armistead, American Confederate general (d. 1863)
• 1818 – Pedro Figueredo, Cuban poet, musician, revolutionary (d. 1870)
• 1836 – Sri Ramakrishna, Indian Bengali guru of Swami Vivekananda (d. 1886)
• 1838 – Ernst Mach, Austrian physicist (d. 1916)
• 1841 – Gergely Luthár, Hungarian Slovene writer (d. 1925)
• 1846 – Wilson Barrett, English playwright (d. 1904)
• 1848 – Louis Comfort Tiffany, American glass artist (d. 1933)
• 1849 – Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author (d. 1906)
• 1850 – George Henschel, German-British baritone, conductor, composer (d. 1934)
• 1859 – Sholom Aleichem, Russian Yiddish humorist (d. 1916)
• 1862 – Charles M. Schwab, American steel magnate (d. 1939)
• 1870 – William Laurel Harris, American mural painter and writer (d. 1924)
• 1871 – Harry Brearley, English inventor (d. 1948)
• 1878 – Harriet Bosse, Swedish–Norwegian actress (d. 1961)
• 1883 – Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek author (d. 1957)
• 1883 – Madan Lal Dhingra, Indian Revolutionary (d. 1909)
• 1884 – Andrew Watson Myles, Canadian politician (d. 1970)
• 1890 – Edward Arnold, American actor (d. 1956)
• 1890 – Adolphe Menjou, American actor (d. 1963)
• 1892 – Wendell Willkie, American politician (d. 1944)
• 1897 – Charles Kuentz, German-born French WW1 veteran and centenarian (d. 2005)
• 1898 – Enzo Ferrari, founder of Ferrari (d. 1988)
• 1898 – Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rican poet (d. 1980)
• 1899 – Sir Arthur Bryant, British historian (d. 1985)
• 1901 – Reginald Sheffield, British actor (d. 1957)
• 1902 – Walter Herbert, German-born conductor and impresario (d. 1975)
• 1903 – Nikolai Podgorny, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (d. 1983)
• 1905 – Queenie Leonard, American actress (d. 2002)
• 1906 – Hans Asperger, Austrian pediatrician (d. 1980)
• 1907 – Oscar Brodney, American screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1909 – Tuppy Owen-Smith, South African cricketer and English rugby union player (d. 1990)
• 1909 – Wallace Stegner, American writer (d. 1993)
• 1914 – Pee Wee King, American country musician and songwriter (d. 2000)
• 1915 – Phyllis Calvert, British actress (d. 2002)
• 1916 – Jean Drapeau, Canadian politician, mayor of Montreal (d. 1999)
• 1918 – Jane Loevinger, American psychologist (d. 2008)
• 1919 – Jack Palance, American actor (d. 2006)
• 1920 – Bill Cullen, American game show host (d. 1990)
• 1920 – Eric Gairy, Grenadan politician (d. 1997)
• 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)
• 1922 – Connie Wisniewski, American baseball player [AAGPBL] (d. 1995)
• 1924 – Humberto Fernández Morán, Venezuelan scientist (d. 1999)
• 1924 – Louis Laberge, Canadian labour union leader (d. 2002)
• 1924 – Nicolo Rizzuto, Sicilian-born Canadian organized crime figure (d. 2010)
• 1924 – Sam Rolfe, American screenwriter (d. 1993)
• 1925 – Marcel Barbeau, Canadian artist
• 1925 – George Kennedy, American actor
• 1926 – Wallace Berman, American artist
• 1926 – Nalini Jaywant, Indian actress (d. 2010)
• 1927 – Luis Arroyo, Puerto Rican baseball player
• 1927 – Peter Fryer English Marxist writer and journalist (d. 2006)
• 1927 – John Warner, American politician, 61st United States Secretary of the Navy and American politician
• 1928 – Tom Johnson, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2007)
• 1929 – Len Deighton, British author
