August 19

August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 134 days remain until the end of the year.

• 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus, compels the senate to elect him Consul.
• 1504 - Battle of Knockdoe.
• 1561 - An 18-year-old Mary Queen of Scots returns to Scotland, after spending 13 years in France.
• 1692 - Salem Witch Trials: In Salem, Massachusetts, Province of Massachusetts Bay five women and a clergyman are executed after being convicted of witchcraft.
• 1745 - Jacobite Rising, Prince Charles Edward Stuart lands from a French warship in Glenfinnan, raises his standard and marches on London - the start of the Second Jacobite Rebellion known as "the 45".
• 1768 - Saint Isaac's Cathedral is founded in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
• 1782 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Blue Licks - The last major engagement of the war, almost ten months after the surrender of the British commander Lord Cornwallis following the Siege of Yorktown.
• 1812 - War of 1812: American frigate USS Constitution defeats the British frigate HMS Guerrière off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada earning her nickname "Old Ironsides".
• 1813 - Gervasio Antonio de Posadas joins Argentina's second triumvirate.
• 1839 - Presentation of Jacque Daguerre's new photographic process to the French Academy of Sciences.
• 1848 - California Gold Rush: The New York Herald breaks the news to the East Coast of the United States of the gold rush in California (although the rush started in January).
• 1862 - Indian Wars: During an uprising in Minnesota, Lakota warriors decide not to attack heavily-defended Fort Ridgely and instead turn to the settlement of New Ulm, killing white settlers along the way.
• 1895 - American frontier murderer and outlaw, John Wesley Hardin, is killed by an off-duty policeman in a saloon in El Paso, Texas.
• 1915 - World War I: The Battle of Van begins
• 1919 - Afghanistan gains full independence from the United Kingdom.
• 1927 - Metropolitan Sergius proclaimed the declaration of loyalty of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Soviet state.
• 1934 - The first All-American Soap Box Derby is held in Dayton, Ohio.
• 1934 - The creation of the position Führer approved by the German electorate with 89.9% of the popular vote.
• 1942 - World War II: Operation Jubilee - The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division leads an allied forces amphibious assault on Dieppe, France.
• 1944 - World War II: Liberation of Paris - Paris rises against German occupation with the help of Allied troops.
• 1945 - Vietnam War: Viet Minh led by Ho Chi Minh take power in Hanoi, Vietnam.
• 1953 - Cold War: The CIA helps to overthrow the government of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran and reinstate the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
• 1955 - In the Northeast United States, severe flooding caused by Hurricane Diane, claims 200 lives.
• 1960 - Cold War: In Moscow, downed American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers is sentenced to ten years imprisonment by the Soviet Union for espionage.
• 1960 - Sputnik program: Sputnik 5 - The Soviet Union launches the satellite with the dogs Belka and Strelka, 40 mice, 2 rats and a variety of plants.
• 1965 - Japanese prime minister Eisaku Sato becomes the first post-World War II sitting prime minister to visit Okinawa.
• 1975 - The cricket test match between England and Australia is called off after the pitch is vandalised by supporters of George Davis.
• 1980 - Saudia Flight 163, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar burns after making an emergency landing at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing 301 people.
• 1981 - Gulf of Sidra Incident: United States fighters intercept and shoot down two Libyan Sukhoi Su-22 fighter jets over the Gulf of Sidra.
• 1987 - Hungerford Massacre: In the United Kingdom, Michael Ryan kills sixteen people with an assault rifle and then commits suicide.
• 1989 - Polish president Wojciech Jaruzelski nominates Solidarity activist Tadeusz Mazowiecki to be the first non-communist Prime Minister in 42 years.
• 1989 - Raid on offshore pirate station, Radio Caroline in North Sea by British and Dutch governments.
• 1990 - Leonard Bernstein conducts his final concert, ending with Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7.
• 1991 - Collapse of the Soviet Union: Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev placed under house arrest while on holiday in the town of Foros, Crimea.
• 1997 - The Teamsters end their 15-day walkout against United Parcel Service.
