Today In History. What Happened This Day In History
A Timeline Of Events That Occurred On This Day In History
A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.
Today in History
August 19
| 1493 | Maximilian succeeds his father Frederick III as Holy Roman Emperor. | |
| 1587 | Sigismund III is chosen to be the king of Poland. | |
| 1692 | Five women are hanged in Salem, Massachusetts after being convicted of the crime of witchcraft. Fourteen more people are executed that year and 150 others are imprisoned. | |
| 1772 | Gustavus III of Sweden eliminates the rule of parties and establishes an absolute monarchy. | |
| 1779 | Americans under Major Henry Lee take the British garrison at Paulus Hook, New Jersey. | |
| 1812 | The USS Constitution earns the nickname "Old Ironsides" during the battle off Nova Scotia that saw her defeat the HMS Guerriere. | |
| 1914 | The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) lands in France. | |
| 1934 | 38 million Germans vote to make Adolf Hitler the official successor to President von Hindenburg. | |
| 1936 | Spanish poet Frederico Garcia Lorca is shot by Franco's troops after being forced to dig his own grave. | |
| 1942 | A raid on Dieppe, France by British and Canadian commandos is repulsed by the German Army. | |
| 1944 | In an effort to prevent a communist uprising in Paris, Charles DeGualle begins attacking German forces all around the city. | |
| 1950 | Edith Sampson becomes the first African-American representative to the United Nations. | |
| 1957 | The first balloon flight to exceed 100,000 feet takes off from Crosby, Minnesota. | |
| 1965 | U.S. forces destroy a Viet Cong stronghold near Van Tuong, in South Vietnam. | |
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Born on August 19 |
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| 1870 | Bernard Baruch, U.S. representative to the U.N. Atomic Energy Commission. | |
| 1871 | Orville Wright, aviation pioneer. | |
| 1883 | Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, fashion designer. | |
| 1902 | Ogden Nash, humorist. | |
| 1919 | Malcolm Forbes, publisher of Forbes magazine. | |
| 1921 | Gene Roddenberry, television writer and producer, best known for the series Star Trek. | |
| 1945 | William J. Clinton, 42nd President of the United States (1993- ). | |
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