• 1929 – André Mathieu, Canadian composer (d. 1968)
• 1930 – Gahan Wilson, American cartoonist
• 1931 – Johnny Hart, American cartoonist (d. 2007)
• 1931 – Toni Morrison, American writer, Nobel laureate
• 1931 – Bob St. Clair, American football player
• 1932 – Miloš Forman, Czech film director
• 1933 – Yoko Ono, Japanese-born American singer and performance artist
• 1933 – Sir Bobby Robson, English football player and manager (d. 2009)
• 1933 – Mary Ure, Scottish actress (d. 1975)
• 1934 – Audre Lorde, Caribbean poet and activist (d. 1992)
• 1934 – Heini Müller, German footballer
• 1934 – Paco Rabanne, Spanish fashion designer
• 1935 – Michel Aoun, Lebanese prime minister
• 1935 – Janette Oke, Canadian writer
• 1936 – Jean Auel, American writer
• 1936 – Dick Duff, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1936 – Ab McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1938 – Manny Mota, Dominican baseball player
• 1938 – Sadanoyama Shinmatsu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 50th Yokozuna
• 1938 – István Szabó, Hungarian film director
• 1939 – Claude Ake, Nigerian political scientist
• 1939 – Marek Janowski, Polish-born conductor
• 1939 – Dal Maxvill, American baseball player
• 1940 – Fabrizio De André, Italian singer-songwriter (d. 1999)
• 1941 – Herman Santiago, American singer and songwriter (The Teenagers)
• 1941 – Irma Thomas, American singer
• 1943 – Graeme Garden, Scottish writer
• 1944 – Pat Bowlen, American sports team owner (Denver Broncos)
• 1945 – Judy Rankin, American golfer
• 1946 – Michael Buerk, British newsreader
• 1946 – Jean-Claude Dreyfus, French actor
• 1947 – Dennis DeYoung, American musician (Styx)
• 1947 – Princess Christina of the Netherlands
• 1947 – Carlos Lopes, Portuguese athlete
• 1947 – Eliot Lance Engel, American politician
• 1948 – Georg Brunnhuber, German politician
• 1948 – Sinéad Cusack, Irish actress
• 1948 – Keith Knudsen, American drummer and songwriter (The Doobie Brothers) (d. 2005)
• 1948 – Gilbert Sicotte, Canadian actor
• 1949 – Gary Ridgway, American serial killer
• 1950 – Michel Gauthier, Canadian politician
• 1950 – John Hughes, American film director (d. 2009)
• 1950 – Cybill Shepherd, American actress
• 1951 – Isabel Preysler, Philippines-born Spanish socialite
• 1952 – Maurice Lucas, American basketball player (d. 2010)
• 1952 – Juice Newton, American singer
• 1952 – Randy Crawford, American jazz and R&B singer
• 1953 – Robbie Bachman, Canadian drummer (Bachman–Turner Overdrive)
• 1954 – Charlie Fowler, American mountaineer (d. 2006)
• 1954 – John Travolta, American actor
• 1955 – Miles Tredinnick, English playwright
• 1955 – Raymond Rougeau, Canadian wrestler
• 1956 – Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer (d. 1997)
• 1956 – Paul Reed Smith, American luthier
• 1957 – Marita Koch, German athlete
• 1957 – Vanna White, American game show presenter
• 1958 – Giovanni Lavaggi, Italian racing driver
• 1958 – Gar Samuelson, American drummer (Megadeth) (d. 1999)
• 1958 – Lucie Visser, Dutch actress and model
• 1960 – Tony Anselmo, American animator
• 1960 – Carol McGiffin, British TV and radio presenter
• 1960 – Andy Moog, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1960 – Greta Scacchi, Australian actress
• 1961 – Hironobu Kageyama, Japanese singer
• 1961 – Cosmo Wilson, American concert lighting designer
• 1962 – Moe Lemay, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1962 – Julie Strain, American actress
