What happened on February 19? There are more than 279 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
Interesting Facts & Myths About February 19
February 19 is the 50th day of the year 2024. There are 316 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday. This day falls under the 8th week of the year 2024.
On this day in Pleasantville, New York 10570 sunrise occured at 06:43 AM and sunset occured at 05:34 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Aquarius. The modern birthstone for this month is Amethyst while the mystical birthstone is Bloodstone.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 345 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the April 27 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For February 19
- 197Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies.
- 356Emperor Constantius II issues a decree closing all pagan temples in the Roman Empire.
- 1594Having already inherited the throne of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth through his mother Catherine Jagellonica of Poland, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa is crowned King of Sweden, succeeding his father John III of Sweden.
- 1600The Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in the recorded history of South America.
- 1674England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War. A provision of the agreement transfers the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam to England, and it is renamed New York.
- 1807In Alabama, former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason and confined to Fort Stoddert.
- 1819British explorer William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands, and claims them in the name of King George III.
- 1846In Austin, Texas the newly formed Texas state government is officially installed. The Republic of Texas government officially transfers power to the State of Texas government following Texas’ annexation by the United States.
- 1847The first group of rescuers reaches the Donner Party.
- 1859Daniel E. Sickles, a New York Congressman, is acquitted of murder on grounds of temporary insanity. This is the 1st time this defense is successfully used in the United States.
- 1861Serfdom is abolished in Russia.
- 1876Founding of the National Amateur Press Association (NAPA) in Philadelphia.
- 1878Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.
- 1884More than sixty tornadoes strike the Southern United States, one of the largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history.
- 1915World War I: The first naval attack on the Dardanelles begins when a strong Anglo-French task force bombards Ottoman artillery along the coast of Gallipoli.
- 1921Rezā Shāh takes control of Tehran during a successful coup
- 1937Yekatit 12: During a public ceremony at the Viceregal Palace (the former Imperial residence) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, two Eritrean nationalists attempt to kill viceroy Rodolfo Graziani with a number of grenades. Italian authorities exact vicious reprisals on the population.
- 1942World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the executive order 9066, allowing the United States military to relocate Japanese-Americans to Japanese internment camps.
- 1942World War II: nearly 250 Japanese warplanes attack the northern Australian city of Darwin killing 243 people.
- 1943World War II: Battle of the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia begins.
- 1945World War II: Battle of Iwo Jima – about 30,000 United States Marines land on the island of Iwo Jima.
- 1949Ezra Pound is awarded the first Bollingen Prize in poetry by the Bollingen Foundation and Yale University.
- 1953Censorship: Georgia approves the first literature censorship board in the United States.
- 1959The United Kingdom grants Cyprus independence, which is then formally proclaimed on August 16, 1960.
- 1960China successfully launches the T-7, its first sounding rocket.
- 1963The publication of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique reawakens the Feminist Movement in the United States as women’s organizations and consciousness raising groups spread.
- 1972The Asama-Sansō hostage standoff begins in Japan.
- 1976Executive Order 9066, which led to the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps, is rescinded by President Gerald R. Ford’s Proclamation 4417
- 1978Egyptian forces raid Larnaca International Airport in an attempt to intervene in a hijacking, without authorisation from the Republic of Cyprus authorities. The Cypriot National Guard and Police forces kill 15 Egyptian commandos and destroy the Egyptian C-130 transport plane in open combat.
- 1985Artificial heart recipient William J. Schroeder becomes the first such patient to leave hospital.
- 1985Iberia Airlines Boeing 727 crashes into Mount Oiz in Spain, killing 148.
- 1986Akkaraipattu massacre: the Sri Lankan Army massacres 80 Tamil farm workers the eastern province of Sri Lanka.
- 1986The Soviet Union launches its Mir spacecraft. Remaining in orbit for 15 years, it is occupied for 10 of those years.
- 1996New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Fire Rat in Chinese astrology.
- 1999President Bill Clinton issues a posthumous pardon for U.S. Army Lt. Henry Ossian Flipper.
- 2001The Oklahoma City bombing museum is dedicated at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
- 2002NASA’s Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.
- 2006A methane explosion in coal mine near Nueva Rosita, Mexico, kills 65 miners.
Who Were Born On February 19?
