Today in History: February 18, Veteran FBI agent accused of spying for Russia
Today is Wednesday, Feb. 18, the 49th day of 2026. There are 316 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Feb. 18, 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; he died in prison in 2023.)
Also on this date:
In 1885, Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was published in the U.S.
In 1930, the dwarf planet Pluto was discovered by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh.
In 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).
In 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 and served 28 years in prison before being deported to Hong Kong in 2014.)
In 1994, in the final race of his Olympic career at the Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, U.S. speedskater Dan Jansen broke the world record in the 1,000 meters, winning the gold medal.
In 2001, auto racing star Dale Earnhardt Sr. died in a crash in the final lap of the Daytona 500; he was 49.
In 2003, an arson attack involving two South Korean subway trains in the city of Daegu claimed nearly 200 lives.
In 2013, some $42 million (40 million euros) worth of diamonds and other gems were stolen at Brussels’ international airport by eight gunmen who cut through a perimeter fence, drove onto the tarmac and took the gemstones as they were being transferred from an armored car to a plane bound for Switzerland.
In 2021, the NASA rover Perseverance successfully landed on Mars, where it continues to explore the planet’s surface.
Today’s Birthdays:
- Artist-singer Yoko Ono is 93.
- Restaurateur-TV host Prue Leith (TV: “The Great British Baking Show”) is 86.
- Singer Irma Thomas is 85.
- Musician Dennis DeYoung is 79.
- Actor Cybill Shepherd is 76.
- Actor John Travolta is 72.
- TV personality Vanna White is 69.
- Actor Matt Dillon is 62.
- Rapper-music executive Dr. Dre is 61.
- Actor Molly Ringwald is 58.
- Actor Ike Barinholtz is 49.
- Football Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney is 46.
- Musician Regina Spektor is 46.
- Actor Kylie Rogers is 22.