• 1963 – Henry Winter, English football journalist
• 1964 – Matt Dillon, American actor
• 1964 – Paul Hanley, British musician (The Fall and Tom Hingley and the Lovers)
• 1965 – Dr. Dre, American record producer and rapper (World Class Wreckin' Cru and N.W.A)
• 1965 – Gregory Scott Johnson, American murderer (d. 2005)
• 1966 – Guy Ferland, American television director
• 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
• 1968 – Molly Ringwald, American actress
• 1969 – Tomaž Humar, Slovenian mountaineer (d. 2009)
• 1969 – Alexander Mogilny, Russian ice hockey player
• 1969 – Jason Sutter, American drummer (Smash Mouth and American Hi-Fi)
• 1970 – Susan Egan, American actress
• 1970 – Raine Maida, Canadian musician (Our Lady Peace)
• 1970 – Andy Williams, British musician (Doves and Sub Sub)
• 1970 – Jez Williams, British musician (Doves and Sub Sub)
• 1971 – Merritt Gant, American thrash metal guitarist (Overkill)
• 1971 – Constantin Popa, Romanian-born Israeli basketball player
• 1973 – Shawn Estes, American baseball player
• 1973 – Claude Makélélé, French footballer
• 1974 – Carrie Ann Baade, American painter
• 1974 – Jamey Carroll, American baseball player
• 1974 – Ruby Dhalla, Canadian politician
• 1974 – Julia Butterfly Hill, American environmental activist
• 1974 – Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Russian tennis player
• 1974 – Jillian Michaels, American fitness trainer
• 1975 – Sarah Brown, American actress
• 1975 – Keith Gillespie, Irish footballer
• 1975 – Simon Kvamm, Danish singer and comedian (Nephew)
• 1975 – Gary Neville, English footballer
• 1976 – Leilani Munter, American race car driver
• 1976 – Chanda Rubin, American tennis player
• 1976 – Bernadette Sembrano
• 1977 – Ike Barinholtz, American actor
• 1977 – Kátia, Brazilian footballer
• 1977 – Sean Watkins, American guitarist and songwriter (Nickel Creek, Fiction Family and Works Progress Administration)
• 1977 – Chrissie Wellington, British tri-athlete
• 1978 – Oliver Pocher, German comedian
• 1978 – Josip Šimunić, Croatian footballer
• 1980 – Nikolai Antropov, Kazakh ice hockey player
• 1980 – Regina Spektor, Russian/American singer and songwriter
• 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
• 1982 – Juelz Santana, American rapper (Skull Gang and The Diplomats)
• 1982 – Christian Tiffert, German footballer
• 1983 – Troy Bienemann, American football player
• 1983 – Jermaine Jenas, English footballer
• 1983 – Jason Maxiell, American basketball player
• 1984 – Ricardo Salampessy, Indonesian footballer
• 1984 – Kathrin Wörle, German tennis player
• 1984 – Idriss Carlos Kameni, Cameroonian footballer
• 1985 – Anton Ferdinand, English footballer
• 1985 – Chelsea Hobbs, American actress
• 1985 – Todd Lasance, Australian actor
• 1985 – Lee Boyd Malvo, Jamaican spree killer
• 1986 – Marc Torrejón, Spanish footballer
• 1987 – Vicente Guaita, Spanish footballer
• 1988 – Shane Lyons, American actor and chef
• 1988 – Maiara Walsh, American actress
• 1988 – Max, South Korean singer (TVXQ)
• 1989 – Vicente, Brazilian footballer
• 1990 – Cody Hodgson, Canadian hockey player
• 1990 – Park Shin-hye, South Korean actress
• 1991 – Malese Jow, American actress and singer
• 1991 – Sebastian Neumann, German footballer
• 1991 – Henry Surtees, English racing driver (d. 2009)
• 1992 – Logan Miller, American actor
• 1993 – Morgan York, American actress

