# On this day: March 19

March 19 is the 78th day of the year (79th in leap years), with 287 days left until the end of the year.

## March 19 in one line

Headline entries for March 19, from Wikipedia: in 1911, Established by Clara Zetkin, Käte Duncker, and others, International Women's Day was first observed; born 1813: David Livingstone, Scottish missionary and explorer (died 1873); died 2008: Arthur C. Clarke, English science fiction writer (born 1917). In 2026 it is a Thursday, in 2027 a Friday.

## Events on March 19

- 1227 Election of Ugolino di Conti as Pope Gregory IX following the death of Pope Honorius III. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Honorius_III)
- 1277 The Byzantine Empire and the Republic of Venice signed a treaty that renegotiated and extended by two years a previous treaty between them. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine%E2%80%93Venetian_treaty_of_1277)
- 1279 Mongol conquest of Song China: Zhao Bing, the last Song emperor, drowned at the end of the Battle of Yamen, bringing the Song dynasty to an end after three centuries. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yamen)
- 1452 Frederick III of Habsburg is the last Holy Roman Emperor crowned by medieval tradition in Rome by Pope Nicholas V. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Emperor)
- 1563 The Edict of Amboise was signed, ending the first war in the French Wars of Religion and inaugurating a period of official peace that lasted until 1567. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Amboise)
- 1808 King Charles IV of Spain was forced to abdicate in favour of his son Ferdinand VII as a result of the Tumult of Aranjuez. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_IV_of_Spain)
- 1812 The Cortes of Cádiz promulgates the Spanish Constitution of 1812. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Constitution_of_1812)
- 1824 American explorer Benjamin Morrell departed Antarctica after a voyage later plagued by claims of fraud. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Morrell)
- 1865 American Civil War: The last battle of the Carolinas Campaign, the Battle of Bentonville, began, which contributed to the ultimate Union victory in the war. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bentonville)
- 1911 Established by Clara Zetkin, Käte Duncker, and others, International Women's Day was first observed. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Zetkin)
- 1920 The United States Senate rejects the Treaty of Versailles for the second time (the first time was on November 19, 1919). [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate)
- 1928 The highly influential American radio comedy show Amos 'n' Andy made its debut. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_'n'_Andy)
- 1932 The Sydney Harbour Bridge is opened. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridge)
- 1944 The secular oratorio A Child of Our Time by Michael Tippett premiered at the Adelphi Theatre in London. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Child_of_Our_Time)
- 1945 World War II: Adolf Hitler issues his "Nero Decree" ordering all industries, military installations, shops, transportation facilities, and communications facilities in Germany to be destroyed. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero_Decree)
- 1946 French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Réunion become overseas départements of France. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Guiana)
- 1962 Influential American musician Bob Dylan released his eponymous debut album, mainly comprising traditional folk, blues and gospel songs. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan)
- 1962 The Algerian War of Independence ends. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algerian_War)
- 1964 Between 300,000 and 500,000 Brazilians attended the March of the Family with God for Liberty, in protest against the government of João Goulart and against communism. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_of_the_Family_with_God_for_Liberty)
- 1979 The American cable television network C-SPAN, covering government proceedings and public-affairs programming, was launched. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-SPAN)
- 1987 American televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as the host of The PTL Club in the midst of a sex scandal. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Bakker)
- 2003 United States President George W. Bush addresses the nation, announcing the invasion of Iraq. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_invasion_of_Iraq)
- 2008 The gamma-ray burst GRB 080319B, the farthest object from Earth that was observable by the naked eye, was observed. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRB_080319B)
- 2011 First Libyan Civil War: The French Air Force launched Opération Harmattan, beginning foreign military intervention in Libya. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_military_intervention_in_Libya)
- 2016 Flydubai Flight 981 crashed during an aborted landing at Rostov-on-Don Airport, Russia, resulting in the deaths of all 62 passengers and crew on board. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flydubai_Flight_981)
- 2019 The first President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, resigns from office after nearly three decades, leaving Senate Chairman Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as the acting President and successor. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kassym-Jomart_Tokayev)