- 1473Nicolaus Copernicus, mathematician and astronomer (d. 1543)
- 1526Charles de L'Ecluse, Flemish botanist (d. 1609)
- 1552Melchior Klesl, Austrian cardinal and statesman (d. 1630)
- 1630Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire (d. 1680)
- 1660Friedrich Hoffmann, German physician and chemist (d. 1742)
- 1717David Garrick, British actor (d. 1779)
- 1722Tiphaigne de la Roche, French writer (d. 1774)
- 1743Luigi Boccherini, Italian composer (d. 1805)
- 1780Richard McCarty, American politician (d. 1844)
- 1802Wilhelm Matthias Naeff, Swiss Federal Councillor (d. 1881)
- 1804Carl Freiherr von Rokitansky, German physician (d. 1878)
- 1804David Wark, Canadian politician (d. 1905)
- 1821August Schleicher, German linguist (d. 1868)
- 1833Élie Ducommun, Swiss journalist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1906)
- 1843Adelina Patti, Italian opera singer (d. 1919)
- 1855Nishinoumi Kajirō I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 16th Yokozuna (d. 1908)
- 1859Svante Arrhenius, Swedish chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1927)
- 1865Sven Hedin, Swedish explorer (d. 1952)
- 1869Hovhannes Tumanyan, Armenian poet and writer (d. 1923)
- 1876Constantin Brâncuşi, Romanian sculptor (d. 1957)
- 1877Gabriele Münter, German painter (d. 1962)
- 1880Alvaro Obregon, Mexican president (d. 1928)
- 1886José Abad Santos, Filipino jurist and lawyer (d. 1942)
- 1888Aurora Quezon, First Lady of the Philippines (d. 1949)
- 1888José Eustasio Rivera, Colombian writer (d. 1928)
- 1893Sir Cedric Hardwicke, British actor (d. 1964)
- 1895Diego Mazquiarán, Spanish matador ( d. 1940 )
- 1895Louis Calhern, American actor (d. 1956)
- 1896André Breton, French poet (d. 1966)
- 1897Alma Rubens, American actress (d. 1931)
- 1899Lucio Fontana, Italian-Argentinian painter and sculptor (d. 1968)
- 1899Yury Olesha, Russian novelist (d. 1960)
- 1902Kay Boyle, American writer (d. 1992)
- 1904Havank, Dutch writer (d. 1964)
- 1904Muiris Ó Súilleabháin, Irish writer (d. 1950)
- 1910Dorothy Janis, American silent film actress (d. 2010)
- 1911Merle Oberon, British actress (d. 1979)
- 1912Saul Chaplin, American composer (d. 1997)
- 1913Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza, pretender to the Brazilian throne (d. 2007)
- 1914Jacques Dufilho, French comedian (d. 2005)
- 1916Eddie Arcaro, American jockey (d. 1997)
- 1917Carson McCullers, American author (d. 1967)
- 1920C. Z. Guest, American socialite (d. 2003)
- 1920George Rose, British music hall entertainer (d. 1988)
- 1920Jaan Kross, Estonian writer (d. 2007)
- 1924Bruce Norris, American ice hockey executive (d. 1986)
- 1924David Bronstein, Ukrainian chess player (d. 2006)
- 1924František Vláčil, Czech film director, painter, and graphic artist (d. 1999)
- 1924Lee Marvin, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1929Jacques Deray, French film director (d. 2003)
- 1930John Frankenheimer, American film director (d. 2002)
- 1930K Viswanath, South Indian film director
- 1932Joseph P. Kerwin, NASA astronaut
- 1934Carole Eastman, American screenwriter (d. 2004)
- 1935Dave Niehaus, American sportscaster (d. 2010)
- 1936Marin Sorescu, Romanian writer and novelist (d. 1997)
- 1936Sam Myers, American musician and songwriter (d. 2006)
- 1937Robert Walker Jr., American blues guitarist
- 1938Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama, Tibetan religious figure (d. 1989)
- 1938René Muñoz, Cuban-born Mexican actor and screenwriter (d. 2000)
- 1939Gwen Taylor, English actress
- 1940Saparmurat Niyazov, President of Turkmenistan (d. 2006)
- 1940Smokey Robinson, American singer
- 1941David Gross, American physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1942Paul Krause, American football player
- 1943Homer Hickam, American author and retired NASA engineer
- 1943Lou Christie, American singer
- 1943Tim Hunt, British biochemist, Nobel laureate
- 1945Jürgen Rumor, German footballer
- 1945Michael Nader, American actor
- 1945Yuri Antonov, Soviet-Russian rock musician
- 1946Hiroshi Fujioka, Japanese actor
- 1946Karen Silkwood, American activist (d. 1974)
- 1946Paul Dean, Canadian guitarist (Loverboy)
- 1946Peter Hudson, Australian rules footballer
- 1947Tim Shadbolt, mayor of Invercargill, New Zealand
- 1948Big John Studd, American professional wrestler (d. 1995)
- 1948Mark Andes, American musician