Deaths[link]

• 806 – Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (b. 730)
• 814 – Angilbert, Frankish monk and confidant of Charlemagne
• 901 – Thabit ibn Qurra, Arab astronomer and mathematician (b. 826)
• 999 – Pope Gregory V (b. 972)
• 1139 – Prince Yaropolk II of Kiev (b. 1082)
• 1294 – Kublai Khan, Mongol Emperor (b. 1215)
• 1379 – Albert II of Mecklenburg (b. 1318)
• 1405 – Tamerlane, Mongol Emperor (b. 1336)
• 1455 – Fra Angelico, Italian artist (b. 1395)
• 1478 – George, Duke of Clarence, brother of Kings Edward IV of England and Richard III of England (b. 1449)
• 1535 – Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, astrologer and alchemist (b. 1486)
• 1546 – Martin Luther, German religious reformer (b. 1483)
• 1564 – Michelangelo, Italian artist and sculptor (b. 1475)
• 1583 – Antonio Francesco Grazzini, Italian writer (b. 1503)
• 1654 – Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac, French writer (b. 1594)
• 1683 – Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, Dutch painter (b. 1620)
• 1712 – Louis, duc de Bourgogne, heir to the throne of France (b. 1682)
• 1718 – Pierre Antoine Motteux, French-born English dramatist (b. 1663)
• 1743 – Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, last of the Medicis (b. 1667)
• 1748 – Otto Ferdinand von Abensberg und Traun, Austrian field marshal (b. 1677)
• 1772 – Johann Hartwig Ernst, Count von Bernstorff, Danish statesman (b. 1712)
• 1778 – Joseph Marie Terray, French statesman (b. 1715)
• 1780 – Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian poet (b. 1714)
• 1788 – John Whitehurst, English clockmaker and scientist (b. 1713)
• 1803 – Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet (b. 1719)
• 1842 – Thomas Hazlehurst, English soap and alkali manufacturer (b. 1779)
• 1851 – Carl Gustav Jakob Jacobi, German mathematician (b. 1804)
• 1873 – Vasil Levski, Bulgarian Revolutionist (b. 1837)
• 1893 – Serranus Clinton Hastings, American politician (b. 1814)
• 1895 – Karl Abs, German professional wrestler (b. 1851)
• 1900 – Clinton L. Merriam, American politician (b. 1824)
• 1902 – Charles Lewis Tiffany, American founder of Tiffany & Co. (b. 1812)
• 1906 – John Batterson Stetson, American manufacturer (b. 1830)
• 1911 – Billy Murdoch, Australian cricketer (b. 1854)
• 1923 – Alois Rašín, Czechoslovak politician, Minister of Finance (b. 1867)
• 1931 – Milan Šufflay, Croatian politician (b. 1879)
• 1933 – James J. Corbett, American boxer (b. 1866)
• 1938 – David King Udall, American politician (b. 1851)
• 1942 – Albert Payson Terhune, American author (b. 1872)
• 1945 – Ivan Chernyakhovsky, Russian general (b. 1906)
• 1956 – Gustave Charpentier, French composer (b. 1860)
• 1957 – Dedan Kimathi, Kenyan rebel leader (b. 1920)
• 1957 – Henry Norris Russell, American astronomer (b. 1877)
• 1964 – Joseph-Armand Bombardier, Canadian inventor and industrialist (b. 1907)
• 1966 – Robert Rossen, American screenwriter, producer, and director (b. 1908)
• 1967 – Dragiša Cvetković, Kingdom of Yugoslavia prime minister (b. 1893)
• 1967 – J. Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist (b. 1904)
• 1973 – Frank Costello, Italian-born gangster (b. 1891)
• 1976 – Wallace Berman, American Artist
• 1977 – Andy Devine, American actor (b. 1905)
• 1978 – Maggie McNamara, American actress (b. 1928)
• 1981 – John Knudsen Northrop, American aircraft manufacturer (b. 1895)
• 1982 – Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand author (b. 1895)
• 1993 – Kerry Von Erich, American professional wrestler (b. 1960)
• 1993 – Jacqueline Hill, British actress (b. 1929)
• 1993 – Erwin Thiesies, German rugby player and coach (b. 1908)
• 1995 – Bob Stinson, American guitarist (b. 1959)
• 1997 – Emily Hahn, American writer (b. 1905)
• 1998 – Harry Caray, American baseball broadcaster (b. 1914)
• 1998 – Robbie James, Welsh footballer (b. 1957)
• 1999 – Noam Pitlik, American actor and director (b. 1932)
• 2000 – Willy Maltaite, Belgian comics creator (b. 1927)
• 2001 – Balthus, Polish-born painter (b. 1908)
• 2001 – Dale Earnhardt, American race car driver (b. 1951)
• 2001 – Eddie Mathews, American baseball player (b. 1931)
• 2003 – Isser Harel, Israeli Mossad leader (b. 1912)
• 2004 – Jean Rouch, French filmmaker and ethnologist (b. 1917)
• 2006 – Richard Bright, American actor (b. 1937)
• 2008 – Sir Richard Knowles, British politician (b. 1917)
• 2008 – Mihaela Mitrache, Romanian actress, (b. 1955)
• 2008 – Mickey Renaud, Canadian professional ice hockey player (b. 1988)
• 2008 – Alain Robbe-Grillet, French writer and filmmaker (b. 1922)
• 2009 – Miika Tenkula, Finnish guitarist (Sentenced) (b. 1974)
• 2009 – Al-Tayyib Salih, Sudanese novelist and columnist (b. 1929)
• 2010 – John Babcock, Last known Canadian veteran of World War I (b. 1900)
• 2012 – Cal Murphy, Canadian football coach and genreal manager (b. 1932)
• 2012 – Matt Lamb, American painter (b. 1932)
• 2012 – Roger Miner, American federal appellate judge (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Peter Halliday, Welsh actor (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Roald Aas, Norwegian Olympic gold (1960) and bronze (1952) (b. 1928)

