International observance days, weeks, and months for August 19, 2026. Plus historical events and birthdays.
August 19, 2026 celebrates World Photography Day, plus 3 more. Every year on August 19 we celebrate World Photography Day to celebrate the art, craft, science, and history of photography. The day also encourages photographers from around the globe to share a single photo that encapsulates their world.
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Each year, World Humanitarian Day is held on August 19 to honor aid workers who put their lives at risk to better the lives of others. The day also rallies support for people around the world affected by crises.
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For the love of orangutans, International Orangutan Day on August 19 spreads awareness about the threat of their extinction. Celebrate these fantastic apes and encourage the public to take action in protecting them.
Read the full story →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.
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.