It happened on a… February 18

Pierre Elliott Trudeau's Liberal Party wins Canadian elections.

The first Ironman Triathlon competition takes place on the island of Oahu and is won by Gordon Haller.

The space shuttle Enterprise went on its maiden “flight” sitting on top of a Boeing 747.

David Gilmour joins rock group Pink Floyd.

VIII Winter Olympic Games open in Squaw Valley, California.

The first Church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles, California.

Sonja Henie wins her sixth straight World Women's Figure Skating Championship; following her win, she retires to Hollywood to become an actress.

Pedro Lascuráin becomes President of Mexico for 45 minutes; this is the shortest term to date of any person as president of any country.

Mark Twain's “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was published in the U.S. for the first time.