Holidays and observances[link]

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Bernadette Soubirous
  • Colmán of Lindisfarne
  • Flavian of Constantinople
  • Simeon of Jerusalem (Western Christianity)
  • February 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Gambia from the United Kingdom in 1965.
• Sepandārmazgān or "Women's Day" in Iran

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: February 18

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

Bipasha Basu
Bipasha Basu at the press conference of IIFA Singapore, 2012
Born	(1979-01-07) 7 January 1979 (age 33)[1] New Delhi, Delhi, India
Occupation	Film actress, model
Years active	2001–present
Partner	Dino Morea (1996–2002) John Abraham (2002–2011)
Signature
Website
BipashaBasunet.com

Bipasha Basu (born 7 January 1979)^[1] is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi language films. She has also worked in Telugu, Bengali and Tamil language films. She is a former model who had a successful modeling career before venturing into films.^[2]

She debuted in a negative role in Ajnabee (2001) which earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Her first commercial success was Raaz (2002). She was then noticed for her bold role in the erotic thriller film, Jism (2003).^[3] She starred in top grossing films like 2005's biggest hit – No Entry, Phir Hera Pheri (2006), Dhoom 2 (2006) – her biggest commercial success till date and Race (2008). Her performances in Apharan (2005), Corporate (2006), Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) and Lamhaa (2010) won her multiple nominations for several awards. She is frequented in the media as a "sex symbol".^[4][5][6]

She has been nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress twice each along with one nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. Roles apart, she is also renowned for her item songs like "Phoonk De" in No Smoking (2007), and "Beedi" and "Namak Ishq Ka" in Omkara (2006).^[7] Basu is slated to make her international film debut with the 2012 Australian film Singularity.

