On This Day in History — July 19

Highlights of July 19

• 2024 — Neary's, a New York City Irish pub popular with political elites, closed. Read more
• 2014 — Gunmen ambushed an Egyptian military checkpoint in the Libyan Desert near Farafra, killing 22 soldiers. Read more
• 2013 — The NASA spacecraft Cassini took a photograph of Saturn with Earth in the distance (detail pictured), for which people were invited to "wave at Saturn". Read more
• 1997 — The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced that it would resume its ceasefire, ending its 28-year campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland. Read more
• 1992 — A car bomb killed the anti-Mafia judge Paolo Borsellino and five policemen in Palermo, Italy, less than two months after the murder of Borsellino's friend and colleague Giovanni Falcone. Read more
• 1976 — Environmental activists bombed the port facilities in Bunbury, Western Australia, in an attempt to disrupt the woodchipping industry. Read more
• 1957 — The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold, a largely autobiographical novel by Evelyn Waugh, was published. Read more
• 1936 — The July 1936 military uprising in Barcelona begins. Read more
• 1919 — Following Peace Day celebrations marking the end of the First World War, English ex-servicemen unhappy with unemployment and other grievances rioted and burned down Luton Town Hall. Read more
• 1916 — First World War: The "worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history" occurred when Australian forces unsuccessfully attacked German defences at Fromelles, France. Read more
• 1903 — French cyclist Maurice Garin won the first edition of the Tour de France. Read more
• 1848 — The two-day Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's-rights and feminist convention held in the United States, opened in Seneca Falls, New York. Read more
• 1845 — A fire in Manhattan, New York City, destroyed 345 buildings, killed 30 people, and caused at least $5 million in damage. Read more
• 1843 — SS Great Britain, the first ocean-going ship with both an iron hull and a screw propeller, was launched (pictured) in Bristol, England. Read more
• 1817 — Georg Anton Schäffer was forced to depart for China after his unsuccessful attempt to seize the Hawaiian Kingdom for the Russian Empire. Read more
• 1702 — Great Northern War: Polish–Saxon forces were defeated by a Swedish army half their size at the Battle of Kliszów. Read more
• 1553 — Mary I was proclaimed Queen of England, deposing Lady Jane Grey after nine days of de facto rule. Read more
• 1545 — The English warship Mary Rose sank outside Portsmouth during the Battle of the Solent; it was raised from the seabed in 1982. Read more
• 1333 — Second War of Scottish Independence: Scottish forces under Sir Archibald Douglas were heavily defeated by the English at the Battle of Halidon Hill while trying to relieve Berwick-upon-Tweed. Read more
• 998 — Arab–Byzantine wars: After initial Byzantine gains at the Battle of Apamea, a lone Kurdish rider killed Byzantine commander Damian Dalassenos, allowing Fatimid troops to turn the tide of the battle. Read more

