Important Events From This day in History – 18th February

Today in History

• 1978 Hawaii hosts the first Ironman Triathlon

  Contestants must swim 2.4 miles (3.86 km), bike 112 miles (180.25 km), and run a marathon of 26.2 miles (42.2 km).

• 1977 The Space Shuttle takes off on its maiden flight

  The “Enterprise” was mounted on a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, and it made its first free flight on August 12, 1977.

• 1954 The first Church of Scientology is established

  Despite many controversies, Scientology has gained thousands of members since its inception.

• 1943 The Gestapo arrests German resistance fighter Sophie Scholl and other White Rose activists

  Scholl, a 21-year-old student, and her fellow campaigners were executed for distributing flyers critical of the Nazi regime.

• 1930 Pluto is discovered

  Clyde W. Tombaugh discovered the dwarf planet while sorting through photos taken a month before.