# On this day: August 19

August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years), with 134 days left until the end of the year.

## August 19 in one line

Headline entries for August 19, from Wikipedia: in 1274, Shortly after his return from the Ninth Crusade, Edward I was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, nearly two years after his father's death; born 1946: Bill Clinton, American lawyer and politician, 40th and 42nd Governor of Arkansas, 42nd President of the United States; died 1662: Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (born 1623). In 2026 it is a Wednesday, in 2027 a Thursday.

## Events on August 19

- 295 BC The first temple to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, is dedicated by Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges during the Third Samnite War. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_(mythology))
- 43 BC In the wake of the murder of Julius Caesar, his nephew and heir, Octavian, uses the threat of military force to compel the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar)
- 1274 Shortly after his return from the Ninth Crusade, Edward I was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, nearly two years after his father's death. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I)
- 1458 Pope Pius II is elected the 211th Pope. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_II)
- 1561 Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 18, returns to Scotland after spending 13 years in France. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary%2C_Queen_of_Scots)
- 1725 J. S. Bach led the first performance of Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren, BWV 137, a cantata setting the unchanged text of Neander's hymn. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobe_den_Herren%2C_den_m%C3%A4chtigen_K%C3%B6nig_der_Ehren%2C_BWV_137)
- 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie raised the Jacobite standard at Glenfinnan, Scotland, in an attempt to regain the British throne for his father, beginning the Jacobite rising of 1745. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobite_rising_of_1745)
- 1759 Seven Years' War: Having damaged several French vessels, British ships pursued the remainder of the fleet to Lagos, Portugal, and continued the battle there in violation of Portuguese neutrality. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lagos)
- 1897 The Bersey Electric Cab entered service as the first electric taxi in London. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bersey_Electric_Cab)
- 1903 The Transfiguration Uprising breaks out in East Thrace, resulting in the establishment of the Strandzha Commune. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilinden%E2%80%93Preobrazhenie_Uprising)
- 1905 In a ceremony officiated by Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey, The Luck of Cumberland was presented to HMS Cumberland. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Luck_of_Cumberland)
- 1920 Russian Civil War: Peasants in Tambov Governorate began a rebellion against the Bolshevik government of Soviet Russia. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambov_Rebellion)
- 1934 A referendum supported the recent merging of the posts of chancellor and president of Germany, consolidating Adolf Hitler's assumption of supreme power. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_German_head_of_state_referendum)
- 1942 World War II: Operation Jubilee (The Dieppe Raid): The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division leads an amphibious assault by allied forces on Dieppe, France and fails. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieppe_Raid)
- 1944 World War II: Liberation of Paris: Paris, France rises against German occupation with the help of Allied troops. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_of_Paris)
- 1950 The 766th Independent Infantry Regiment of North Korea was disbanded after fighting for less than two months in the Korean War. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/766th_Independent_Infantry_Regiment_(North_Korea))
- 1953 Cold War: The CIA and MI6 help to overthrow the government of Mohammad Mosaddegh in Iran and reinstate the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d'%C3%A9tat)
- 1960 Sputnik program: Korabl-Sputnik 2: The Soviet Union launches the satellite with the dogs Belka and Strelka, 40 mice, two rats and a variety of plants. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_space_dogs)
- 1989 Several hundred East Germans cross the frontier between Hungary and Austria during the Pan-European Picnic, part of the events that began the process of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-European_Picnic)
- 1991 Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The August Coup begins when Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is placed under house arrest while on holiday in the town of Foros, Ukraine. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Soviet_coup_attempt)
- 2002 Second Chechen War: A Russian Mil Mi-26 was brought down by Chechen separatists with a man-portable air-defense system near Khankala, killing 127 people in the deadliest helicopter crash in history. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Khankala_Mi-26_crash)
- 2003 A Hamas suicide bomber killed 23 people and wounded more than 130 others, including many Orthodox Jewish children, on a crowded public bus in Shmuel HaNavi, Jerusalem. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Shmuel_HaNavi_bus_bombing)
- 2003 A car bomb destroyed the United Nations headquarters at Baghdad's Canal Hotel, killing Brazilian diplomat Sérgio Vieira de Mello and 21 others. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canal_Hotel_bombing)
- 2005 Thunderstorms in southern Ontario, Canada, spawned at least three tornadoes that caused over C$500 million in damage. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Ontario_tornado_outbreak_of_2005)
- 2010 Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, with the last of the United States brigade combat teams crossing the border to Kuwait. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigade)
- 2017 Around 250,000 farmed non-native Atlantic salmon were accidentally released into the wild near Cypress Island, Washington. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypress_Island_Atlantic_salmon_pen_break)

