🔍︎
Dark Mode
International observance days, weeks, and months for August 19, 2026. Plus historical events and birthdays.
Events that occurred on August 19 throughout history
Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 18, returns to Scotland after spending 13 years in France. She left France as a teenage widow after the death of her husband, King Francis II.
J. S. Bach lead the first performance of Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren, BWV 137. He wrote the piece for the twelfth Sunday after Trinity.
The New York Herald announces the California gold rush. The announcement sparked widespread "gold fever" in the eastern U.S. sending thousands of prospectors to California to find their own riches.
The First Sioux War begins when U.S. Army soldiers killed Lakota chief Conquering Bear during a confrontation to arrest a man over a stray cow. The confrontation resulted in Sioux warriors retaliating against the Army.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway opens for automobile racing. William Bourque and his mechanic are killed during the first day's events after their Knox car crashed.
The first Soap Box Derby is held in Dayton, Ohio. Myron Scott, Dayton Daily News Photographer, created the Derby after witnessing a group of kids racing homemade cars down a hill. The Derby was relocated to Akron, Ohio, and named the All-American Soap Box Derby.
The German referendum of 1934 approves Adolf Hitler as head of state with the title of Führer in Germany. Official results stated 90% of voters approved him as the dictator of Germany.
Paris, France rises against German occupation with the help of Allied troops. Local citizens and the French Resistance staged an uprising that prompted a revolt that eventually led to German surrender.
Google Inc. appears on Nasdaq and opens up for the public offering $85 per share.
People born on August 19
One of the first manufacturers to mass produce clocks.
Physician and patriot who rode with Paul Revere and William Dawes to warned Massachusetts minutemen the regulars are coming.
The first woman of Indian origin to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Inventor who was granted the first patent for the television in the U.S.
Engineer, pilot and co-founder of the Wright Company.
Sociologist and demographer who coined the term "population explosion."
Actor who played the character uncle Jesse on the sitcom Full House.
Singer of the 1972 hit I Can See Clearly Now.
Country music musician fondly remembered as "Gentleman Jim."
Model and actress widely known as the "First Bond Girl" in the early James Bond movies series.
Musician and founding member of the rock band Chicago.
Co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul book series.
Screenwriter and producer who created the Star Trek series.
Lawyer and politician who turned actor. He is fondly remembered for his role as Manhattan District Attorney Arthur Branch on Law & Order.
Author of the novel Angela's Ashes.
Boxing promoter easily identified by his "wild" hair.
The first woman to head a Hollywood studio (Columbia Productions).
Silent film actress who helped popularize the bobbed haircut.
French fashion designer and founded the Chanel Company.
Pharmacist, inventor and manufacturer of Hires Root Beer.
