On February 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr., considered one of
the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, died at the age of 49
in a last-lap crash at the 43rd Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach,
Florida.

Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s death made him the fourth NASCAR driver
to die within a nine-month period and eventually prompted
NASCAR officials to implement a series of more stringent
safety regulations, including the use of head-and-neck
restraints.

Avel Gordlywas an activist, community organizer, and former
politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 1996, she became the
first African-American woman to be elected to the Oregon
State Senate, serving from 1997 to 2009.

After retiring from the legislature, Gordly joined the faculty
of Portland State University as an associate professor in
the Black studies Department. She was 79. 

Avel Louise Gordly (February 13, 1947 – February 16, 2026)

Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a businessman and retired
professional basketball player who is a minority owner
of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball
Association.  

     
    
     
  The Godfather (1972) 

Robert Selden Duvall (January 5, 1931 – February 15, 2026)

Robert Duvall died Sunday,February 15, at his ranch in
Middleburg, Virginia. He was 95.

    
1962        
        

       
         
1979  

1983

1993

     
1997                                 1998

                                

                                 2003
                                                     

The federal holiday honoring Washington was originally started         
by an Act of Congress in 1879 for government offices in D.C.        
and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices.      

       
As the first federal holiday to honor an American president,
the holiday was celebrated on Washington’s birthday under
the Gregorian calendar, February 22.

On January 1, 1971, the federal holiday was shifted to the
third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday
Act.