Events

• 2018 — The Knesset passes the controversial Nationality Bill, which defines the State of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Read more
• 2014 — Gunmen in Egypt's western desert province of New Valley Governorate attack a military checkpoint, killing at least 21 soldiers. Egypt reportedly declares a state of emergency on its border with Sudan. Read more
• 2012 — Syrian civil war: The People's Protection Units (YPG) capture the city of Kobanî without resistance, starting the Rojava conflict in Northeast Syria. Read more
• 2011 — Guinean President Alpha Condé survives an attempted assassination and coup d'état at his residence in Conakry. Read more
• 1997 — The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army resumes a ceasefire to end their 25-year paramilitary campaign to end British rule in Northern Ireland. Read more
• 1994 — Alas Chiricanas Flight 00901 is destroyed by a bomb after takeoff from Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport in Colón, Panama, killing 21. Read more
• 1992 — A car bomb kills Judge Paolo Borsellino and five members of his escort. Read more
• 1989 — United Airlines Flight 232 crashes in Sioux City, Iowa, killing 111. Read more
• 1985 — The Val di Stava dam collapses, killing 268 people in Val di Stava, Italy. Read more
• 1983 — The first three-dimensional reconstruction of a human head in a CT is published. Read more
• 1982 — In one of the first militant attacks by Hezbollah, David S. Dodge, president of the American University of Beirut, is kidnapped. Read more
• 1981 — In a private meeting with U.S. President Ronald Reagan, French President François Mitterrand reveals the existence of the Farewell Dossier, a collection of documents showing the Soviet Union had been stealing American technological research and development. Read more
• 1980 — Opening of the Summer Olympics in Moscow. Read more
• 1979 — The Sandinista rebels overthrow the government of the Somoza family in Nicaragua. Read more
• 1979 — The oil tanker SS Atlantic Empress collides with another oil tanker, causing the largest ever ship-borne oil spill. Read more
• 1977 — The world's first Global Positioning System (GPS) signal is transmitted from Navigation Technology Satellite 2 (NTS-2) and received at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at 12:41 a.m. Eastern time (ET). Read more
• 1976 — Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal is created. Read more
• 1972 — Dhofar Rebellion: British SAS units help the Omani government against Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman rebels in the Battle of Mirbat. Read more
• 1969 — Chappaquiddick incident: U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy crashes his car into a tidal pond at Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, killing his passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. Read more
• 1967 — Piedmont Airlines Flight 22, a Piedmont Airlines Boeing 727-22, and a twin-engine Cessna 310 collide over Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA. Both aircraft are destroyed and all passengers and crew are killed, including John T. McNaughton, an advisor to Robert McNamara. Read more
• 1964 — Vietnam War: At a rally in Saigon, South Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Khánh calls for expanding the war into North Vietnam. Read more
• 1963 — Joe Walker flies a North American X-15 to a record altitude of 106,010 meters (347,800 feet) on X-15 Flight 90. Exceeding an altitude of 100 km, this flight qualifies as a human spaceflight under international convention. Read more
• 1961 — Tunisia imposes a blockade on the French naval base at Bizerte; the French would capture the entire town four days later. Read more
• 1957 — The largely autobiographical novel The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold by Evelyn Waugh is published. Read more
• 1952 — Opening of the Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. Read more
• 1947 — Prime Minister of the shadow Burmese government, Bogyoke Aung San and eight others are assassinated. Read more
• 1947 — Korean politician Lyuh Woon-hyung is assassinated. Read more
• 1943 — World War II: Rome is heavily bombed by more than 500 Allied aircraft, inflicting thousands of casualties. Read more
• 1942 — World War II: The Second Happy Time of Hitler's submarines comes to an end, as the increasingly effective American convoy system compels them to return to the central Atlantic. Read more
• 1940 — World War II: Battle of Cape Spada: The Royal Navy and the Regia Marina clash; the Italian light cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni sinks, with 121 casualties. Read more
• 1940 — Field Marshal Ceremony: First occasion in World War II that Adolf Hitler appoints field marshals due to military achievements. Read more
• 1940 — World War II: Army order 112 forms the Intelligence Corps of the British Army. Read more
• 1936 — Spanish Civil War: The CNT and UGT call a general strike in Spain – mobilizing workers' militias against the Nationalist forces. People's Olympiad of Barcelona cancelled. Read more
• 1934 — The rigid airship USS Macon surprises the USS Houston near Clipperton Island with a mail delivery for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, demonstrating its potential for tracking ships at sea. Read more
• 1916 — World War I: Battle of Fromelles: British and Australian troops attack German trenches as part of the Battle of the Somme. Read more
• 1903 — Maurice Garin wins the first Tour de France. Read more
• 1900 — The first line of the Paris Metro opens for operation. Read more
• 1870 — Franco-Prussian War: France declares war on Prussia. Read more
• 1864 — Taiping Rebellion: Third Battle of Nanking: The Qing dynasty finally defeats the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Read more
• 1863 — American Civil War: Morgan's Raid: At Buffington Island in Ohio, Confederate General John Hunt Morgan's raid into the north is mostly thwarted when a large group of his men are captured while trying to escape across the Ohio River. Read more
• 1848 — Women's rights: A two-day Women's Rights Convention opens in Seneca Falls, New York. Read more
• 1845 — Great New York City Fire of 1845: The last great fire to affect Manhattan begins early in the morning and is subdued that afternoon. The fire kills four firefighters and 26 civilians and destroys 345 buildings. Read more
• 1843 — Brunel's steamship the SS Great Britain is launched, becoming the first ocean-going craft with an iron hull and screw propeller, becoming the largest vessel afloat in the world. Read more
• 1832 — The British Medical Association is founded as the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association by Sir Charles Hastings at a meeting in the Board Room of the Worcester Infirmary. Read more
• 1821 — Coronation of George IV of the United Kingdom. Read more
• 1817 — Unsuccessful in his attempt to conquer the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi for the Russian-American Company, Georg Anton Schäffer is forced to admit defeat and leave Kauaʻi. Read more
• 1733 — The Ottoman army defeats the Iranian army under Nader Shah in the battle of Baghdad. Read more
• 1702 — Great Northern War: A numerically superior Polish-Saxon army of Augustus II the Strong, operating from an advantageous defensive position, is defeated by a Swedish army half its size under the command of King Charles XII in the Battle of Klissow. Read more
• 1701 — Representatives of the Iroquois Confederacy sign the Nanfan Treaty, ceding a large territory north of the Ohio River to England. Read more
• 1588 — Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines: The Spanish Armada is sighted in the English Channel. Read more
• 1553 — The attempt to install Lady Jane Grey as Queen of England collapses after only nine days. Read more
• 1545 — The Tudor warship Mary Rose sinks off Portsmouth; in 1982 the wreck is salvaged in one of the most complex and expensive projects in the history of maritime archaeology. Read more
• 1544 — Italian War of 1542–46: The first Siege of Boulogne begins. Read more
• 1333 — Wars of Scottish Independence: The English win a decisive victory over the Scots in the battle of Halidon Hill. Read more
• 998 — Arab–Byzantine wars: Battle of Apamea: Fatimids defeat a Byzantine army near Apamea. Read more
• 939 — Battle of Simancas: King Ramiro II of León defeats the Moorish army under Caliph Abd-al-Rahman III near the city of Simancas. Read more
• 803 — Bardanes Tourkos is proclaimed emperor by rebellious Byzantine troops. Read more
• 711 — Umayyad conquest of Hispania: Battle of Guadalete: Umayyad forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defeat the Visigoths led by King Roderic. Read more
• 484 — Leontius, Roman usurper, is crowned Eastern emperor at Tarsus (modern Turkey). He is recognized in Antioch and makes it his capital. Read more
• 64 — The Great Fire of Rome causes widespread devastation and rages on for six days, destroying half of the city. Read more

