Almanac for Feb. 17, 2026
Today is Tuesday, Feb. 17, the 48th day of 2026. There are 317 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1801, the U.S. House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, electing Jefferson president; Burr became vice president. Also on this date: In 1863, five appointees of the Public Welfare Society of Geneva announced the formation of an "International Committee for the Relief of Wounded Combatants," which would later be renamed the International Committee of the Red Cross. In 1864, during the Civil War, the Union ship USS Housatonic was ...