• 1999 - In Belgrade, tens of thousands of Serbians rally to demand the resignation of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia President Slobodan Milošević.
• 2002 - A Russian Mi-26 helicopter carrying troops is hit by a Chechen missile outside of Grozny, killing 118 soldiers.
• 2003 - A car-bomb attack on United Nations headquarters in Iraq kills the agency's top envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 other employees.
• 2003 - A Hamas planned suicide attack on a bus in Jerusalem kills 23 Israelis, 7 of them children in the Jerusalem bus 2 massacre.
• 2005 - The first-ever joint military exercise between Russia and China, called Peace Mission 2005 begins.

• 1398 - Marqués de Santillana, Spanish poet (d. 1458)
• 1557 - Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1608)
• 1590 - Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland, English soldier (d. 1649)
• 1596 - Elizabeth Stuart (d. 1662)
• 1621 - Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, Dutch painter (d. 1674)
• 1631 - John Dryden, English poet (d. 1700)
• 1646 - John Flamsteed, English astronomer (d. 1719)
• 1686 - Eustace Budgell, English writer (d. 1737)
• 1686 - Nicola Porpora, Italian composer (d. 1768)
• 1689 - Samuel Richardson, English writer (d. 1761)
• 1711 - Edward Boscawen, British admiral (d. 1761)
• 1743 - Madame du Barry, French courtesan (d. 1793)
• 1846 - Luis Martín, Spanish Superior-General of the Society of Jesus (d. 1906)
• 1853 - Aleksei Brusilov, Russian general (d. 1926)
• 1870 - Bernard Baruch, American financier (d. 1965)
• 1871 - Orville Wright, American aviation pioneer (d. 1948)
• 1875 - Stjepan Seljan, Croatian explorer (d. 1936)
• 1878 - Manuel Quezon, President of the Philippines (d. 1944)
• 1881 - George Enescu, Romanian composer (d. 1955)
• 1883 - Coco Chanel, French clothing designer (d. 1971)
• 1883 - Elsie Ferguson, American film actress (d. 1961)
• 1892 - Alfred Lunt, American actor (d. 1977)
• 1896 - Olga Baclanova, Russian-born actress (d. 1974)
• 1899 - Charlie Hall, English comedian actor (d. 1959)
• 1900 - Gilbert Ryle, British philosopher (d. 1976)
• 1902 - Ogden Nash, American poet (d. 1971)
• 1903 - James Gould Cozzens, American novelist (d. 1978)
• 1906 - Philo Farnsworth, American inventor (d. 1971)
• 1907 - Thruston B. Morton, American politician (d. 1982)
• 1912 - Austin Dobson, British racing driver (d. 1963)
• 1913 - Richard Simmons, American actor (d. 2003)
• 1913 - John Argyris, Greek aeronautical engineer, one of the creators of the Finite Element Method (d. 2004)
• 1914 - Lajos Baróti, Hungarian footballer (d. 2005)
• 1915 - Ring Lardner Jr, American journalist and screenwriter (d. 2000)
• 1915 - Alfred Rouleau, French Canadian businessman and administrator (Desjardins Group) (d. 1985)
• 1919 - Malcolm Forbes, American publisher (d. 1990)
• 1921 - Gene Roddenberry, American television producer (d. 1991)
• 1925 - Claude Gauvreau, Canadian playwright (d. 1971)
• 1926 - Arthur Rock, American venture capitalist
• 1928 - Bernard Levin, English journalist, author, and broadcaster (d. 2004)
• 1928 - Norman Brooks, Canadian singer (d. 2006)
• 1930 - Frank McCourt, Irish-American author
• 1931 - Willie Shoemaker, American jockey (d. 2003)
• 1934 - Renee Richards, American physician
• 1935 - Bobby Richardson, American baseball player
• 1938 - Diana Muldaur, American actress
• 1939 - Ginger Baker, English musician
• 1940 - Johnny Nash, American singer
• 1940 - Jill St. John, American actress
• 1942 - Fred Thompson, American politician and actor
• 1943 - Billy J. Kramer, British singer
• 1944 - Bodil Malmsten, Swedish writer