Early life and modeling career[link]

Basu was born in Delhi to a Bengali Hindu family. She is the second of three sisters, the elder one being Bidisha and the younger one, Bijayeta. She lived in Delhi till the age of eight in Pampoosh Enclave, Nehru Place and studied at Apeejay High School.^[8] Her family then moved to Kolkata where she studied science till 12th standard at Bhavan's Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir. Basu, who describes herself as a tomboy, was pampered as a kid and was very naughty. She was fondly called 'Lady Don' in her school as everyone was scared of her and she was short and round.^[9]

Basu moved to the commerce stream after 10th standard, studying at Bhawanipur Education Society College in preparation for the 12th standard board exams. At this time, she began doing ramp shows and modeling part-time.^[10][11] In 1996, she won both the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest and the Ford Models Supermodel of the World contest.^[12][13] Basu was flown to New York by the Ford Company and began her successful modelling career at the age of 17. She then appeared in the Calida commercial along with her then-boyfriend Dino Morea which was controversial for picturising them sultrily. She had some protesters outside her house after that.^[12] She has appeared on over 40 magazine covers.^[13]

Acting career[link]

Debut and Breakthrough (2001–02)[link]

One of the judges of the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest in which Basu participated, Vinod Khanna, wanted to launch her alongside his son Akshaye Khanna in Himalay Putra, but she felt she was too young and declined the role which eventually went to Anjala Zaveri. After returning home, she was convinced by another judge, Jaya Bachchan, to play the role of a village belle opposite her son Abhishek Bachchan in J. P. Dutta’s Aakhari Mughal. However the film was cancelled, and Dutta instead changed the script and made Refugee with Kareena Kapoor.^[14] Basu was also offered a role in Refugee opposite Sunil Shetty, which she declined.^[11][15]

In 2001, Basu finally made her debut opposite Akshay Kumar in Vijay Galani’s Ajnabee. The film, directed by Abbas-Mustan, was inspired by the American film Consenting Adults.^[16] It was a moderate box-office success and attracted unfavorable reviews from critics.^[17] However, Basu’s performance in a negative role was appreciated by critics and won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.^[11]

In 2002, Basu starred in the year’s most successful thriller, Raaz.^[18] Directed by Vikram Bhatt, the film established Basu in the Hindi film industry. Her portrayal of a woman who is pursued by a spirit received positive reviews. One review in The Tribune noted, "...it is Bipasha Basu who steals the show with her fine performance."^[19] She was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Raaz.^[20] She then appeared in supporting roles in Sanjay Gadhvi’s Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai and David Dhawan’s Chor Machaaye Shor, both of which failed critically and commercially. She also appeared in a supporting role opposite Mahesh Babu and Lisa Ray in the Telugu film, Takkari Donga as a mischievous thief, Panasa. Gunaah, which released later that year, was also a box-office failure.^[18] She played the role of a cop who loves a convict and tries to reform him.^[21] Derek Elley of Variety observed that Basu was a miscast as the "idealistic cop".^[22]

Initial success and struggle phase (2003–05)[link]

In 2003, Basu starred in Pooja Bhatt’s thriller, Jism, which was well received by critics and fared well at the box office.^[23] She essayed the role of seductive, ambitious wife of a millionaire who indulges in an extra-marital affair with an alcoholic lawyer and plots to kill her husband. The film ranked 92 in the top 100 sexiest movie scenes poll conducted by Channel 4.^[24] Film critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama commented, "...the real show stealer is Bipasha Basu ; her sexy look and seductive deep voice, in contrast with her cold and calculating personality, makes her the most impressive femme fatale since Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi."^[25] She received a Filmfare Best Villain Award nomination for Jism. Her next release, Zameen, failed to make impact among audience.^[23]

Basu had four releases in 2004, all of which performed moderately and drew mixed reviews. She collaborated for the second time with Vikram Bhatt in her first release Aetbaar. She played the role of a young girl who falls in love with a psychopath. Rediff.com noted that "...The characters are not convincing, the plot is not fast-paced or interesting."^[26] Her next film was Mani Shankar’s Rudraksh which was based on the Indian epic Ramayana. The film was a disaster at the box-office and was panned by the critics.^[27] She then starred in Rakht as a tarot card reader trying to solve a murder mystery. Critic Shruti Bhasin of Planetbollywood wrote, "Bipasha Basu impresses in a different look and role."^[28] Her final release that year was Anil Sharma’s Madhoshi opposite John Abraham.^[29] Her performance of a mentally unstable girl was generally well received.^[30]