## Born on March 19

- 1206 Güyük Khan, Mongol ruler, 3rd Great Khan of the Mongol Empire (died 1248) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCy%C3%BCk_Khan)
- 1534 José de Anchieta, Spanish missionary and saint (died 1597) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_of_Anchieta)
- 1604 John IV of Portugal (died 1656) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_IV_of_Portugal)
- 1813 David Livingstone, Scottish missionary and explorer (died 1873) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Livingstone)
- 1821 Richard Francis Burton, English soldier, geographer, and diplomat (died 1890) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton)
- 1860 William Jennings Bryan, American lawyer and politician, 41st United States Secretary of State (died 1925) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Jennings_Bryan)
- 1873 Max Reger, German pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1916) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Reger)
- 1883 Norman Haworth, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1950) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Haworth)
- 1888 Josef Albers, German-American painter and educator (died 1976) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Albers)
- 1900 Frédéric Joliot-Curie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1958) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Joliot-Curie)
- 1905 Albert Speer, German architect and politician, convicted Nuremberg war criminal (died 1981) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Speer)
- 1906 Adolf Eichmann, German SS officer, one of the main organizers of the Holocaust (died 1962) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Eichmann)
- 1922 Hiroo Onoda, Japanese lieutenant (died 2014) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroo_Onoda)
- 1928 Hans Küng, Swiss theologian and author (died 2021) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_K%C3%BCng)
- 1937 Egon Krenz, German politician, briefly leader of East Germany [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egon_Krenz)
- 1943 Mario Monti, Italian economist and politician, Prime Minister of Italy [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Monti)
- 1943 Mario J. Molina, Mexican chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2020) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Molina)
- 1956 Yegor Gaidar, Russian economist and politician, First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia (died 2009) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yegor_Gaidar)
- 1976 Alessandro Nesta, Italian footballer and manager [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Nesta)
- 1981 Kolo Touré, Ivorian footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolo_Tour%C3%A9)
- 1993 Hakim Ziyech, Moroccan footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakim_Ziyech)
- 1995 Héctor Bellerín, Spanish footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A9ctor_Beller%C3%ADn)

## Died on March 19

- 235 Severus Alexander, Roman emperor (born 208) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severus_Alexander)
- 1286 Alexander III, king of Scotland (born 1241) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_III_of_Scotland)
- 1687 René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, French-American explorer (born 1643) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9-Robert_Cavelier%2C_Sieur_de_La_Salle)
- 1721 Pope Clement XI (born 1649) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_XI)
- 1884 Elias Lönnrot, Finnish physician and philologist (born 1802) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elias_L%C3%B6nnrot)
- 1930 Arthur Balfour, Scottish-English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1848) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Balfour)
- 1950 Edgar Rice Burroughs, American soldier and author (born 1875) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Rice_Burroughs)
- 1950 Norman Haworth, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1883) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Haworth)
- 1987 Louis de Broglie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1892) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_de_Broglie)
- 1997 Willem de Kooning, Dutch-American painter and educator (born 1904) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_de_Kooning)
- 2008 Arthur C. Clarke, English science fiction writer (born 1917) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke)
- 2008 Paul Scofield, English actor (born 1922) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Scofield)
- 2008 Hugo Claus, Belgian author, poet, and playwright (born 1929) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Claus)
- 2026 Chuck Norris, American martial artist and actor (born 1940) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Norris)

## Holidays and observances

- Christian Observances: Alkmund of Derby [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkmund_of_Derby)
- Christian Observances: Blessed Andrea Gallerani [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Gallerani)
- Christian Observances: Saint Joseph (Western Christianity; if this date falls on Sunday, the feast is moved to Monday March 20) Saint Joseph's Day (Roman Catholicism and Anglican Communion) related observances: Falles, celebrated on the week leading to March 19 (Valencia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallas)
- Christian Observances: Saint Joseph (Western Christianity; if this date falls on Sunday, the feast is moved to Monday March 20) Saint Joseph's Day (Roman Catholicism and Anglican Communion) related observances: Father's Day (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Honduras, and Bolivia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father's_Day)
- Christian Observances: Saint Joseph (Western Christianity; if this date falls on Sunday, the feast is moved to Monday March 20) Saint Joseph's Day (Roman Catholicism and Anglican Communion) related observances: "Return of the Swallow", annual observance of the swallows' return to Mission San Juan Capistrano in California [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Juan_Capistrano_(California))
- Christian Observances: Blessed Marcel Callo [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Callo)
- Christian Observances: Blessed Sibyllina Biscossi [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibyllina_Biscossi)
- Christian Observances: March 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_19_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Christian Observances: Earliest day on which Maundy Thursday can fall, while April 22 is the latest; celebrated on Thursday before Easter (Christianity) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maundy_Thursday)
- Minna Canth's Birthday and the Day of Equality (Finland) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minna_Canth)
- Kashubian Unity Day (Poland) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashubian_Unity_Day)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “March 19”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_19) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/March 19”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/March_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 [“March 19”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_19) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_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 March 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.

## March 19 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Thursday | 2026-W12 | 🌑 New Moon |
| 2027 | Friday | 2027-W11 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2028 | Sunday | 2028-W11 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2029 | Monday | 2029-W12 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2030 | Tuesday | 2030-W12 | 🌕 Full Moon |

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

## Public holidays on March 19

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

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

## Nearby dates

[← March 18](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-18/) · [March 20 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-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/march-19/