This Day in History: 0000-02-18

18 Feb – Samuel Clemens, AKA Mark Twain, published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the United States (1885).
18 Feb – In the Battle of Paardeberg during the Second Boer War, British forces captured a Boer convoy, albeit at heavy cost, thus seriously weakening the Boer war effort (1900).
18 Feb – The first official flight with air mail occurred from Allahabad, United Provinces, British India, when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivered 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away (1911).
18 Feb – Gordon Haller won the first Ironman Triathlon competition, which took place on the island of Oahu (1978).
18 Feb – Seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt died in an accident during the Daytona 500 (2001).