In 2005, she appeared in the love triangle Barsaat alongside Bobby Deol and Priyanka Chopra. Taran Adarsh commented, "...As an actor, she [Bipasha Basu] does show sparks only towards the end."^[31] She also starred in the Tamil film, Sachein which was a hit and then in Prakash Jha’s Apaharan, which won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay.^[32][33] In this period, she refused to act in art-films due to salary problems.^[34] Besides acting, Basu did the video "Tu" for Sonu Nigam's album, Kismat. She made a guest appearance in Jay Sean's music video Stolen.^[35]

Success (2005–2009)[link]

After a slow start, Basu established herself as a successful actress with the success of No Entry, Corporate and Dhoom 2.^[5] No Entry grossed 71 crore at the box-office and was the highest grossing film of 2005.^[36] Basu essayed the role of a bargirl who acts as wife of two men. She earned Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination for the film. 2006 was equally successful for her with her four major releases, Phir Hera Pheri, Corporate, Omkara and Dhoom 2, performing well critically and commercially.^[37][38] Phir Hera Pheri became the ninth highest grossing film of the year.^[39] She was featured in a bit but significant role of a con woman who steals a sum of 10 million from the protagonists. In Madhur Bhandarkar’s Corporate, she gave up her glamorous look for the role of a businesswoman who has no qualms in taking advantage of her sexuality to con the CEO of a rival company. She won accolades from critics for her performance. Critic Aparna wrote, "[...] she has done a fabulous job as an ambitious woman. The kind of shrewdness in a woman that she essays has never been seen before in India films."^[40] She was nominated for the second time for Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In Vishal Bharadwaj’s adaptation of Othello, Omkara, Basu essayed the role of Bianca. She caught the attention of public with her dance number Beedi which was highly popular in India and overseas.^[41] Critic Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN wrote, "...Bipasha Basu is brought in to lend oomph and she succeeds in doing just that."^[42] Basu became the talk of the town for donning a bikini in Aditya Chopra’s Dhoom 2. She reportedly ate only oranges for three days and trained hard to shoot the scene.^[43] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India commented, "Aah Bipasha! Looks great, brings back the bikini to Bollywood, and gently slips into the shadows as a pretty accessory."^[44]

In 2007, Ronnie Screwvala’s Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal performed below average at the box-office. The song picturised on John Abraham and Basu, "Billo Rani", became quite popular and earned her the nickname "Billo Rani", though equal credit must be given to Omkara in which her name was Billo Chanambahar.^[45] In 2008, she teamed up once again with Abbas-Mustan for Race. She played the role of Sonia who is stuck in a love-triangle between two brothers (played by Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna) and through the course, she murders one of them. The film grossed 68 crores at the box office and was the fourth-biggest hit that year in India and performed good enough overseas as well.^[46] Her performance was appreciated by critics with Taran Adarsh citing it as "her best work so far. She’s superb".^[47] Basu’s work in Siddharth Anand’s Bachna Ae Haseeno as a successful supermodel who finds it hard to forgive her ex-lover for betraying her earned her a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. She completed 2008 by appearing during the song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte" in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.^[7]

Her first release in 2009, Aa Dekhen Zara failed to do well at the box-office.^[48] Rohit Shetty’s All The Best: Fun Begins performed well and her comic role was appreciated by fans.^[49] Later that year, Basu surprised everybody with Rituparno Ghosh’s Bengali film, Shob Charitro Kalponik. "I love saris and I'm wearing a lot of them in Ritu's film," she said.^[50] She gave up her glamorous look and was praised by critics for her performance. Critic Subhash K Jha spoke high of her. He said, "...Bipasha [Basu] pulls out all stops to deliver her career’s best performance. Her moments of anguish before and after her screen-husband’s death are expressed in tones of cathartic conviction that we never knew existed within Bipasha." He also compared her with the multiple award winning actress, Shabana Azmi, commenting that Basu’s anguished portrayal of bereavement can be equaled by Azmi only.^[51]

