AUGUST 19 | Birthdays and Events
Famous Birthdays
People born on August 19
Samuel Prescott
Physician and patriot who rode with Paul Revere and William Dawes to warned Massachusetts minutemen the regulars are coming.
Seth Thomas
Died: January 29, 1859 (age 73 years)
One of the first manufacturers to mass produce clocks.
Charles E. Hires
Died: July 31, 1937 (age 85 years)
Pharmacist, inventor and manufacturer of Hires Root Beer.
Orville Wright
Died: January 30, 1948 (age 76 years)
Engineer, pilot and co-founder of the Wright Company.
Coco Chanel
Died: January 10, 1971 (age 87 years)
French fashion designer and founded the Chanel Company.
Colleen Moore
Died: January 25, 1988 (age 88 years)
Silent film actress who helped popularize the bobbed haircut.
Philo Farnsworth
Died: March 11, 1971 (age 64 years)
Inventor who was granted the first patent for the television in the U.S.
Saint Alphonsa
Died: July 28, 1946 (age 35 years)
The first woman of Indian origin to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Gene Roddenberry
Died: October 24, 1991 (age 70 years)
Screenwriter and producer who created the Star Trek series.
Frank McCourt
Died: July 19, 2009 (age 78 years)
Author of the novel Angela's Ashes.
Jill St. John
Model and actress widely known as the "First American Bond Girl" in the early James Bond movies series.
Johnny Nash
Died: October 6, 2020 (age 80 years)
Singer of the 1972 hit I Can See Clearly Now.
Fred Thompson
Died: November 1, 2015 (age 73 years)
Lawyer and politician who turned actor. He is fondly remembered for his role as Manhattan District Attorney Arthur Branch on Law & Order.
Jack Canfield
Co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul book series.
Dawn Steel
Died: December 20, 1997 (age 51 years)
The first woman to head a Hollywood studio (Columbia Productions).
Bill Clinton
The 42nd President of the U.S. He was the first President to be impeached since Andrew Johnson.
John Stamos
Actor who played the character uncle Jesse on the sitcom Full House.
Historical Events on August 19
Events that occurred on August 19 throughout history
Mary, Queen of Scots, returns to Scotland.
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
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Adolf Hitler becomes the head of state in Germany.
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.
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.
Google Inc. appears on Nasdaq and opens up for the public offering $85 per share.