- 1948Pim Fortuyn, Dutch politician (d. 2002)
- 1948Tony Iommi, English guitarist (Black Sabbath)
- 1949Danielle Bunten Berry, American software developer (d. 1998)
- 1949William Messner-Loebs, American comics writer
- 1950Andy Powell, British musician
- 1950Juice Leskinen, Finnish songwriter
- 1951Stephen Nichols, American actor
- 1951Tahir-ul-Qadri, Pakistani Islamic Sufi Scholar
- 1952Amy Tan, American novelist
- 1952Rodolfo Neri Vela, Mexican astronaut
- 1953Bill Kirchenbauer American comedian and actor
- 1953Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of Argentina
- 1953Massimo Troisi, Italian actor (d. 1994)
- 1954Sócrates, Brazilian footballer (d. 2011)
- 1955Jeff Daniels, American actor
- 1956Dave Wakeling, English musician (The (English) Beat, General Public)
- 1956Kathleen Beller, American actress
- 1956Roderick MacKinnon, American biologist, Nobel laureate
- 1957Falco, Austrian singer (d. 1998)
- 1957Lorianne Crook, Television Personality
- 1957Ray Winstone, British actor
- 1958Helen Fielding, English writer
- 1960Leslie Ash, English actress
- 1960Prince Andrew, Duke of York
- 1961Andy Wallace, English race car driver
- 1961Benoît Chamoux, French mountaineer (d. 1995)
- 1961Justin Fashanu, English footballer (d. 1998)
- 1962Hana Mandlíková, Czech tennis player
- 1962John Laroche, American orchid poacher
- 1963Jessica Tuck, American actress
- 1963Laurell K. Hamilton, American writer
- 1963Seal, English singer
- 1964Dmitri Lipskerov, Russian writer
- 1964Doug Aldrich, American musician (Whitesnake)
- 1964Sonu Walia, Indian actress
- 1965Cathy Lane, English Swimmer
- 1965Jon Fishman, American musician (Phish)
- 1965Leroy, American musician (Smash Mouth)
- 1966Enzo Scifo, Belgian footballer
- 1966Justine Bateman, American actress
- 1966Paul Haarhuis, Dutch tennis player
- 1967Benicio del Toro, Puerto Rican actor
- 1969Burton C. Bell, American vocalist
- 1970Joacim Cans, Swedish singer (HammerFall)
- 1971Gil Shaham, Israeli-born American violinist
- 1971Lisa McCune, Australian actress
- 1971Miguel Batista, Dominican baseball player
- 1972Francine, American professional wrestler
- 1973Eric Lange, Nickelodeon’s Victorious Mr. Sikowitz
- 1974Danny Doring, American professional wrestler
- 1975Daewon Song, Korean professional skateboarder
- 1975Daniel Adair, Canadian Drummer (Nickelback)
- 1975Katja Schuurman, Dutch actress and singer
- 1975Mikko Kavén, Finnish footballer
- 1976Jahidi White, American basketball player
- 1977Gianluca Zambrotta, Italian footballer
- 1977Ola Salo, Swedish singer (The Ark)
- 1978Immortal Technique, Peruvian-born American rapper
- 1978Michalis Konstantinou, Greek-born Cypriot footballer
- 1979Andrew Buchan, English Actor
- 1979Bassnectar, American Dubstep/Electronica musician
- 1979Mariana Ochoa, Mexican singer and actress
- 1979Mariska, Finnish rapper
- 1979Steve Cherundolo, American soccer player
- 1980David Gandy, British model
- 1980Dwight Freeney, American football player
- 1980Ma Lin, Chinese table tennis player
- 1980Mike Miller, American basketball player
- 1980Neleh Dennis, American reality show contestant
- 1981Beth Ditto, American singer (The Gossip)
- 1981Daniel Letterle, American actor and singer
- 1981Gil Reyes, American boxer
- 1981Kyle Martino, American soccer player
- 1981Nicky Shorey, English footballer
- 1981Ronnie Arniell, Canadian professional wrestler
- 1981Vitas, Russian singer
- 1982Camelia Potec, Romanian swimmer
- 1983Assunta De Rossi, Filipino actress
- 1983Kotoōshū Katsunori, Bulgarian sumo wrestler
- 1983Mika Nakashima, Japanese singer/actress
- 1983Ryan Whitney, American ice hockey player
- 1984Chris Richardson, American Idol finalist
- 1985Arielle Kebbel, American actress
- 1985Haylie Duff, American singer/actress
- 1986Björn Gustafsson, Swedish comedian
- 1986Henri Karjalainen, Finnish racing driver
- 1986Jayde Nicole, Canadian model
- 1986Kyle Chipchura, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986Maria Mena, Norwegian singer
- 1986Marta Vieira da Silva, Brazilian footballer
- 1986Michael Schwimer, American baseball player
- 1986Reon Kadena, Japanese model and actress
- 1988Miyu Irino, Japanese voice actor
- 1990Luke Pasqualino, English actor
- 1991Trevor Bayne, American race car Driver
- 1993Empress Schuck, Filipina actress
- 1993Victoria Justice, American actress
Who Died On February 19?