Born on July 19

• 2006 — Dani Muñoz, Spanish footballer Read more
• 2003 — Tyler Downs, American diver Read more
• 1999 — Kim So-hye, South Korean actress and singer Read more
• 1998 — Erin Cuthbert, Scottish footballer Read more
• 1998 — Karl Jacobs, American YouTuber and streamer Read more
• 1998 — Ronaldo Vieira, Bissau-Guinean footballer Read more
• 1997 — Zach Werenski, American ice hockey player Read more
• 1996 — Paul Momirovski, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1995 — Romee Strijd, Dutch model Read more
• 1994 — Christian Welch, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1992 — Jake Nicholson, English footballer Read more
• 1991 — Eray İşcan, Turkish footballer Read more
• 1989 — Patrick Corbin, American baseball player Read more
• 1989 — Sam McKendry, Australian-New Zealand rugby league player Read more
• 1989 — James Austin Johnson, American actor and comedian Read more
• 1988 — Shane Dawson, American comedian and actor Read more
• 1988 — Kevin Großkreutz, German footballer Read more
• 1988 — Jakub Kovář, Czech ice hockey player Read more
• 1988 — Cherami Leigh, American actress Read more
• 1988 — Trent Williams, American football player Read more
• 1987 — Yan Gomes, Brazilian-American baseball player Read more
• 1987 — Jon Jones, American mixed martial artist Read more
• 1987 — Marc Murphy, Australian footballer Read more
• 1986 — Leandro Greco, Italian footballer Read more
• 1986 — Jinder Mahal, Canadian wrestler Read more
• 1985 — LaMarcus Aldridge, American basketball player Read more
• 1985 — Zhou Haibin, Chinese footballer Read more
• 1985 — Marina Kuzina, Russian basketball player Read more
• 1985 — Hadi Norouzi, Iranian footballer (died 2015) Read more
• 1984 — Andrea Libman, Canadian voice actress Read more
• 1984 — Adam Morrison, American basketball player Read more
• 1984 — Ryan O'Byrne, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1984 — Lewis Price, Welsh footballer Read more
• 1983 — Helen Skelton, English television host and actress Read more
• 1983 — Fedor Tyutin, Russian ice hockey player Read more
• 1982 — Christopher Bear, American drummer Read more
• 1982 — Phil Coke, American baseball player Read more
• 1982 — Jared Padalecki, American actor Read more
• 1982 — Jess Vanstrattan, Australian footballer Read more
• 1981 — Nenê, Brazilian footballer Read more