• 1944 - Charles Wang, Chinese-born philanthropist
• 1945 - Ian Gillan, English singer (Deep Purple)
• 1946 - Bill Clinton, American president
• 1946 - Beat Raaflaub, Swiss conductor
• 1946 - Dawn Steel, American film producer (d. 1997)
• 1947 - Gerard Schwarz, American conductor
• 1947 - Terry Hoeppner, American football coach (d. 2007)
• 1948 - Gerald McRaney, American actor
• 1948 - Tipper Gore, Second Lady of the United States
• 1950 - Jennie Bond, British journalist
• 1951 - John Deacon, English musician (Queen)
• 1952 - Jonathan Frakes, American actor and director
• 1953 - Nanni Moretti, Italian film actor, director and producer
• 1953 - Mary Matalin, US political consultant and commentator
• 1954 - Oscar Larrauri, Argentine racing driver
• 1955 - Peter Gallagher, American actor
• 1955 - Ned Yost, American baseball player and manager
• 1956 - Adam Arkin, American actor
• 1957 - Li-Young Lee, Indonesia-born American poet
• 1958 - Anthony Muñoz, American football player
• 1958 - Gary Gaetti, American baseball player
• 1960 - Morten Andersen, American football player
• 1961 - Jonathan Coe, British author
• 1962 - Tammy Bruce, American political commentator
• 1962 - Valérie Kaprisky, French actress
• 1963 - John Stamos, American actor
• 1963 - Yip Sai Wing, Hong Kong musician (Beyond)
• 1963 - Joey Tempest, Swedish singer (Europe)
• 1964 - Whitney Prescott, American model
• 1965 - Kyra Sedgwick, American actress
• 1965 - Kevin Dillon, American actor
• 1965 - Maria de Medeiros, Portuguese actress and director
• 1966 - Lee Ann Womack, American musician
• 1968 - Nikolaos Kaklamanakis, Greek windsurfer, gold medalist
• 1969 - Matthew Perry, Canadian actor
• 1969 - Nate Dogg, American rapper
• 1969 - Clay Walker, American singer
• 1969 - Patrick Van Horn, American actor
• 1969 - Kirk Herbstreit, American football analyst (College GameDay)
• 1970 - Fat Joe, American rapper
• 1971 - João Vieira Pinto, Portuguese football player
• 1972 - Roberto Abbondanzieri, Argentine footballer
• 1972 - Sammi Cheng Sau Man, Hong Kong singer and actress
• 1973 - Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
• 1973 - Callum Blue, British actor
• 1973 - Marco Materazzi, Italian footballer
• 1973 - Lilian Garcia, wrestling announcer
• 1975 - Tracie Thoms, American actress
• 1977 - Iban Mayo, Spanish cyclist
• 1978 - Chris Capuano, American baseball player
• 1979 - Dave Douglas, American musician (Relient K)
• 1979 - Oumar Kondé, Swiss footballer
• 1980 - Jun Jin, Korean rapper (Shinhwa)
• 1980 - Darius Danesh, Scottish singer-songwriter & actor
• 1982 - Erika Christensen, American actress
• 1982 - J.J. Hardy, American baseball player
• 1983 - Missy Higgins, Australian singer-songwriter
• 1983 - Tammin Sursok, Australian actress & singer
• 1983 - Mike Conway, British racing driver
• 1984 - Micah Alberti, American actor
• 1984 - Ryan Taylor, English footballer
• 1985 - Megan Rochell, American singer
• 1986 - Saori Kimura, Japanese volleyball player
• 1987 - Anaïs Lameche, Swedish singer (Play)
• 1987 - Ileana D'Cruz, Indian actress
• 1987 - Richard Stearman, English footballer
• 1988 - Travis Tedford, American actor
• 1989 - Lil Romeo, American rapper and actor
• 1998 - Ella Guevara, Filipino child actress

• 14 - Augustus, Roman Emperor (b. 63 BC)
• 1186 - Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany (b. 1158)
• 1245 - Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence (b. 1195)
• 1284 - Alphonso, Earl of Chester, son of Edward I of England (b. 1273)
• 1297 - Saint Louis of Toulouse, French Catholic bishop (b. 1274)
• 1493 - Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1415)