- 197Clodius Albinus, Roman governor of Britain
- 1133Irene Ducaena, wife of Alexius I Comnenus (b. 1066)
- 1553Erasmus Reinhold, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1511)
- 1589Saint Philothei, Orthodox martyr and Patron of Athens (b. 1522)
- 1602Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercoeur, French soldier (b. 1558)
- 1605Orazio Vecchi, Italian composer (b. 1550)
- 1620Roemer Visscher, Dutch writer (b. 1547)
- 1622Sir Henry Savile, English educator (b. 1549)
- 1653Luigi de Rossi, Italian composer (b. 1597)
- 1663Adam Adami, German bishop and diplomat (b. 1603)
- 1670King Frederick III of Denmark (b. 1609)
- 1672Charles Chauncy, English-born president of Harvard College (b. 1592)
- 1709Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japanese shogun (b. 1646)
- 1716Dorthe Engelbrechtsdatter, Norwegian poet (b. 1634)
- 1789Nicholas Van Dyke, American lawyer and President of Delaware (b. 1738)
- 1799Jean-Charles de Borda, French mathematician, physicist, political scientist, and sailor (b. 1733)
- 1806Elizabeth Carter, English writer (b. 1717)
- 1837Georg Büchner, German playwright (b. 1813)
- 1837Thomas Burgess, English author, philosopher, Bishop of Saint David’s and Bishop of Salisbury (b. 1756)
- 1887Multatuli, Dutch writer (b. 1820)
- 1897Karl Weierstraß, German mathematician (b. 1815)
- 1916Ernst Mach, Austrian-Czech physicist and philosopher (b. 1838)
- 1927Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer (b. 1847)
- 1936Billy Mitchell, American general and military aviation pioneer (b. 1879)
- 1936Charles Harding Firth, British historian (b. 1857)
- 1942Frank Abbandando, American gangster (executed) (b. 1910)
- 1951André Gide, French writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1869)
- 1952Knut Hamsun, Norwegian author, Nobel laureate (b. 1859)
- 1957Maurice Garin, French cyclist (b. 1871)
- 1959Willard Miller, American sailor (b. 1877)
- 1962Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek doctor, inventor of the Pap smear (b. 1883)
- 1968Georg Hackenschmidt, Estonian professional wrestler (b. 1878)
- 1969Madge Blake, American actress (b. 1899)
- 1970Christoforos Nezer, Greek actor (b. 1887)
- 1972John Grierson, Scottish documentary filmmaker (b. 1898)
- 1972Lee Morgan, American jazz musician (b. 1938)
- 1972Tedd Pierce, American animator (b. 1906)
- 1973Joseph Szigeti, Hungarian violinist (b. 1892)
- 1973Kostas Negrepontis, Greek footballer (b. 1897)
- 1975Luigi Dallapiccola, Italian composer (b. 1904)
- 1977Anthony Crosland, British politician (b. 1918)
- 1977Mike González, Cuban baseball player (b. 1890)
- 1980Bon Scott, Australian singer (AC/DC) (b. 1946)
- 1983Alice White, American film actress (b. 1904)
- 1986Adolfo Celi, Italian actor (b. 1922)
- 1988André Frédéric Cournand, French-born physician, Nobel laureate (b. 1895)
- 1992Tojo Yamamoto, American professional wrestler (b. 1927)
- 1994Derek Jarman, British film director (b. 1942)
- 1996Antonio Creus, Spanish racecar driver (b. 1924)
- 1996Charlie Finley, American sports entrepreneur (b. 1918)
- 1997Deng Xiaoping, Chinese Communist leader and revolutionary (b. 1904)
- 1997Leo Rosten, American Yiddish writer and humorist (b. 1908)
- 1998Grandpa Jones, American entertainer (b. 1913)
- 1999Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr, Iraqi Shiite leader (assassinated) (b. 1943)
- 2000Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian artist (b. 1928)
- 2001Charles Trenet, French singer (b. 1913)
- 2001Priscilla Davis, American socialite (b. 1942)
- 2001Stanley Kramer, American director (b. 1913)
- 2003Johnny Paycheck, American singer (b. 1938)
- 2007Celia Franca, founder of National Ballet of Canada (b. 1921)
- 2007Janet Blair, American actress (b. 1921)
- 2008Lydia Shum, Hong Kong comedian and actress (b. 1945)
- 2008Yegor Letov, Russian song writer and singer (b. 1964)
- 2009Kelly Groucutt, Bass guitarist and singer for the band Electric Light Orchestra (b. 1945)
- 2010Jamie Gillis, American pornographic actor, director (b. 1943)
- 2010Laura Spurr, American chairperson of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi (b. 1945)
- 2011Ollie Matson, American Football Running Back (b. 1930)
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