On this day, Feb. 18
1564 Michelangelo died in Rome. 1885 Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was published in the U.S. for the first time (after being published in Britain and Canada).
1970 The “Chicago Seven” defendants were found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic national convention; five were convicted of violating the Anti-Riot Act of 1968 (those convictions were later reversed).
1983 13 people were shot to death at a gambling club in Seattle’s Chinatown in what became known as the Wah Mee Massacre. (Two men were convicted of the killings and were sentenced to life in prison; a third was found guilty of robbery and assault.) 1984 Italy and the Vatican signed an accord under which Roman Catholicism ceased to be the state religion of Italy. 1988 Anthony M. Kennedy was sworn in as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
1994 At the Winter Olympic Games in Norway, U.S. speedskater Dan Jansen finally won a gold medal, breaking the world record in the 1,000 meters. 2001 Auto racing star Dale Earnhardt Sr. died in a crash at the Daytona 500; he was 49. 2001 Veteran FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested, accused of spying for Russia. (Hanssen later pleaded guilty to espionage and attempted espionage and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.)
2003 An arson attack involving two South Korean subway trains in the city of Daegu claimed 198 lives. (The arsonist was sentenced to life in prison, where he died in 2004.)
2012 A star-studded funeral service was held for pop singer Whitney Houston at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., a week after her death at age 48.
2017 Norma McCorvey, whose legal challenge under the pseudonym “Jane Roe” led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision that legalized abortion but who later became an outspoken opponent of the procedure, died in Katy, Texas, at age 69. 2018 “Black Panther,” the Marvel superhero film from the Walt Disney Co., blew past expectations to take in $192 million during its debut weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters.
2020 President Donald Trump commuted the 14-year prison sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich for political corruption; Blagojevich left prison hours later and returned home to Chicago. (Mr. Trump also issued pardons or clemency to former New York City police commissioner Bernie Kerik, financier Michael Milken and a long list of others.)
2023 Former President Jimmy Carter entered home hospice care. The charity created by the 98-year-old former president said that after a series of short hospital stays, Carter “decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention.” (Mr. Carter remains alive a year later). Today’s birthdays: Singer Yoko Ono, 91. Singer-songwriter Bobby Hart, 85. Singer Irma Thomas, 83. Singer Herman Santiago (Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers), 83. Actor Jess Walton, 78. Singer Dennis DeYoung, 77. Actor Sinead Cusack, 76. Actor Cybill Shepherd, 74. Singer Randy Crawford, 72. Actor John Travolta, 70. Actor John Pankow, 69. Game show host Vanna White, 67. Actor Jayne Atkinson, 65. Actor Greta Scacchi, 64. Actor Matt Dillon, 60. Rock musician Tommy Scott (Space), 60. Rapper Dr. Dre, 59. Actor Molly Ringwald, 56. Actor Sarah Brown, 49. Country musician Trevor Rosen (Old Dominion), 49. Actor Ike Barinholtz, 47. Actor Kristoffer Polaha, 47. Singer-musician Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek), 47. Rock-singer musician Regina Spektor, 44. Opera singer Isabel Leonard, 42. Roots rock musician Zac Cockrell (Alabama Shakes), 36.