Today In History logo TIH
Featured Event 1564 Death

February 18

Michelangelo Dies: Renaissance Master's Legacy Endures

He was eighty-eight when he died, still working on St. Peter's Basilica. Michelangelo had spent sixty years reshaping Western art — the Pietà carved before he turned twenty-five, the Sistine ceiling painted flat on his back over four years, David standing seventeen feet tall in Florence's central square. He thought of himself as a sculptor. Painting was something he did reluctantly. The most influential painter of the Renaissance considered it his second skill.

February 18, 1564

462 years ago

What Else Happened on February 18

Talk to History

Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.

Talk to Michelangelo