Died on July 19

• 2024 — Toumani Diabaté, Malian musician (born 1965) Read more
• 2024 — Iryna Farion, Ukrainian linguist and politician (born 1964) Read more
• 2024 — Kevan Gosper, Australian athlete and administrator (born 1933) Read more
• 2024 — Sheila Jackson Lee, American lawyer and politician (born 1950) Read more
• 2024 — Nguyễn Phú Trọng, Vietnamese politician, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (born 1944) Read more
• 2024 — Ray Reardon, Welsh snooker player and police officer (born 1932) Read more
• 2024 — James C. Scott, American political scientist and anthropologist (born 1936) Read more
• 2024 — Esta TerBlanche, South African actress (born 1973) Read more
• 2019 — Rutger Hauer, Dutch actor, director, and producer (born 1944) Read more
• 2018 — Jon Schnepp, American producer, director, voice actor, editor, writer, cartoonist, animator, and cinematographer (born 1967) Read more
• 2018 — Denis Ten, Kazakhstani figure skater (born 1993) Read more
• 2016 — Garry Marshall, American actor, director, and producer (born 1934) Read more
• 2015 — Van Alexander, American composer and conductor (born 1915) Read more
• 2015 — Galina Prozumenshchikova, Ukrainian-Russian swimmer and journalist (born 1948) Read more
• 2015 — Carmino Ravosa, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (born 1930) Read more
• 2015 — Gennadiy Seleznyov, Russian journalist and politician, 2nd Speaker of the Duma (born 1947) Read more
• 2014 — Rubem Alves, Brazilian theologian (born 1933) Read more
• 2014 — Skye McCole Bartusiak, American child actress and child model (born 1992) Read more
• 2014 — David Easton, Canadian-American political scientist and academic (born 1917) Read more
• 2014 — Paul M. Fleiss, American pediatrician and author (born 1933) Read more
• 2014 — James Garner, American actor (born 1928) Read more
• 2014 — Jerzy Jurka, Polish biologist (born 1950) Read more
• 2014 — Ray King, English footballer and manager (born 1924) Read more
• 2014 — Ingemar Odlander, Swedish journalist (born 1936) Read more
• 2014 — Harry Pougher, English cricketer (born 1941) Read more
• 2014 — Leen Vleggeert, Dutch politician (born 1931) Read more
• 2014 — John Winkin, American baseball player, coach, and journalist (born 1919) Read more
• 2013 — Mikhail Gorsheniov, Russian singer-songwriter (born 1973) Read more
• 2013 — Geeto Mongol, Canadian-American wrestler and trainer (born 1931) Read more
• 2013 — Mel Smith, English actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1952) Read more
• 2013 — Bert Trautmann, German footballer and manager (born 1923) Read more
• 2013 — Phil Woosnam, Welsh-American soccer player and manager (born 1932) Read more
• 2013 — Peter Ziegler, Swiss geologist and academic (born 1928) Read more
• 2013 — Leyla Erbil, Turkish author (born 1931) Read more
• 2012 — Humayun Ahmed, Bangladeshi director and playwright (born 1948) Read more
• 2012 — Tom Davis, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (born 1952) Read more
• 2012 — Mohammad Hassan Ganji, Iranian meteorologist and academic (born 1912) Read more
• 2012 — Omar Suleiman, Egyptian general and politician, 16th Vice President of Egypt (born 1935) Read more
• 2012 — Sylvia Woods, American businesswoman, co-founded Sylvia's Restaurant of Harlem (born 1926) Read more
• 2012 — Valiulla Yakupov, Islamic cleric (born 1963) Read more

Holidays & observances

Palace Day; Christian feast day: Aurea of Córdoba; Christian feast day: Bernold, Bishop of Utrecht; Christian feast day: John Plessington; Christian feast day: Justa and Rufina; Christian feast day: Kirdjun (or Abakerazum); Christian feast day: Macrina the Younger, Sister of St. Basil the Great; Christian feast day: Symmachus; Christian feast day: July 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Martyrs' Day (Myanmar); Sandinista Day or Liberation Day (Nicaragua)

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