Recent Work (2010–present)[link]

With the 2010 film Pankh, Basu returned with her alluring image as an imaginary character who exists in the protagonist’s mind.^[53] She was then featured as a Kashmiri girl in Rahul Dholakia’s Lamhaa which explored socio-political problems in Kashmir.^[54] Principal photography of Lamhaa was disrupted many times by the locals in Kashmir due to the controversial theme.^[55] During the shooting of Lamhaa, she left the sets at Anantnag and headed back to Mumbai citing she was afraid of the crowd there. Producer Bunty Walia thought of replacing her with Vidya Balan but she returned for the shoot later with necessary security arrangements.^[56][57] NDTV Movies wrote, "Bipasha sinks herself into her character imparting a dramatic resonance into the role without resorting to stock expressions. The sequence where she gets mauled by militant women is as traumatic to watch as it must have been for Bipasha to shoot."^[58] Basu then appeared as the wife of a ruthless cop in Priyadarshan’s Aakrosh who helps the police with investigation on honor killings in their village. She met with mixed reviews for the film. Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India commented, "Bipasha actually doesn't have much to do and does seem to be miscast as the much-abused, bruised and battered wife of Paresh Rawal."^[59]

Her only release in 2011 was Dum Maaro Dum which performed reasonably well at the box-office and met with good reviews from critics.^[60][61] Talking of the film, she said, "My next release is DMD [Dum Maaro Dum], in which I play a lively, colourful, happy-go-lucky girl called Zoey, who is the representation of Goa as we see it."^[62] Basu collaborated with Abbas-Mustan for the third time in Players which became the first release of 2012.^[63] The film was an official remake of The Italian Job.^[64] Players was heavily compared to The Italian Job and was criticized for its execution and performances, including that of Basu.^[65] She made her English language debut with Roland Joffé’s epic drama Singularity which will be premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012.^[66][67] She plays the role of a Maratha warrior Taluja Naik in the film.^[68] Basu is also signed by Vikram Bhatt for the third time for Raaz 3D, the third film in the Raaz series. Principal photography of the film began in January, 2012.^[69] She will also be seen in a guest appearance reprising her role of Race in the upcoming film by Abbas-Mustan, Race 2.^[70][71]

Personal life[link]

Basu with ex-boyfriend John Abraham at the launch of the Filmfare magazine (2007).

Basu was in a relationship with her Raaz co-star Dino Morea since 1996 till they broke up in 2002.^[72] Soon afterwards during the filming of Jism, Basu began to date her co-star John Abraham, and they were in a relationship till early 2011 when the couple officially broke off.^[73][74][75] While together, the two were often referred to as a supercouple in the Indian media.^[76] Basu has been in the limelight since her bold role in Jism. She ranked 8 in Times 50 most desirable Women in 2011 and ranked 13 in 2012.^[77][78] UK magazine Eastern Eye named her the "Sexiest Woman in Asia" twice in 2005 and 2007.^[79]

Basu is an advocate of physical fitness. Apart from films, she released a fitness DVD called Love Yourself, which emphasized on being strong, healthy, and loving one’s self.^[80] She was also the brand ambassador of Sugar Free, which helped her promoting the DVD. Hiren Gada, director of Shemaroo Entertainment said, "A celebrity like Bipasha Basu, genuinely believes in staying healthy. She is also passionate about fitness."^[81] She had previously worked on another fitness video called Bollywood Bodies with John Abraham.^[82]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

Bollywood portal

• List of Indian film actresses

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bipasha Basu

• Official website
• Bipasha Basu at the Internet Movie Database
• Bipasha Basu at the Fashion Model Directory