## Born on August 19

- 232 Marcus Aurelius Probus, Roman emperor (died 282) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probus_(emperor))
- 1631 John Dryden, English poet, literary critic and playwright (died 1700) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dryden)
- 1646 John Flamsteed, English astronomer and academic (died 1719) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Flamsteed)
- 1743 Madame du Barry, French mistress of Louis XV (died 1793) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_du_Barry)
- 1830 Julius Lothar Meyer, German chemist (died 1895) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lothar_Meyer)
- 1848 Gustave Caillebotte, French painter and engineer (died 1894) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Caillebotte)
- 1871 Orville Wright, American engineer and pilot, co-founded the Wright Company (died 1948) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers)
- 1878 Manuel L. Quezon, Filipino soldier, lawyer, and politician, 2nd President of the Philippines (died 1944) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_L._Quezon)
- 1881 George Enescu, Romanian violinist, pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1955) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Enescu)
- 1883 Coco Chanel, French fashion designer, founded the Chanel Company (died 1971) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_Chanel)
- 1921 Gene Roddenberry, American screenwriter and producer (died 1991) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Roddenberry)
- 1923 Edgar F. Codd, English computer scientist, inventor of relational model of data (died 2003) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_F._Codd)
- 1924 Willard Boyle, Canadian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2011) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_Boyle)
- 1945 Ian Gillan, English singer-songwriter [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Gillan)
- 1946 Bill Clinton, American lawyer and politician, 40th and 42nd Governor of Arkansas, 42nd President of the United States [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton)
- 1951 John Deacon, English bass player and songwriter [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Deacon)
- 1957 Cesare Prandelli, Italian footballer and manager [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Prandelli)
- 1967 Satya Nadella, Indian-American business executive, chairman and CEO of Microsoft [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satya_Nadella)
- 1969 Matthew Perry, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (died 2023) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Perry)
- 1973 Marco Materazzi, Italian footballer and manager [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Materazzi)
- 1986 Christina Perri, American singer and songwriter [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Perri)
- 1987 Nico Hülkenberg, German racing driver [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nico_H%C3%BClkenberg)

## Died on August 19

- 14 Augustus, Roman emperor (born 63 BC) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10s)
- 1493 Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1415) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_III%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor)
- 1580 Andrea Palladio, Italian architect, designed the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore and Il Redentore (born 1508) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Palladio)
- 1662 Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (born 1623) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaise_Pascal)
- 1923 Vilfredo Pareto, Italian sociologist and economist (born 1845) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilfredo_Pareto)
- 1929 Sergei Diaghilev, Russian critic and producer, founded Ballets Russes (born 1872) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Diaghilev)
- 1936 Federico García Lorca, Spanish poet, playwright, and director (born 1898) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federico_Garc%C3%ADa_Lorca)
- 1954 Alcide De Gasperi, Italian journalist and politician, 30th Prime Minister of Italy (born 1881) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcide_De_Gasperi)
- 1968 George Gamow, Ukrainian-American physicist and cosmologist (born 1904) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gamow)
- 1977 Groucho Marx, American comedian and actor (born 1890) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groucho_Marx)
- 1994 Linus Pauling, American chemist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1901) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Pauling)
- 2008 Levy Mwanawasa, Zambian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Zambia (born 1948) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levy_Mwanawasa)
- 2012 Tony Scott, English-American director and producer (born 1944) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Scott)
- 2017 Brian Aldiss, British novelist (born 1925) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Aldiss)

## Holidays and observances

- Afghan Independence Day, commemorates the Treaty of Rawalpindi in 1919, granting independence from Britain (Afghanistan) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Independence_Day)
- August Revolution Commemoration Day (Vietnam) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Vietnam)
- Birthday of Crown Princess Mette-Marit (Norway) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_flying_days_in_Norway)
- Christian Feast Day: Bertulf of Bobbio [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertulf_of_Bobbio)
- Christian Feast Day: Saint Calminius [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Calminius)
- Christian Feast Day: Ezequiél Moreno y Díaz [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezequi%C3%A9l_Moreno_y_D%C3%ADaz)
- Christian Feast Day: Feast of the Transfiguration (Julian calendar), and its related observances: Buhe (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buhe)
- Christian Feast Day: Feast of the Transfiguration (Julian calendar), and its related observances: Saviour's Transfiguration, popularly known as the "Apples Feast" (Russian Orthodox Church and Georgian Orthodox Church) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfiguration_of_Jesus)
- Christian Feast Day: Jean-Eudes de Mézeray [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Eudes)
- Christian Feast Day: Louis of Toulouse [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_of_Toulouse)
- Christian Feast Day: Maginus [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Maginus)
- Christian Feast Day: Magnus of Anagni [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus_of_Trani)
- Christian Feast Day: Magnus of Avignon [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus_of_Avignon)
- Christian Feast Day: Sebaldus [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebaldus)
- Christian Feast Day: August 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_19_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Manuel Luis Quezón Day (Quezon City and other places in the Philippines named after Manuel L. Quezon) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_the_Philippines)
- National Aviation Day (United States) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Aviation_Day)
- World Humanitarian Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Humanitarian_Day)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “August 19”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_19) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/August 19”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/August_19) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“August 19”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_19) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_19?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for August 19 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## August 19 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Wednesday | 2026-W34 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2027 | Thursday | 2027-W33 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2028 | Saturday | 2028-W33 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2029 | Sunday | 2029-W33 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2030 | Monday | 2030-W34 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on August 19

None of the 28 countries we track has a public holiday on August 19 in 2026 or 2027.

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← August 18](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/august-18/) · [August 20 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/august-20/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/august-19/