On February 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr., considered one of the
greatest drivers in National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) history, died at the age of 49 in a last-lap crash at the
43rd Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Earnhardt died of a basilar skull ring fracture, the most serious
type of skull fracture.        
        
        
   
       

Ralph Dale Earnhardt
(April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001)

(FOX NEWS)

Paul McCartney’s original bass guitar, which the legendary musician used in The Beatles’ early years, has been found
and returned after it was stolen more than five decades
ago (1972).

The 81-year-old singer-songwriter was reunited with the
left-handed Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass after its manufacturer
and a husband-and-wife team of journalists embarked on
a search for the missing instrument in 2018 that later
became a crowdsourcing campaign called The Lost
Bass Project.

A statement shared Wednesday on McCartney’s website confirmed that the guitar had been discovered and was 
returned to its original owner.

In this photo released by The Lost Bass Project, Nick Wass,
an executive with Hoefner, inspects Paul McCartney’s 1961 violin-shaped Hoefner bass, stolen from the Beatle more
than 50 years ago and recently returned. (AP)

Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826)

On February 17, 1801, Thomas Jefferson was elected
the third president of the United States. The election
constitutes the first peaceful transfer of power from
one political party to another in the United States.

By 1800, when he decided to run for president,
Thomas Jefferson possessed impressive political
credentials and was well-suited to the presidency.         

       
In addition to drafting the Declaration of
Independence, Jefferson had served in two
Continental Congresses, as minister to
France, as the nations first secretary of
state under George Washington and as
John Adams’ vice president.        

Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin
meet to review a draft of the Declaration of Independence. 

Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.

LeeRoy Yarbrough chased down Charlie Glotzbach, who
had an 11-second lead, and passed him on the final lap
after starting 19th. It was the first Daytona 500 won on a
last lap pass.

Yarbrough won in a back-up Ford car after crashing his
primary one. This would also be the second-last Daytona
500 before the NASCAR Grand National Series became
the Winston Cup Series in 1971. Starting in 1971, all races
were to have 43 competitors maximum in a starting grid
starting with the 1971 Daytona 500.