• 1580 - Andrea Palladio, Italian architect (b. 1508)
• 1646 - Alexander Henderson, Scottish theologian
• 1662 - Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (b. 1623)
• 1680 - Jean Eudes, French catholic priest, founder of the Eudists (b. 1601)
• 1753 - Balthasar Neumann, German architect (b. 1687)
• 1819 - James Watt, Scottish inventor (b. 1736)
• 1822 - Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre, French mathematician (b. 1749)
• 1883 - Jeremiah S. Black, American statesman (b. 1810)
• 1889 - Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, French writer (b. 1838)
• 1895 - John Wesley Hardin, American gunfighter (b. 1853)
• 1900 - Jean-Baptiste Accolay, Belgian composer (b. 1833)
• 1914 - Franz Xavier Wernz, German Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1844)
• 1923 - Vilfredo Pareto, Italian sociologist and economist (b. 1845)
• 1929 - Sergei Diaghilev, Russian ballet impresario (b. 1872)
• 1936 - Federico García Lorca, Spanish author (b. 1898)
• 1944 - Günther von Kluge, German field marshal (b. 1882)
• 1945 - Tomas Burgos, Chilean philanthropist (b.1875)
• 1950 - Giovanni Giorgi, Italian physicist (b. 1871)
• 1954 - Alcide De Gasperi, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1881)
• 1957 - David Bomberg, English painter (b. 1890)
• 1957 - Carl-Gustaf Rossby, Swedish meteorologist (b. 1898)
• 1959 - Jacob Epstein, American-born sculptor (b. 1880)
• 1967 - Hugo Gernsback, Luxembourg-born editor and publisher (b. 1884)
• 1968 - George Gamow, Ukrainian-born physicist (b. 1904)
• 1969 - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, German architect (b. 1886)
• 1970 - Paweł Jasienica, Polish historian (b. 1909)
• 1975 - Jim Londos, wrestler (b. 1897)
• 1976 - Alastair Sim, Scottish actor and rector of Edinburgh University (b. 1900)
• 1977 - Groucho Marx, American comedian and actor (b. 1890)
• 1979 - Dorsey Burnette, American singer (b. 1932)
• 1980 - Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank (b. 1889)
• 1982 - August Neo, Estonian wrestler (b. 1908)
• 1994 - Linus Pauling, American chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Peace (b. 1901)
• 1995 - Pierre Schaeffer, French composer (b. 1910)
• 2000 - Antonio Pugliese, Italian professional wrestler (b. 1941)
• 2001 - Donald Woods, South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist (b. 1933)
• 2000 - Bineshwar Brahma, Bodo literateur and religious figure (birth date unknown)
• 2001 - Betty Everett, American singer and pianist (b. 1939)
• 2003 - Carlos Roberto Reina, President of Honduras (b. 1926)
• 2003 - Sérgio Vieira de Mello, Brazilian diplomat (b. 1948)
• 2005 - Bueno de Mesquita, Dutch comedian and actor (b. 1918)
• 2005 - Mo Mowlam, British politician (b. 1949)
• 2007 - Leona Helmsley, American hotel operator and real estate investor. (b. 1920

• Roman festivals - Vinalia Rustica celebrated in honor of Venus Libitina commemorating the founding of the oldest known temple to her, on the Esquiline Hill, in 293 BC on this date.
• RC saints - Saint Sebald, Saint Louis of Toulouse, Jean-Eudes de Mézeray.
• Russian and Georgian Orthodox churches celebrate the Saviour's Transfiguration, popularly known in Russia as the "Apples Feast" (it's the first day of the year when eating apples is allowed).
• Afghanistan - Afghan Independence Day see above: 1919
• National Day of the Filipino Language, Philippines - Holiday for Quezon City, Quezon Province and other municipalities named after Manuel Quezon.
• National Aviation Day, USA.
• Magpie Festival 2007, China.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada